BLACKOUT open thread!

[seanan_mcguire]

To celebrate the release of Blackout, here. Have an open thread to discuss the book.

THERE WILL BE SPOILERS.

Seriously. If anyone comments here at all, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. So please don't read and then yell at me because you encountered spoilers. You were warned. (I will not reply to every comment; I call partial comment amnesty. But I may well join some of the discussion, or answer questions or whatnot.)

You can also start a book discussion at my website forums, with less need to be concerned that I will see everything you say! In case you wanted, you know, discussion free of authorial influence, since I always wind up getting involved in these things.

Have fun!

Comments

[leila gaskin (from livejournal.com)]

Blackout was wonderful. Filled with intrigue, twisty paths, and (of course) zombies. I read the book in a day. And I want more!!!! Please don't leave the Newflesh universe for good.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

I have at least one more novella to write in that world, but I'm really and truly done with the Masons. I don't think they're speaking to me anymore.

[spectralbovine.livejournal.com]

I haven't actually read the book in print yet, but I'm just going to yell at you about Becks again.

DAMN YOOOOOOOUUUUUUU.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

She is a member of the Order of the Martyrs of Lilly Kane.

[trektone.livejournal.com]

I am pleased a certain character survived, though if that certain character hadn't, I would've been okay with it. (Thanks, Ms. Grant!)

The one aspect of the book that seemed a bit easy/fortuitous to me was the Seattle part. Did anyone else feel that way? Otherwise, I very much enjoyed the ride - very satisfying!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

It didn't make sense for him to go into the line of fire!

[tylik.livejournal.com]

Okay, so I had a bunch of stuff that really I should have been doing (especially since I'm abandoning my research student for four days between when I leave and when she leaves - we're sitting next to eachother getting pylab set up on her machine with a really awesomely distracting seminar on recent development going on in the auditorium right next to us - yeah, okay, I'm kind of bragging...) but instead I downloaded Blackout the moment I could, saying to myself "I'll read it on the plane tomorrow...!"

Ahem. Anyhow, all read now and I was only five minutes late this morning. (Though I only spent an hour doing forms practice this morning, promising myself I'd make it up later today. Hey, it could happen! After I get the peppers planted!)

And it was awesome, and I love it. I will love it even more when I've had a chance to go back over it and savor it. (Perhaps tomorrow, when I am stranged in O'Hare...)

I want to think more about the gradual release of information as it stands at the end of the book. Hm.

And inside George. So... self protective. Hm.

Minor note: There are some technical issues with the neuroscience as presented. Which is probably only a bugaboo of mine because I'm a neurobiologist. But, it occurred to me, especially as you are one step removed socially through a bunch of people* if you ever want someone to consult on the neuroscience side of things, I probably could at least help in the production as of technically accurate as far as we understand it and it's not that much sort of hand-waving. (Long term memory storage involves at least changes in protein conformation - it's not all electrical signals. A protein dynamics was just about my favorite thing ever back when I was a biochemist, I think this is about the coolest thing ever. Right up there with changes in ion channel conformation.)

* Folks? Back me up? Tell her I'm not craz- ...Um, tell her I'm harml- ...Um... Yeah, tell her something.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

I so wish I'd known you were a neurobiologist! I did the best I could with the science I had, and yeah, I got a bunch wrong (although have you seen the electrical imaging studies with rats? Holy crap, that's why it wasn't nearly as fringe as it looked on the surface). I will totally tap you the next time I need to do anything with brains.

Actually, brains. How are you on the effects of toxoplasmosis on the human brain?

[amazonmink.livejournal.com]

And they rode off together in the sunset on their trust steed. Wooooooo!

[evaleastaristev.livejournal.com]

YES! I was so happy when that happened.

[jane-dark.livejournal.com]

I loved it (but I already told you that on Twitter, where I'm paigecmorgan) -- but I do have one question: who's the black dog in the Blackout icons on your website? I was so worried about Joe the English mastiff when I saw them; but then, unless I missed something, he survived. Did I miss something?

I'm buying my paper copy today, and will probably start rereading, so I'll probably figure this out eventually...

