Feed/YMMV

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • Anvilicious: Did we mention New Media Are Evil, you guys? To be fair, in this day and age it's becoming a huge anvil that needs to drop.
    • M.T. Anderson has stated that he is by no means a Luddite and finds the new avenues of technology incredible (he says Feed wouldn't work as a satire if he didn't feel the seduction himself) but simply wishes to point out that progress comes with costs of its own.
  • Crowning Moment of Funny: Surprisingly, in such a dark book. One of the feed-breaks that are scattered throughout the book contains the following:

“…what the President meant in the intercepted chat. This was, uh, nothing but a routine translation problem. It has to be understood, that…It has to be understood that when the President referred to the Prime Minister of the Global Alliance as a ‘big shithead,’ what he was trying to convey was, uh—this is an American idiom used to praise people, by referring to the sheer fertilizing power of their thoughts. The President meant to say that the Prime Minister’s head was fertile, just full of these nutrients where ideas can grow. It really was a compliment…”

  • Genius Bonus: A few things, such as a brief mention of BASIC. There's also a mention of characters talking in a sestina during Violet's breakdown- if one goes back and looks through previous dialogue, you find out she's right.
  • Nightmare Fuel: More than you may think.
  • Some Anvils Need to Be Dropped
  • Squick: The book is layered with it. The lesions call particular attention.
    • You can't mention this book's squick whithout mentioning the filet mignon farm and the steak maze. And for those of you curious, yes, it's Exactly What It Says on the Tin. THERE ARE HORNS AND EYES COMING OUT OF THE WALLS.
  • Tear Jerker: Boy howdy.