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The Girl With All the Gifts

(The Girl With All the Gifts #1)

M.R. Carey (Goodreads Author)

3.94 · Rating details · 161,136 ratings · 18,053 reviews

Melanie is a very special girl. Dr. Caldwell calls her "our little genius."

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh.

Melanie loves school. Sh ...more

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Paperback, 461 pages

Published June 19th 2014 by Orbit (first published January 14th 2014)

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3.94 ·

Rating details

· 161,136 ratings · 18,053 reviews

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Jul 12, 2015 Emily May rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015, horror

“And then like Pandora, opening the great big box of the world and not being afraid, not even caring whether what’s inside is good or bad. Because it’s both. Everything is always both. But you have to open it to find that out.”

I have to say that I'm not much of a traditional zombie fan - moaning, slow-walking dead people are neither interesting nor scary to me - but there is nothing traditional about this book.

Firstly, this is not an old school "how to get away from the zombies and stay alive" ...more

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Aug 13, 2017 Rick Riordan rated it really liked it

You’d think by now we would have reached ‘peak zombie,’ right? I mean, there’s only so much you can do with a genre. But Carey mines the territory for new gold and finds it. The Girl with All the Gifts opens in the strangest classroom ever. (And as a teacher, I’ve seen some pretty strange classrooms.) After the zombie apocalypse in England, some infected children have, for reasons unknown, been turned into zombies but have also retained their human intelligence. Melanie is the research lab’s sta ...more

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Jul 09, 2015 Jesse (JesseTheReader) rated it really liked it

Creepy, eerie, & unexpected! I enjoyed this one!

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Jun 09, 2016 Mark Lawrence rated it it was amazing

The last book I read (which was very good) took me 16 weeks to get through.

This one arrived yesterday morning. My wife got her hands on it first and finished it by the evening. I took over and have finished it 8pm on the next day (today). It's not a short book, 460 pages of reasonably small font. It *is* a very compelling book. The opening is the strongest I've read in an age.

It's the first book I've bought in a long time. Publishers and authors send me free books in the hope I'll read them and ...more

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Nov 02, 2013 Wendy Darling rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2014-publication, orbit, sci-fi-or-futuristic, own-dtb-tbr, june, read-2014, 2014-favorites, adult, dystopian-post-apocalyptic-utopian, gory

This is the story of a girl, locked in a room, who is strapped into a chair every morning while a man holds a gun to her head. She’s wheeled into a classroom in which there are other kids strapped into chairs just like hers, where a woman teaches them lessons that they will probably never need to learn.

This book is like a fantastic combination of

the scrupulously researched medical thriller aspects of Mira Grant's Deadline +
the queer, feral curiosity of a child who's not what she seems, like Oct ...more

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May 16, 2014 karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: zombies-r-bitey, creepy-children

now no one can yell at me ever again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjGkB...

argh, another tricky-to-review book.

i think it's safe to discuss the fact that this book is about zombies. that cat is outta that bag. but it's one of those new spins on the zombie-tale, like Raising Stony Mayhall and Zone One and The Reapers are the Angels, where the focus is not "run away from zombies aaaaaahhhh," but one which comes at the zombie story from a social philosophy angle as the survivors struggle with t ...more

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Jun 22, 2014 Ben rated it it was ok

Ugh.

This book has what might be the greatest first act I've ever read. I can't describe it, because part of its wonderful tension relies on the reader's ignorance of the situation. It's absolutely brilliant though, and tells a story of a tragically fascinating girl and her relationship with her teacher and the world around her. It promises so much.

Then act two begins and almost all of that is thrown out the window for boilerplate thriller territory. It is all well written, tense, and exception ...more

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Aug 17, 2014 Maggie Stiefvater rated it it was amazing

Shelves: recommended, adult

The most sure-footed novel I've read all year. A dystopian thriller with a real, beating heart. Recommend. Recommend. Recommend.

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Dec 28, 2013 Braiden rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adult-spec-read-and-love

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I was duped.

I thought The Girl With All the Gifts was about a girl who had "all the gifts" and was somehow a modern Lilith (say, like, Lilith in Supernatural as the little girl) and would bring about the apocalypse if she didn't learn to control her gifts.

I was duped. Hard.

And I'm glad I was. I'm glad the premise on the back of the book gave absolutely nothing away, only that we were going to meet a young girl by the name of Melanie, a genius and a very special girl. I'm glad that every detail a I was duped.

