Prelim Review: HOLEE SHITE THAT ENDING AND EPILOGUE.

Full review to be posted at Poisoned Rationality ( )

Deadline is the second book in the Newsflesh series by Mira Grant, aka Seanan McGuire.

Plot [spoilers for the first novel from here on]:
After the death of Georgia, Shaun has been keeping it together, if only barely. Fueled by his desire to find the really culpable parties, he has been running their news blog while doing some digging, although he hasn’t gotten very far. Neither has Georgia, by the way, who is still a regular talking partner for Shaun despite being dead. Then one day, Dr Kelly Connolly shows up in their blogging HQ. Not only does she bring news of a conspiracy within the CDC that tries to cover up something with the reservoir conditions, but she herself is basically a conspiracy, being presumed dead in a lab accident. When a sudden zombie outbreak around the HQ hits, Shaun, Kelly, and Shaun’s fellow reporters Becks, David and Alaric find themselves on the run while trying to figure out what is happening.

Deadline is a strong sequel to Feed that explores a new angle to the world and story – this means that things stay fresh and exciting, and yet fit the overall themes of the first novel very well. I’m very much looking forward to the final novel now.

Read more on my blog: https://kalafudra.com/2023/04/11/deadline-mira-grant/ ( )

I forgot how much I love Mira Grant’s writing. I’ve only read a couple of books by her, and it’s been nearly 4 years since I read Feed, the first book in the Newsflesh series. I don’t normally go in for zombie books because I find them tacky, but years later and returning to the series reminds me why I liked the first book so much. There’s such a good mixture of heart, action, comedy, dystopian, everything that makes a good zombie book really good. Beyond that, Deadline is a good book, full stop. If a book is written really well, a reader should be able to get into it despite its genre because it’s the foundational elements that really bring us in. Mira Grant, also known as Seanan, does this incredibly well. I’m not at all surprised, but I am absolutely pleased.

After the tragic ending of Feed, we have a new narrator for Deadline. At first I was skeptical, because I wasn’t sure I was going to like Shawn as our narrator. I need not have worried. If anything, I think Shawn may be a better narrator for the series because he has a better balance of adventure and scrutiny than Georgia did. He’s more likely to get into an action situation, which keeps the pacing moving nicely, but he is still also fairly down to earth. We see his flaws loud and clear, which makes readers more easily able to sympathize with him. My only real criticism of his character is the way he responds to George’s voice in his ear. Literally. There’s a lot of language used questioning Shawn’s sanity, and I think it’s carelessly applied to the situation. I will say that it is challenged by other characters. Mahir’s interpretation is the most intriguing. Still, a little more sensitivity in the language use would’ve been nice.

If you think Deadline starts off slow, don’t get too comfortable, because this book is really going to take off. Grant does an excellent job of letting her readers settle into the story and get cozy before throwing a bunch of twists and turns at them. And by the end? There were so many twists and turns I never saw coming. I finished this book a couple of days ago and I am still thinking of the implications of the last 15% or so of the story. I don’t often have the urge to immediately pick up the next book in the series, but I am seriously tempted to go grab Blackout and find out what the heck is going on now. Don’t expect a comfortable ending, because there’s a cliffhanger. Or three. I never got bored.

Thank you very much to Mira Grant for doing her research. Yeah sure this is a YA horror thriller book, but it still tries to create realistic situations. There’s a lot of medical conversation and scientific conversation that builds the world and the way the characters react to it, and it feels so realistic and plausible. I didn’t question Grant’s story for a minute, and that’s saying a lot for dystopia. I actually love the research, because it shows how little tweaks and what we know is reality can create incredible stories. I like that the characters have to follow the rules of nature and the world. Sometimes they get lucky, but they don’t always, and there is always an exclamation one way or the other.

While I would still recommend reading Feed first, Deadline is an awesome book. I enjoyed listening to it so much; sometimes it’s so nice to get wrapped up in a story and just let time fly. This one definitely goes on my “to buy” list, and I’ll definitely be continuing the series. ( )

Need to get book 3 now...really enjoyed the book. Again, not as great as Book 1 but still very very good. ( )

In "Deadline," Shaun Mason is haunted and searching to find a new purpose after his sister's death.

I was proud of Shaun's transformation and growth by the end of "Deadline." Mira Grant brought him to life.

The ugliness CDC plot reminds me of the unfair healthcare system in the US.

I want to read Book 3 to see what Shaun and the gang did with what they found. ( )