This book was amazing. Totally full of awesome, is what I'd say.
When I finished the book, I was in denial that the book was over, so I
kept reading into the question-and-answer section, where Grant answers
some questions about the novel and its sequel (to which my reaction
was "OMG there's a sequel squee!") and the excerpt from the sequel.
Arguably, this was a mistake, because it's gotten me way too excited
for the sequel, which is no surprise, given how phenomenal I found
this book to be. (Sadly, "Deadline," the sequel, is currently slated
for a May 2011 release date.)
Anyway, at this point you're probably thinking to yourself, "okay, so
you claim that it's 'totally full of awesome,' but where's the
evidence? What's this book actually about?" Well, it centers around
three bloggers in the post-apocalyptic world, circa twenty-five years
after the emergence of a virus that takes over dead or otherwise
vulnerable bodies and causes them to mindlessly aid in its
propagation. Bloggers have gained attention in this world because
they were the first ones to report on the zombie outbreaks when
everyone else was still in denial about the existence of the virus.
The relationships between the characters and the mystery in the story
are only the topmost layer of what makes this book as great as it is.
I found similarities to Joss Whedon: superficially, in the naming of
one of the main characters after Buffy of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer,"
but more deeply, in the juxtaposition of humor with the stark reality
of the world that has become all-too-familiar to our main characters.
It is, in my opinion, an original idea well-executed.