I thought The Girl With All the Gifts was about a girl who had "all the gifts" and was somehow a modern Lilith (say, like, Lilith in Supernatural as the little girl) and would bring about the apocalypse if she didn't learn to control her gifts.

I was duped. Hard.

And I'm glad I was. I'm glad the premise on the back of the book gave absolutely nothing away, only that we were going to meet a young girl by the name of Melanie, a genius and a very special girl. I'm glad that every detail about the book kept what's inside hidden away for the reader to discover alone - Pandora's box, if you will. And I don't really care that I was duped. Because The Girl With All the Gifts was a breakout so far for 2014, and I surely will be recommending M. R. Carey's sensational and engrossingly written novel for anyone that dares to question it's worth in the speculative scene.

Opening Pandora's box and unleashing what's inside is the major theme of M. R. Carey's The Girl With All the Gifts, something we should do throughout our lives, unafraid of change or disturbances. Or it could even just mean being open to things in life that contradict your beliefs. This theme existed throughout the story arcs of each of the characters of The Girl With All the Gifts, from young 10-year old Melanie, to the teacher Miss Helen Justineau, Sergeant Parks, Dr Caldwell, and Private Kieran Gallagher.

Carey's credit as a comic and film writer surely does make The Girl With All the Gifts a force to be reckoned with - The Girl With All the Gifts is a thrilling page-turner comprising of fully-realised characters, each with their own aspirations, fears, and pasts. This book is one word: Alive.

Additionally, Carey's zombies, his "hungries," are much different than what is currently on the shelves for zombie enthusiasts. The hungries and the actual biological science behind their manifestations are highly original and intriguing. The hungries are increasingly fascinating as we discover more about the parasite/protozoan that plague the bodies as Dr Caldwell does, as she conducts her experiments, stubbornly and without any outward thought for ethics.

Melanie and the other children in her "school," kept restrained and locked in cells, are infected with the fungus and exhibit behaviours of the fully-formed hungries, yet what makes these children different is that the brain has not been conquered by the fungus. This allows Melanie and the children to be able to emote and think like any ordinary human being, with a conscience. Although Melanie desires human flesh, she controls the hunger. Melanie's ability to experience feelings and emotions allows a bond to form between her and her teacher Miss Justineau. Then the research establishment that the "school" is located within - where Melanie is locked away; where Miss Justineau teaches; where Dr Caldwell conducts her research; where Sergeant Parks orders - is attacked and razed, and this band of individuals, along with Private Gallagher, a group consisting of individuals as incompatible as dogs and cats, must learn to trust and rely on each other if they are to survive and reach Beacon alive, which is perhaps the only remaining town still intact in England.

The relationship between Melanie and Miss Justineau is the heart of this novel - it is beautiful and full of hope and compromise. The narrative is thought-provoking and fast-paced, a lethal combination for any reader after a solid and eventful story. The Girl With All the Gifts is a fantastic addition to the zombie genre and I look forward to reading more from M. R. Carey, particularly his Felix Castor series and the various comics including Lucifer and The Unwritten. ...more

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Dec 17, 2016 Lola rated it really liked it

Shelves: zombies, survival, science-fiction, adult

Since I’m exactly the type of person who avoids horror at all costs, I told myself there was no chance I was ever going to give this book more than a glance.

But my curiosity got the best of me, like it always seems to do.

And to my surprise, I devoured the hell out of this book. That has a lot to do with the fact that it’s a very interesting story, almost not at all horrific. Some parts are a little disgusting, but never more than that.

To be honest, although it’s quite intriguing, I wouldn’t g ...more

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May 11, 2014 Susan rated it it was ok · review of another edition

To be fair to this book, it is not really the sort of thing I would normally read – however, it was chosen by my book club and the initial description looked quite promising. Melanie is ten and, when we meet her, she is in a base – her entire world consisting of her cell, a corridor, a shower room and a classroom. Five days a week, Melanie is strapped into a wheelchair, fastened securely and wheeled into the classroom where she, and her fellow classmates are taught. Melanie is a bright and engag To be fair to this book, it is not really the sort of thing I would normally read – however, it was chosen by my book club and the initial description looked quite promising. Melanie is ten and, when we meet her, she is in a base – her entire world consisting of her cell, a corridor, a shower room and a classroom. Five days a week, Melanie is strapped into a wheelchair, fastened securely and wheeled into the classroom where she, and her fellow classmates are taught. Melanie is a bright and engaging little girl, who has an enormous crush on one of her teachers, Miss Helen Justineau. However, we are obviously aware that things are seriously not right and the world as we know it has changed beyond recognition. Although Melanie is content enough with the world that she knows, she is concerned when two children from her class suddenly disappear; taken by the aggressive Sergeant Parks to Dr Caroline Caldwell’s lab, never to return.

