Deadline

The Newsflesh Trilogy, Book 2

By: Mira Grant

Narrated by: Chris Patton, Nell Geisslinger

Length: 15 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

This electrifying sequel from the New York Times bestselling author of Feed reenters a world of zombies, geeks, politics, social media, and the virus that runs through them all.

Shaun Mason is a man without a mission. Not even running the news organization he built with his sister has the same urgency as it used to. Playing with dead things just doesn't seem as fun when you've lost as much as he has.

But when a CDC researcher fakes her own death and appears on his doorstep with a ravenous pack of zombies in tow, Shaun has a newfound interest in life. Because she brings news—he may have put down the monster who attacked them, but the conspiracy is far from dead.

Now, Shaun hits the road to find what truth can be found at the end of a shotgun.

More from Mira Grant:

Newsflesh

Feed

Deadline

Blackout

Feedback

Rise

Listen to more in the Newsflesh Trilogy.

©2011 Mira Grant (P)2011 Hachette

Critic reviews

"Astonishing ... a fascinating exploration of the future."—New York Times

"Deft cultural touches, intriguing science, and amped-up action will delight Grant's numerous fans."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"OK, all of you readers who want something weighty and yet light, campy and yet smart, horror with heart, a summer beach read that will stay in your head and whisper to you "what if," Deadline is just what you are looking for."—RT Book Reviews

I want More!!!!!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, Because it freaking awesome!

What did you like best about this story?

The characters you find yourself so attached to the all.

Which character – as performed by Chris Patton and Nell Geisslinger – was your favorite?

Can't choose and this is no cop out really I loved all of them.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The news isn't always good!

Any additional comments?

YES!!!! I want the next one NOW!! My Brain almost exploded when it ended.

Highly recommend

This book surprised me twice and I don't surprise easily. Such a great follow up to Feed. Can't wait to read the next book.

5 stars - This series just gets better and better

Deadline, the second novel in the Newsflesh trilogy, is a novel that it took me forever to work up the courage to read after Feed left me sobbing uncontrollably and in a book hangover the likes of which no book hoarder should ever have to experience. I figured Feed was so amazing, that any sequels could never live up to, but I was wrong. I loved Deadline and will never underestimate Grant’s ability to write awesome zombie thrillers.

After the mess of Senator Rymen’s presidential campaign, Shaun Mason is no longer the happy-go-lucky Irwin who lives for poking zombies with sticks. He’s quickly losing his grip on reality until a CDC scientist shows up with information that proves the conspiracy that changed Shaun’s life last year is far from over. He and his team is quickly entangled in a CDC conspiracy the likes of which the bloggers – and the post-Rising world – might not survive.

Deadline was a fast-paced, high stakes political thriller with a ton more zombie action than the first novel (Yay zombie as kicking!). It was a bit longer than the first novel, but Mira Grant mixes lengthy world building with unpredictable plot twists and the ability to make a 15 hour-long audiobook fly by until I find myself scratching my head and wondering where the hell the time went. Deadline was the perfect sequel to Feed and a bittersweet reminder that things can always get worse, especially when a sadistic author is at the helm. 😀

The narration was as exceptional as always, even though I was skeptical if I would enjoy it as much, seeing as Paula Christenson was no longer narrating. Chris Patton was an exceptional choice for the cast of Deadline and I can’t wait to listen to more from him!

If you are a fan of zombies, political thrillers, and unique science fiction experiences, you need to read the Newsflesh Trilogy! It is not a stand-alone series, however, so be sure to start with Feed first!

Loved it

Amazing story and just as good as the first! Only complaint us why one of the characters had an accent when it was clear she shouldn't have had one.

Fun but not quite as good as the first.

What other book might you compare Deadline to and why?

Obviously, I have to compare it to Feed, the first book in the series. Feed comes out ahead simply because the character Georgia is more compelling than her brother. Buffey is also a very strong character, so the second book loses a bit in having to make up for their loss.

What does Chris Patton and Nell Geisslinger bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I think they did a great job with accents and also with injecting emotion into the characters.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

In dealing with reactions to death of loved ones there were some emotional moments. I think those were handled well; they were powerful but not overdone.

Any additional comments?

It was a fun adventure that kept moving at a good pace. Compelling characters and an interesting story.

