Infected: A Novel (The Infected) Paperback – October 14, 2008

So this book has been out for about 3 years now as I write this, and from what I've heard even longer than that in earlier incarnations. I'd seen that it sold very well and have known about it for some time, but I really wasn't sure what it was all about. From the cover and the name I thought it was some kind of B-movie zombie affair--wasn't sure what all the fuss was about. Let me assure you, I couldn't have been more wrong. After picking it up on a 99 cent kindle special, even though I don't actually own a Kindle, I read this entire novel on a smartphone, it was that compelling. Would I rate it 4.5 stars if that were possible? Yeah, but don't let that scare you.The book just starts right off with some kind of...well, Infection...without any explanation whatsoever of what it is or where it came from. This bothered me at first--I was like, wait a minute, what the heck is this thing, c'mon! But I kept reading, and I realized when I set the story down for the first time at around 37% done, that it just didn't matter what it is. It's there, and it's there in a big way. The reader is as in the dark as the CDC investigators trying to get a handle on this mysterious affliction that's making citizens go violently bezerk, and as clueless as the infected victims themselves.There are, appropriately enough, 3 main sides to this story. One, we have the main character, Perry, whose infection we follow in excruciating detail from the very beginning. He's an ex-college football star who was bound for the NFL when his stellar career was cut short by an injury. He's a tough guy with a temper, characteristics that both help and hurt him in his epic struggle with his Infection. Two, there is the pursuit by Authorities (let's call them Columbo's: CDC + CIA + law enforcement...uh-oh there's 3 again) of the bizarre 'disease'. And third, there is the source of the infection itself--the Triangles. These horrid but sentient beings--biological machines, parasites-- possibly from space-- take on a life all their own, and are themselves a major character in the story.The good: The plot, structure, the whole story, is tightly woven and well executed. The science having to do with parasitology and molecular biology is very well integrated--just enough to give us a sense of how these things function without going overboard into Lecture Land. I was pleasantly surprised in fact, how much science there was in the story overall. The 3D character of Perry is the absolutely perfect vehicle for the the story to present the Triangles to the reader. The pacing is quick, the character motivations are realistic and palpable.The bad: Have to think hard here. For the squeamish, it is a very violent tale, filled with extreme gore, brutality and sadism. But this is never without purpose, and even the most brutal and vicious scenes serve to advance either plot, character or both. The ending is so obviously set up for a sequel that it may as well say, we're going to end here because this is the length of a novel already, but... Book 2 is coming, book II is comngf, this is the place (you'll get that if you read it!). Finally, the climactic scene does require a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief in that it is almost supernaturally impossible, but still, it works.I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, Contagious...

this was a book i got on a kindle "sale", i think it was either .99 or free....i just got around to reading it, and was surprised at how much i enjoyed it. now i have to say right away that is it a gory book, it's most definitely not for the faint hearted. i count myself among those faint hearted alot of the time, but this book built up more and more tension and interest in what would happen next; i kind of had to get through the gory parts- it was part of the story, an integral part.i had thought this was sci-fi, but was thinking as i read further into the story: this is a horror book. well, it is kind of both, but in a good way. the story is a good one, even if it's a sci-fi theme used many times. the ending was clearly left open to a sequel, but it didn't have that "guy on a cliff" ending where you have to buy the next book to see if he jumps......you don't have to buy the next book, if indeed there is going to be one. this could very well be a stand alone book. i really like that, since lately i have read a bunch of books where the action skids to a halt within sight of the words "the end". very disappointing to be left like that, and feel that this was done to compel the reader to buy the next book."infected" doesn't play that game. it's all there, getting more and more creepy by the moment, leading you closer to finding out what will happen to the main character in the story......and then there is a very interesting and satisfying ending. nice.the book is well written and very suspenseful. it's well worth a visit.....you may not want to stay there!

I first read Infected in early 2010, just before my zombie obsession started, and although it was more than three years ago, I could still remember how this book made me feel (more on that later!). With the release of the third book coming up in a just a few weeks, I wanted to go back and re-read both Infected and Contagious as both a refresher and to be able to write a review which I didn’t do the first time around.Infected is told through three POVs – the most memorable and the one that held my attention the most being that of Perry, the former footballer who now has a fairly mundane but comfortable life repairing computers and spending most of his time with his BFF, Bill. What makes Perry so memorable is not so much the character he is at the beginning of the book, but what he goes through during the course of the story. It’s difficult to explain exactly how Perry changes without spoiling the plot, but it’s also connected to the reason I had remembered this book so vividly three years and three hundred books later.The second POV is Doctor Margaret Montoya and is perhaps for me the weakest POV. What Sigler does exceptionally well in this series is to build an intricate and complex plot with detailed explanation on the infection, the causes and the effects, but it does manifest as a little bit of info-dumping in Margaret’s perspective. It’s a difficult balance, and for a reader who is much more interested with the science than me it would most probably be fascinating. Having said all of that, Margaret is a complex character, and not stereotypical in the role that she plays – she isn’t overly confident and it does make her more likeable to have that vulnerability whilst giving her room to grow and develop as a character.Lastly is the POV of Dew Phillips, the aging former military-man turned cop. I know my description of him sounds a little cliché, and he is actually just that. His anger at his daughter’s life choices, his language and actions should make him a cardboard cut-out, but it’s his dedication to his partner and finding out as much as possible about the infection that makes him far more than that.As I hinted at earlier, there are several parts of Infected that stuck with me for a very specific reason, and had just the same effect on me the second time around. I’m trying to play with the words to try and make it not negative, but there are certain parts of this book that had me feeling physically nauseous. Now, before you click away from this review and think this isn’t a book for you, I also want to explain that those particular parts, although gruesome, are incredibly well written. To be able to evoke such a reaction in me, when I have only ever cried over two books in my lifetime and that this is the only one to make me feel physically nauseous, actually says a lot about the prowess of Sigler’s writing. And you can always skim those bits if you can’t handle it ;-)Infected is split into very short chapters which fits the pacing of the book perfectly – the story moves quickly and the POVs are well defined and all very relevant to the story. Often with multiple POVs I find myself rushing through the ‘less interesting’ one to get back to the character I find most interesting, but that wasn’t the case with Infected. I found all the characters, and what was happening to them, interesting and very relevant to the story.Infected is a frenetic read, with excellent world-building, interesting characters that shrug off their outer clichés, develop throughout the story and still have room to grow in the next book. It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted in places, but it remains one of my favourite non-zombie virus books by far.

