Anthony Ryan takes a stab at a completely different genre and wins big. Taking on a world ending doomsday thriller was definitely a step many an author may not have tried but in the end I was so glad Anthony Ryan had the courage to write such an inspirational story. It is full of characters you come to love only to have your heart torn out when almost all of them die. It surpassed my wildest expectations. I really hope that Ryan can return to world soon. Eagerly awaiting another book.

Anthony Ryan is best known for his epic fantasy series such as the steampunk meets dragons Draconis Memoria trilogy or his long running Seven Swords series. His first foray into post-apocalyptic science fiction territory came with the book Red River Seven. He has now dipped another toe into a slightly different part of that genre – still post-apocalyptic but this time with vampires – in his new novel The Feeding.
The main character of The Feeding is Layla. Layla lives in an old cinema in the walled remnants of a city caked Redoubt. She is part of a group of survivors of a an event called the Feeding during which the vampires rose and decimated humanity. The survivors live on the scraps and remnants of the previous world. What they can’t find they trade with another settlement. But the journey to that settlement is a fraught one and many die in the crossing. Layla is determined to join the Crossers so she can access medicines vital to heal Strang, the man who has raised her.
Ryan draws on a wealth of post-apocalyptic and vampire (and post-apocalyptic vampire) narratives to construct his world. The city that Layla lives in is pretty much any post-apocalyptic encampment, the vampires come in three flavours (Alpha, Beta and Gamma, with some implication that the Alphas have been with us for much much longer and not necessarily happy that their world has been brought down). And out in the wilderness between the settlements, rogue survivors who capture and torture vampires for fun. All this means that there is very little new or surprising here, even with some of the reveals towards the end (which may well be setting up a sequel) which are too reminiscent of Justin Cronin’s post-apocalyptic vampire series The Passage.
The Feeding is yet another in a long list of post-apocalyptic properties that draw from the same tired iconography (for example, it will surprise no one that the town meeting takes place in the old football stadium). There is some passable action and plenty of gore but in service of nothing more than more action and more gore. There are still some creators managing to bring something innovative or interesting to this genre. It feels like Ryan is just joining dots.

This was a page turner of a post apocalyptic setting.

You feel like you're right alongside Layla as she navigates a crumbling world in hopes of saving her loved ones.

What a blast. This story was an exciting mix of The Hunger Games, The Walking Dead, The Maze Runner and tech scavengers. It provides a palpable hopelessness and grittiness that many apocalyptic novels skimp on. The world was so well built and immersive that it made other zombie/vampire horror stories seem lacking. Treat yourself to an emotional rollercoaster!

This was a great take on the apocalypse. I really enjoyed the main character who didn’t act like she was stuoid. She was smart and witty and fun to follow. The “zombies” were interesting. I really like that they were different than most. Great read

Years after the arrival of the feeders civilization persists inside of walled enclaves. Their dwindling resources require a small cadre of select people to cross the barren city wastes, avoid the feeders and other dangers to locate lost resources as well as link with other distant enclaves to trade for needed items. Layla, a child at the time of the onset of the feeders, scavenges for resources but now needs to find the medicine her dying father needs. She joins the the next cadre of crossers to venture into the wastelands not knowing the feeders she must face aren't the only dangers she will face.

This is a well written post apocalyptic novel, well paced with many twists and turns. The plot moves propulsively forward with interesting characters with their personal flaws and motivations.

I really wanted to enjoy this one, but I struggled with the pacing. By the time I was about 25% in, the plot still felt like it hadn’t quite taken off, and I found myself losing interest. That’s probably more of a “me as a reader” thing than the book itself, because the writing is genuinely beautiful and descriptive. I’m still not sure if that style worked against the pacing for me, but I can definitely see why others might enjoy it more.

"The Feeding” by Anthony Ryan is an adrenaline-filled 5-star post-apocalyptic thriller! The world has been devastated by transformed humans known as feeders, and the survivors live in scattered settlements. One of these is Redoubt, where Layla spends her days scavenging local ruins for valuable items to trade at the market. When tryouts are announced for a dangerous role as a crosser, Layla takes her shot at joining this elite group.

I am probably not the typical reader for this book. I have only read one other novel by Anthony Ryan, which I loved, and I usually do not pick up many adult post-apocalyptic stories. The most recent one I read was Swan Song, another favorite of mine. These two factors convinced me to give this book a chance, and I am so glad I did. This is a high-stakes survival story with plenty of action. While it is not a long book and does not have extensive world-building, we still learn everything we need. Layla’s character is well developed, and her struggles feel real and compelling. I also enjoyed the variety of feeders, each with unique qualities.

