Book Jacket:
Shaun Mason is a man without a mission. Not even running the news organization 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 CDC researcher fakes her own death and appears on his doorstep with a ravenous pack of zombies in tow, Shaun has a newfound interest in life. Because she brings news-he may have put down the monster who attacked them, 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.
You can read an excerpt here.
Review:
Every now and then a book will come along and poleaxe me by virtue of its sheer excellence, and Deadline is most definitely one of those books. This is the second time I have been gobsmacked by this series, and I can only shake my head in wonder – despite the fact that I knew what was coming (in a vague, general, know the world and characters kind of way), Mira Grant still managed to kick me in the gut and make my jaw hit the floor. Seriously, folks – if you’re not reading this series you need to be.
Let me paint you a picture: Jet Blue, jet lag, and one intrepid BEAer making her way back to the west coast. I crack open Deadline and before long I’m tearing up like a twelve year old reading a Nicholas Sparks novel, because Deadline is a book that isn’t afraid to bring home the dangers of the post-apocalyptic world it lives in. People die – and these are not Red Shirts hitting the floor (for the non-geek: Red Shirt is Star Trek parlance for minor characters blatantly destined to die), these are real, meaningful people we come to know, people we can’t help but care about, and loosing them will KILL you, in the best possible sense. This is not some gore spattered romp, this is not a humorous shoot ’em up kind of story, and this book is most definitely not what most people think of when they hear Zombie Book – this book is visceral, intelligent, and utterly compelling drama. This Zombie Book got me good.
And let’s not forget the world building – the detail Mira Grant has built into her frightening world continues to amaze. Deadline takes us further into the realm of the science behind Kellis-Amberlee (the virus causing the undead), and the technical detail is the perfect blend of comprehensive and digestible. From disease vectors to immune responses, there is plenty to sink your teeth into, but never once did I find my interest faltering – it was all far too imperative to the story to KNOW.
In terms of plot, this is not a straight up actioner – like any good thriller, this book punctuates its frenetic moments with long periods of slow boil, building the tension – but the emotional side of this story is so potent you’ll hardly notice the lulls. And watching Shaun investigate in his patented poke-it-with-a-stick way is a lot of fun – and downright terrifying, given how far out of his league he is. The conspiracy Shaun starts to uncover is mind boggling in both scope and intent, and while this story doesn’t come anywhere near tying everything off with a neat bow (there is another book to go, after all), the revelations will keep you riveted. There is plenty uncovered here, even as we’re left acutely aware of how much we still don’t know.
Now I’ll be the first to admit, FEED‘s ending, in terms of sheer soul crushing beauty, is downright impossible to beat, but Deadline still delivers in excellent fashion – the axe falls most spectacularly – and what it all means for Blackout (book #3, coming in 2012) will rock your socks off.
Deadline is smart, scary, and impossible to resist – this book will climb into your head and make a home. Mira Grant, you are gloriously, gloriously evil, in the best possible way.
So yes, you need to run like zombies are chasing you to pick up this book.
Byrt Grade: A+
As Levar Burton used to say – you don’t have to take my word for it…
Publishers Weekly (starred review) says:
Deft cultural touches, intriguing science, and amped-up action will delight Grant’s numerous fans.
If you haven’t yet discovered this superb series by Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire), then you’re in for a wild ride. Feed and Deadline feature some of the best post-apocalyptic writing that I’ve read, hands down. Not just zombie books, these novels explore the nature of fear in all its forms and will take you on an emotional roller coaster that will haunt you for days after you’ve stopped reading.
For me, the best part of the book is not just the zombies – of which there are many many more – but the post-Rising world. It’s little things like the loss of India and the status of expats like Mahir (who has a proper role in this book over just a cameo), the origins of simple but vital devices like the blood testing units, views on cloning and the complexities of air travel that make the world seem real….However it’s the epilogue and the promise of the final book – Blackout – that really makes you curse the fact there’s over a year until the trilogy concludes.
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