First book in the Newsflesh trilogy.
In 2014 both the common flu and cancer are eradicated by dedicated scientists, the antidotes easily distributed like airborne viruses to the populace. So far, so good. What the scientists didn't count on was how the two antidotes would react once they had to coexist in a living host. Not well as it turned out. The antidotes blended into a new kind of virus and anything with a body mass above that of a medium sized dog would upon death be turned by said virus into a flesh-eating corpse. You lived, you died and then you returned.
They call it the Rising.
In the near future when zombies are a real threat and people are mostly isolated to areas with strict security measures, running and tending news blogs with material from outside your own safe zone is the new daredevil profession. Georgia and Shaun Mason are two such daredevils dedicated to finding and delivering the Truth. Now hired to do the biggest job of their careers following a presidential candidate around the country they happen upon information that could answer crucial questions about the Infected.
They decide to stay devoted to the Truth.
Even if it'll kill them.
Some spoilers ahead:
I skimmed through a few of other people's reviews of this book before writing my own and something that people have reacted to is the lack of zombies in this supposed zombie novel. Well... that's what the critics said about The Day of the Triffids; a supposed science fiction about alien invasion that didn't have all that many triffids in it... The point I'm making is that I don't really care about the zombies. Couldn't care less. I care about the people coping with an existence where zombies is something one needs to be worried about. It's the characters that make the story interesting. Therefore, I enjoyed this book. It's about people. Not zombies. Though there are zombies... You get it.
Do you know something else I appreciated? NO ROMANCE ❤️ Well, there is some background romance going on, but nothing that necessitates more than a few sentences at most (as is the descriptive "they like each other and are now dating and getting it on" kind of sentences).
Georgia never uses her "feminine wiles" to get to information. She doesn't even consider it. The one male character that doesn't respect her simply because she's a woman is supposed to be seen as a despicable human being.
All female characters have their own arcs. They're there for a reason more than decoration.
The story makes sense. From the virus to the politics.
Maybe the fact that I'm not very used to being thrilled about the portrayal of female characters in books skews my perception a wee bit, but I DON'T GIVE A SHIT. Still thrilled. Still a good story.
I spent the last 70 pages crying my eyes out. Because OF COURSE people die in books with zombies in them. Especially when it's been hinted at throughout.
All in all:
Read FEED.