I'm a sucker for themes of infestation, madness, horror and extraterrestrial threats. This book delivers it all in ways that are both crystal clear and deliciously deceptive. Great read.

L'histoire est suffisamment prenante mais trop lente. Un des personnages et la voix narrative un peu trop «cliché». Roman moyen

I love Zombie books........this book has zero Zombies. My wife gave it to me to read, she said it was too violent for her. SciFi usually bores the shit outta me. I started reading it in the large format paperback, mainly because I didn't think I'd like it. After 2 days it was on my kindle and off we went. Wow! What a book. The science can be a little confusing but the pace, gore and violence keep you going. The attempt to subdue mankind by alien germ warfare is a scary ride. I'm not going to tell you anything about the story suffice it to say: The characters are believable, likeable and the plot is rapid. Do yourself a favor, I'll bet you're downloading book 3 in a week.

Scott Sigler is one of the best authors around for that wonderful sci-fi, horror and comedy blend. His style is easy to read, has amazingly well rounded characters and all the science “stuff” is well explained, even if some is a little Alien!Apparently there is a little room at AT&T that screens the phone lines for key words….and so the tracking begins.Deputy Director of the CIA, Murray Longworth is a great character, with a complex history, just not very likeable but then when you have to do what he has to do, not sure I would be likable either.Dew & Malcolm pick the short straw of being excellent field agents, again with some really great back stories, IMO this is what makes this an awesome novel and ultimately fantastic trilogy, each character is fleshed out, I truly felt a bond to these characters and missed and grieved for them as their stories played out.The other main players are an epidemiologist, Margaret and her little sidekick, parasitologist, Amos. They are assigned their own Agent Clarence. Apart from all the betting and banter that goes on these three make a great team, which is seriously needed when you realise what has come to take a peek at Earth.Are the characters a little cliché? Yes of course, but then wouldn’t bland characters be just that? Boring!Scary Perry Dawson, what a man to pick for an alien invasion. Perry maybe scary for many reasons but thankfully he has his BFF Bill to keep his temper in check for him, Perry has his reasons for having anger management issues but at 6’ 4” and 268lbs you need discipline.The first horror scene comes via some cranked up Frank Sinatra, a pair of legs being hacked off, a huge house fire, axes to the guts and the possibility of contamination of an unknown germ – riveting.The “germination” process of the alien seeds is amazingly described; some complex biology information is neatly and easily explained.As it becomes clear that Perry is infected with the Magnificent Seven the paranoia kicks in, so does the hunger. However, Perry does his best to make the Magnificent Seven become more manageable. Whilst attempting this he manages to capture The Betrayer (one of the worst torture scenes I have read), do some self-surgery, eat the weirdest food concoctions, talk to little blue triangles, see out of his butt cheek and whittle his way down to the Three Amigos.On the flip side of the story Dew is trying to play catch up with the other infected as Margaret & Amos try to discover the cause of the rotting bodies and “crazed” victims.It is now a race against time to get to the Gate; will it be Colonel Ogden and his elite team or the Triangles, and just what is coming through anyway….The descriptions of the hatching and the showdown between Scary Perry and The Three Amigos was nail biting.As Showtime arrives it feels like all hell has broken loose, and maybe it has, SS leaves you on a massive cliff, not so much hanging as teetering on the edge trying to hold balance. There is an element of rushed finale but knowing this a trilogy explains this.Whilst this book can be read as a stand-alone I would recommend you buy the trilogy as you won’t be able to put this down.

Es beginnt als vermeintlich harmloser Hautausschlag. Doch dann werden die Symptome zunehmend bizarr und am Ende stehen drastische Persönlichkeitsveränderungen, die harmlose Bürger in Amokläufer verwandeln. "Infected" folgt einem CIA-Agenten, einer Ärztin und einem Infizierten, die diese unheimliche Krankheit jeweils auf ihre Art zu bekämpfen versuchen. Ihnen wird bald klar, dass hier ist etwas weit Bedrohlicheres im Gang ist als lediglich eine bislang unbekannte Seuche."Infected" ist mit Sicherheit keine großer Wurf: Die Grundidee ist nicht neu und wurde von anderen schon erheblich besser umgesetzt; die Charaktere kommen reichlich stereotyp daher und können beim Leser nicht wirklich Sympathie wecken; Autor Siglers allgegenwärtige Begeisterung für markige Sprüche kann mitunter etwas anstrengend sein; phasenweise dümpelt die Story ziemlich vor sich hin. Das alles sollte aber den Blick nicht darauf verstellen, dass das Buch durchaus unterhaltsame Momente bietet und eine abgedroschene, aber interessante Grundidee allemal besser ist als eine neue und langweilige. Eben ein Buch wie ein solider B-Film - nicht mehr, aber auch nicht weniger.Fazit: Wer auf mit reichlich Gore gewürzten Horror steht und mit den oben beschriebenen Mängeln leben kann, wird sich ausreichend unterhalten fühlen. Alle anderen rate ich vom Kauf ab.