Infected: A Novel (edit title)

• Rated 5 stars

“This book is amazing. This story got to me emotionally as well as physically. IT had my skin crawling with every time I went to bed. After the first night I awoke in the morning with scratches on my body! Tons of little marks that went from my neck to the top of my shoulder....

This story may sneak into your pretty little dreamland and hold you hostage each night until the last page.
”

• Rated 3 stars

“Really interesting twist on the medical thiller; a very quick read.”

• Rated 5 stars

“its creepy and fabulous! hope he writes new ones soon! ”

• Rated 4 stars

“Who doesn't remember Sinatra's song I've got you under my skin (I've got you deep in the heart of me.So deep in my heart, that you're really a part of me).
Something similar feels Perry Dawson when he develops first a rash and later triangle shaped growths with eyes. It gets worse when he hears voices in his head and these voices begin to communicate with him, demanding and wanting to be fed. Struggling with the voices that become a part of him he tries his best to withstand their demands but he gets weaker with each passing hour.

Dew Philipps has sworn revenge to the person responsible for the death of his much younger partner. The person who killed his partner is dead but was infected with something the CIA and the leading epidemiologist Margaret Montoya don't know much about. They know the infected humans have turned into paranoid killing machines but their dead bodies always decompose faster as the remains can be gathered or processed for further examination. They need a live example to learn the secret about this disease if it is one and feel their wishes fulfilled when Perry sends an email to a website set up by the CIA to find more infected humans.

No one knows yet that the seeds fell from heaven, and invaded human bodies across America. That these humans have become hosts to something so finely engineered that the seeds slowly overwrite the human DNA and create something foreign to make the bodies their own incubator.

-

It took me a bit to get into the story and the writers style but I got largely excited how the story around Perry Dawson unfolded and how precise Scott Sigler described what happened to Perry and how he tried to get rid of the triangles on his body.
The reality of what happens in this novel is scary, the used science even more scarier.
I was able to put myself into Perry's character so easily, first for feeling sympathy when he began scratching himself (who hasn't had a rash in his life ?) and later acted to the voices demands in his head.

Sigler is a new author for me and I can't wait to read the continuation of Infected, named Contagious. Worthwhile when you enjoy science fiction and aren't afraid of developing a rash.

Also it needs to be mentioned that the title of certain chapters were just hilarious. :-)

Sigler offers his books as podcasts free on his website or you can also visit randomhouse and listen to the whole book online.”

• Rated 3 stars

“This is actually my first encounter with Scott Sigler, having bought the book oh a whim. (The cover enticed me). I was actually expecting it to be about zombies....

It's not about zombies, that's actually okay! This was far superior.

GOOD:
- The story is a pretty fresh take on your usual "Man V Plague/Illness/Medical Mystery." At first you think it's going to be your typical "Virus crops up that mankind desperately tries to beat down," but after a short time it elaborates into something decently complicated, and more unique. The way in which you follow the main character's trials, emotional states, traumas, and in general miserably unfolding life is both fascinating, and jarring. Meanwhile, the government side of the story feels believable, with their reactions both expected, and reasonable. At no time did I find myself going "WHY are you doing this? HOW do you think this will remotely help things"

- Everything feels beleivable. The world this book takes place in feels realistic, and practical. I know this sounds petty, but a story can break down quickly if the settings aren't remotely believable. The characters are interesting enough to keep you reading, but not so overcomplicated as to make you feel burdened by numerous backstories. Overall, Sigler gives each character JUST enough backstory to establish basic motivations/mental states/etc, and keeps all of it simple throughout. There's also a wide range of characters for the reader to like, dislike, or relate to.

- Sigler's writing is relatively clean, and free of over-description (A problem I like to call "Dickens Syndrome." You know, authors who take 5 pages to describe a wall, or a penny on the ground......) Much like the characters, he only describes as much as the reader actually needs to understand each room/scene/etc, and nothing more. It certainly helps to keep the writing snappy, and very easy to read. Seldom will you find yourself having to re-read something because you didn't understand it the first time around. He keeps things simple, and within the bounds of your average person's literacy skills. This is appreciated, I'm sure, by most everyone.

- This is arguably the most important thing: The story is interesting enough that you WANT TO KEEP READING. Seriously, I tore through this book simply because I was compelled to know what in the world was going to happen next. That's actually a really hard goal to achieve, and i think Sigler nailed it. There were numerous times throughout the book where I found myself leaning forward going "holy......" at the disturbing actions, imagery, and foreboding, then continued reading, DESPERATE to find out more.

BAD:
- His writing style takes some getting use to. Most "chapters" are only 4-6 pages long, which makes them dubious at best. Some are literally only a page long, which the first few times does cause one to raise a curious eyebrow. Sigler's goal was to show the actions of numerous characters simultaneously, but the chapters break and jump from character to character with an at times frantic pace. There were moments where I really wondered if all of this was REALLY necessary. Why can't I just hang out with one character for 20 pages, rather then being tossed around 3-4 different stories, all only 3-4 pages long?

- While he does have many characters, some of them feel much too similar, and can lead to identity problems. This is especially true for most of the male police characters. They all speak in very similar ways, and all seem to have only mildly deviating personalities. I struggled at times to really care about some of them, or find the motivation to keep track of some of the secondary characters running about. Thankfully, the Main male and female characters don't suffer from this issue nearly as much.

- While I DID enjoy the ending, I can't help but feel like the last 15-20 pages were incredibly rushed, and a bit ragged edged. I really found myself wishing it another two dozen pages to really wrap things up for all of the characters involved. I did find myself caring about a good set of the characters by the end, and most of them received barely a paragraph of real closure. This was more then a bit annoying.

- Now, this may seem contradictory, as I just praised his writing in the "Good," BUT his writing does feel a little....... sophomoric. Epic masterpiece this is not. Granted, I wasn't expecting it to be, but his writing does lack a certain level of polish, flourish, and color. There are times when it gets repetitious in the simple descriptions, and other times it seems like he feels the need to constantly remind us about something involving the character. (Ex: Yes, I KNOW the main character played football! Thank you for tell me for the 30th time, I was sure to forget......) This can get really annoying, but I found myself forgiving it.


OVERALL the book is a fun, fast read, with clever twists, and a fresh unique story. It's not exactly going to change the universe, but I wasn't exactly expecting to. Buy it for some short term, easy escapism, then let it join the books on your shelf.
”

• Rated 4 stars

“THIS IS SCARY.
Don't read it at night.

:D It will make you all itchy.”

• Rated 0 stars

“What's this about? If you know, tell me. I just liked the cover.”

• Rated 3 stars

“I felt this was a decent read. The premise was pretty good, had an ending that left it open for sequels, and I liked the depth of the characters. I thought the language was a little much, although I will admit it was probably accurate for the characters. All in all a good read if you are in need of some entertainment.”

• Rated 3 stars

“I would have given this a 3.5 if there was a .5
It was a good book I did enjoy it but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I would read a sequel because I did enjoy the concept of what Scott was trying to tell I just did not enjoy the character.
The story was told well.”