Feed

When zombies meet the political thriller energy of 24 or Designated Survivor, I’m always going to be in. So it blows my mind that I’m late to the party when it comes to Mira Grant’s Newsflesh trilogy.

This means that I have to confess that I’m not quite finished reading Feed. I know, I know. Rather bold of me to go ahead and include it in a recommendation list, huh? But when you know, you know.

This book has far too many things I love not to include it. It’s got a survivable, post-zombie world. A scary-believable viral premise.… show more.

I love the way that Grant has written this book as part American political conspiracy theory, part zombie apocalypse. It certainly takes the political drama into a whole new place!

I liked the mechanics of how the world came to be infected with zombies and the “living with Zombies” society Grant has constructed, which I found to be well thought-out, researched, and believable. I loved the surprises in this book, the unusual relationships that Georgia Mason has with her brother and with their parents, and the general quirks and habits of her and her brother Shaun.

I enjoyed the criticisms… show more.

Most zombie stories have horribly unscientific epidemiology, but Feed is definitely the exception. Mira Grant knocks this tale of journalists covering a post-zombie apocalypse presidential election out of the park- it’s a brilliant take on both epidemiological fiction and zombies. Considerably more action-packed than the rest of this list, and the sequels are excellent as well.

I have to be honest, it’s hard not to recommend a zombie book set in a world where the cure for the common cold caused the outbreak. Given the current situation, it’s just too good of a play on all our fears. Of course, Feed predates the Covid-19 pandemic by nearly a decade, but it’s still a fantastic premise.  

The humans in Feed react to the virus in a predictable manner – lockdowns, blood checks, and rigorous government control. Set in this dystopia, the story follows a Newsie blogger and her band as they seek to unravel a conspiracy that… show more.

I love post-apocalyptic reads, and Feed is on the top of my list, partially because of how normal the writer makes a zombie takeover feel. Like we’re being forced to pivot and adapt to our new way of being thanks to Covid-19, the main characters of Feed exist in a daily zone of risk and reward, surrounded by the likelihood they, too, will become zombies if they aren’t careful, all while getting out there and telling the stories others need to hear in the midst of their own pandemic. It’s brilliantly laid out, takes the reader from a small corner… show more.