Caffeinated Book Reviewer: San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats

San Diego 2014
The Last Stand of the California Browncoats
by Mira Grant
Series: Newsflesh Trilogy (bonus novella)
Publisher: Orbit
Publication date: July 11, 2012
Genre: Adult Post-Apocalyptic /Zombie
Purchase*: Barnes and Noble/Amazon

It was the summer of 2014, and the true horrors of the Rising were only just beginning to reveal themselves. Fans from all over the world gathered in San Diego, California for the annual comic book and media convention, planning to forget about the troubling rumors of new diseases and walking dead by immersing themselves in a familiar environment. Over the course of five grueling days and nights, it became clear that the news was very close to home…and that most of the people who picked up their badges would never make it out alive.

The Newsflesh trilogy is hands down one of my favorite series. Filled with zombies and complex lovable characters it is a series I will re-read again and again. When I learned through Bea@ Bea’s Book Nook that this novella was available I immediately hit the click, confirm, buy button on my Nook Tablet. This tale takes place at Comic- Con in San Diego in the year 2014. It tells the tale of one of the largest Kellis-Amberlee outbreaks. I loved every, freaky, horrible detail of this tragic event.

Mahir Gowda, head Newsie of After the End Times,shares with us eyewitness accounts of the horrific event. He manages an interview with the only known survivor named Lorelei. She attended comic-con along with her parents and their friends. Referring to themselves as Browncoats they were all diehard fans of the sci-fi show Firefly. Before the outbreak they were busy setting up their regular booth to sell, posters, t-shirts, cokes and souvenirs of the show. Then the unthinkable happened. Kellis-Amberlee was still relatively unknown and the majority of the population was completely oblivious to the dangers. The tale that unfolds is terrifying, touching and filled with some of the first heroes of the rising.

San Diego 2014, was a fascinating read, and the references for sci-fi geeks like me had me laughing. By the time Feed takes place, the world knows all about the Kellis-Amberlee virus and the precautions to take, so this was a raw look at how they learned this. Grant brought the characters to life, shared final moments and provided us heroes. I laughed, I screamed and a cried.

I highly recommend this to fans of the Newsflash trilogy and can only hope Grant brings us more.

I gave this 5 coffee cups out of 5.