Feedback

Read: June-July 2017

I have three favourite series ever. Three fictional worlds that I love so much that despite all the inherent risks and dangers involved in being a character in the series, I would jump at the chance to visit them IRL if I ever could. The first is Terry Pratchett's Discworld which I've loved since I was a child. The second is the Newsflesh series. (The third, if anyone is interested, is J.D. Robb's In Death series.)

The reason I made such a powerful connection to the Newflesh world that Grant/McGuire created, is the theme I picked up on that runs through the entire series; fear, and what it does to us. What is the cost of living versus simply surviving? This theme struck a chord with me when I first read Feed several show more years ago. The mash-up of zombies, politics, science and internet journalism was also incredibly entertaining and enthralling to read!

All this to say, when I heard Mira Grant was releasing a new novel set in the Newsflesh world, but with different characters, I was thrilled and then terrified that it wouldn't live up to the standards of the previous novels and short stories. I should never have doubted Grant.

Feedback is a wonderful novel that deals with the same issues of fear, truth and what it means to be alive, as well as introducing some great new characters; Ash, Audrey, Ben and Mat. Cameos from secondary characters in the main series - like Dr Shannon Abbey and her dog, Joe - added an extra layer of authenticity and familiarity to this new addition in the series.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and now I want to re-read Feed yet again. This book seems to have been written as a stand-alone, but hopefully we'll get some short stories or even another book from Mira Grant in this series in the future.

Rating: 5/5 stars, best of 2017 show less

This one left me loving/hating Mira Grant's work just as much as the other entries in this incredible series. Loving, because Grant is an incredible writer who puts an amazing amount of thought into building real, complex characters and then putting them in interesting, dangerous situations to see how they get out of them. Hating, because not everyone makes it to the end alive. (I'm pretty sure that doesn't count as a spoiler given the book is full of zombies who want to eat people.)

Oh, did I mention the main cast of this book is 75% queer? Because that part is amazing as far as I'm concerned. This is the first book I've read that not only references a nonbinary character in the first 20 pages, but goes on to specifically, unequivocally show more and unapologetically make sure everyone knows damn well that they are genderfluid and not going to take anyone's crap about it. To add to the awesomeness, the main character is a lesbian, her girlfriend is bi, and her husband (read the book, you'll understand) is black. I'm just not used to that concentration of diversity in a book. Mira has well and truly raised the bar for queer rep in media, and done so amazingly well.

While you technically *could* read Feedback before the rest of the Newsflesh books, I wouldn't recommend it. Seeing the events of the main trilogy through another, distant set of eyes brings something special to the series as a whole. There's also a fairly major plot point from [b:Deadline|8429687|Deadline (Newsflesh Trilogy, #2)|Mira Grant|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1408500444l/8429687._SY75_.jpg|13292985] casually dished out. show less

**4.75 Stars**

I actually really liked this book, maybe even a little more than the original trilogy. There were twisted twists and weird turns that I didn't always see coming. I LOVED getting to see the political campaign from a different viewpoint and getting to see a little more into the post-rising world. There were times that I didn't know which characters were trustworthy and was feeling tense right along with Ash.

If I had to say one negative thing about this book, it would have to be the whole trope of the main (female) character being a little on the douchey arrogant side and acting like she has to be a "bad bitch" right off the bat before even understanding a person or the situation.

I admit to being a fanboy of the series. Gladly, irrationally, wholeheartedly.

I mean, who doesn't like a team of intrepid bloggers in a zombie-blighted wasteland encountering horrible secrets in the government and having lots to say about election madness while geeking out and stabbing moaners in the head? Better yet, who doesn't like mad conspiracies, killing your loved ones, looking great on camera as your run for your life, or just discovering how nuts the world is?

This definitely isn't for first time readers of the NewsFlesh series, but it does happen to overlap during the presidential campaign trail during [b:Feed|7094569|Feed (Newsflesh Trilogy, #1)|Mira Grant|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1408500437s/7094569.jpg|7351419], show more but from the opposite camp.

