Brief Summary: Zombies and the news can be deadly. Oddly, that doesn’t stop George the Newsie.
Review
Setting
The book is set in the near future though the events that lead to people being turned into zombies happen in 2014. I wouldn’t call this book post apocalyptic as society is still functioning even if that functioning is, at times, lackluster. There is a lot of nice details given by the narrator in regards to security measures that take place due to the zombies.
The story is told in first person point of view from George Mason who is a Newsie blogger. This is the first book in a series so prepare for quite a bit of exposition to explain the world, its politics, and how things work.
Characters
The narrator is the main character. She isn’t my favorite character of the group but I can see why she’s the main focal point as she’s the primary driving force behind the group of bloggers. George can be a bit dry in the narration when explaining things. Shaun, George’s brother, has a little more razzle dazzle to him. The sibling relationship between the two was one of my favorite parts of the book. They’re super close and trust each other most of all. It was nice to see siblings who bickered but at the end of the day, would do whatever they could for one another.
Other characters such as Buffy, Rick, Senator Ryman and more are well rounded. I liked Buffy a lot and am going to look to see if any in the series has her point of view and why she chose some decisions that she did.
Plot
Even though the series is called Newsflesh, it didn’t really occur to me that this book was going to feature the news and politics as heavy as it does. George, and her group, report on Senator Ryman’s campaign and uncover quite the nefarious conspiracy. I liked the overall story and that it had political intrigue. The primary zombie action is at the beginning and end of this book. So, if you’re going in for non-stop brain eating, this book may not be what you’re looking for. However, if you like your brain eating with a solid story on politics, campaigns, and what ambition will do to people, this is a great read for you!
Overall
This, to me, is not a fast paced book. There’s a lot of exposition to explain the world and how people work within it. George explains a lot about ratings and how blogging works including things like licensing and clearances. I, personally, don’t think this is a bad thing at all. However, it is something to be aware of because zombies can bring a certain expectation in mind.
I definitely recommend this book.
May you get lost in a book,
Chrissy
I’ve seen this book around but never heard what it was about. It sounds really interesting!
It’s definitely an interesting read! 🙂
This sounds like the type of book that has a lot of potential but doesn’t necessarily deliver everything in the way you would want? It sounds like an interesting premise though – thanks for sharing.
I think it delivers when you know what to expect. 🙂 For me, I had a specific mindset for a zombie novel and this was different from that mindset but not in a bad way.