Blackout - Book Review

Hello

안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

BLACKOUT is the 3rd and final instalment in the Newsflesh series written by Mira Grant.

The book was published by Orbit Books on the 1st of June 2012.

Before the release of BLACKOUT, Mira Grant released FED, an alternate ending to the first instalment of the Newsflesh novel FEED.

BLACKOUT is set several decades after  the zombie apocalypse, the Rising. Kellis-Amberlee is a normally beneficial virus that, on the death of any host mammal over 40 pounds (18kg), "goes live" or "amplifies", and turns them into a zombie. Most humans reside in controlled zones, and blogs are now the primary source of news and entertainment.

The novel is written from the perspective of Georgia and Shaun Mason, siblings and blogger-reporters.

THE WORLD DIDN'T END WHEN THE ZOMBIES CAME.

WE JUST WISHED IT HAD.

The conspiracy that rules post-zombie America is alive and well. The same can't be said of the bloggers who dared to tell the truth as they found it. Now, with too much left to do and not much time left to do it in, Shaun Mason and his team must face mad scientists, zombie bears and rogue government agencies - and if there's one thing they know is true in post-zombie America is this:

Things can only get worse.

This book takes it's twists and turns and I remember being shocked by what unfolded within the novel. Even the second time round with knowing what was going to happen, I found myself holding my breath anticipating what was to come.

I think no matter how many times I read this book, there will be a rollercoaster of emotions, I know many people were left feeling weird by the end of this book, but I always keep an open mind and part of me was expecting it. Especially when you think about the actions and what was said in the first book.

As with the other 2 books, it's really well written, there is plenty of character growth and I think it concluded the story perfectly. I wasn't left feeling that I needed more to know what happened to characters, they all had the perfect closure to their story.

Mira Grant Novels

Newsflesh:

FEED

DEADLINE

BLACKOUT

Parasitology:

PARASITE

SYMBIONT

CHIMERA

Into the Drowning Deep

Alien: Echo

Canto Bight

Final Girls

Kingdom of Needle and Bone

In the Shadow of Spindrift House

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye

DEADLINE - Book Review

Hello

안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

DEADLINE is the second book in the Newsflesh series written by Mira Grant.

The book was published by Orbit Books and it was published in May 2011.

Mira Grant's interests in horror movies and virology inspired her to write the book, but she struggled with the plot until a friend suggested using an election as a framing device.

The novel has been praised for it's detailed worldbuilding, including the characters' awareness of previous zombie fiction - an element Grant found lacking in most horror works.

Without the framing device of a Unites States Presidential Election to use as in FEED. Grant chose to focus more on the zombie virus itself; how a lab-engineered virus developed and evolved, and how humans were responding to it, on both societal and biological levels. Grant also wanted to address the long term-impact of a zombie apocalypse on society and the associated psychological ramifications.

Other themes covered in the novel include medical ethics and human responsibility.

DEADLINE was originally to be titled Blackout, but was changed shortly before publication to avoid confusion with Connie Willis' Novel Blackout, which was published a year earlier in 2010.

Blackout was instead used for the 3rd instalment of the Newsflesh series.

The book was compared favourably with Max Brooks' World War Z that was released in 2006.

DEADLINE was also nominated for the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

SPOILER ALERT

Set after a zombie apocalypse and written from the perspective of blog journalist Shaun Mason, DEADLINE delves deeper into the conspiracy unveiled during the events of FEED, while depicting Shaun's attempts to deal with the loss of his sister Georgia.

DEADLINE delves more into the origins of the zombie-causing virus, and how humanity is responding to it on a societal, biological, and psychological levels.

NOTHING STAYS BURRIED FOR LONG...

Shaun Mason is a man without a mission. Not even running the news organisation he built with his sister has the same urgency as it used to. Playing with dead things just doesn't seem as fun when you've lost as much as he has.

But when a researcher from the Centre for Disease Control fakes her own death and appears on his doorstep with a ravenous pack of zombies in tow, Shaun's relieved to find a new purpose in life. Because she brings news: the monster who attacked them may be destroyed, but the conspiracy is far from dead.

