Infected: A Novel
by Scott Sigler
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Book Summary Information
Author: Scott SiglerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-10-14
ISBN: 030740630X
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Broadway
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780307406309
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Infected: A Novel
Book Review: A good,unique horror romp
Summary: 4 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.
Summary of Infected: A Novel
A terrifying thriller that will crawl beneath your skin . . . and leave fresh blood on every page.A mysterious disease is turning thousands of ordinary Americans into raving, paranoid murderers who inflict brutal horrors on strangers, their own families, and even themselves. And one morning, ex?football star Perry Dawsey awakens to find mysterious welts growing all over his body. Soon Perry finds himself acting and thinking strangely, hearing voices, fighting uncontrollable rage . . . he is infected. Worse, the disease wants something from him, something that could alter the fate of the human race.
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