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)

Much better than I ever expected

What did you love best about Feed?

The characters were so well-fleshed and made me feel like they were real. They were part of my life.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I don't cry when reading/listening to books. But. . . I cried. I bawled.

Any additional comments?

Yes, the book has Zombies. But the focus of the book isn't the Zombies. They are just part of the world. The focus is on a brother/sister team of bloggers and how they view and interact with their world.

Nesflash! Zombies will eat your brains!

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

...or anything else they can sink their teeth into. Perhaps, a good audio book?

What did you like best about this story?

DNA sience

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

Dual male and female perspectives

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes -lucky it was an audiobook. I did not need to "put it down".

Any additional comments?

"Brains...."

Must read!

Bought it becuse it was on sale. Didn't really have any expectations, but it blew me away! Laughed and then UGLY cried!

Too Close to Home

I bought this book when it was released but never got a chance to read it. It was one of the first books I got on Audible. This is not the book for 2023. Gov. Tate is literally Trump. So while it was politically infuriating, this was SUCH a well written book. I could not stop listening!

No words…

A must listen! Had me on the edge of my seat in the car, in the shower, in bed! Wonderfully written & wonderfully narrated!

Absolutely, emotionally perfect

Had my attention from opening to end, woke up and opened and went to sleep with it playing. Loved and hated(in a good way) the characters. I definite must listen too (or read). Thank you Mira Grant for an amazing story.

Surprisingly Good

I only listened because of the Hugo nomination. I, for one, resent our new zombie overlords. But this really wasn't a zombie book, more of a "humans can adapt to anything, and still be bastards" kind of book. Fun to read, thought-provoking, and, to my surprise, with an emotional punch that had me mourning at one point in the book, really grieving for a character. Impressive.

Great book !!

At first I was disapointed to find out it was a "zombie"book.I dont usually like such books. But this one was different,well writen with lots of action.But it is a well thought out story that includes politics,medical,spys and the internet. It is a different kind of book.I thought the narration was fine.I didnt notice a lisp.

Zombie Book and Mystery Book all in one

Feed is part normal zombie book, part political mystery. It has some of the zombie attach scenes you would normally see, but also does a good job of showing the way people live with the zombies, and what they must do on a day to day basis in this new normal. The story has good character development and a lot of action, excitement and intrigue to keep you coming back for more. Being the first of a trilogy there is always the chance that the author won’t fully wrap up the story to keep their readers coming back for more books, but this did a good job of completing the story allowing it to be stand alone if you don’t want to go on.

A unique aspect of this book was a male and female characters resulting in two performers. I think this made it more realistic and really enjoyable. They both do a great job.

I greatly enjoyed this book.

a near-future immersive America

I'm not big on the zombie genre, but I do like sci fi/fantasy, so I gave this book a chance. There are weaknesses - virus levels are measured in microns (a unit of length, not of number or concentration), internal inconsistencies, the villain at the end acts out a cliche that makes no sense in context (despite the speech he gives to indicate murderous insanity) - but despite all these flaws, I just wanted to keep listening. The author paints vivid pictures in an America just a few decades from now where (suspend disbelief) technology has progressed stunningly in response to a virus that creates "night of the living dead"-like zombies through a (suspend disbelief) lab-engineered mutation of the common cold. The fact that zombie-ism is contagious, and that transformation isn't immediate, is central to the plot, but the contradictions between the virus origin story and the way it behaves made me think that an origin story actually subtracts from the plot. So just power through the parts where the book's version of virology is discussed, and power through ridiculous scenes like the narrator taking the time to explain her brother's dating history during a zombie mob attack, and immerse yourself in an interesting thriller where the journalists are targeted because they tell the truth, and the harshness of a zombie-filled world forces people to horrible, soul-dimming acts of mercy and love and self-protection. "Sophie's Choice" with a virus instead of Nazis.