Although this begins as an interesting dystopian novel, it soon descends into a fairly basic zombie story and, once I fell in with the plot, my heart began to sink. A group of characters, including the doctor, the teacher Miss Justineau, Sergeant Parks and a young private Kieran Gallagher, plus Melanie, find themselves on the run in a hostile environment. The strong female characters in a genre which is very male oriented led the story in a more interesting way and Melanie’s realisation of who, and what, she is, is very well done. However, I found it difficult to retain interest in the plot and it did become rather wearing, and rather ridiculous, towards the end. By far the strongest part of the novel is at the beginning, when you are not sure of why Melanie is being kept and caged like a laboratory animal. Towards the middle it became rather a slog to the finish and I got to the end with relief. Still, if you do like this kind of zombie horror book, with a more female slant, then this might be for you, but the book as a whole does not live up to the premise it suggests.

...more

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Nov 01, 2014 Regan rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-owned-read

A little different than what I was expecting but still great!

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Aug 19, 2017 Petra Eggs rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-read, 2017-100-reviews, children, fiction, reviewed

I've never read a zombie book before. Why I read this one was because a review said it was female-oriented and that got me interested. I was delighted that all the strong characters were women, and not women who were aping male characteristics or subject to the ultimate control of a male. It was interesting that the author is male, but not surprising. The best ever characterisation of a woman I have ever read is the monologue by a woman who has just lost her boyfriend and freaks in a way only gi I've never read a zombie book before. Why I read this one was because a review said it was female-oriented and that got me interested. I was delighted that all the strong characters were women, and not women who were aping male characteristics or subject to the ultimate control of a male. It was interesting that the author is male, but not surprising. The best ever characterisation of a woman I have ever read is the monologue by a woman who has just lost her boyfriend and freaks in a way only girls do in A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James who if he keeps this up will one day win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Anyway back to the Girl with all the Gifts. I enjoyed it. I didn't mind that Melanie was childishly innocent in some ways but acted as an adult when action was needed as that's quite normal for children's books. What really spoiled the book for me was the incredibly stupid ending.

So Melanie makes her choice to infect the whole world with the fungus that turned the first generation into zombies and the second one into flesh-eating zombies who retained their human consciousness. They would be able learn to control their zombie-nature (unless hungry) and their sentient side could run the world that the humans had left them.

There were just so many problems with this.

1. So they can eat cats and dogs. They need to get with the programme super quick to breed kitties and puppies or else they are going to starve to death as they don't eat each other and there are no humans left (except Miss Justineau, the teacher).

2. Those that don't starve to death might well go on to have babies themselves. Or rather a baby. Since the method of birth for these half-zombies is that the baby eats the mother's innards and is born like that, a lot of the half-zombie women aren't going to be that keen on getting pregnant. As only one baby can be born per mother and there is only a small population of these half-zombies to start with, they aren't even going to replace the population, let alone grow it.

3. Miss Justineau was a primary school teacher of geography and Greek myths. Hardly the technology that was going to enable the half-zombies to inherit the earth and all the wonders of the 21st century, like transport, communications or even how fix Miss Justineau's survival devices should they go wrong. If they went wrong, one or more of the half-zombies would be sure to eat her and then that would be that. They'd all be feral again.

I really don't like books that put in endings that make sense at first sight but then are totally implausible when you think about it.

So it's really .3.5 star book, but since I liked the film better than the book, in part because Melanie was black and there are so few black characters in films that have nothing to do with comedy, the ghetto, oppression, crime or general angst and yet nothing is made of their race, it gets another half star. Iknow that Miss Justineau was black in the book and played by a white actress, but hers was the supporting role and Melanie the action-woman, genius-iq heroine. ...more

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Jan 03, 2015 Raeleen Lemay rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fiction, spooky-scary

*3.5/5*

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May 17, 2018 Catriona (LittleBookOwl) rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobook

Rating: 3.5 stars

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Jun 14, 2014 Trudi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: zombies, 2014, science-fiction, apocalyptic-types, group-in-peril, survive-this

