Review: Very impressed!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 1, 2012
The more I read from Mr. McKinney, the more I WANT to read! In this, the second of his stories I have read, the author has found a new voice and (IMO) a new level of skill."In Extremis", the first McKinney book I read, was a great stand-alone novella. The detail was fantastic without being wordy, the characters were easy to understand without going very deep, and the story itself was quite creative - not easy in this day and age when we think we've seen all there is to see regarding zombie horror.He's already proven he can capture our attention with a single page, that he knows how to be concise, and that he knows how to balance sentimentality with horror. Now he's shown that he also understands that most basic concept so many new authors don't grasp - human nature.In "Feed", McKinney exposes an entirely new side of himself. We're more focused on the protagonist, digging much deeper into who he is than we did with the nun. The author is more open with emotion and vulnerability, providing a character we can all identify with on some level as opposed to a generic "good" person. Who among us has never felt lonely, out of place, or uncomfortable in our own skin?Even the secondary characters were spot on. A struggling mother who loses control for just a moment. A macho man of mystery. A manipulative seductress with evil intentions. All are colorful and contribute to the story; none feel out of place.I'm very impressed with what I've seen from McKinney, and the few faults I might otherwise mention are so insignificant when compared to the whole that they become irrelevant. I would love to see a full novel (or better yet, a series) from this author.