In the thirty-ninth chapter of Blackout, there’s really no easy way to summarize this without massive, series-ending spoilers. If you’re intrigued, then it’s time for Mark to read Blackout.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Well, this is all coming to an end, isn’t it?
First of all, I can’t even imagine what this must be like for President Ryman, for Rick, and hell, even for Gregory. Shaun just got a syringe full of live Kellis-Amberlee shot into his chest, he is relatively calm given the situation, and now he just revealed to them all that because he was “spent a lot of time” with someone with a reservoir condition, he’s now immune. LIKE OKAY, HOW WOULD SHAUN EVEN BEGIN TO EXPLAIN THAT ASPECT? I can’t, I LAUGHED SO HARD AT THAT LINE. Shaun, you’re the best, both for your sense of humor, and for dropping this line amidst a very tense situation:
“But imagine all the fun we’d have missed. Meeting Rick, that town hall in Eakly…”
“Burying Buffy. Burying you. I would have been okay with missing the fun.”
Stop. Stop with the emotions. He says this while the group waits to see if Shaun’s test will come back with those dreaded red lights, and it’s too many things to deal with at once. I honestly didn’t expect for Shaun to amplify, so I was focused more on how Georgia was taking all of this. Her relief is palpable here, because as much as Shaun would choose a world where he never lost his sister, she wants a world with Shaun in it, too. So it doesn’t help that Shaun may have the live virus on his clothes, creating yet another aspect of this situation that is totally awful. To make matters worse, the White House is surrounded by zombies. Y’all, I FORGOT THIS SERIES HAD ZOMBIES. Mira Grant has done such a fine job at creating a world rich with political subtext and intrigue that the zombies are just a backdrop. I routinely tell people that yes, there are zombies in Newsflesh, but that’s not what the series is about. And most of this book is a great example of that! There is less and less zombie violence as you progress through the trilogy. That being said, I think it’s appropriate that we are going to head into one last zombie battle in this series. Feed started with one. Blackout looks to be ending with one. Only this time, the surviving members of After the End Times are essentially “kidnapping” the President, his family, and the Vice President. Oh god, what happens after this? I know I have to make it through the end of this escape sequence first, but seriously, what happens next??? Did the CDC figure out that their representative died? What are they going to do to prevent the truth from spreading? THAT’S A SCARY THOUGHT, ISN’T IT? If the CDC is willing to kill the Vice President and the President at this point, then what else are they capable of at this point? Way too much, honestly.
How frightening.
Mark Links Stuff
– I have been nominated for a Hugo in the Fan Writer category! If you’d like more information or to direct friends/family to vote for me, I have a very informational post about what I do that you can pass along and link folks to!
– I have announced what the next books I am reading on Mark Reads will be, as well as updated y’all on the events, cons, tour dates, GOING TO EUROPE OH MY GOD, and general shenaniganry going on in my life. I have a similar post up on Mark Watches, detailing the next two shows I’m doing as well as the return of Double Features, and I finally explain what happened with my Vimeo account. Check these posts out!
- Mark Reads Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is now published and available for purchase! It’s available in ebook AND physical book format, and you can also get a discount for buying the ENTIRE SET of digital books: $25 for 7 BOOKS!!!
-Â Video commissions are open, and you can commission a Mark Reads/Watches video for just $25!