Despite the gushing praise this book has been receiving -- including a blurb by Joss Whedon -- I approached The Girl With All the Gifts with a fair amount of trepidation. I'm a zombie traditionalist at heart, which means my foray into "experimental" zombie fiction -- literary or otherwise -- has met with mixed results. I normally don't like my zombies to talk, fall in love or have existential crises. Hell, I don't even want my zombies to run; I'm all about the Romero shuffle (though there was so Despite the gushing praise this book has been receiving -- including a blurb by Joss Whedon -- I approached The Girl With All the Gifts with a fair amount of trepidation. I'm a zombie traditionalist at heart, which means my foray into "experimental" zombie fiction -- literary or otherwise -- has met with mixed results. I normally don't like my zombies to talk, fall in love or have existential crises. Hell, I don't even want my zombies to run; I'm all about the Romero shuffle (though there was something truly terrifying and unsettling about Danny Boyle's fast-moving zombies that scared the piss out of me). Even for a traditionalist like me, there's exceptions to every rule. And I found a few more buried like awesome treasure in the pages of M.R Carey's novel.

In case you didn't know, M.R Carey is the not so cryptic pen name for the super-talented Mike Carey. This gentleman knows how to tell a story, where the pulse points live and when to go for the jugular. He also knows that without giving the reader characters to care about your story is gonna have all the pop of a wet firecracker.

A lot of what we get here we've seen before. The world is in the shitter. The zombies (or hungries in this case) have risen up and wiped out humanity. It's about twenty years later and our entry point into the story starts at a fortified base that doubles as a research lab. There are doctors and soldiers, fences and guns. But there are also civilian teachers and children who are their students. And here's where the story takes a bit of a twist: If you do not want to know anything else about this book then beware some mild spoilers ahead under the spoiler tag

(view spoiler)

Like a lot of my favorite zombie stories, this one soon slides into the 'group in peril' scenario. A rag tag group of survivors, including Melanie, are left to fend for themselves beyond the safety of the fences where the hungries thrive. Where will they go and what will they have to do in order to get there in one piece?

I love the chemistry of this group and the characterization. They all start out as stereotypes but as the story moves along, each of them evolves from an archetype into a real person with depth and distinctive personalities. I'm a sucker for character, and I felt I got it in spades here. Another rewarding aspect is the time spent describing the zombie virus. Usually the answer to what makes a zombie even possible is ignored, but not so here. Carey offers up a pretty interesting scenario that for me anyway, leads to a very satisfying climax.

Is this a perfect read? Nope. There are a few incredulous moments (view spoiler) and a few places where the narrative dips and nearly stalls; however those instances are rare. For the most part this is cinematic zombie gold. It's a heady mix of tension and release, adrenaline and emotion. A must-read for all zombie lovers and the zombie curious. ...more

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Jun 17, 2014 Shelby *trains flying monkeys* rated it liked it

Shelves: end-of-the-world, netgalley, read-2014, zombies

Buddy read with the moistest awesome... My drinking buddy Mitchell, Kelly Goldblum and The Book pusher Ed

I had this review all planned out in my head. Then I went to sleep and it's gone. Getting old sucks, kids.

This may be kinda spoilery so read at your own caution. It's hard to not say anything about the book. I went into it blind and that might be the best way to head into it. I didn't even realize it was a zombie book-and don't get me wrong I likes some zombies but I've kinda taken a break ...more

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Jan 22, 2017 Aj the Ravenous Reader rated it really liked it

Shelves: apocalyptic-post-apocalytic, emotionally-intense, physically-owned-books, sci-fi, somebody-s-sick

Possibly 4.5 stars!

Wow! Certainly one of the most unique, most original books I have read and I won’t do it injustice by spoiling it for other readers or giving away any hint as to what this book is about. I suggest for those who haven’t read it to read it blind. This is one of those books that you’ll appreciate more when you know less about it before reading. And as much as I would want to classify this book, I feel like it would be irreverent of me to dub the book as this clichéd genre because ...more

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Sep 17, 2016 Kai rated it really liked it

Shelves: owned, 2016

“You can’t save people from the world. There’s nowhere else to take them.”

4.5 out of 5 stars

This book. I might change my mind and give it 5 stars. I'm not sure. It's not an immediate favourite, but I loved it to pieces.

I don't like zombies. I don't like horror. But I do like my fair share of thrill, mystery and intrigue. And this was intriguing as hell.
Originally the plot threw me off. Until I saw the trailer. I just had to get hold of this book.

