Feed impressed me. Normally, I stay away from blatantly apocalyptic novels, especially ones involving popular tropes (zombies, vampires, so on and so forth). The big notable exception has been World War Z (I don't count The Zombie Survival Guide, given that it wasn't a story). Without resorting to comparing the two books, I have to admit that Feed impressed me.

It took a little while for this to happen, though. At first, the world that the characters inhabit felt forced, as if Mira Grant kept standing up and waving her hands and shouting "Look at me! I'm referencing pop culture, how clever is that?" It starts with the characters - Georgina is named for Romero, Buffy calls herself that because she's blond and perky and surrounded by the undead (although her given name is Georgette - Buffy is a self-imposed nickname), and Shaun is a clear reference to the title character from Shaun of the Dead. The first two references are explained in the book, the third is for the reader to pick up. Then there are their titles - Buffy is a Fictional since she writes poems and stories. Georgina is a Newsie, who reports the facts. Shaun is an Irwin, whose job is to get in front of a camera and poke dangerous things with a stick. Then there are apparently Stewarts, who take the news and make fun of it. All of this is done online, through blogs, as they're taking over as the dominant form of information outlets. Nothing happens that's not caught on cameras by the news crew.

There are also flagrant references to Apple and Coke, along with many other smaller shout outs to other companies and brands. I found it difficult to even get through the beginning of the book, as every single reference to a real-world product yanked me back out of the story. However, Grant's story does eventually begin to overcome these stumbling blocks, and you begin to find yourself invested in the well being of three main characters. By the end I was hooked, invested so much that I went right out and picked up Deadline, the sequel (the final book is coming out in March).

If you can forgive the awkward references at the start, you'll be rewarded by a solid story by the end. It's well worth your time - just give it that time.