I hope this is not the only book set in this world, because there is so much more that could be explored. Either way, I look forward to whatever Anthony Ryan writes next, even if it is not in this wasteland.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing, Anthony Ryan, and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

The Feeding is a stand-alone novel that I had a hard time starting. My progress stalled in the first chapter or two and I had to restart the book. However, that was a product of my own work schedule and other distractions, because once I was able to concentrate on my reading, this book really drew me in.

The post-apocalyptic setting was familiar and some of the protagonist, Layla's, explorations reminded me of part of the Silo series by Hugh Howey mixed with The Last of Us (the show, I haven't played the game). In my mind, the feeders were zombies, but that initial perception wasn't true, for they were more accurately vampires once the setting is made clear. I particularly liked the way they were portrayed because they felt different from your stereotypical vampires that have been overdone in recent books and other media.

I found Layla's journey in this story to be scary and I was alone in my house while reading most of this, so every creak and small noise made me imagine feeders closing in on me. I'm not generally a horror fan because the genre tends not to scare me, but this book did manage it! This is also not a happy story, but I think the set up for that is well done and no one that starts this book should expect all the characters to make it through the story.

The initial plot of the novel make me wonder about the scope of the story, and I didn't see the central thread or antagonist right away. However, it steadily snuck up on me and I made the same catastrophic realization that Layla did about half a page before it was confirmed.

I felt for Layla and all her people, and was engaged in their struggles throughout the book. Everyone had believable motivations and the ending wrapped up all the loose ends, while leaving open the possibility of another book. It doesn't NEED another book, but if the author wanted to write one, I'd read it.

I’m used to Anthony Ryan writing fantasy, and really great epic fantasy at that. His novel “Blood Song” is among my favorites.

Here, Ryan makes a foray into the post-apocalyptic genre (at least the first under his real name), and it definitely paid off. I really cannot pinpoint what I love so much about this genre, but I’m SO into it. I love getting into these stories; I just don’t want to *live* in those worlds. That’s the case in this book as well. 😜

Layla is just coming into adulthood, and she lives in a “city” called the Redoubt, scavenging underground for something, anything to sell to the black market to get by. The description of the settlement is reminiscent of NYC, but it’s never explicitly named as such. When The Feeding happened fifteen years prior, Layla was only a toddler, and her adoptive dad rescued her from the ruins. Due to this, she would do anything to save him now, as he wastes away from an illness that easily be cured with antibiotics—if only meds of any kind were to be had.

The only solution Layla can see is becoming a “Crosser”, an elite group of extremely fit people age 18-30 who venture outside of the humongous forty feet high, twenty feet wide wall to trade with other settlements. Trouble is, any settlement is many days away, and the feeders come out at night. It’s common to lose multiple members of the trading party as you travel. Basically, it’s a suicide mission every time you go on a crossing.

HOWEVER! Each crosser gets to trade for something they need and bring it back home. Layla considers the risk to be worth the reward to save her father, and so The Selection begins, wherein the current Crossers put all candidates through rigorous trials to prove their worth.

Will Layla make it through? I suggest you obtain this book and see…

4.25 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an eARC! All opinions are mine.

This is a thrilling postapocalyptic story about a determined young woman on a mission to save her father. New City Redoubt, a city born from the ashes of a forgotten world, relies on the brave individuals who venture outside of the wall to bring back lifesaving materials. Outside the city's safety, creatures known as feeders hide, eager to stalk and hunt. Finding the life-saving medication her father needs will take her outside the walls and onto the feeder's territory. She embarks on the most terrifying journey with a small group of veteran and new crossers, where she'll soon learn that feeders aren't her only threat.

A gripping story that will have readers on the edge of their seats. The world, creatures, and characters create a perfect blend of terror and excitement, leaving the reader wanting more. The main character shows the complexity needed to survive the frightening world around her. The stakes are high; every chapter draws the reader in, investing them in the crosser's journeys. The story is well-paced, each chapter pushes it forward, and has vivid imagery, making it a good choice for late-night reading.

Overall, this was a great story that hooked me within its first few chapters. I am excited to see where the story goes after this book. The author has set the stage for additional stories and leaves more to explore for the characters introduced in the story.

For readers who enjoy postapocalyptic stories with a hint of The Last of Us and I Am Legend.

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is an advance reader copy (ARC) and may contain errors or changes before final publication. My review is voluntary and reflects my personal thoughts.**

Quick dystopian read

This bleak look at a future world of ours has scavenger Layla trying to find antibiotics for her father and not having much luck. Then the opportunity arises to try out to be a Crosser, a dangerous occupation in this new world, but one where she might find the life saving drugs for her father.

The antagonists in this story are vampire hybrids and there's three subsets of them. I didn't really get a good feel for them in the story. I felt like they were on the periphery and wish the story was more about them.

So, I was expecting a monster story and got a character study about Layla. Okay but not what I wanted.

