It’s pretty safe to say that no one really knows what the future will bring. Given the increasing issues the world faces, that’s a pretty fair assumption. But as the world keeps turning, new obstacles and issues seem to pop up; sometimes expected, sometimes not. And this is where the book series I’m currently reading comes into play. I don’t usually make a point of reviewing things like books or movies, unless they directly relate to martial arts, Diabetes or Buddhism because, well… that’s the point of this blog. But this book trilogy relates, even if only after a fashion.
I purchased this box set on a whim, while walking around my local Chapters book store (now universally known as Indigo). I was looking for something new to read, and the premise of this storyline looked interesting. Like many of the books I purchase, it’s been sitting on a shelf for the past few years as some of my “alpha choices,” (Star Wars, Star Trek, Wheel of Time and Jack Reacher books) have occupied what bit of time I have to flip through pages.
Although the first volume, entitled “Feed,” was released in 2010, I only bought the box set a few years later. I purchased the fourth and fifth follow-up books about two years ago and this has reminded me that I should get back to them. And in starting to read the first volume, I’ve gotten a bit of an eery look into what our future may potentially become…
Set in the year 2040, Feed follows the story of a girl named Georgia Mason in a world where man-made viruses have combined to create a sort of super-virus that infects mammals and reanimates them in a sort of zombie form. Mason and her brother are bloggers, of all things, and are chosen to follow the presidential election during all the chaos. Online blogs have become the prominent form of media distribution, with the more traditional forms of journalism now defunct.
I don’t want to give anything of the story away, for anyone who may want to read the books. But as a blogger, I feel a certain sense of satisfaction from the idea that online blogging becomes recognized as the mainstream source for news and entertainment. And there’s no denying that having virus develop as a result of trying to cure something else also hits a little close to home, considering the current pandemic we face. In the books, our own cures are what perpetuated the virus and it’s no secret that many are currently trying to develop a cure for COVID-19.
The last bit of frightening irony is that the events in “Feed” take place in 2040, apparently twenty years after the emergence of said virus, which according to new math means that it all started happening in 2020. Just a little bit creepy, when you consider the book was released in 2010, long before COVID-19 was a thing. It gets one wondering if author Mira Grant (Seanan McGuire) had some strange, clairvoyant insight into what the future would bring. Who knows?
Although the series has only been running for the past ten years, it’s already put out quite a number of books, but this is the main reading order:
- Feed
- Deadline
- Blackout
- Feedback
The fifth book I purchase, “Rise,” is a collection of eight short stories based on the NewsFlesh Series. If you enjoy post-apocalyptic zombie fiction, this series will definitely provide a fresh take on the concept. You can check out the Goodreads entry for a complete list of novels, novellas and compilations associated with the series. If you’re looking for an easy-to-read series to start, the NewsFlesh Series just may be for you. ☯
The Blogging Buddhist 