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mbpartlow's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book, but not as much as The Girl With All the Gifts.
For me, there were some very slow spots, weighted down by scientific explanation that didn't feel necessary to the story.
The characters were well drawn, although the soldiers seemed to have more differentiation and fully realized characters than the scientists, who were mostly lumped together.
I don't want to give away the ending, but I found that it was immensely satisfying not just in light of this book, but also as an addendum to The Girl.
For me, there were some very slow spots, weighted down by scientific explanation that didn't feel necessary to the story.
The characters were well drawn, although the soldiers seemed to have more differentiation and fully realized characters than the scientists, who were mostly lumped together.
I don't want to give away the ending, but I found that it was immensely satisfying not just in light of this book, but also as an addendum to The Girl.
seyahrue's review against another edition
5.0
It’s been a year since I read The Girl with All the Gifts so the ending took me a minute to understand, but the bringing together both books worked so well! It warmed my heart a little to see Melanie and Miss Justineau right at the end.
This was a really great book and I’m so glad I decided to listen to it - I was a little reluctant at first because I enjoy TGWATG to much and I didn’t know if this could live up to it, but it was a really interesting prequel. I loved most of the characters and it was great to see the beginning of the second wave Hungries and how they were discovered.
I’d definitely recommend this book if you’ve read the first one - You don’t necessarily have to have read TGWATG before hand, but the epilogue will have a lot more meaning behind it if you do
This was a really great book and I’m so glad I decided to listen to it - I was a little reluctant at first because I enjoy TGWATG to much and I didn’t know if this could live up to it, but it was a really interesting prequel. I loved most of the characters and it was great to see the beginning of the second wave Hungries and how they were discovered.
I’d definitely recommend this book if you’ve read the first one - You don’t necessarily have to have read TGWATG before hand, but the epilogue will have a lot more meaning behind it if you do
the_escape_artist_'s review against another edition
4.0
Great companion for “the girl with all the gifts” it wasn’t as good as the first one, but together they make a great set of books and I would have missed out if I didn’t read this one.
the_sunken_library's review against another edition
4.0
I was so pleasantly surprised by this. I never thought that The Girl With All The Gifts required any further explanation and was incredibly sceptical of the value a prequel would have, but I was wrong. Written in the same compelling fashion, this novel sets the groundwork for one of my favourite ever zombie stories (I am truly terrified of mushrooms now 😂) and provides a little insight into what was an insanely bleak future. I really enjoyed the opportunity to delve back into a world that would truly terrify me if it ever came to pass.
leilabp4's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
akkalabuns's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
uponthedowns's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bookph1le's review against another edition
5.0
I'd like to preface this review with a short declaration: I do not read books about vampires and zombies.
That's not true, you might say, if you look at my reviews. After all, I've read both this book and Justin Cronin's trilogy, thereby negating my declaration.
But the thing is, I *really* don't read about vampires and zombies. Since I don't read books about them, I can't judge what's out there, but I can say that I typically don't care. It's just not subject matter that draws me. I don't think zombie/vampire books are bad or wrong, I just am not interested in them. So imagine my surprise when I read a book like The Girl with All the Gifts and am blown away by it. So blown away by it that I pick up copies of Fellside and this book as well.
Having read and really admired all three of these books, I can say that this is the one I like the most. Even though Fellside is very different from the two Hungry Plague books, there's a common thread: this author has an uncanny, amazing ability to create characters who make me react in very visceral ways. Yeah, sometimes I like to read books just for their plot, but what always tips my scale when it comes to how deeply gripped a book holds me, it's the characters. I can think of only a few other authors who have the same talent with them this author has.
Yes, this is a zombie book, in many ways. Yet it's also not a zombie book in many ways. Really, what this series is (and this is true for Fellside as well), is a story about how human beings cope, how our strengths and foibles manifest in ways that aren't always obvious to ourselves, let alone to other people. I don't want to give too much away, so I won't go into specifics, but I was incredibly moved by the heroism in this book. There are specific characters who face serious moral quandaries and find a way their way to a solution they can live with. This interests me a great deal, because I find that kind of heroism a lot more interesting than our conventional notions of heroism, which usually include strapping figures jumping in to save the day, usually with the assistance of a lot of heavy weapons. So, yeah, this isn't a book about zombies as much as it is a book about choices, and how easy it is to justify bad decisions, how hard it is to do the right thing, and how compromised our humanity becomes if we're seduced by self-interest at the expense of the larger well being of society.