Ash is great. I really love Ash. Her Irish accent will always get her killed in all the zombie detectors, her bulletproof sundresses are the epitome of fashion, and while she's tiny and skinny, I'd always choose her to be my bruiser any day. She also happens to be really hard to kill when zombie traps keep exploding all around the presidential hopeful.

There's also a ton of interesting things to say about ourselves, too, if you look close enough into the text. I mean, we're courting a zombie wasteland with one or the other of our candidates, and Ash is living through the aftermath of the same. It works. :)

There's a lot of gender and race diversity in this novel, but honestly? Even though I got into all the characters fine, I kinda felt like it ran down a checklist. I tried not to let it annoy me because I got totally pumped by the story and the reversals and the generally nutso disposition of Ash and the world, and that worked fine for me. Maybe not for everyone. And then again, maybe this is perfect. It just felt a bit calculated. That's all.

Still, what a kicker near the end. I didn't really expect that coming, and that's kinda why I worship this series. I got the same kick in the gut with the surprises in the original trilogy, too, so I suppose I should be used to it by now, but it just isn't so.

Death is the constant of life. This zombie plague still remains as one of the most well-thought-out and scientific examples of zombification that I've ever read, and the mix of high-tech and mad bootstrapping ingenuity always gets me running for my duct tape.

I'm so happy to return to this world! It was my first introduction to Mira Grant (Seanan Mcguire), but ever since, I've been a truly devoted fan. For good reason. This stuff rocks. :) show less

**4.75 Stars**

I actually really liked this book, maybe even a little more than the original trilogy. There were twisted twists and weird turns that I didn't always see coming. I LOVED getting to see the political campaign from a different viewpoint and getting to see a little more into the post-rising world. There were times that I didn't know which characters were trustworthy and was feeling tense right along with Ash.

If I had to say one negative thing about this book, it would have to be the whole trope of the main (female) character being a little on the douchey arrogant side and acting like she has to be a "bad bitch" right off the bat before even understanding a person or the situation.

**4.75 Stars**

I actually really liked this book, maybe even a little more than the original trilogy. There were twisted twists and weird turns that I didn't always see coming. I LOVED getting to see the political campaign from a different viewpoint and getting to see a little more into the post-rising world. There were times that I didn't know which characters were trustworthy and was feeling tense right along with Ash.

If I had to say one negative thing about this book, it would have to be the whole trope of the main (female) character being a little on the douchey arrogant side and acting like she has to be a "bad bitch" right off the bat before even understanding a person or the situation.

And we get another zombie story! The zombie story is one that is still riding pretty high, thanks to “The Walking Dead” and it’s continued (though perhaps wavering) popularity. I’ve been into the zombie genre ever since high school when me and my sister (I was sixteen, she was twelve) sat down and watched the original “Night of the Living Dead”. Though she was absolutely horrified by the disgusting cannibalistic violence on the screen, I was completely into it, finding it to be scary and unsettling and super fun. Now I’m in the thirties and I still can’t get enough, though I’m more interested in unique takes on the genre as a whole. I’ve mentioned Mira Grant’s “Newsflesh” Series here before, and while I really show more do enjoy it for it’s creativity and the badass blogging main character Georgia “George” Mason, I felt that the rest of her team of bloggers (including hot headed brother Shaun) to be not as endearing. However, a world where zombies came about due to the cure for the common cold and the cure for cancer merging and mutating is SO enjoyable that I love the universe that she has created.

