Book Review: Feed

Feed by Mira Grant

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Feed is the first book in the Newsflesh trilogy. By 2014 scientists had cured both cancer and the common cold. Unfortunately this unintentionally led to the Rising, when a deadly virus called the Kellis-Amberlee virus started taking over human bodies and turning them into flesh eating zombies. Feed opens in 2039, around twenty years after the Rising. Georgia and Shaun Mason are a sister and brother blogging team who are picked to be the first bloggers to be allowed to embed with a presidential candidate on the campaign trail. Along the way, they uncover a huge conspiracy that will become the biggest story they have ever covered.

This book was so much more than a just a zombie horror novel. The author did a great job with very detailed, authentic world-building. The way she explained how the Kellis-Amberlee virus mutated almost had me convinced that we could actually have a zombie epidemic someday. I noticed some reviewers thought that she had too many information dumps in the book but I actually didn’t notice that. I really appreciated her attention to detail and consistency in the world-building.

This book also had some interesting commentary on the roles that both traditional news media and blogging might have in the future. Additionally, in a world where zombies could be hiding anywhere the issue of how much personal freedom should be limited to ensure the safety of society as a whole becomes very important.

This book also had snippets of sly and subtle humor that were nice mini-breaks from the drama. For example, Georgia is named after George Romero (director of the movie Night of the Living Dead) because he becomes something of a modern day prophet after the Rising happens and some of the events in his movies actually happen.

If you aren’t a zombie or paranormal being fan, please don’t let the fact that this book has zombies in it turn you off from reading it. It was such a fantastic book with twists and turns that took my breath away at times. I can’t wait to read Deadline, the next book in the trilogy.

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