I received this book from Blackstone Publishing through Edelweiss and Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

DNF @ 30%.

I feel bad DNFing two Blackstone Publishing ARCs in two consecutive days, but in my defense The Feeding is so painfully derivative I feel like I've already read this book at least a dozen times already.

Stop me if you've heard this one before: humanity's remnants have gathered in a protected city, but a special team of survivors known as crossers have to run past the city walls to get supplies from the ruins beyond. In order to determine who goes, they hold a public contest to pick the "lucky" winners, one of whom is a 19-year-old girl with an attitude and a personal reason for competing, along with a dead boyfriend who was one of the runners. Supposedly there's monsters out there in them thar ruins, but you won't find any evidence of them in the book's first eight chapters aside from references to Feeders and The Rising (not to be confused with Brian Keene's zombie book, which you should probably read instead since it actually has monsters, and a whole damn lot of them, instead of spending at least 1/3 of the book teasing them. If this is meant to be an Easter egg then it violates the basic rule: don't remind me of a better book when I'm reading your crappy book.).

This is the kind of YA post-apocalyptic narrative that injects a lot of random capitalizations, like the before times known as the Peace or the area beyond the city walls call Outside, to remind us this world is So Different and Very Dangerous even while it all feels Incredibly Familiar and Done To Death. Eight chapters in and Anthony Ryan has dutifully followed the familiar and expected tropes, in heartless, soulless checklist fashion, with little interest shown in making any of it the least bit fresh or exciting.

The Feeding is a clone of many other post-apocalyptic jaunts, but its worst crime is that it's just flat-out boring. If you've read Nicholas Sansbury Smith's superior Hell Divers books and Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games, you've pretty much read this book, too.

4.5/5 stars, rounded up. Anthony Ryan is one of my favorite fantasy authors. This novel is his second foray into the thriller genre after last year’s Red River Seven, which was a very good story. This futuristic post-apocalypse SciFi/horror thriller might be even better. Ryan is an excellent writer. He has a penchant for very fine prose that keeps the reader engaged and actively reading for what will happen next.

The protagonist of this story, Layla, is a young woman caught in a day-to-day survival with her found family. The city surrounded by a protective wall depends on the Crossers, the elite group of selected individuals who are chosen to leave the city to travel the dangerous land, that is occupied by creatures who hunt humans, in order to trade with other settlements where humans are still able to survive. In desperation to save her ‘father’ from an infection, Layla sets out to become a Crosser to find the antibiotics he needs to survive. This is the story of her trials, training, and life of death adventure being the walls.

Layla is a compelling character with grit, dedication, and a love for her family. She is inspirational in her efforts to succeed for those she loves.

I highly recommend this novel, or really any story by Anthony Ryan! If you’ve never read anything by Ryan this novel is a good place to start, but make sure to read his fantasy works as well.

In a post apocalyptic setting Layla must join an elite cadre of people called "crossers" in order to retrieve meds for an ailing father.

Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 10 hours 13 minutes
🎤: Devon Sorvari
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Format: Singular POV/Timeline
I found the narrator to be clear and concise in her narration. I never had to adjust my speed and was able to listen within my typical range. Well, I found her perfectly suitable to listen to and enjoyed my reading experience. Nothing really set her apart from any other narrator for me.

Themes:
🧛🏾‍♂️: Love of family
🧛🏾‍♂️: Rebuilding after destruction

Representation:
🎒: Queer side characters

Tropes:
💗: Found family
💗: Trust no one

🥵: Spice: 🚫
Potential Triggers: violence and gore **check authors page/socials for full list.

Short Synopsis:
15 years in the past, the Feeders rose up and demolished civilization. Now the remaining humans are forced into settlements that are surrounded by high walls. An elite team of people called "crossers" we often cross the wall in groups and meet with other settlements within the wasteland to trade supplies for survival. But less and less of the crossers are coming back. Layla decides to join the crossers to try and retrieve essential meds to save her dying father. Will anybody return?

General Thoughts:
I am already a fan of Anthony Ryan, and this is a deviation from his typical fantasy into something more dystopian and thriller based. I definitely missed his unique characterization and development as I did not see that present within this novel. However, the setting and overall atmospheric grittiness of this novel made up for what I was missing with the character development.

This is the type of novel where it's highly suggested not to get attached to any character. The overall violence and gore was enough to lend a desolate viewpoint of the setting in this book, while not bad enough to feel gratuitous or extreme.

While the other characters mostly remained superficial, which I imagined was mostly due to their super unreliable chances of survival, we do get a pretty good picture into the head of Layla. Even with the deep dive into Layla's thought process, I still don't feel like I really got to know her on a deeper level. This is probably just a "me "thing, but I never felt endeared toward her character or her cause.

