Feed

I always think I'm going to like Zombie novels and they always seem to let me down. Until Feed. This isn't just a great Zombie book, it's a great book period. Maybe because while zombies are crucial to the story here, they aren't the whole story.

Feed takes place about 25 years after the zombie "uprising", and the zombies aren't gone, they are now part of the landscape. It is told from the point of view of a brother and sister news/blogging team that gets picked to follow a presidential campaign. Trouble and danger dog the campaign, but is it random or part of a bigger conspiracy?

I don't think I've ever read a post-apocalyptic novel where the world is so, pardon the pun, fleshed-out. Not only is the cause of the zombie problem made clear, but the reaction of society to a world in which zombies are an everyday fact of life is explored. From religion, to politics, to commerce, to social functions and especially to news coverage. But a great job of world-building would be wasted without a good plot and great characters. Feed has those too.

Georgia and Shaun Mason are the center of each other's world and their fierce devotion to one another, and to their jobs, makes you care about them too. The book is fast-paced, frightening, and at times emotional. You know a book has you in its grasp when you're jumping at noises long after you put it down. Feed is definitely deserving of its Hugo Award nomination, and I can't wait to see where the series goes next. Highly recommended!