It's a very character driven novel, exploring feel ...more

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Jun 04, 2014 Elyse Walters rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Ten year old Melanie, a bright curious, lovable child looks forward to the days that
Miss Justineau teaches class. She never knows what day that might be, but whatever day that is-- is the happiest of all.
Melanie notices that Miss Justineau is different from other teachers. For one thing she is always wearing 'something' which is 'red' in color. Melanie notices everything about Miss Justineau. Melanie especially loves the Greek Mythology stories that Miss Justineau reads the class. She learns t ...more

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Jan 29, 2017 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 21th-century, horror, science, fiction, dystopia, apocalypse

The Girl with All the Gifts, M.R. Carey
The Girl with All the Gifts is a science-fiction novel by M.R. Carey, published in June 2014 by Orbit Books, based on his 2013 Edgar Award nominated short story Iphigenia In Aulis and written concurrently with the screenplay for the 2016 film. It deals with a dystopian future in which most of humanity is wiped out by a fungal infection.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز سی ام ماه ژانویه سال 2017 میلادی
عنوان: دختری با تمام موهبتها؛ نویسنده: مایک کری؛ مترجم: بهنام حاجی The Girl with All the Gifts, M.R. Carey
The Girl with All the Gifts is a science-fiction novel by M.R. Carey, published in June 2014 by Orbit Books, based on his 2013 Edgar Award nominated short story Iphigenia In Aulis and written concurrently with the screenplay for the 2016 film. It deals with a dystopian future in which most of humanity is wiped out by a fungal infection.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز سی ام ماه ژانویه سال 2017 میلادی
عنوان: دختری با تمام موهبت‌ها؛ نویسنده: مایک کری؛ مترجم: بهنام حاجی زاده؛ سمانه افشار حاتم؛ ویراستار: نیما کهندانی؛ تهران، نشر بهداد، 1395؛ در دو جلد؛ شابک دوره: 9786008203407؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان انگلیسی قرن 21 م
ملانی دختری بسیار خاص است. دکتر کالدول به او می‌گوید: «نابغه‌ ی کوچک ما». هر روز صبح، ملانی در سلولش منتظر می‌ماند تا بیایند و او را به کلاس ببرند. وقتی به دنبال او می‌آیند، گروهبان پارکس، تفنگش را به سمت ملانی نشانه می‌رود، و دو نفر دیگر از آدم‌هایش او را به صندلی چرخ‌دار می‌بندند. فکر می‌کند که آن‌ها از او خوش‌شان نمی‌آید. به شوخی می‌گوید: گاز نمی‌گیرد ولی آن‌ها نمی‌خندند. ملانی عاشق کلاس درس است. عاشق یاد گرفتن، درباره‌ ی هجی کلمات، حساب‌ و کتاب، دنیای بیرون کلاس درس، و سلول بچه‌ هاست. به معلم محبوبش درباره‌ ی کارهایی می‌گوید که وقتی بزرگ شود، انجام خواهد داد. ملانی نمی‌داند چرا این حرف‌ها خانم جاستینا را غمگین می‌کند...؛ ا. شربیانی ...more

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Dec 16, 2014 Kelly (and the Book Boar) rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2014, everyone-loved-it-but-me

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

“Then like Pandora, opening the great big box of the world and not being afraid, not even caring whether what’s inside is good or bad. Because it’s both. Everything is always both. But you have to open it to find that out.”

Melanie has been a prisoner for a long time. All of her days are the same. Guards come to her cell, strap her securely into a chair and wheel her down the hall . . . . to a classroom? Obviously Melanie isn’t your a ...more

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Feb 15, 2017 Reynita Maharani ★ The Night Reader ★ rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-reads, breath-in-breath-out, broke-my-heart-in-half, amazing-books, i-love-the-cover, dystopia, heroines-i-can-relate-to, low-expectation-great-story-i-got, i-cried-over-you, science-fiction

~~REVIEW TO COME TODAY.~~

Melanie sometimes says, "I won't bite." she says it as a joke, but Sergeant's people never laugh.

this book tells us about a 10 year old kid named Melanie. She is very smart little girl and she lives in an army base. She has a favorite teacher, her name is Miss Justineau, Helen Justineau and she always loves whichever day Miss Justineau teaches. but one day, something happens to this army base. Hungries are inside the army base and they start eating people and there are bad ...more

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Oct 03, 2015 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-all, own, zombie

www.melissa413readsalot.blogspot.com

I have had this book for quite sometime and just now getting it finished! It is very nice to finally get to a book and love it so much. I did read reviews before I got the book so I already know it's a zombie book and you will too if you read mine or anyone else review.

