Feed

The Newsflesh Trilogy, Book 1

By: Mira Grant

Narrated by: Paula Christensen, Jesse Bernstein

Length: 15 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Feed is an electrifying and critically acclaimed novel of a world a half-step from our own that the New York Times calls “Astonishing” a novel of zombies, geeks, politics, social media, and the virus that runs through them all - from New York Times best seller Mira Grant.

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, 20 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.

More from Mira Grant:

Newsflesh

• Feed
• Deadline
• Blackout
• Feedback
• Rise

©2010 Mira Grant (P)2010 Hachette

Critic reviews

"It's a novel with as much brains as heart, and both are filling and delicious." (The A.V. Club on Feed)

“Feed is a proper thriller with zombies.” (SFX)

"Gripping, thrilling, and brutal... McGuire has crafted a masterpiece of suspense with engaging, appealing characters who conduct a soul-shredding examination of what's true and what's reported." (Publishers Weekly - starred review)

loved it

I Read a ton of zompoc fiction. If you don't mind YA titles, this story is compelling and an overall great listen.

Great book - loved it!

Would you consider the audio edition of Feed to be better than the print version?

I have already recommended this book to multiple friends. Really enjoyed the story and I keep thinking about it even though it's over. Looking forward to listening to the next one in the series!

What other book might you compare Feed to and why?

Raising Stony Mayhall - its another good post zombie apocalypse book.

Better than I expected!

This book exceeded my expectations. The narration was great, I loved the characters and the story sucked me in. I thought the writing was well done and am glad I listened to it. I read some of the negative reviews after I was done and while I understand how some of those could be true for some people, give this book a chance if you can. First story I've heard about a mostly successful society after a zombie outbreak.

Great Zombie Book and an even better Narrator!

What made the experience of listening to Feed the most enjoyable?

This book had tons of suspense and the narrator was great at depicting all the different charaters.

What did you like best about this story?

Kept me wanting more.

What does Paula Christensen and Jesse Bernstein bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I honestly prefer reading to listening but I had a long 27 hr drive so they were the next best thing I could hope for. They captivated me and made the time fly!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The truth will kill you sooner or later!

You'll Eat This Up

What did you love best about Feed?

The most impressive thing about Feed is that it has no right to be good. It's built out of a collection of parts that annoy the hell out of me, starting with the obnoxious male bro character on page 1. But, you know what? I loooove that obnoxious male bro character. He's so good. Which isn't to say that he stops being obnoxious, or bro-ey, because he doesn't. It's just that Grant (McGuire) pays actual attention to the quality of his interpersonal relationships and his inner life, giving him a depth of characterization that trumps the fact that he's an obnoxious jerk who I hate.

And maybe that's the best review I can give for this book: In Feed, Seanan McGuire (as Mira Grant) makes me love the things I hate.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sean, the guy I already said I hate, is one of my favorite characters, but the star of the show (and rightly so) is Georgia. Her voice carries the novel and her choices carry the plot and she's great.

Which character – as performed by Paula Christensen and Jesse Bernstein – was your favorite?

Paula Christensen has put all other audiobook performers I've listened to to shame. Her voices, inflections, and performances for each character are wonderful, but, again, it's the performance as Georgia that steals the show (with Sean in a close second).

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"The News Just Went Viral"

Feed, The Mondern Day Zombie Epic

Would you try another book from Mira Grant and/or Paula Christensen and Jesse Bernstein ?

This book has been great for what it wants to do, but I have been struggling to go onto the next book. The way the book was written was hard to understand at times, and made it difficult to keep a flow in the book. But overall the story line was very amazing and detailed. It acutally made me think it is possible for a zombie invasion in the United States and see how the nation would actually react.

Would you be willing to try another book from Mira Grant? Why or why not?

Maybe... Im not a fan of the writing style, but the story itself is very catching. I find myself wanting more of the story, but wishing it was written in a better format.

What does Paula Christensen and Jesse Bernstein bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

They bring a total emotion into the book. Im glad I can listen to the book instead of reading it because I can grasp a better knowledge of the characters emotions.

Do you think Feed needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes, because the book ends off in a way that should lead to another book.

Best Zombie

Best Zombie series ever! Original, thought provoking and impossible to stop reading. Timely and weirdly prescient.

Nothing about this didn't work.

This is unlike any zombie story you will read or watch. Where most zombie stories fall into the category of fantasy, this is sci-fi. (The author made someone at the CDC very nervous checking her facts.) Most zombies take place in a world where nobody has heard of zombies; the lead character in this story is named after George Romero, who is hailed as a hero in this world because his work prepared humanity for survival.

The Rising was a couple of decades ago. This is a story set in a world where everything fell apart, but humanity has put mostly everything back together, and now we live in a world where things don't stay dead, and that's the New Normal. But it's an entirely different normal, as every aspect of life has changed. The world the characters inhabit is very well thought out.

The characters? Also amazing.

The story? ALSO amazing. And while this is the first book in the series, it's a self-contained plot, wrapping up all of its major threads while leaving the world open for the sequels.

I Was Tricked!

I had no idea this would be a book about Zombies. Had I known, I would have dropped it like a hot potato!! Zombies, Werewolves and Vampires? PASS. Forget it. Not for me.

I like science fiction, and based on the synopsis I was expecting a futuristic medical thriller…. HA! Suuuurpriiiiise! Zombies?? Puh-leeeeeze.

I am SO glad I didn’t know in advance! I am thrilled I was tricked because I really liked the story! Ultimately, it IS a futuristic medical thriller mixed in with journalism and political intrigue; a great read! Instead of being ridiculous, the zombie-element (the idea that Zombieism is due to an infection from a cancer cure gone bad) was a really interesting one… it got me thinking and it did not devolve into stupid gratuitous brain-eating gore.

Having said that, the zombie-action scenes where NOT my thing and bored me completely; I hate stuff like that, I just find it dumb, but they were so few and far between, they were easy to ignore.

I’m in for the sequels!

A story of journalistic integrity and zombies.

Any additional comments?

It's nice to read something championing journalistic integrity while managing to convey new wrinkles into the zombie genre. Fun and interesting mix. The blog format intermixed with first person narrative is a unique POV and offered some unexpected layered storytelling.