What I also really admire about this author is the way he portrays unconventional social structures, which I think is another way he picks apart what it means to be human. Zombies are usually portrayed as monsters, but these books take a more nuanced view, and that view poses some big questions about humans tendency to divide animals (and, sadly, often other humans) into categories that measure their worth against our own. The best characters in all of Carey's books struggle mightily with this. They learn to look beyond their own prejudices and preconceived notions to entertain the possibility that maybe their way of looking at things is skewed. This is a quality the world could use a lot more of, in my opinion. Carey is asking readers to think very, very deeply about the meaning of survival at all costs.
Another thing Carey excels at is creating characters for whom I feel pure, unadulterated hatred. There's one character in particular in this novel who made me seethe, because said character's viewpoint is so narrow. Yet I don't think the author is trying to stake some sort of moral ground here, because this character isn't the villain, per se. Instead, the character is an example of what happens when people let their emotions control them rather than trying to see things with a cool head and a clear mind.
This was one of those rare books that had me on tenterhooks, to the extent that, as I got close to the end, I couldn't tear myself away from it. Whatever Carey writes next--even if it's about vampires--it's going on my to-read list.
That's not true, you might say, if you look at my reviews. After all, I've read both this book and Justin Cronin's trilogy, thereby negating my declaration.
But the thing is, I *really* don't read about vampires and zombies. Since I don't read books about them, I can't judge what's out there, but I can say that I typically don't care. It's just not subject matter that draws me. I don't think zombie/vampire books are bad or wrong, I just am not interested in them. So imagine my surprise when I read a book like The Girl with All the Gifts and am blown away by it. So blown away by it that I pick up copies of Fellside and this book as well.
Having read and really admired all three of these books, I can say that this is the one I like the most. Even though Fellside is very different from the two Hungry Plague books, there's a common thread: this author has an uncanny, amazing ability to create characters who make me react in very visceral ways. Yeah, sometimes I like to read books just for their plot, but what always tips my scale when it comes to how deeply gripped a book holds me, it's the characters. I can think of only a few other authors who have the same talent with them this author has.
Yes, this is a zombie book, in many ways. Yet it's also not a zombie book in many ways. Really, what this series is (and this is true for Fellside as well), is a story about how human beings cope, how our strengths and foibles manifest in ways that aren't always obvious to ourselves, let alone to other people. I don't want to give too much away, so I won't go into specifics, but I was incredibly moved by the heroism in this book. There are specific characters who face serious moral quandaries and find a way their way to a solution they can live with. This interests me a great deal, because I find that kind of heroism a lot more interesting than our conventional notions of heroism, which usually include strapping figures jumping in to save the day, usually with the assistance of a lot of heavy weapons. So, yeah, this isn't a book about zombies as much as it is a book about choices, and how easy it is to justify bad decisions, how hard it is to do the right thing, and how compromised our humanity becomes if we're seduced by self-interest at the expense of the larger well being of society.
What I also really admire about this author is the way he portrays unconventional social structures, which I think is another way he picks apart what it means to be human. Zombies are usually portrayed as monsters, but these books take a more nuanced view, and that view poses some big questions about humans tendency to divide animals (and, sadly, often other humans) into categories that measure their worth against our own. The best characters in all of Carey's books struggle mightily with this. They learn to look beyond their own prejudices and preconceived notions to entertain the possibility that maybe their way of looking at things is skewed. This is a quality the world could use a lot more of, in my opinion. Carey is asking readers to think very, very deeply about the meaning of survival at all costs.
Another thing Carey excels at is creating characters for whom I feel pure, unadulterated hatred. There's one character in particular in this novel who made me seethe, because said character's viewpoint is so narrow. Yet I don't think the author is trying to stake some sort of moral ground here, because this character isn't the villain, per se. Instead, the character is an example of what happens when people let their emotions control them rather than trying to see things with a cool head and a clear mind.
This was one of those rare books that had me on tenterhooks, to the extent that, as I got close to the end, I couldn't tear myself away from it. Whatever Carey writes next--even if it's about vampires--it's going on my to-read list.
cliffrcarlson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0