As a Seattlite, I thought that having them come to Seattle was pretty neat, even though it startled me when Shaun and Becks went from the Masons to partway there (but like you say above, it didn't make sense for him to run into the line of fire.)

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

That's Joe. It's not HIS blood...

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

Shaun and Georgia- I knew it. Even the husband was asking about their relationship back in book one. Heh.

[jammiesest.livejournal.com]

I feel like an idiot, because I was totally blindsided by that revelation, although I loved it! When I re-read all three books, it was clear in hindsight, but I was surprised in Blackout.

[leighblack.livejournal.com]

I kinda love that the crazy boy and the dead girl got their weird happy ending after all.

Except you know, there's still zombies around. Can't win them all, I suppose.

[tsgeisel.livejournal.com]

If the zombies just magically went away that would have been unrealistic.

[annotated_em]

It was a slow day at work yesterday, which means I powered through and left a series of "omg omg omg" posts on my journal at DW. And then did a lot of squealing and dancing in my chair and groping for tissues and so forth. I've been anxious for this book for ages and am so very satisfied now.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

I am so very glad. :)

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

Did you consider other ways that Georgia and Shaun could have found each other? What happened in Chapter 25 and 26 nearly broke my heart, it was so sweet and almost meet-cute, and OMG it was wonderful. But still, I wonder.

Also, I'm assuming you've been watching "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" so I want to say that I pictured The Fox like Pinkie Pie and Becks like Rainbow Dash.

Also... oh, Becks. Oh, gods, Becks. It hurt to read. I want her back. Oh, Becks. Would you have brought her back? Somehow?

And Mahir. I love Mahir so much. He's like a superstar.

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

A terribly beleaguered superstar, with not nearly enough tea.

Question to those that have read it!

[loki-dip.livejournal.com]

This might turn out to be me worrying over nothing, but it is something I need to know before reading Blackout.

Incest is just something I can't read, it makes my skin crawl. I know George and Shaun aren't biologically related but they were raised as siblings so it amounts to the same thing in my mind.

In Deadline I managed to happily overlook things that were apparently obvious to others, but someone told me that they'd heard (I know, it's all very third hand, I'm sorry) that things would be more explicit in Blackout.

So, could someone who's read the book please tell me if this is the case? I'm not looking for spoilers, just some idea if I'm actually going to be able to read this.

Thanks to anyone who can help.

[jenk]

It is made very, very clear that they love each other and are each the center of the other's world.

The only explicit thing shown is kissing.

Hope this helps.

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

Spoilers?
Rosebud is a slain?

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Hee.

[darcy807.livejournal.com]

Bought it yesterday (along with Matt whom you know from Twitter) and started reading at 10pm. Was up until stupid o'clock, but finally had to sleep. Finished it this AM. It rocked hard. Loved the EIS and Dr Abbey is awesome. Plus zombie bear!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

The EIS makes me so happy as a government organization I can't even.

[jenk]

Things I loved:

Shaun flinging himself in front of those in danger. "KA won't hurt me."
Rick. Oh, Rick.
Mahir.
Maggie.
The Agora.
Dr Kimberley.
"Anybody want to watch me wrestle a zombie moose?"
"If you try to take away my happy ending I'll shoot you in the face."

Also...Shaun's last scene with Stacy. It's not a sitcom fix-everything-moment. But it's real.

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

I confess to not-quite-buying the Mason's turnaround on first read - it seemed a bit abrupt, but once I went back for a second read I totally caught the nuances that I missed. I guess that like Shaun I had my preconceived notions about them and it took me a while to change them.

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

Best line of the book: "Wait, you can see her too?"

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Hee.

[paragraphs.livejournal.com]

Closing eyes here- oh wait, they are all safely down there. So I can just safely SQUEE YAY ROAR WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP without fear. At least not of spoilers... Zombies, yeah but that is okay. And looky there, there it is on my Kindle! Dang it, maybe I can say I am sick and go home early.... :)

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Yay!

[gwaihiril.livejournal.com]

Wow. I just finished and I'm really glad that there is a thread here, because most of my friends who I convinced to read Feed and Deadline are still finishing up final exams.

