Feed (Grant novel)
Encyclopedia
Feed is a 2010 science fiction
/horror novel, the first of the Newsflesh Trilogy, written by Seanan McGuire
under the pen name
"Mira Grant", about life in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse
. It is published by Orbit Books
.
s who are hired to cover a presidential campaign as embedded journalists.
", who writes emotional tales of his daring adventures. Buffy is a Fictional, who writes fiction inspired by their shared experiences.
Most of the novel consists of the first-person narration of Georgia, with excerpts from the bloggings of each of the major characters presented in between chapters.
The specific nature of the Kellis-Amberlee zombification virus means that any mammal weighing more than 40 lbs converts to a zombie on death, and exposure to live virus converts any living mammal large enough in minutes or seconds. Rigorous testing and decontamination are enforced because of this, in order to prevent another large-scale zombie outbreak.
The three main characters are hired by moderate Republican US Senator and candidate for the Republican nomination to the Presidency Peter Ryman to report on his campaign. He is opposed by conservative Texas Governor David Tate, and outlandish US Representative Kristen Wagman. On the campaign trail, the bloggers get to know and trust Senator Ryman.
Several times during the campaign, unknown forces use zombies as a weapon against Ryman and his family. First, the campaign's mobile HQ is attacked, then a zombie outbreak is deliberately triggered at the Senator's horse ranch, killing one of his daughters. Over the course of covering these events and the campaign, the bloggers have unprecedented popularity, but become concerned that they might be in danger. They add a fourth field blogger from the failed campaign of Congresswoman Wagman.
While traveling across the country in armored vehicles, the group is ambushed by unknown assailants, who disable their vehicles and withdraw, reporting them as killed (and thus converted to zombies) to local authorities. In fact, only one of their support crew and Buffy die in the attack, when he is killed as the vehicle crashes, and he reanimates, bites her, and infects her before she can escape the wreck. Before she converts, Buffy confesses that she had been passing information about the campaign to unknown religious fundamentalists.
With the threat now very real, the group continues investigating the source of the attacks. Meanwhile, the Senator is nominated at the Republican National Convention, and chooses Governor Tate as his running mate. Tate's addition to the campaign causes friction between him and the bloggers.
Eventually, the bloggers discover that unknown forces, possibly associated with the Centers for Disease Control, and working with Tate, are behind the attacks. They attempt to inform the Senator of this, but he demands evidence. Shortly thereafter, there is another attack, this time directly on the bloggers, and Georgia is infected. She writes one final blog entry and converts to a zombie, and is shot and killed by her brother Shaun.
The novel then switches to Shaun's narration as he struggles to make sense of a world without his sister, then swears vengeance on Governor Tate and the group he is working for. He, along with some of the campaign's security staff, slip away from the outbreak caused by the attack, and head to Tate's location.
When they arrive and confront him, Tate takes Senator Ryman's wife hostage with a syringe of zombie virus and proclaims his beliefs that the plague is an instrument of God sent to punish sinners. Trapped, he then injects himself to avoid capture, converts to a zombie, and is shot by Shaun using his sister's pistol.
. The A.V. Club
compared it to "The West Wing by way of George Romero",, while Strange Horizons
called it a "delight", with "delicious subtlety". Howard Tayler
praised McGuire for having her characters acknowledge the previous existence of zombies in popular culture.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
/horror novel, the first of the Newsflesh Trilogy, written by Seanan McGuire
Seanan McGuire
Seanan McGuire is an American author and filker. She also writes under the name "Mira Grant."-October Daye:# Rosemary and Rue...
under the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
"Mira Grant", about life in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse
Zombie apocalypse
A zombie apocalypse is a particular scenario of apocalyptic literature that customarily has a science fiction/horror rationale. In a zombie apocalypse, a widespread rise of zombies hostile to human life engages in a general assault on civilization....
. It is published by Orbit Books
Orbit Books
Orbit Books is an international publisher that specialises in science fiction and fantasy books. It was founded in 1974 as part of the Macdonald Futura publishing company...
.
Plot introduction
25 years after the Zombie Rising of 2014, narrator Georgia Mason and her brother Shaun are professional bloggerBlog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
s who are hired to cover a presidential campaign as embedded journalists.
