Book 3: Feed

Feed

Mira Grant

Zombies, as a storytelling device, are a bit hard to pull off convincingly. Thanks to the likes of George Romero and a recent resurgence in all things walking dead, the shambling monsters are associated with a number of tropes, and readers need to be instantly aware of which rules apply and, to a lesser extent, why in a given work. If there's one thing that Mira Grant absolutely excels at, it is more-realistic-than-reality world-building. Though Feed, the first novel in a trilogy, often resorts to expository asides, the depth of the world they reveal is enviable. The zombie-filled intervening years between our present and the novel's are familiar, with plausible social, political, and technological developments littered throughout the story. Too many of these appear in blatant statements to the reader (and, somewhat bafflingly, in reprinted blog posts by the main characters), but they are extremely deliberate and contribute to an enveloping sense of setting, one that can bleed into readers' perceptions of their own world (or at least mine). Moreover, the characters very clearly descend from our own cultural environment- they are aware of current (and past) zombie films and literature, and refer to cult figures like George Romero as societal heroes, a vanguard linking our present to theirs. From the first high-speed chase to the melancholy epilogue, readers are present in every single moment, even those that seem drawn out or far too convenient. Grant expertly draws us in immediately and there is never a compelling reason to leave the narrative world.

Grant's admirable attention to scene-setting detail covers up many of Feed's narrative flaws and makes for a gripping, addictive novel despite a somewhat plodding, predictable plot. Feed never quite effectively balances its exposition and plot, and never quite effectively becomes the political thriller it seemingly intends to be. Plot twists occur to the reader a few beats before the book gets around to them, and while the key deaths do carry an emotional impact, they are telegraphed just too far ahead of time to retain all of their raw power. The characters themselves are realistic and likable, even if the politicos two too easily to easy, established tropes, and the politics, while exaggerated, are not unreasonably simplified. Yet, somehow, the strength of the world makes the novel nearly impossible to put down, not, perhaps, due to a tension that never reaches its full potential, but instead a result of the painstaking attention to small details. Sure, the supplementary blog posts by main characters are often insultingly thin disguises for extra exposition, but the narrator's sarcasm and skepticism make these necessary asides not only bearable but occasionally enjoyable, a cynic's perspective on a world we are meant to feel cynical about. The book takes the zombie trope and, lovingly, runs with it, plays with it, takes a straightforward look at the world we live in now, and synthesizes it into an engrossing, if not high-octane, almost-thriller. Feed surmounts all of the challenges it faces by being compelling and thorough; in the end, the flaws don't matter, and the book is one of the most memorable and enjoyable reading experiences I've had in a long time.

Grade: A