by Mira Grant
This room contained all Amanda’s things—all the things she’d ever have the opportunity to own. The stuffed toys she had steadfastly refused to admit to outgrowing, saying they had been her only friends when she was sick and she wouldn’t abandon them now. Her bookshelves, cluttered with knickknacks and soccer trophies as much as books. Her framed poster showing the structure of Marburg EX19, given to her by Dr. Wells after the first clinical trials began showing positive results. Suzanne could picture that day when she closed her eyes. Amanda, looking so weak and pale, and Dr. Wells, their savior, smiling like the sun.
“This little fellow is your best friend now, Amanda.” That was what he’d said on that beautiful afternoon where having a future suddenly seemed possible again. “Take good care of it and it will take good care of you.”
Rage swept over Suzanne in a sudden hot wave. She opened her eyes, glaring across the room at the photographic disease. Where was it when her little girl was dying? Marburg EX19 was supposed to save her baby’s life, and in the end, it had let her down; it had let Amanda die. What was the good of all this—the pain, the endless hours spent in hospital beds, the promises they never got to keep—if the damn disease couldn’t save Amanda’s life?
Never mind that Amanda died in a car crash. Never mind that cancer had nothing to do with it. Marburg EX19 was supposed to save her, and it had failed.
“I hate you,” Suzanne whispered, and turned away. She couldn’t deal with the bedroom; not today, maybe not ever. Maybe she would just sell the house, leave Amanda’s things where they were, and let them be dealt with by the new owners. They could filter through the spindrift of Amanda’s life without seeing her face, without hearing her voice talking about college plans and careers. They could put things in boxes without breaking their hearts.
If there was anything more terrible for a parent than burying a child, Suzanne Amberlee couldn’t imagine what it would be. Her internal battle over for another day—over, and lost—she turned away, heading down the stairs. Maybe tomorrow she could empty out that room. Maybe tomorrow she could start boxing things away. Maybe tomorrow she could start the process of letting Amanda go.
Maybe tomorrow. But probably not.
Suzanne Amberlee walked away, unaware of the small viral colony living in her own body, nested deep in the tissue of her lungs. Content in its accidental home, Marburg EX19 slept, waiting for the trigger that would startle it into wakefulness. It was patient; it had all the time in the world.
Amanda Amberlee is survived by her mother, Suzanne Amberlee. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to the Colorado Cancer Research Center…
BY MIRA GRANT
The Newsflesh Trilogy
Feed
Deadline
Blackout
Writing as Seanan McGuire
Rosemary and Rue
A Local Habitation
An Artificial Night
Late Eclipses
One Salt Sea
Ashes of Honor
Discount Armageddon
Praise for Feed
“Welcome to the world of Feed. It’s perfect summer apocalypse reading.”
—io9.com
“Gripping, thrilling, and brutal… Shunning misogynistic horror tropes in favor of genuine drama and pure creepiness, McGuire has crafted a masterpiece of suspense with engaging, appealing characters who conduct a soul-shredding examination of what’s true and what’s reported.”
— Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
“… Complex, amazingly intelligent…”
—blogcritics.org
“It’s a novel with as much brains as heart, and both are filling and delicious.”
—The A.V. Club
“The zombie novel Robert A. Heinlein might have written.”
— Sci-Fi Magazine
“The story starts with a bang as corruption, mystery, danger, and excitement abound.”
— Romantic Times (4-1/2 Stars)
“What I know for a fact is that this book is terrific entertainment, likely to be remembered as the one that put zombies over for the previously uninitiated.”
—greenmanreview.com
“So if you want a dash of political intrigue, a dose of journalism, zombies, horror, suspense, brilliant writing, and a heaping and often steaming pile of truth—then go get yourself a copy of Feed by Mira Grant.”
—flamesrising.com
“While there’s plenty of zombie mayhem, political snark, and pointedly funny observations here, the heart of this book is about human relationships, which are still the most important thing in the world… even in a world where you might have to shoot the person you love most in the head, just to stop them from biting off your face.”