Now, Shaun hits the road to find what truth can be found at the end of a shotgun.

The emotions I felt reading this book, I remember when I originally read this book series, it took me a while to get stuck into this one, because of how the first book ended. I was heartbroken, and even with the 2nd time round, I went into this book with the same feelings of heartbreak. Which I think makes this book so much harder to read, as you're feeling everything right along with Shaun. You really witness his spiral into madness, as well as seeing him fight to reach his goal of getting revenge for Georgia.

We get to meet more characters, as well as getting to know more about characters we met briefly in the first book.

Yet again there are times when my heart sunk, even reading it for the second time. I don't think I'll ever get over reading this series, no matter how many times I'll read these books, they'll always make me feel the same way, they'll still leave me shocked and crying.

I will continue to recommend each of these books, as they show not only different views from the characters, but they show you what life could be like because of a zombie outbreak.

'Gripping, thrilling and brutal' - Publishes Weekly

'A truly Shocking ending' - Daily Telegraph

'The zombie novel Robert. A Heinlein might have written' - Sci-Fi Magazine

Mira Grant Novels

Newsflesh:

FEED

DEADLINE

BLACKOUT

Parasitology:

PARASITE

SYMBIONT

CHIMERA

Into the Drowning Deep

Alien: Echo

Canto Bight

Final Girls

Kingdom of Needle and Bone

In the Shadow of Spindrift House

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye

FEED - Book Review

Hello

안녕하세요

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

FEED is the first book in the Newsflesh series by Mira Grant.

The book was published by Orbit Books and it was published in 2010.

Mira Grant's interests in horror movies and virology inspired her to write the book, but she struggled with the plot until a friend suggested using an election as a framing device.

The novel has been praised for it's detailed worldbuilding, including the characters' awareness of previous zombie fiction - an element Grant found lacking in most horror works.

FEED came 2nd in the 2011 Hugo Award for Best Novel category.

FEED is set during the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse and written from the perspective of blog journalist Georgia Mason, FEED follows Georgia and her news team as they follow the presidential campaign of Republican Senator Peter Ryman. A series of deadly incidents leads Georgia and her brother Shaun to discover efforts to undermine the campaign, linked to a larger conspiracy involving the undead.

'ALIVE OR DEAD, THE TRUTH WON'T REST.

MY NAME IS GEORGIA MASON, AND I AM BEGGING YOU, RISE UP WHILE YOU CAN'

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had cured the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds, with one unstoppable command: FEED.

Now, twenty years after the Rising, bloggers Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives - the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.

I think no matter how many times I read FEED, I'll always struggle to put it down, which to me is a sign of a good author. Mira Grant blew me away with this book and it's definitely one of my favourite books, as well as one of my favourite book series'. I love that it's told from Georgia's point of view and I love that she goes into the ins and outs of blogging after the Rising as well as the different roles each of her teammates play within their site.

Throughout the book we're taken on twists and turns, which still bring me to tears, give me that lump in my throat, has me holding my breath and keeping me on the edge of my seat, you're definitely taken on an emotional rollercoaster throughout the book.

I remember the first time I read this book, I had to have a moment to myself because I was in shock from the ending, I don't think a book has ever affected me in a way that I needed to have a moment to get over the ending, and even the 2nd time round, I still struggled to hold back the tears.

I've recently read that there is an alternate ending to this book, and I can honestly say that while the alternate ending would have been sad and heart breaking, I think this one, really pulls at the heartstrings as you've come to love each one of the characters, I also think throughout the book that you're friends and family with each of the characters too. For me while traumatising, it's the perfect ending for the first book.

I honestly can't put into words how amazing this book is, all I can do is recommend it, and hope you're just as hooked as I was and still am. I can only hope that one day there will be a series adaptation or even a movie series. I personally think this book and series work adapt really well to the screen, especially if Mira Grant is behind the wheel.

