The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beat the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.
NOW, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives-the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.
Or simply put: Zombies.
We are reading Feed all month long (the next and last post is February 29th) if you want to join us. I don't think there are any spoilers in this post if you'd like to read my thoughts so far.
Read-along Discussion
As a fan of the zombie, I'm digging Feed so far. There are a lot of new explanations for old zombie habits, and that is what I'm always hopeful for.
I liked the opening, but then I really started worrying that these characters had no sense at all. It pulled me out of the story for a while, but once I got all of the blogging details, it started to make a lot more sense. I like the message of blogs being bringers of truth, by the way.
I had to laugh at this line:
We are the Jennifers of our generation.
Oh, boy, can I relate to that. Maybe I should start calling myself Buffy. :)
I love that the zombies in Feed are called zombies. It's kind of a pet peeve of mine when I read a zombie book and everyone acts as though they've never heard of a zombie before. They don't know what to call it, they don't know how to fight it... Feed smashes that pet peeve, and I love it. If the zompocalypse occurs, people will react a lot like they do in Feed.
Does the relationship between Shaun and George make you uncomfortable or is it just me?
Feed is getting better and better as it progresses so I'm looking forward to reading the next half. I'm just hoping there won't be too much of a cliffhanger when it ends.
What do you guys think so far? Do you enjoy zombies?
Ooh I really want to read this series all of my friends have LOVED it!!
ReplyDeleteGiselle
Xpresso Reads
I was wondering if anyone else would get the Shaun/George vibe I did off this book. I know they're close and all, but it seems so inappropriate.
ReplyDeleteI honestly can't remember if it was spelled out in the book and I missed it. Are they biological siblings?
ReplyDeleteI liked that Grant poked fun at those who scoffed at zompocalypse-philes (yes, I stole your word and made it bigger), noting that the ones who knew what to do owed it to the "fictional" movies.
Thanks, Alice. I'm glad it wasn't just me!
ReplyDeleteBrittany - They are non-biological. There is one part where George says the doctors guess she's something like 3 weeks older than Shaun.
LOL. zompocalypse-philes :D
I ALMOST asked the author to clarify their dynamic when I had dinner with her last winter. It's addressed in book 2 pretty well, though, so she would've, "Oh look, a bunny!"ed me, and then I would've died of embarrassment.
ReplyDeleteI believe the idea of the world being saved by those people who sit in diners at 2 AM plotting their zombie apocalypse survival scenarios were part of the original concept for the Newsflesh universe. The Presidential campaign bit came later.
I absolutely love the additional insight you can bring, having met the author. It really rounds out the reading experience. I think I'll have to start doing more research for other readalongs, because I love learning extra details like this.
ReplyDeleteAlice - You had dinner with her and talked about the book? How cool is that?! :D
ReplyDeleteIt was wicked awesome. She was at Arisia last year, and Boston isn't too far from Albany, and apparently she jumps on offers to feed her at conventions (especially from people she "knows" online). We didn't talk about her books TOO much, because she doesn't give away spoilers, but we did get to talk about her sources of inspiration and her influences. She's a HUGE Stephen King fan, and It is her comfort reread.
ReplyDeleteI wrote up an account of the dinner on my blog last month: http://alicethewriter.blogspot.com/2012/01/dinner-with-princess-of-kingdom-of.html.
That is so cool! Now I'm suspicious of her title "Feed". Haha. Girl likes to eat! ;) I'm so glad you blogged about it. I'm off to read it right now!
ReplyDeleteHeh. Apparently she forgets if people don't shove food at her, because she gets distracted.
ReplyDeleteThe title is definitely a good one on several levels, but not that one.
LOL. That would probably be the worst way in the world to pick a title, huh?
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