I just finished reading The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey, and I loved it.
(image from Amazon.com)
I read it in part because I kept hearing about it, and I like to read such books early on, before I have to fight off the silly “I can’t read it now because it’s gotten too much fuss” impulse (“Oh, everyone who reads it loves it? Then I will not read it. I would hate to love a book, or to belong to a group of people who love something.” WHY DO THOSE FEELINGS HAPPEN). It’s post-apocalyptic fiction, which is a category I tend to like, and it’s also science fiction, which is a category I like when it hits that sweet spot between “too sciencey” and “female space-warrior in bikini armor.”
Joss Whedon liked it and wrote a quote for the back cover, if that persuades you one way or another.
I was sorry the book was over, but I was mostly satisfied with the ending. (I had a couple of questions that occurred to me afterward and left me feeling less satisfied, but I still loved the book overall.)
Ahh, I loved this too. I really enjoyed the beginning and all the question marks it opens with more than the latter half and the ending personally, but it probably was one of the best possible resolutions.
I hadn’t heard of this book yet, but it does sound like something I’ll like. Added to my library hold list immediately (27th on the list, 6 library copies, so it might be a while…).
Funny, I just did the exact same thing. I’m fifty-somethingth on 4 copies, so I’ll have to hope my library has fast readers…
Just a library insight, for many libraries, the length of the hold list triggers more orders. Not an absolute. I always recommend people place the hold because then the librarian knows what to buy. There is usually an acceptable ratio for hold lists.
Oh, I am so excited to talk about this book with someone! I haven’t found any one else who read it, and it’s been on my mind ever since I finished it. I listened to the audio version, which was done fabulously, and I loved it – until the end. I know it’s hard to talk about because of spoilers, but I found myself very unsatisfied at the end. It felt like it all wrapped up too quickly, and almost too easily, and I didn’t really believe the explanation for Melanie and the other children. I liked the sort of judgement day aspect with the teacher, but I still had a lot of questions. Maybe it’s just the feeling you get after a good story, where you want it to keep going.
I read this recently and loved it too. I also enjoyed the Felix Castor series by the same author, but they are in quite a different category (urban fantasy/paranormal/mystery).
Sad enough, it was the vote from JW that sold me on reading the book.