Infected
By Scott Sigler
Published by Three Rivers Press / Random House

Scott Sigler’s invasion horror novel “Infected” combines ideas from Parasite Rex, delusional parasitosis (and Morgellons), Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Cronenberg’s old body horror flicks, and, uh… I guess a medical thriller? An otherworldly invasion launches its first wave against humanity by sending out tiny parasitic creatures that take up home within a human host’s body, then quickly grow and take over the person’s willpower, turning him or her into an insane killer. Luckily that doesn’t last for long; unluckily, it ends when the creatures kill the host and erupt forth in as grotesque a manner as you can imagine.

The lead character, Perry Dawsey, is an ex-footbal player who has anger management issues, and when he realizes that there’s something else living in his body, he fights back. With a knife, usually. Okay, think about that for a moment: he fights back against the parasites in his own body with a knife.

I was giggling and cringing throughout half of this book, and that’s the half I liked; the medical thriller half felt more generic, and since the chapters alternate between the two storylines, I spent too much of the time reading impatiently in the hopes that we’d get back to Perry’s ongoing battle with his body. It’s definitely not for the squeamish, although it’s quite an experience to read if you’re a hypochondriac or you get really freaked out by parasites.

Oh, it’s also the only book I’ve read where being severely beaten as a child by your drunken, abusive father is a good thing, as far as increasing your chances for survival.

I was less interested in the ending, partly because it went sci-fi in a way that made me feel the sequel, Contagious, wouldn’t be as focused on body horror (although to be fair I haven’t read it).

If you’d rather listen to the unabridged audiobook, Apple is distributing the entire thing for free at the button below:

Infected: a Novel (Unabridged)

Sigler made a video trailer for the book. Here it is:

Infected – Official Site

Related posts:

1. Review: “John Dies at the End”
2. Review: “The Atrocity Archives” and “The Jennifer Morgue” by Charles Stross
3. Review: “The Abandoned”

Gah, it hurts… I have to tell you this before the chestburster explodes through my breastplate like a tiny screeching Godzilla on crack. Mmmfff, can you pull some of that webbing off my face so I can see you? Thanks. This amazingly detailed ALIENS warrior figure is 7″ tall and fully poseable, and only $17 if you pre-order from Horrorbles.com.

Because if you have to give a gift this year, then someone should suffer.

Related posts:

1. Creepy gift idea: zombie teddy bears
2. Creepy gift idea: two-headed doll
3. Unit 70 Studios, a horrifically detailed monster shop