Wowza!

I bought this ebook on sale back when this story was buzzing.

I knew it was post-apocalyptic, one of my favorite world types.

I knew someone stole a dog and that action would forever change lives.

I knew that I really loved the cover art.

Reading this story had me twisting and turning throughout. Fletcher’s end of the world scenario felt authentic.

If you like dystopias, I think knowing less about this story ahead of reading it is the way to go.

The world-building of Feed is extraordinary! A post-apocalyptic universe so well realised that you feel like it could really BE. I'm as impressed with this re-read as I was the first time I read it - when a friend recommended it to me as the book that would convince me the zombie genre might be for me, if anything could be! And it did! I'll always be grateful to it for that!

I was so sure the genre was all just blood, guts, violence, and misogyny. I wasn't entirely wrong, many pieces of media in the genre are exactly that - but gems like this exist, and drove everything zombie to the top of my favourite genres! Heck, nowadays, I even enjoy the blood, guts, and violence - just not the rampant misogyny (hence my foray into apocalyptic books not written by cis men!)!

I actually slightly struggled with the dense and political first half this time - but that says way more about how ill I've been this week than it does about the book. However, it's objectively true that Feed in no way runs straight into the drama. It builds slowly, carefully, then explodes, suddenly and powerfully!

I went into this in more detail in my many spoilered forum notes, but the disability rep in this book is gloriously good. Absolutely seamless to the story. No bullshit abled-author inspiration porn or ableism - just genuine representation of what life is like existing in a world not built for you, using aids to adapt to it. George is an absolute rock star and I love her! (Gods, I love reading disabled authors' work!)

The story is also eerily prescient of current events, with Covid, with media bias and propoganda (another rant I went on in more detail over in the forum), and with the right wing authoritarian nosedive that we're seeing, worldwide.

Seanan McGuire saw the writing on the Wall, and it gave us this incredibly rare perfect book.

ᓚᘏᗢ

I read all the first three books of the serie. This book and the first one are my favourites! It's a good book about growing up and learning that it's important to be your own person.

Also, a good book for girls/boys who feel like they don't have the same hobbys as their female/male peers.