But...wow.. there is fungus among us.. Yeah, I said that and not I'm not going to talk about it! :)

These poor kids are brought in during the week to their class all strapped down in chairs. I ...more

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Oct 19, 2016 Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~ rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook, year-2016, 4-star

Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars

Before reading this I didn't even glance at the synopsis. This is a bad habit of mine, if a bunch of people I trust have liked a book I sometimes don't even bother seeing what it's about before adding it to my TBR. In this case, avoiding the synopsis was this book's saving grace because I'm not sure I would have picked it up if I hadn't.

It's well known among my friends that I very much dislike the "zombie/virus" theme. I just really don't find it interesting for the most ...more

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Jun 23, 2016 Alex ☣ Deranged KittyCat ☣ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: zombies, mystery-thriller-horror, dystopia-post-apocalyptic, adult, audiobooks, 2017-favorites, all-time-favorites

I think I just found my new favorite zombie book.

description

Melanie is a very special girl. Dr Caldwell calls her "our little genius."

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh.

Melanie loves school. She loves learning about spelling and sums and the world outside the classroom

...more

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May 15, 2014 Mogsy (MMOGC) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs-and-galleys, review-copy, zombies, post-apocalyptic, horror, science-fiction, favorites

5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.blogspot.com/201...

I confess, I’m not very good when it comes to pulling information out of book descriptions. But all I know is, when I first heard about The Girl with All The Gifts, it piqued my interest right away. Here you have a story about a bright young girl named Melanie, who for some reason everyone seems deathly afraid of. Being held at gun-point while being strapped into a wheelchair just to go to class? Judging by level of parano 5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.blogspot.com/201...

I confess, I’m not very good when it comes to pulling information out of book descriptions. But all I know is, when I first heard about The Girl with All The Gifts, it piqued my interest right away. Here you have a story about a bright young girl named Melanie, who for some reason everyone seems deathly afraid of. Being held at gun-point while being strapped into a wheelchair just to go to class? Judging by level of paranoia with which she’s treated, you’d think little Melanie was Hannibal Lecter. The book jacket may be a little scarce on details, but there’s definitely something strange going on.

So it really shouldn’t have surprised me when this book turned out to be Horror, and yet it did. Finding out about the genre, however, just made me even more excited to read it. And just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, OH HELLO, THEY DO!

By now, I gather it’s pretty safe to explain why I had myself a personal little freak-out when it hit me just what I was in for with this story. After all, the revelation comes very early on in the novel and is hardly a spoiler, not to mention the book has been out in the UK for months now and the cat is out of the bag. But avert your eyes now if you would prefer to know absolutely ZIP about the book going in. Anyway, my excitement levels exploded when I realized that The Girl with All The Gifts…has zombies.

And I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet. What makes this a great zombie book – a great book, PERIOD – is the science. Ah, gotta love science. Like I always say, if you want to see some scary stuff, look no further than Mother Nature. Heck, some of the most frightening, bone-chilling things I’ve ever seen in film aren’t in horror movies, but are in those dang Planet Earth documentaries. Who could forget the “Jungles” episode and the importance of fungi as illustrated by the life cycle of Ophiocordyceps unilatertalis? Oh, the sheer horror of watching the parasite take over an ant’s brain before the fruiting body explodes out of the back of its victim’s head, all while Sir David Attenborough goes on calmly narrating in those smooth, dulcet tones. That sequence was beyond traumatizing – but also fascinating. I remember being obsessed with the idea, thinking to myself, holy crap, someone pleeeeease write a zombie book based around this!

Well, even though the video game The Last of Us might have done it first, M.R. Carey ended up granting me my wish. And he does it in such a spectacular way, wrapping this fantastic idea around a story filled with mystery, action, and lots of gut-wrenching heartbreak. The Girl with All The Gifts is everything I look for in a zombie book – tight, energetic pacing with all the savagery, suspense and tension – but it’s also so much more. For me, this book is the next step in zombie fiction, delivering on the survival and post-apocalyptic elements we all know and love, while pushing the envelope with new ideas and deep characterization.

Due to its nature, it’s not surprising that the zombie-apocalypse survival subgenre tends to feature ruthlessness and characters with hard hearts who show no pity. But seeing the themes of mercy and compassion enter into the equation here is a nice change of pace. A lot of this is due to Melanie. If you also guessed from the description that there’s something different about her character, you’d be correct. Melanie is definitely a special little girl, and she’s part of what makes this book such an exceptional, atypical zombie novel and such a joy for me to read.

