Novella Review – All the Pretty Little Horses (Newsflesh, Book 0.75) by Mira Grant (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopian
Length: 103 pages
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: October 3, 2017
ASIN: B075Q9P5BM
Stand Alone or Series: 0.75th book in the Newsflesh series
Source: Bought ebook for Kindle
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Stacy and Michael Mason are among the most famous heroes of the zombie apocalypse. Stacy, however, has fallen into a deep depression after having to shoot their infected son. In the aftermath of the pandemic, they start publicly documenting the recovery effort, which Michael hopes will take Stacy’s mind off of her trauma and help her recover.

As they film the rescue of an enclave of orphans and report on the orphanages that have sprung up to care for traumatized, parent-less children, they begin to consider the last, greatest step of recovery: adoption.”

Series Info/Source: This is a prequel novella in the Newsflesh series. I bought this on ebook.

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this novella prequel to the Newsflesh series. I read and really loved the Newsflesh trilogy (back before a fourth book was added) and was excited to revisit this world. This is a fast-paced novella that takes a look at how Georgia and Shaun ended up in the family that raised them.

This follows Georgia and Shaun’s parents; Stacy and Michael. Stacy is suffering severe depression after having to shoot their only son when he became infected. Michael is trying to hold things together. When Michael realizes that what Stacy needs is action, he starts signing them up to document the recovery efforts in various cities. Stacy ends up loving the adrenaline-filled recovery efforts and is strangely amazing at photographing and videotaping it. As more and more orphans are recovered, Stacy and Michael are tasked with filming and reporting on the orphanages that spring up and end up making a decision that will change their lives forever.

This was well written, fast-paced, and fun to read. It is gory and disturbing as well. It has been a long time since I read the Newsflesh trilogy (I read the final book in the original trilogy in 2012). However, I fell back into this world immediately and had no issues with following what was going on. It was intriguing to get a look at the early days after the virus started to be contained and humans were starting to recover.

If you enjoy the Newsflesh world I would definitely recommend this novella. It made me want to go back and pick up the fourth book “Feedback” which was released four years after the original trilogy was finished. It also made me want to check out more of the novellas set in this world and there are quite a few of them.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this. This was an intriguing and fast-paced look at the world shortly after humans started recovering from the virus. It also gives some back story on how Georgia and Shaun ended up in the family they ended up in. I would recommend if you are looking for more Newsflesh. I also think this could stand fine on its own if you haven’t read the original series and want to get a taste for this world.