Feed by Mira Grant

#1 in Newsflesh Series
Published in 2010 by Orbit
5 Stars

Goodreads Review
In 2014, two experimental viruses—a genetically engineered flu strain designed by Dr. Alexander Kellis, intended to act as a cure for the common cold, and a cancer-killing strain of Marburg, known as "Marburg Amberlee"—escaped the lab and combined to form a single airborne pathogen that swept around the world in a matter of days. It cured cancer. It stopped a thousand cold and flu viruses in their tracks.

It raised the dead. 

Millions died in the chaos that followed. The summer of 2014 was dubbed "The Rising," and only the lessons learned from a thousand zombie movies allowed mankind to survive. Even then, the world was changed forever. The mainstream media fell, Internet news acquired an undeniable new legitimacy, and the CDC rose to a new level of power. 

Set twenty years after the Rising, the Newsflesh trilogy follows a team of bloggers, led by Georgia and Shaun Mason, as they search for the brutal truths behind the infection. Danger, deceit, and betrayal lurk around every corner, as does the hardest question of them all: 

When will you rise?


Review:   Feed is a fantastic book about how the American economic and political system would rebound from a viral outbreak that reanimated the dead.  It looks at how people would adapt and what would become the highest priority to the government.  Feed is an epic first book that I cannot get out of my mind.  Even months after reading it I am still mulling over the points of the plot, character motivations, and the emotional roller coaster of a perfectly fashioned ending.

The story follows twins Shaun and Georgia and their friend and tech guru Buffy who work together as bloggers.  Georgia is a hard hitting news reporter who is focused on the facts and getting to the bottom of the true story; Shaun is an action packed stunt man who puts himself in danger for his readers entertainment; and Buffy writes romanticized fiction and poetry as well as providing some kick ass security and secret agent spy material.  Feed does a wonderful job with the blogging world, fully explaining how the system rose in the wake of the epidemic.  It also does a great job with the technology aspects fully describing hidden cameras an microphones as well as virus test apparatuses and procedures which really immerse the reader in the lifestyles in the book. 

While there is no major romantic relationship in this book, there is emotion on every page.  I became extremely attached to this trio and Grant does this so subtly that at times I was bawling without really knowing how I got there.  Feed expertly uses the camaraderie that develops from surviving near death situations, the love that siblings can share, and telling experts from their very different blogs to create characters that leave lasting impressions. 

Overall Feed is a well researched, planned, and executed zombie novel that fully explains the science behind the epidemic while still creating a world where the reader feels true emotional investment with the characters.  An instant classic for all fans of the genre. 

Sidenote: I also LOVE the pun of the title.  Not only is it referencing and blog RSS feed, but it also (obviously) references zombies feeding on brains.  Awesome.