Even though I can probably go on for another couple pages about why I loved this book, I really don’t want to give too much away. There are lots of surprises, including an unpredictable ending that truly stunned me. I loved this book to pieces. Haunting, powerful and poignant, The Girl with All The Gifts is a novel I would recommend highly and without reservation. ...more

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Jul 04, 2014 Amanda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: cover-worse-than-book, blog

When Joss Whedon says, "read this," I heed the call.

Only 10 years old, Melanie is brimming with curiosity about the world and unabashedly enthusiastic about school. Blessed with a genius intellect, a kind heart, and a love of mythology, it's easy to fall in love with the precocious protagonist of The Girl With All the Gifts. However, despite these gifts, the world is very afraid of Melanie--every morning, two armed guards arrive at her cell, strap her by the legs, arms, and neck to a wheelchair, When Joss Whedon says, "read this," I heed the call.

Only 10 years old, Melanie is brimming with curiosity about the world and unabashedly enthusiastic about school. Blessed with a genius intellect, a kind heart, and a love of mythology, it's easy to fall in love with the precocious protagonist of The Girl With All the Gifts. However, despite these gifts, the world is very afraid of Melanie--every morning, two armed guards arrive at her cell, strap her by the legs, arms, and neck to a wheelchair, and escort her to her classroom. This is fine with Melanie as it's the only world she's ever known and as long as her favorite teacher, Miss Justineau, is there, Melanie has everything she needs. It's not until the outside world comes crashing in and Melanie is saved by Miss Justineau that she learns how truly dangerous she is to others . . . and to herself.

I'm working hard here to avoid spoilers as most of the enjoyment of The Girl With All the Gifts comes from the fact that M.R. Carey plays his cards close to the vest during the first fourth of the novel. It's also obvious that the publishing company went to great lengths to keep the secret with that awful cover and perplexing title. To be honest, had I known what the book was about I would have never bought it because this genre (view spoiler) isn't my bag, baby. I go out of my way to avoid it and it's hard for me to express how much I detest this genre, both in literary and movie form. Still, despite my strong bias against it, I enjoyed The Girl With All the Gifts immensely.

Part of the reason as to why I was able to lose myself in a book I'm hardwired to hate is that, despite there being some of the obvious genre tropes, there are plenty of inventive twists. Carey has developed a believable world, complete with a devastating history and scientific origin for the tragic events that unfold (I really appreciate that there is a "why" offered instead of going with a "who-cares-how-it-just-did-so-let's-move-on-to-the-awesome-stuff" explanation).

The other reason I enjoyed it is because of the strong characterization of Melanie and her ability to constantly adapt as the world she knew crumbles around her. The novel's title is a reference to Melanie's favorite myth, that of Pandora, whose name means "all gifts." Melanie is a mystery to herself and, as she begins to open the box of who she is, she finds both the capacity for terrifying evil, but also for strength and resilience. The other main characters (Helen Justineau, Sergeant Eddie Parks, Dr. Caroline Caldwell, and Private Kieran Gallagher) are given depth by the same moral duality and by pasts that haunt them as they move into an uncertain future.

The quick narrative pacing and the inventive spin on a tired genre make The Girl With All the Gifts well worth a read.

Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder ...more

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Jul 04, 2014 carol. rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: apocalypse fans

Shelves: zombies, end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it, arc, sci-fi, should-buy

One mark of a great book is how it plays with reader expectations. The strategy of taking a conventional genre story and turning it sideways often works. Sometimes it can fail, coming across as little more than a clever gimmick. But sometimes it succeeds beyond imagining, particularly in the hands of an author with talent like Carey’s. The Girl With All the Gifts uses lovely prose to explore the growth of ten year old Melanie, a child of the apocalypse who seems to be shuttled between a cell, a One mark of a great book is how it plays with reader expectations. The strategy of taking a conventional genre story and turning it sideways often works. Sometimes it can fail, coming across as little more than a clever gimmick. But sometimes it succeeds beyond imagining, particularly in the hands of an author with talent like Carey’s. The Girl With All the Gifts uses lovely prose to explore the growth of ten year old Melanie, a child of the apocalypse who seems to be shuttled between a cell, a classroom and a shower.

It is a story about discovery. Melanie is particularly fond of Miss Justineau, a teacher who exposes them to wonderful ideas: Greek stories and mythology, playing a flute, the kings and queens of England, and even the population of all the British cities (allowing her to figure probable population density, but she has the feeling her figures need to be updated). The day they read the Light Brigade (presumably The Charge of the Light Brigade) and start asking Miss Justineau about death, and families, and ideas spark.