I can't wait to get back into the series with the 2nd and 3rd book and relive it all again, and I don't know what you're waiting for, go read it yourself and enjoy the ride.

'A truly shocking ending' - Daily Telegraph

'The zombie novel Robert. A Heinlein might have written' - Sci-Fi Magazine

Mira Grant Novels

Newsflesh:

FEED

DEADLINE

BLACKOUT

Parasitology:

PARASITE

SYMBIONT

CHIMERA

Into the Drowning Deep

Alien: Echo

Canto Bight

Final Girls

Kingdom of Needle and Bone

In the Shadow of Spindrift House

See you soon!

안녕

(Annyeong)

さようなら

(Sayonara)

再见

(ZaiJian)

Bye

Chimera - Book Review

Hello

안녕하세요 

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは 

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

WOW! it's been over a year since I posted about this book series by Mira Grant, Chimera is the third and final novel in the Parasitology series and follows Parasite and Symbiont, it was published on the 24th of November 2015.

THE TERRIFYING CONCLUSION TO THE TRILOGY THAT BEGAN WITH A HUGO-NOMINATED PARASITE.

The outbreak has spread, tearing apart the foundations of society, as implanted parasites have turned their human hosts into a seemingly mindless mob.

Sal and her family are trapped between bad and worse, and must find a way to compromise between the two sides of their nature before the battle becomes large enough to destroy humanity...

WARNING: THIS THRILLER IS HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS!

Praise for the Parasitology series:
"Eerily plausible...(an) exploration of trust, uncertainty and the price of progress." - Publishers Weekly
"Parasite seals Grant's reputation as one of today's most exciting hard science fiction authors." - io9.com
"Horrifying, riveting...this work is a tour De force." - Library Journal

I started reading Chimera over a year ago, but when I started I never got past the first chapter. I did eventually pick it back up a month or so ago and I can finally say I have completed the Parasitology series. While I thought the final instalment was slow running and then rushed at the end, I loved every sentence, paragraph and page. I loved how all the characters developed, especially Sal, she grew from being scared and dependent on others, to a woman whose first reaction was to run ahead and protect those she loved and cared for. I could feel myself getting mad on her behalf for how people she once trusted were treating her, just because she wasn't "one of them". I can honestly say I shed a few tears reading the ending, I think it was such a beautiful and well deserving end to the series and I do hope that one day we'll get another book just to see how everything works out and if the human race comes to befriend the Chimera race.
I didn't want to give too much away with my review but I would highly recommend checking out the parasitology series, it keeps you in suspense from start to finish.

Check out other titles by Mira Grant:
Parasitology Series:
Parasite
Symbiont
Chimera
Newsflesh Series:
Feed
Deadline
Blackout
Into The Drowning Deep
Short Fiction:
Coming To You Live
Countdown
San Diego 2014: The Last Stand Of The California Browncoats
Hoe Green This Land, How Blue This Sea
The Day The Dead Came to Show and Tell
Please Do Not Taunt The Octopus

I can't wait to get my hands on her new series and starting Into The Drowning Deep and see what new characters it brings as well as what new hell it brings.

See you soon!

안녕
(Annyeong)
さようなら
(Sayonara)
再见
(ZaiJian)

Bye

Mira Grant: Symbiont Book Review

Hello

Annyeong

Konnichiwa

Ni Hao

Well book 2 of Mira Grant's Parasitology series is complete and it's getting exciting, I wonder who will win the final battle, Symbiont is the 2nd book it Mira Grant's Parasitology series and was originally released back in 2014 on November 25th.

Lets have a little recap - It's set in the future in the year 2027 where medication is no longer needed if you have the Intestinal Bodyguard within you. The Intestinal Bodyguard fights all disease and infections removing all fear of disease like Cancer. The series follows the death and life of Sally Mitchell and her mission to find out what SymboGen are really up to or should we say what they are really hiding. I can hear you asking what the Intestinal Bodyguard really is well, it's a Parasite a tapeworm to be precise and these parasite's no longer want to sit and be controlled anymore. People keep falling into the sleeping sickness one by one and Sal rushes to find a reason and a cure for what is happening, along the way she loses loved ones and makes new friends as she fights to survive this parasite apocalypse. What I've yet to mention is Sal only has 6 years worth of memories, Why? I hear you ask, Sally Mitchell had a severe car accident that declared her clinically brain dead but a miracle when Sally opens her eyes and has somehow survived making SymboGen point out the benefits of their Intestinal Bodyguards.

