Monday, April 11, 2016

Book review: "The Girl With All the Gifts" by MR Carey

This book busted me out of a reading slump. I feel like that's just about the nicest thing that a book can do for you, right?

You know something is up basically from the get go because Melanie is getting ready to go to school, which is pretty normal for a ten year old. Buuuuut then you find out that that means that means getting throughly strapped into a wheelchair. And that she and her fellow classmates only have to eat once a week....and are showered once a week with chemicals...and they don't sleep...and that one of their teachers always seems to be pouring something from a flask into his coffee that makes him talk funny when he's done with it.


Yep. Zombie kids.


At first I was disappointed when this was revealed in the first one or two chapters.

Really? Zombies again?

But for every "same old thing" (oh really, a zombie apocalypse where people are staked out at a government outpost not sure if they're the last person alive in the world or not) there is an interesting twist.

Also, the villain is sympathetic. She's a mad scientist but I get where she is coming from.

Well developed characters, vivid world building, a surprising amount of greek mythology talk, and genuinely scary moments. Even if you're like me and are feeling "over" the zombie thing pick this book up. It brings up the big questions: what makes a person human? In time of extreme crisis what happens to our moral compass? At what point is humanity past the point of saving?


Also, going to dreamcast this book real fast:

Melanie: I don't know anyone young enough, because she's ten....hmmm...anyone have suggestions? The little girl from the Narnia movies would have been great.... too old now.
Gallagher: Asa Butterfield
Sgt Parks: Jason Isaacs
Miss Justineau: Kerry Washington
Dr Caldwell: Nicole Kidman




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