Plot summary
In the zombie-infested world of 2039, foster siblings Georgia and Shaun Mason work as bloggers with their friend and partner Georgette "Buffy" Meissonier. In this new zombie-aware society, blogging is a licensed, restricted, and classified activity. Georgia is a "Newsie" who writes objective factual pieces. Shaun is an "IrwinSteve Irwin
Stephen Robert "Steve" Irwin , nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian television personality, wildlife expert, and conservationist. Irwin achieved worldwide fame from the television series The Crocodile Hunter, an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series which he co-hosted...
", who writes emotional tales of his daring adventures. Buffy is a Fictional, who writes fiction inspired by their shared experiences.
Most of the novel consists of the first-person narration of Georgia, with excerpts from the bloggings of each of the major characters presented in between chapters.
The specific nature of the Kellis-Amberlee zombification virus means that any mammal weighing more than 40 lbs converts to a zombie on death, and exposure to live virus converts any living mammal large enough in minutes or seconds. Rigorous testing and decontamination are enforced because of this, in order to prevent another large-scale zombie outbreak.
The three main characters are hired by moderate Republican US Senator and candidate for the Republican nomination to the Presidency Peter Ryman to report on his campaign. He is opposed by conservative Texas Governor David Tate, and outlandish US Representative Kristen Wagman. On the campaign trail, the bloggers get to know and trust Senator Ryman.
Several times during the campaign, unknown forces use zombies as a weapon against Ryman and his family. First, the campaign's mobile HQ is attacked, then a zombie outbreak is deliberately triggered at the Senator's horse ranch, killing one of his daughters. Over the course of covering these events and the campaign, the bloggers have unprecedented popularity, but become concerned that they might be in danger. They add a fourth field blogger from the failed campaign of Congresswoman Wagman.
While traveling across the country in armored vehicles, the group is ambushed by unknown assailants, who disable their vehicles and withdraw, reporting them as killed (and thus converted to zombies) to local authorities. In fact, only one of their support crew and Buffy die in the attack, when he is killed as the vehicle crashes, and he reanimates, bites her, and infects her before she can escape the wreck. Before she converts, Buffy confesses that she had been passing information about the campaign to unknown religious fundamentalists.
With the threat now very real, the group continues investigating the source of the attacks. Meanwhile, the Senator is nominated at the Republican National Convention, and chooses Governor Tate as his running mate. Tate's addition to the campaign causes friction between him and the bloggers.
Eventually, the bloggers discover that unknown forces, possibly associated with the Centers for Disease Control, and working with Tate, are behind the attacks. They attempt to inform the Senator of this, but he demands evidence. Shortly thereafter, there is another attack, this time directly on the bloggers, and Georgia is infected. She writes one final blog entry and converts to a zombie, and is shot and killed by her brother Shaun.
The novel then switches to Shaun's narration as he struggles to make sense of a world without his sister, then swears vengeance on Governor Tate and the group he is working for. He, along with some of the campaign's security staff, slip away from the outbreak caused by the attack, and head to Tate's location.
When they arrive and confront him, Tate takes Senator Ryman's wife hostage with a syringe of zombie virus and proclaims his beliefs that the plague is an instrument of God sent to punish sinners. Trapped, he then injects himself to avoid capture, converts to a zombie, and is shot by Shaun using his sister's pistol.
Newsflesh series
Feed is Book 1 of the Newsflesh trilogy. Book 2, Deadline, was published in June of 2011, and book 3, Blackout is scheduled for July of 2012.Reception
The book was shortlisted for the 2011 Hugo Award for Best NovelHugo Award for Best Novel
The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
. The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
compared it to "The West Wing by way of George Romero",, while Strange Horizons
Strange Horizons
Strange Horizons is an online speculative fiction magazine. It also features speculative poetry in every issue....
called it a "delight", with "delicious subtlety". Howard Tayler
Howard Tayler
Howard V. Tayler is the award-winning creator of the hugely successful webcomic Schlock Mercenary. He worked as a volunteer missionary for the LDS Church, then graduated from Brigham Young University...
praised McGuire for having her characters acknowledge the previous existence of zombies in popular culture.