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Loading... The Girl with All the Giftsby M. R. Carey
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Books Read in 2015 (17) » 36 more Books Read in 2018 (17) Books Read in 2016 (267) Books Read in 2014 (111) Books Read in 2017 (330) Books Read in 2019 (277) Top Five Books of 2021 (260) Books Read in 2021 (1,135) io9 Book Club (7) KayStJ's to-read list (324) At the Library (63) wish list (25) Books With a Twist (69) Female Protagonist (988) No current Talk conversations about this book. Loved this. So much to think about. ( ![]() Jon billed this to me as a combination of Matilda, a zombie film and Never Let Me Go. Honestly, that's pretty spot on: there's a first part that is basically a zombie in the Matilda-genre, followed by a longer second part of Matilda in the zombie genre. The whole idea is a really unique take on the zombie genre, and Carey does a great job using a lot of the old standbys of survival horror to set the scene where he can, allowing most of the prose to really focus in on the protagonists. Using an ensemble cast really allows the idea of zombie sentience to sign -- without the point-of-view of Melanie, a lot of what happens in the book would lose its ethical greyness, but without the point-of-view of the humans, the survival drive would not be felt as well, either. The five characters and their relationships between each other really complement each other nicely. By using zombies, rather than a brand new concept of some sort, Carey frees up a lot of time to focus on the existential (or as he calls them, ontological) ideas of the novel: what makes a being a person, what is free will, what people owe to humanity. Finally, the science, as far as I could tell (not being a mycologist) was very nicely done. It's rare to find science fiction that actually hits science and is simultaneously interesting. I don't think that using Ophiocordyceps isn't a unique idea (I assume -- given that Ophiocordyceps species that actually exist are already called "Zombie Fungus"; I don't actually do zombie usually) but the details that Carey adds, were interesting, plausible, and added to the plot. My one nitpick is regarding the final piece: Incredibly fast paced to the point where you're holding your breath in case you influence the story. Excellent ending as well. Loved it. "28 Days Later" meets "Attack of the Pod People" meets "I am Legend" I love it!
One of the more imaginative and ingenious additions to the dystopian canon. Comics writer Carey (Lucifer) delivers an entertaining take on several well-worn zombie tropes Has the adaptationIs an expanded version ofAwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
Not every gift is a blessing. Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite. But they don't laugh. Melanie is a very special girl. No library descriptions found. |
LibraryThing Early Reviewers AlumM. R. Carey's book The Girl with All the Gifts was available from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Popular covers
![]() GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.92Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 2000-LC ClassificationRatingAverage:![]()
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