THE GRIPPING SEQUEL TO THE HUGO-NOMINATED PARASITE FROM NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR MIRA GRANT.

The SymboGen parasites were created to relieve humanity of disease and sickness. But the implants in the majority of the world's population began attacking their hosts, turning them into a ravenous horde.

Panic spreads as these predators begin to take over the streets. In the chaos, Sal and her companions must discover how the parasites are taking over their hosts - and how they can be stopped.

WARNING! THIS THRILLER IS HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS!

Praise for the PARASITOLOGY Series:

"An incredible, disturbingly plausible tale" - io9.com

"A creepy spine-tingler of a medical thriller" - Charles Stross

"Horrifying, riveting...this work is a tour de force" - Library Journal

It took me a while after finishing Parasite, to get started on Symbiont and I don't seem to know why. I seem to have a love/hate relationship when it comes to books and reading, I seem to hate starting new books but by the time I do I fall in love with reading all over again. I started reading Symbiont at the end of April towards the start of May, I can't really recall when but by the time I went to Disneyland Paris on the 22nd of May, I'd started reading the third and final book of the Parasitology series. I actually had to restart the book as I'd originally started reading it when I finished Parasite but didn't seem to get passed the 2nd chapter and because it had been so long, I restarted it as I couldn't remember what had happened in the first 2 chapters. Once I started the book I couldn't put it down, it really didn't take me long to work my way through it. The tense, on the edge of my seat moments continued throughout Symbiont. My feeling of fight with Sal didn't waver either, the 2 main people I want to survive this series and have an happy ending is Sal and Nathan. There's a moral of this story that is that you love someone for who they are not what they are, I wasn't expecting Symbiont to end the way that it did but I'm glad that's the route it went down as now it'll be exciting to see how Sal gets out of the situation she is now in as the final battle approaches. It also seems now that the final battle is beginning as now no-one is safe that still has the SymboGen Intestinal Bodyguard in their system. Mira Grant never fails to surprise me with her books and Symbiont is no different, there's twists and turns all the way keeping your interest piqued and your brain thinking who will win.

Who will win the war? Humanity or Parasite! I know who I'm routing for and it will be exciting and tense to see who will come out on top, why not join in the fight and check out the Parasitology series for yourself to find out if humanity wins or if the parasites take over, if you're a fan of science fiction, horror, thriller, romance and even zombies then I think this is a series you will really enjoy.

Want to recommend a book or series for me to check out then head over to my Goodreads profile, or comment below in the comments section.

See you soon!

Annyeong

Sayonara

Zai Jian

Bye

Mira Grant: Parasite Book Review

Hello

Annyeong

Konnichiwa

Ni Hao

Last year I found an author that I have since started following and keeping an eye out for new releases from her, the author in question is Mira Grant, so far she only has 2 3 book series' out which are the Newsflesh trilogy and the Parasitology series. I've read and completed the Newsflesh series which is how I found her but for now I'm going to share with you the first book from her Parasitology series.

I've had the full series since November/December 2015 and just didn't get round to starting it, but here we are book 1 is complete.