“Melanie knows her classmates well enough to be sure that they’re turning Miss Justineau’s words over and over in their minds, the same way she is–shaking them and worrying at them, to see what insights might fall out. Because the one thing they never learn about, really, is themselves.“

It is a story about a innocence. We learn about Melanie the same way that she does; in bits and pieces as she assembles the puzzle of her world around her. Her day always begins in her cell, with Melanie sitting in a wheelchair, waiting for the Sergeant to point his gun at her while his two soldiers buckle straps around her wrists, ankles and neck. She’s wheeled into a classroom with other kids who appear to be similarly restrained. As Melanie describes her teacher, the facility, the relationships around her, both she and the reader start to build the world. Perhaps the reader will draw inferences faster than Melanie, being older, more experienced, and more cynical. An interesting tension is created as the reader waits to see if her conclusions are correct.

It is a story of contrasts. In the beginning, the austerity of the cells and the barrenness of the compound countered in the moments Melanie is exposed to the outdoor world. Early on, when Miss Justineau brings spring flowers into the classroom for the first time: “The children are hypnotised. It’s spring in the classroom. It’s equinox, with the world balanced between winter and summer, life and death, like a spinning ball balanced on the tip of someone’s finger.”

It is also a story of identity. Narrative is largely Melanie’s experience, but there are also chances to experience the world from the perspectives of Miss Justineau, Sergeant Parks and Dr. Caldwell. The characters come to discover and learn to define themselves, leading to moments of profound awareness: “The second is that some things become true simply by being spoken. When she said to the little girl ‘I’m here for you’, the architecture of her mind, her definition of herself, shifted and reconfigured around that statement. She became committed, or maybe just acknowledged a commitment. It has nothing to do with guilt for earlier crimes (although she has a pretty fair understanding of what she deserves), or any hope of redemption. It’s just the outermost point on an arc. She’s risen as far as she can, and now she’s falling again, no longer in control (if she ever was to start with) of her own movements.”

Yet despite the engrossing story, I have, perhaps, two issues with the book. First, Melanie’s voice feels mature, even though it lacks sophistication in interpretation. I’m not a giant fan of books starring a young protagonist, so while it is hard to precisely identify the source of discontent, I feel fairly certain it is there. Secondly, the ending was not precisely satisfying. However, I’m willing to give Carey that one; after all; it was appropriate as well as consistent with his genre-challenge.

I’ve never made any secret of being a (view spoiler) fan. In my old age, I’m finally allowing myself to be unabashedly enthusiastic. The Girl with All the Gifts is one of those rare genre entries that will satisfy most readers regardless of their feelings about(view spoiler)

“And then like Pandora, opening the great big box of the world and not being afraid, not even caring whether what’s inside is good or bad. Because it’s both. Everything is always both.
But you have to open it to find that out.“

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me an advance e-reader copy. Quotes are taken from a galley copy and are subject to change in the published edition. ...more

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Jan 24, 2017 Gypsy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: هدیه-گرفتم, دوستان-نوشته-ترجمه-کرده-اند

شما تصور کنید من تو دوره امتحانام اینو خوندم و این در حالیه که برای امتحان فردا هیچی نخوندم. یه جورایی عذابوجدان دارم. ولی این کتاب یه چنان غلیانی انداخته به جونم که فک کنم بتونم تا صبح بیدار بمونم و نگران امتحانم نباشم.

دختری با تمام موهبتها، تو ژانری نبود که من بپسندم. ولی بخاطر لحن و فضاسازی و کنایه و تلمیحهای دلنشینش، خیلی تونستم باهاش ارتباط برقرار کنم. پایان خیلی عمیقی هم داشت، اگه امتحان نداشتم میتونستم بشینم بعدش گریه کنم. ولی حقیقتاً وقت این لوسبازیا رو ندارم. :همر:

+ پُز بدم یکم؟ :-" ب ...more

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About M.R. Carey

M.R. Carey

3,881 followers

Mike Carey is the acclaimed writer of Lucifer and Hellblazer (now filmed as Constantine). He has recently completed a comics adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, and is the current writer on Marvel's X-Men and Ultimate Fantastic Four. He has also written the screenplay for a movie, Frost Flowers, which is soon to be produced by Hadaly Films and Bluestar Pictures.

Also writes as Mike Carey