Here are the things I cannot comment upon regarding Mira Grant's (aka
Seanan McGuire) much-hyped
post zombie apocalypse novel:
- The originality of her zombie infestation scenario.
- The originality of her pop culture references.
- The originality of her anything basically having to do with zombies.
The truth is, I don't read zombie novels as a rule. In fact, I can name one, and that was a romance with barely any actual zombie characterization. I have seen most of the popular zombie movies, and read the Zombie Survival Guide for yuks during a hurricane evacuation, and Simon Pegg's article as to why zombies remain so popular in the public conscious makes perfect sense to me. So I think I know enough to tell you that this is a pretty awesome book.
I'm going to try very hard not to spoil anyone, though if you read the jacket copy of the second book in the series (as I accidentally did), you are given a pretty big clue right in your face.
The Cons:
Yes, I'm starting with the cons, because I just want to get them out of the way. There are several, some are nitpicky, and some aren't, but none of them ruined my enjoyment of the read, so take them as you will.
1. In the acknowledgments*, McGuire thanks a bunch of editors and proofreaders for their assistance. I wish some of them had been a little sterner with her and reigned her in a bit with the unnecessary repetition of detail. When I am told three times in ten pages about Shaun's temper I GET IT. I understood when it was spelled out early in the book that animals under 40 lbs. don't amplify the virus, please stop telling me every time an animal shakes its paw at someone. Stuff like that. I understand that I am a very detail-oriented person with a scary good memory, so maybe this bugs me more because I remember the first time I was told a thing,** but it feels like sloppy writing for the lowest common denominator when stuff is repeated and then repeated again..
2. was not a surprise to me, not just because I read the jacket copy of Deadline, but also because McGuire's use of foreshadowing is kind of obvious and glarey. Again, this may be due to her writing style, or her team of editors telling her to amp it up, but I think it all could have been a bit subtler. I won't go into detail, because that's how kinda obvious it is.
3. My biggest beef with books like this involve the narration. Georgia is narrating the book through her experiences as a member of the press on a campaign trail. She's a great narrator, don't get me wrong. But (and this ties into #1), why is she explaining so much to me? Whenever an author creates an alternate/parallel/post-apocalyptic universe, that author has a choice as to how the reader will get to know this universe. Some, such as Lauren Beukes and William Gibson, just throw the reader into the world without explanation. Some use a secondary character who is new to the universe as a means of explanation. And some don't even worry about it. They just explain what needs explaining through the narration of a first-person POV. If the story is engaging enough, I don't think too much upon it, but something never feels quite right. I never feel I'm observing events or like I'm a part of the action, because there's a little too much exposition occurring.
So the sum of my Cons list is: stop assuming your readers are stupider than they are.
The Pros:
There are many. This is a damn fine rip-roaring adventure through a world that isn't ours, but feels familiar enough.
1. The use of politics and campaigns and the media ties in very neatly to our current world. In fact, for all its trappings, Feed is a statement novel. Just substitute "Terrorist" for "Zombie" and you see what I mean. Primarily, the "Feed" of the title isn't referring to zombie eating habits, but to online news services. This is a world that has lost its trust in mainstream media (rightfully) and depends on bloggers for honest reporting of events. I already trust online news more than mainstream news, so this feels like the most realistic future I can imagine.
2. Again, I can't comment on the originality of McGuire's zombies, but I can say I felt more for her zombies than I expected.
3. With one exception, you kind of know who the good guys and the bad guys are from the beginning (and that one exception isn't really an exception). That is a plus for me. Too many twists and turns and I can't trust anyone, and the next thing you know, I'm putting the book down because I fucking hate all of you jesus christ will you just all die already? I can honestly say I liked the people I was supposed to like and hated the others and it was all good.
4. Of course, pop culture references galore. One of my favorites being that one of the most popular post-infestation baby names is Shaun.
5. We get a chance to actually see the US in this book, not just a small section of it. This is a campaign road novel, so part of it takes place on the road. We see the effect of the outbreak on small towns and big cities. Too many novels like this keep the scop small in order to increase the detail. Feed manages to do both, and that impressed me.
6. Can I say how much I loved that there was no romance, or romantic subplot as any part of this book?
Okay, there are more, but I'm going to stop. I can't even say I would have appreciated Feed so much if I hadn't read it right now, when I just finished a tough summer semester and find myself disgusted with the media and people and politics in general. Instead, I tore through an almost 600 page novel at breakneck speed. I think at some points, I cried.
You know how I hated that one book that a bazillion other people loved? We all have things. Part of what makes me love reading and talking to other readers is finding out what each person's thing is. If you've read Feed, feel free to let me know your thoughts!
*Yes, I read acknowledgments. I actually find them quite entertaining.
** Further evidence that in another lifetime, I was meant to be a fiction editor.