and 28 Days Later
. I tried watching The Walking Dead
,that critically and popularly acclaimed series, but after two episodes decidedthat I had too many other options for entertainment that I might actuallyenjoy.Which is to say that I don't exactly know how I ended upbuying Feed
, the first book in the Newsflesh Trilogy by Mira Grant, which issupposedly zombie novel, but nonetheless, there I was. Very shortly thereafter,I bought the second book (Deadline
) and then I waited impatiently for thethird. Having just finished reading Blackout
, I feel compelled to share myimpressions.In the not-too-distant future - in fact, I think it was 2014- researchers have found a cure for the common cold. There is also work inusing a virus to combat cancer. After an unscrupulous journalists puts out arather questionable story, a small group breaks into a lab and sets the virusfree. And creates havoc. Because one virus hitches a ride on the other andbefore you know it, any mammal over the weight of about a four-year-old as apotential for zombification. Or rather, amplification, because that's what it'scalled when the virus – now called Kellis-Amberlee - gets triggered. Enter thepost-apocalyptic world of the USin the year 2040, which is where the books take place. Blood test devices areeverywhere, requiring people to test clean for Kellis-Amberlee before they caninto their home, office buildings, hotels, hospitals and busses, as well asundergo random blood tests at intersections and gas stations. It's a verydifferent world, one where no one has a pet much larger than a cat, people areliving in abject fear and always on the lookout for zombies. Outbreaks happenall the time, requiring the CDC to swoop in to cleanse in the area (whichinvolves bombs and subsequent massive use of bleach). Everyone's hair isstreaked blonde because of frequent anti-contamination procedures (lots ofbleach again) and the level of paranoia is quite high.
Shaun and Georgia Mason are the adopted children of theMasons, the first of a new breed of journalists reporting through their blogs.Shaun and Georgiarun After The End Times, a news organization that has several departments: theNewsies (reporters), the Irwins (who poke dead things with sticks while recordingthemselves for the entertainment of the masses) and the Fictionals, who is aname suggests, write fiction and poetry. After The End Times gets theopportunity to be the official bloggers of the Ryman presidential campaign andthis is when the story takes off. I'm not going to say any more about thespecifics because that might ruin the story.
So, yes. There are zombies, but I wouldn't exactly callthese books zombie novels. If, on the other hand, you are fascinated byvirology, journalism, politics and enjoy a good conspiracy theory, these arethe books for you. Are they perfect? Well… I would've suggested another edit - hearingthem read aloud on an audio book makes it clear that the writing occasionallycould have a lighter touch. But that's quibbling. The story is good. Reallygood. It moves along at breakneck speed, surprising you, moving you,infuriating you and often causing you to bite your nails while you wait forsomeone to test clear or get out of that situation with zombies. I had a blastreading this series.
On the one hand, it's perfect summertime reading becauseit's an action movie in print. On the other hand, it also makes you think.About politics, about what researchers are up to, about the potential forcatastrophe in virology and about how far you would go for your ethics. Thatlast one is important – it’s the overarching theme of the trilogy. Journalisticethics, political ethics, scientific ethics and the circumstances that test yourcommitment to the beliefs by which you live and work. There is much food forthought in these books and a lot of fun, too.
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