Books 2012: what better accompaniment to plague?

[hawkwing_lb]

Books 2012: 184


184. Mira Grant, Feed. Orbit, 2010. Ebook.

Zombie novel by Seanan McGuire's alter ego. Entertaining, well-paced, interesting take on both zombies and journalism, maybe a little over-valorising of the heroic reporter-type. I'm not sure whether the tragic twist it pulled off was a horrible bait-and-switch cheat, or an interesting narrative twist, and its final section includes some of the most obvious emotional manipulation I've had the privilege of reading for quite some time - but although I can see what Grant's doing, it still succeeds in playing on my feelings.

So I'm not too sure about my overall impression. I do know that I got the ebook for $1.99, and I don't feel like paying $7.99 for the sequels, so I guess I'm not entirely impressed? On the other hand, if the sequels were four euro, I'd be right on that.

Conclusion: worth getting second hand or from the library? Or maybe in paperback at full price, since I prefer things I can touch.

Who knows. I'm just going to go back to my cough medicine now. And try find something else that doesn't require much brain.

Worthy of note: Orbit seems to be having an ebook sale, since I noticed N.K. Jemisin's The Killing Moon and James S.A. Corey's Leviathan Wakes were also discounted to $1.99 on Kobo. (The former I have in paperback, awaiting a more en-brained hour; and of the latter I have heard much concerning its offhandedly misogynistic treatment of women, so I'm not so interested.)

Comments

[anne]

I don't do zombies, but I read the first two and didn't hate them. I'm going to ask somebody to tell me about the third one so I can find out if it's going where I think it is, without having to read the damn thing. (I admire Seanan/Mira's talent, though--I *really* don't do zombies!)

As for the Corey, I thought the misogyny was the narrator being a first-class asshole. But I read it on an airplane, for the Hugo, knowing it was going beneath Among Others, so I wasn't really paying full attention. If people tell me it wasn't just the narrator, I'll believe them. I'm not going to keep following the series because I'm kind of finished with good old-fashioned traditional space opera. Lots of other things to read instead! Like Aaronovich and Rajaniemi!

[hawkwing_lb]

I don't like her Toby books at all. But I've been on a zombie kick since yesterday. (Really enjoyed all four Resident Evil films in one afternoon.) So I thought I'd pick up discount zombies.

There are more than enough books without first-class asshole narrators... so even if it's only that, I'm still not that interested.

Mmm, Aaronovich. More Peter Grant and Leslie the amazing soon please.

[anne]

I've only read the first Toby; my interest in noir comes and goes, and I usually slake it with Hammett.

Yeah, the rest of the Corey wasn't interesting enough to make me keep going. Especially since the villains were corrupt corporations. I don't need those in my fiction too.

Leslie is *so* fabulous. I wish Aaronovich didn't need to sleep and have a life and stuff.

[hawkwing_lb]

First two, for me. The first for "meh" and the second to be certain.

Those inconsiderate authors, huh?