What's Good About It
After being blown away by the first instalment of this trilogy, I was excited to get my hands on Deadline for ages. And it didn't disappoint. Unlike so many second parts of trilogies which are flabby around the edges, stalling for time, and with no real sense of threat, Deadline only escalates the tension. Shaun's deteriorating mental state only makes him more of a loose cannon, and in a world populated by the reanimated dead, being a loose cannon is a very very dangerous thing to be.
With the conspiracy going even deeper, there's plenty of mystery to unravel. Once again, Grant's world building is second to none. Her story is all the more sinister for the CDC procedural details woven into the narrative. The story never seems to lose pace for the extra detail, which is a very good thing, because such a level of detail could easily bog the story down. With a lot of the heavier world building work done before in Feed, Deadline doesn't have to work as hard for its realism, giving it more space to explore the terrifying world and politics its characters live in.
And speaking of characters, the transition to Shaun's point of view is seamless. His character is very different to Georgia's cold, analytical mind, but he works just as well as a vehicle to drive the story. And as slightly creepy (a fact that Mira Grant doesn't shy away from, which pleased me) as Shaun and Georgia's mind sharing relationship becomes, it's a fantastic way of keeping Georgia in the story, in a way that never feels forced or twee.
What's Not So Good
Once again, if you're looking for a cheap thrills zombie apocalypse, this isn't really what you're looking for.
Rating: 5/5