— Locus
“Feed is a proper thriller with zombies. Grant doesn’t get carried away with describing her world or the virus. She’s clearly thought both out brilliantly, but she doesn’t let it get in the way of a taut, well-written story.”
— SFX
“Like the most memorable works in the zombie canon, Feed uses its zombies (those reanimated corpses teeming with Kellis-Amberlee) to examine humanity. And this, dear readers, is really goddamn cool.”
—thebooksmugglers.com
“This is a thriller… the world building here is fascinating in and of itself. And the characters kept me hooked all the way through, particularly as Grant pulls no punches in showing just how ugly a conspiracy in high places can get… I can’t wait for the next book.”
—N. K. Jemisin, author of The Broken Kingdoms
“Feed is a cross-country tour through a post-apocalyptic America with certain contemporary digital trends blown up to satirical proportions, punctuated regularly by zombie attacks…. Grant delivers some excellent surprises along the way.”
—Beatrice.com
“A classic zombie tale with a great new twenty-first century media twist.”
—David Wellington, author of Monster Island
“Plain and simple, zombie fiction fans should definitely seek out and read this ingenious (and deeply thought-provoking) novel.”
— Explorations , Paul Goat Allen
Praise for Deadline
“Grant… continues her postapocalyptic zombie series with this adrenaline-packed, quick-witted tale of medicine and mayhem…. Deft cultural touches, intriguing science, and amped-up action will delight Grant’s numerous fans.”
— Publisher’s Weekly (Starred Review)
“Okay, 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
“… dear God, people, what is not to love about this book? It’s glorious! Always compelling, by turns terrifying and tragic, and with an ending that’s so evil that waiting for the next one becomes a torment, Deadline is a definite must-read.”
—Britishfantasysociety.org
“All in this title is a satisfactory addition to the Zombie genre and one that the reader will thrill, chill, and perhaps even spill to get their hands upon. A great offering and one that really will please that inner zombie.”
— Falcata Times
“The second futuristic Newsflesh Mason Zombie thriller is a fabulous suspense tale that grips the audience even before the prime story line begins.”
—Alternativeworlds.com
“Deadline is a roller coaster of a book.”
—kbgbabbles.blogspot.com
“Deadline is smart, scary, and impossible to resist—this book will climb into your head and make a home. Mira Grant, you are gloriously, gloriously evil, in the best possible way.”
—bookyurt.com
“Deadline is an intelligent, gripping read with the same skillful writing that so engrossed me while reading Feed. If you are looking for zombie horror with brains (sorry I couldn’t resist), then this is the novel
for you.”
—theeloquentpage.posterous.com
“Deadline is a must-read. I can’t recommend this series highly enough. If you haven’t read Feed, get it and Deadline now. You’ll thank me later.”
—Fanaticspace.com
“Deadline is a rollercoaster story in every sense, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, the pace with leave you breathless, and at the end you’ll just want to go around again.”
—fangtastic.com.au
“… it is TREMENDOUS, a worthy successor indeed to its progenitor, and offers up yet another shock ending that I would never have seen coming. NEVER.”
—geekspeakmagazine.com
“Deadline obliterated my expectations, and I can’t even begin to tell you how high they already were.”
—goodchoicereading.com
“So, if you’re looking for a book that will make you gasp and laugh and weep and want to stockpile weapons—you know, just in case—pick up Deadline… Seriously. Do it.”
—writingspectacle.blogspot.com
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2012 by Seanan McGuire
Excerpt from Countdown: A Newsflesh Novella copyright © 2011 by Seanan McGuire
All rights reserved.
Orbit
Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
orbitbooks.net
orbitshortfiction.com
First e-book edition: June 2012
Orbit is an imprint of Hachette Book Group. The Orbit name and logo are trademarks of Little, Brown Book Group Limited.
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Document authors :
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