On the brink to the end of the world

As was the case in Book 1, this sequel had me on the end of my seat in suspense each scene. Cross Country road trips will never be the same, which may lead to to ask "What the F*** is going on here?!"

Chilling, and a great next installment

This is the second NEWSFLESH novel, and it is an excellent and chilling second installment to the story begun in FEED.

Narrator struggles but good overall story

I enjoyed this book overall. The beginning was a little hard for me because of one of the concepts introduced was pretty ridiculous to me, but it ended up not being a long lasting or important one. the narrator was OK but a female counterpart would have greatly improved this story as he had some real difficulty with performing those roles. Kelly's voice was always breathy and conveyed no real emotion and Maggie's voice waffled on whether he gave her an accent or not.

Great follow-up with as many twists as book one

Warning: This review contains spoilers for "Feed," the first book in the series.


The second book in the Newsflesh trilogy picks up where Feed left off. Feed introduced us to George (Georgia) and Shaun Mason, two bloggers in a post-Rising world in which the Kellis-Amberlee virus means zombies are now an everyday part of life, and have reshaped society accordingly. People huddle in enclaves, road trips are for heavily-armed truckers and the borderline suicidal, and you can't go from point A to point B anywhere without sticking your hand in half a dozen blood testing units, and people are always standing by to shoot you in the head if any of those tests indicates you are positive for infection. Much of book one was a commentary on this post-Rising world in which people have allowed fear of the walking dead to take over their lives, curtailing their freedom of movement, autonomy, and privacy.

Now, while I think that was a valid point to make, I also think the author and her characters really failed to offer any alternatives. I mean, if the entire world now has to live with this highly-contagious virus that in minutes can turn anyone into a mindless flesh-eating zombie, and any large gathering of people is a potential bloodbath if just one thing goes wrong, of course everyone's life is going to change and heavy security measures are going to make them a lot less free than we are in our zombie-free world. That's kind of unavoidable.

But in book two, Mira Grant expands the scope of this zombie apocalypse, and addresses one of the other weaknesses of book one, the cartoonish villainy of Vice Presidential candidate Tate, who was apparently evil for the sake of evil. In Deadline, we learn the conspiracy was much bigger than him, and there are people who want the virus to keep people living in fear, with the government telling them what to do.

Which is a metaplot that, again, the author delivers with not a lot of subtlety, and maybe the logic holes were a little more noticeable to me this time around. That said, I really liked Deadline, just as I liked Feed, because what it has, and a lot of it, is Plot and Pacing. Something horrible is always just around the corner. A new twist, a serious complication, or another near-death experience. And as is par for the course in any zombie story, you know not all the characters are going to make it to the end and you're kind of laying mental odds on who survives and who doesn't.

At the end of the last book, George died. The author gets around this by having Shaun be "insane" in this book; George is constantly talking to him, and sometimes he even sees her. His friends are used to him talking to his dead sister, albeit a little disturbed by it. George's voice sometimes even tells him things that supposedly he shouldn't even know, which made me wonder if there was going to be some bizarre twist in which it turns out that George somehow really is inside his head.

I did get kind of tired of Shaun and his angst over his dead sister. I mean, yeah, it's tragic, she was his sister and best friend, but seriously the degree of closeness and his inability to live without her started skeeving me out a little. When, for the first time in two books Shaun actually shows interest in another female (I was wondering until then if he was a virgin), he ruins it by... saying George's name at a very inappropriate time. Now that was creepy. Seriously? This guy has problems, and hearing his dead sister's voice in his head is not the worst of them.

Notwithstanding the one-dimensional Shaun "I can't get over my dead sister" Mason and his deathwish vengeance crusade, this book did cook along, a little improbably at times, but with so many thrills and twists that it was never boring and I had to know what would happen next. Mira Grant even makes all the virology infodumps interesting. In Deadline, we learn that even in the wake of a zombie apocalypse, things can indeed always get worse.

That said, the BIG twist at the end? I totally saw it coming. But nonetheless, I have to read book three, and soon.

Love this fresh approach

I really enjoy the Newsflesh series. I’m a zombie book lover and enjoy this series initially because of this. I stay for all of the additional story lines because the author has created a rich world with characters that are intriguing and well rounded. I well understand why this series has won awards. Those who like this unusual genre will be drawn in by this new refreshing look.