I think I'm still processing everything, so...I'm not even going to attempt to list the things I liked right now, but I'm looking forward to discussion here and in person as soon as I get my friends to read it (I have at least 4 people who want to borrow my copy). I'm definitely looking forward to another novella, because I love all the characters so much. Everyone! So much awesome!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Yay!

[jennygriffee.livejournal.com]

Speaking as your friendly neighborhood Microsoft contractor, re: the location of the Seattle CDC:

.....bwhahahahahahahahaaaaa.

(And no, in its original state, it wouldn't have been particularly defensible in the case of a zombie incursion. I'm now picturing hordes of blue- and orange-badged zombies shambling through Redmond, and am more amused at this than I probably should be.)

I'm still kind of processing the book as a whole, since I read through it in a rush of OMGWHATHAPPENSTELLMENAO and, having figured that much out, am now doing a second, more leisurely read-through. But yes, I enjoyed it so, so much. I think I'm possibly the most tickled at the epilogue, really. I've got such a soft spot for Mahir -- glad things ended well for him. (annoying phone calls notwithstanding. ;)

[vixyish.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you for the laugh out loud! All the time I was reading it, I did not imagine the badge-zombies during the Rising. (The badge-zombies *before* the Rising, on the other hand...)

[thatrainbow.livejournal.com]

I think the thing that made me cry the most was the "Who wants to see me wrestle a zombie moose?" quote right before the coda.

Not because Shaun is offering to wrestle a zombie moose, though that did help. But Shaun's always been my baby, so to speak, and when he had switched to the Adaptive Immunities blog in Deadline, I legit teared up, because it broke my heart that he was so... well, broken, even if I could understand it.

But then there was the zombie moose quote, and I smiled, and then I saw the citation: "From Hail to the King, the blog of Shaun Mason"

He's back on his old blog.

He's back being an Irwin.

I seriously just started sobbing when I read it (which really freaked out my wife, who was about 300 pages behind me thanks to being ill and needing to nap - I had to reassure her that it wasn't bad, since she was planning to finish the book while I was at work.)

I think that was a nice, lovely, last-piece-falling-into-place touch.

[vixyish.livejournal.com]

Oh man. This is what I love about people. As much as I read the books over and over, I never paid attention to the blog title switch.

There are things I notice that other people don't, and things other people notice and I don't, and it just fills me with wonder when something like this crops up.

<3 <3 <3

[jenfullmoon.livejournal.com]

Man, I'm so happy to have Georgia back. I LOVE HER SO MUCH. And Shaun and Georgia back together. Don't even care about the sibling weirdness any more.

And finally finding out what was up with the White House folks and why they'd gone AWOL for a year. Whew.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Yay!

[sleightedge.livejournal.com]

I try not to descend into hysterical giggles of mad joy when I'm reading. It disturbs the people around me.

But Becks had to go redefine BYOB to Bring Your Own Bullets.

Thanks for helping me disturb the people around me! =D

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

You're welcome!

[swevene.livejournal.com]

The one thing I really, really wanted in this book was reunion snogging between George and Shaun, but I didn't believe it would actually happen. When it did, I made happy noises forever. I was terribly invested in them, I guess! I was on tenterhooks waiting for them to meet up in Seattle.

...also I think I want to stay at the Agora.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Me, too.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

I am insanely glad that 'spoilers' don't spoil me. Because my book isn't here yet, but I'm enjoying this thread like you wouldn't believe.

It will be all the sweeter when it arrives. :)

[spitphyre.livejournal.com]

Who else wants to know more about the lives of the Brainpan crew?

ETA: About halfway through I was convinced Maggie was going to have to die. You guys have no idea how happy I was she didn't. I hadn't even realized how much I liked her until that point. :) ... Probably didn't hurt that my theory about her and Buffy was confirmed :D

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Not me!

[archangelbeth]

*devours book in... a little over a couple hours, SCLORP*

My one complaint is... Not enough about the Zombie Hive Mind! I wanna know if the virus has some kind of telepathic neural resonance going on! O:D (Which, absent the brain-'cording bit, was my first speculation on how they'd gotten a self-aware clone with memories.)

But if there is/are future novella(s) planned, maybe my question will be answered there. O:>

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

I think the novella she is talking about is The Last Stand of the California Browncoats, where The Rising hits during ComicCon.