Where the story shined for me was the storytelling and plot line. As well as the very interesting setting and the mystery surrounding the desolate wasteland involving the feeders. They seemed like some sort of cross between zombie and vampire, and it was extremely interesting to me.

Disclaimer: I read this audiobook via free ALC through NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I enjoyed this dark view of a version of Earth. The world is transformed into humans and types of hybrid vampires. The humans are not winning an there is not much hope for mankind. A girl's father is seriously ill and the only hope is going to a neighboring stronghold and trade for medicine. And so the story begins.

The Feeding had me on the edge of my seat, reminiscent of The Passage and I Am Legend. A post-apocalyptic narrative featuring creatures that are not-quite zombies and not-quite the vampire we are familiar with. Devoted daughter Layla must brave the outside world if she wants to save her father who is slowly dying of a lung infection that is easily treated with the antibiotics of today. Yet, in Layla’s world, this illness is a death sentence.

While a compelling story, I felt The Feeding suffered greatly from pacing issues. The beginning is very much a training montage that brings nothing new to the genre nor does it serve to develop the story. The side characters could be developed in more detail and some elements of the final conflict fell flat. I really enjoyed the world building and the ways these small settlements are described. I felt like that could have been explored in a little bit more detail, or as though more information could have been provided regarding the end of the world or how all of this happened.

I’ll be keeping an eye out for more from Ryan and am particularly interested in any plans for a sequel - the reveal at the end blew my mind.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this e-ARC, all thoughts are my own.

This book was okay but it lacked Ryan’s signature prose and character building that made him famous. I realize this is a very different genre but I was hoping that it would transfer over.

The story itself reminds me of the Last of Us and I Am Legend as far the dystopian world with creatures that are kind of zombie like but also kind of vampire like.
He writes in 3 kinds of “Feeders” which I thought was enjoyable. I enjoy encountering different creatures and having to adapt.

I think most people will enjoy this read but I found it to be okay and was racing to finish so I can get to other books on my TBR

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the book!

THE ZOMBIE EPIC YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR!!

The Feeding is a zombie epic that revived the genre for me. Told in a way that made me think of George Romero, Jonathan Maberry, & Max Brooks. The Feeding has a little bit for every type of reader. It contains science fiction with some harrowing science and some excellent weapons designed for killing Feeders. It is action-packed with some badass characters that action fans will love. There are dystopian elements, moments of paranormal mystery, and more that I shouldn’t reveal. Finally, the story is chock full of horror & terror alike. Which made this story fly by in a quick-paced action adventure!

Readers are bound to fall in love with the main character of this story. Her motives are emotionally impactful in a world where hope is in high demand & low stock. These emotions drove me as the reader to feverishly keep reading to figure out how things were going to end. And Ryan keeps you guessing, this is a zombie apocalypse story, so the body count IS HIGH!

I think my only drawback with this story was the wrap-up. We closed a lot of storylines very quickly and I feel like some of those storylines could have taken a little bit more to explore. I was ready for this story to lay the groundwork for several sequels based on the exceptional climax. However, readers can take heart in that the story can continue, but there is also a resounding and satisfying end!

Perfect for fans of George Romero, 28 Days Later, Justin Cronin’s The Passage, and The Last of Us! Trust No One & Prepare for a Crossing in The Feeding!

A fantastic bit of post-apocalyptic horror, "The Feeding" is a departure from most of the highly intricate (and long) fantasy novels for which Anthony Ryan is better known. Here we are thrust into a world where Ryan has managed to build a fantastically believable world some fifteen years after the fall of civilization to a race of creatures that is at once as recognizable as it is a new take on the zombie/vampire/werewolf story. Following young Layla as she joins the ranks of the "runners" who conduct trade between the remaining fortified settlements separated by the Outside filled with the monstrous feeders. While this in and of itself would lend fertile storytelling material, Ryan ties in several additional storylines that makes me sad that the story has come to an end (hopefully only for the moment). The best part is, the lack of complete details, of knowing the full history of the story, only aids in making the storyline better. We are just as limited in our knowledge of this world as Layla with virtually no time spent in trying to justify the state of events or attempting to bring us up to speed. Instead, we have myriad threads which add to the hold but offer rich possibilities for future endeavors. My only complaint is that too many of the great characters who could help tell a much longer story (or series of stories) are wasted in what felt like a very rushed final 20% of the book. The pace through the first half of the book had me strongly thinking this was the first book in a series and even at 75%, I saw all these elements which were looking to set up a much grander story. Alas, this was not meant to be, but with enough loose ends to certainly allow the opportunity. It felt like a TV series that has filmed 3/4 of their season but negotiations are not going well for a renewal so we need to wrap things up in the last handful of episodes so there is some resolution if cancelled but enough to build if that renewal comes though. Still a fantastic read!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to read this eARC.