If you enjoy Mira Grant's Newsflesh trilogy of books, then you'll probably want to read this novella. While none of Newsflesh's characters make an appearance in this novella, you do get a glimpse of the world during the summer of the Rising. You meet the unwitting scientist architects of the zombie apocalypse, along with other key players. Eco-terrorist college stoners. I'm not sure that's the right category for this group of idiots who want to liberate science for everyone's greater good. Gee, thanks.

The most interesting characters for me were the Masons. I actually liked them in this novella, and that's saying something. I've only read the first two books of the Newsflesh trilogy, but I think I like most of the zombies more than I like these adoptive parent manipulators. Every time Mira Grant gives them dialogue in the books, I have to pause a moment, close the book, and mutter obscenities about them. However, prior to the Rising, they are lovely people who I think I would be glad to call my neighbors.

Grant gets into quite a bit of scientific explanation in this novella, which I love. I have no idea if it makes any sense at all, but her claims sound convincing. I listened to the audiobook, so the chronological timeline with dates as mini-bookmarkers is very helpful in keeping track of the spread of the man-made pandemic common cold cure meets cancer cure...oops...situation.

Even though I listened to this book in two sittings, it reminded me a bit of World War Z in its authentic feel. You get to hear the journalists reporting the story. You hear television and radio announcements giving warnings about this new flu. You hear multiple perspectives about the events of one summer. A fantastic read. If you have not had a chance to read the Newsflesh trilogy and you're debating whether this storyline is your thing, then this little novella might be the perfect litmus test. There are no spoilers; just fleshed out details about how the zombie apocalypse came to be.

Survival Kit is very difficult for me to rate, as one sharing the diagnosis of the main character/author. I spent the whole book wondering how I might objectively see this story, if I didn't have so much trauma in common with Kit. Unfortunately, minus zombies, I have been, and am, right where she is, and as such, this book touched on a lot of my deep trauma - which was both incredibly cathartic, and desperately painful. I decided, therefore, that I'm too biased to give a star rating.

It was genuinely interesting and awesome to see someone play out the scenario of how someone like me might possibly survive the zombie apocalypse. (Judging by the common community experience of husbands leaving wives who get sick, it's probably a real good thing Kit is queer, with a fantastic, loving wife!)

Together, they traverse the dangerous zombie ridden landscape, navigating severe health and mobility issues along the way. Both are absolute badasses, in completely different ways. One, the disabled, very sick woman. The other, the carer. Both who would die for one another in a heartbeat.

Things I loved:

• Fantastic representation of what it's like living with Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. I've never before seen myself represented on the pages of full fiction. Our condition is so stigmatised, and our patient community so very ill, that this is rare representation indeed - never mind something that genuinely reflects how severe the illness can get! That it's set in my favourite genre - well, I can't believe I didn't find it until now! (Yay Pagebound and wonderful mutuals!)

• Kit got to be badass not just in finding ways to survive, herself, but also by protecting her wife and having her back, despite her being a very severely ill wheelchair user. And it was painfully realistic in symptomology whilst achieving these acts of badassery.

• ♿ Great representation of disability aid usage, including medications - some which American media would deem unacceptable. (coughs strong pain meds coughs 🙄 Freaking "opioid crisis", omg!), and some really good creativity in how to move around this apocalyptic world whilst so very ill, and carrying so much trauma.

• Speaking of the US, I always enjoy a zombie book not set there, where you have to get far more creative with things like weapons. Survival Kit is set in Norway. 👌

• 🏳️‍🌈 The queer rep and layered diversity.

• 🙌 The women of it all!

• Honesty and openness about periods, even if I felt it was awkwardly handled at times. It's rep we need.

• No inspiration porn. No-one gets magically better. No-one drools over how very brave and sweet Kit is, just to choose to exist. Shadia got to be an amazing carer without being painted as heroic just for loving and staying with her wife. Kit is allowed to traverse her guilty feelings for Shadia's role as carer, without it ever being validated.

• The dedication - To the Millions Missing. (It's us, trapped in our homes, our beds, in pain and suffering, away from the world that rejects our value.)

• The preface of the book holding thorough trigger warnings, which I appreciated greatly (though I would add "medical trauma", specifically, to that list, ideally).

Things I didn't love so much

• The execution. I'll admit the writing itself could've been better (part of that might well have been because it was written in a second language, though). However I did find some portions quite difficult to plough through, especially periods where we were taken out of the main "two gay women surviving zombies together" scenario. There were times it dragged for me, and I found some passages quite awkwardly written. I'd also have appreciated ensuring all the disability language equated to English in-community use. Such as using "wheelchair user" over "in a wheelchair".... But that's trifling compared to the strength of rep here, honestly!!

• There were some super ick scenes, lol. I could definitely have done without certain bodily fluid aspects! 😆