Alex, Janelle and Marzie Read Mira Grant's Kingdom of Needle and Bone
Last month I reviewed Mira Grant's Kingdom of Needle and Bone, a novella issued in a signed and numbered limited edition hardcover by Subterranean Press. It is also available in eBook format. Grant takes a hard fictional look at anti-vaxxers and their effects on herd immunity in this story. Alex, Janelle and I were excited to discuss it!
Buddy Read Discussion: Kingdom of Needle and Bone
Part 1
Let’s start with the factual
background for this novella:
“The resurgence of measles is of
serious concern, with extended outbreaks occurring across regions, and
particularly in countries that had achieved, or were close to achieving measles
elimination,” said Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Deputy Director General for Programmes
at WHO. “Without urgent efforts to increase vaccination coverage and identify
populations with unacceptable levels of under- or unimmunized children, we risk
losing decades of progress in protecting children and communities against this
devastating, but entirely preventable disease.”
- Measles cases spike globally due to gaps in vaccination coverage,
29 November 2018, News Release, Geneva/Atlanta/New York
29 November 2018, News Release, Geneva/Atlanta/New York
Marzie: So what did you guys think of Kingdom of Needle and Bone?
Alex: I am super conflicted about Kingdom of Needle and Bone. I think I need
two ratings. One for people who have read a lot of Mira and one for people new
to Mira. The first would be a 3 star rating, the second would be a 5 star
rating.
Janelle: This one was a good read. I was blown away.
Alex, interesting! Why the difference?
Marzie: I have to confess I have changed my rating
of this book about five times now. I go between four and five stars (with 4.5
Stars being the one I choose most). I feel very conflicted, too.
Janelle: Why the difference?
Alex: If you’ve never read a Mira Grant book before
then the ending will be an earth shattering surprise, but if you’re a faithful
reader of hers, the ending is a bit predictable and disappointing because it’s
been done BY HER already - TWICE.
Marzie: I found the ending very Mira predictable,
yes. That twist is classic Mira Grant.
Janelle: Oh, yeah, that’s true. Though I called it
from the beginning. The reason why I’d give this four stars instead of five is
because it really should have been a full-length novel.
Alex: I don’t know if I could handle a full novel
about this. It was SO political, so in your face and so visceral. I’m not sure
I could stomach more than a novella. The novella was enough to scare the pants
off me.
Marzie: I’m not sure I could foresee a full length
novel either. Although, my five-star thoughts are all about her championing
science and reproductive rights.
Janelle: I just didn’t buy the central character’s
motivation entirely, and it could have been built up better. I liked the
political nature of it quite a bit.
Marzie: I was pleased for Seanan that she got to
voice her thoughts clearly in the novel form. I think we all implicitly know
where Seanan stands on these issues but she is usually more understated in her
political expression in her writing. This was bold and very unsubtle but
because I agree with her on all these things, I truly loved it. That said, I
can understand why this was in a small press publication and not for a major
publishing house, as a result.
Alex: I do like that Seanan was political in Kingdom of Needle and Bone, and I agree
that it was very bold of her. I think this is going to be a book people either
love or hate, and it’s going to largely rest upon whether or not people align
with the politics she’s written here. Which is almost a shame, since people who
otherwise might have enjoyed the story are going to get turned off by the
politics.
Janelle: I don’t actually know anything about her
educational background, but she is very knowledgeable of science, which is what
makes her a credible writer of the Mira Grant books. So I think there is a
level of anger there from the scientifically-minded toward the anti-vax
movement, and it just bleeds out in this book. I wanted to high-five it. I
wanted to high-five a book! Haha!
Marzie: Seanan’s degrees from Berkeley are in
herpetology and folklore. So she is actually a card carrying biologist as a
result. And from talking to her you know she is endlessly fascinated with
virology. Like, she could talk about the smallpox or the measles for DAYS. And in the realm of bacteriology,
there’s her undying love of the plague.
Alex: Oh I agree totally Janelle, that this is her
stand against the anti-vax movement and oh, it’s a powerful one. It hits like a
punch to the gut.
Marzie: Her loathing of anti-vaxxers is why I love
this book. It’s a big, bold, “You are going to fuck up this world” message,
bound in beautiful paper and with a gorgeous cover. But how do you feel about
the plot and the characters? Did you ever warm to any of them?
Check out Part 2 of our discussion to read more about Kingdom of Needle and Bone over on Alex's blog!
Next up, Alex, Janelle and I will be back with a discussion of the latest Wayward Children novella, In an Absent Dream.
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