Parasite is a science fiction novel by author Mira Grant which is the pseudonym of American author Seanan McGuire, as I've said above under the pen name Mira Grant she only has 2 completed book series', the book was originally released 29th October 2013 by Orbit Books and is the first book of the Parasitology series. It's set in the future in the year 2027 where medication is no longer needed if you have the Intestinal Bodyguard within you. The Intestinal Bodyguard fights all disease and infections removing all fear of disease like Cancer. The book follows the death and life of Sally Mitchell and her mission to find out what SymboGen are really up to or should we say what they are really hiding. I can hear you asking what the Intestinal Bodyguard really is well, it's a Parasite a tapeworm to be precise and these parasite's no longer want to sit and be controlled anymore. People keep falling into the sleeping sickness one by one and Sal rushes to find a reason and a cure for what is happening, along the way she loses loved ones and makes new friends as she fights to survive this parasite apocalypse. What I've yet to mention is Sal only has 6 years worth of memories, Why? I hear you ask, Sally Mitchell had a severe car accident that declared her clinically brain dead but a miracle when Sally opens her eyes and has somehow survived making SymboGen point out the benefits of their Intestinal Bodyguards.

YOUR HEALTH IS IMPORTANT CHOOSE SYMBOGEN!

'Every so often, some conspiracy nut starts in with "what they aren't telling you" and "the things they don't want you to know", and you know what? Not one has produced verifiable scientific evidence that the Intestinal Bodyguard is harmful in humans'

- Dr Steven Banks, co-founder of SymboGen

A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of disease. We owe our good health to a humble parasite. The Intestinal Bodyguard protects us from illness, boosts our immune system - even secretes designer drugs. Now, almost everyone has a SymboGen parasite living within them.

But these creatures are getting restless. They want their own lives - and will do anything to get them.

I want to share with you a section of the book that was shared at the very start before the very first chapter.

I made my way slowly toward the window, wishing I had a weapon, or any idea how to use one. I would have felt better. There were probably lots of things that could be used as improvised weapons in the kitchen and living room, but I didn't know what would work, and so I didn't reach for anything. I wasn't a fighter. I did however, have a pane of glass between me and whatever was in the side yard. I held that thought firmly at the front of my mind as I inched around the couch and peered out the window.

Three of my neighbours were standing in the side yard, their hands down at their sides, staring at the fence. I recognised them all, even if I only knew one-Mr. Carson from next door-by name. None of them were moving. One of them, a woman, was wearing a bathrobe a little newer than mine. Her socks were soaked and grass stained. The other woman was wearing one shoe, and her hair looked like it was halfway-combed. I bit my lip. They were just standing there.

Then Mr. Carson turned and looked at me.

I let out a little scream and stumbled backward, falling over the couch in my retreat. His eyes were like Chave's had been: totally empty of anything resembling humanity or life. Dead eyes. he looked at me like a man who had crawled out of his own grave.

I really enjoyed the first book in the parasitology series, I enjoyed getting to know the characters and see the twist and turns that lay ahead for them. I love writing style that Mira Grant uses and so far I would recommend both of the series' of hers that I've read. The further I got into the first book the more suspicious I got of characters, I really like that my suspicions were not confirmed till the very end of the book, making me want to jump straight into the next book to find out what was going to happen next for Sal and Nathan. Parasite is only the start of what will be a long and hard war between the human race and the parasites that want to take over them. I highly recommend giving this series a go if you love science fiction books as well as a good thriller, so far I've only read Parasite and Symbiont which is the 2nd book in the series and I'm looking forward to how the series will end. There never is a dull chapter in Parasite and I spent hours saying to myself I'll go to sleep at the end of this chapter to find myself reading onto the next because I was really deep in the story. I've said in past book review posts that a good book for me is when you feel what the characters are feeling and Parasite was no different, I could feel myself clutching hard onto the book as it started to get thrilling wondering how far Sal would make it and if she'd survive past the first book, to me a good writer makes you feel one with the characters and their emotions come through to the reader. I actually completed this book last year and started the next book around the end of April this year, but it's took me so long to complete this post because I didn't know how to word how I felt about the book, I think reading Symbiont and starting Chimera has refreshed my memory on how the story began and how involved I felt with Sal in the first book.

I don't know what you're waiting for get started and get stuck into Mira Grant's Parasitology series and start the war between humans and parasites.
Want to recommend a book for me to read then head over to my Goodreads profile and get recommending or comment below in the comments section.

See you soon!

Annyeong
Sayonara
Zai Jian
Bye