So enter “Feedback”. While “Feed” and it’s sequels “Deadline” and “Blackout” follow the Masons and their turn from political bloggers to targets of government ire, “Feedback” is something totally new within the same timeline. This time we’re following another blogging team, this one a bit more scrappy and independent. You have Aislinn “Ash” North, an Irish Irwin (aka blogger who goes into the thick of zombie danger for clicks and likes) who has attitude and snark for days. You have her husband Ben, a Newsie (news blogger) who married Ash to give her U.S. citizenship (as being a lesbian in post Rising, incredibly zealous Ireland was a bad spot) who is loyal and determined to get the truth out there. You have Audrey, a fiction blogger who is hiding from her past. And you have Mat, a techie/make up blogger who is genderfluid and hoping to end up as a make up artist to the powerful of this world. So when they are approached by Susan Kilburn, Democratic Governor of Oregon and Presidential Hopeful, to follower her on the campaign trail, much as the Masons are doing with the Republican front runner, this team is thrilled. And of course, much like in “Feed”, all does not go well.

While my love for George Mason will never be replaced by anyone else, I have to say that “Feedback” was super enjoyable and Ash was a great protagonist! She has a little more attitude and is a little rougher around the edges than George, and she wears her heart on her sleeve, which made her very easy to connect with. You get the sense from the get go that she and her team have had to fight tooth and nail to get where they are, and while sometimes she could be a little precious in her toughness, she always had her vulnerabilities laid out. As a whole I enjoyed this team more than the bloggers at After the End Times because in one book you got a sense for each and every single one of them, even with it being filtered through a First Person Perspective. I also liked that in this book there was far from societal speculation in regards to how different countries would react to the zombie plague, specifically Ash’s home country of Ireland. Ash, a lesbian who has no interest in fitting into societal norms, was highly oppressed in Ireland, which became a far more conservative and patriarchal state after the rising. It felt very dour and yet realistic to address the fact that in reaction to something as awful as a zombie apocalypse, some countries would put stake into zealous and restrictive morals such as forced breeding and the debasement of those who don’t wish to lead that kind of life. Grant tackles a lot of social issues in this book in regards to sexuality, race, and gender, and it was nice to see these things cropping up as important matters to address.

The plot itself was pretty good too. The intrigue and cloak and dagger issues of someone deliberately planting zombies at various political gatherings is something that we might remember from the original “Newsflesh” series, and to what ends this all will shake out. But seeing this group of journalists stumble into it quicker and more accidentally was fun, because it made for a lot more action as the consequences came to a head. I will keep it vague here, because you may want to read “Feed” and it’s sequels first, but let’s just say that Ash and her team are a bit more aware and have more time to make some decisions in regards to how to proceed. But that also kind of leads to the problem I had with this book, which I am going to talk about in it’s full spoilery glory. So yep, that means you get a spoiler alert! Ash and her team eventually end up running away from the (redacted) threat, hoping to make it into the wilds of Canada. But as they are moving their way through the Pacific Northwest, they are kidnapped by a group of survivors run by a cruel and misogynistic despot who intends on creating a new society literally underground. His name is Clive, and he decides that Ash is going to be one of his many companions who he will eventually use to have an array of children to keep the human species going. Mind you, this happens about two thirds of the way into the book. This storyline is something that 1) we have seen many times before in our zombie fiction, from “28 Days Later” to “The Walking Dead”, and 2) is far too large of a plot point to introduce so far into a narrative. It honestly could have taken up an entire book of it’s own, so to try and shoehorn it in felt rushed and disingenuous. I really did not see a point to it. HAD this book ended with them being taken by this group, and HAD that story been saved for a second book in a series, it would have made more sense. Even if it would have been a bit old hat, it still could have been fleshed out enough that I would have been able to give it something of a pass. As it was, it just kind of felt like Grant wanted one more hurdle for this group and this was tossed in and rushed through. That was pretty aggravating.

I should also mention that I really liked Georgia Dolenz, the woman who did the narration for this audiobook! She was great at varying her voices for each character, and held consistent accents for the characters who had them.

So while “Feedback” isn’t necessarily as strong as “Feed”, overall I liked this team more than the team in that series (Georgia Mason aside), and would SO read more about them. The book kind of ended on a note of finality, but I could easily see Grant picking them up again and telling us more. I hope that she does, because I am still hungry for more stories about the Kellis-Amberlee Zombie Universe! show less