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The United States has been invaded by an enemy and no one even knows it. But when they finally realize what has happened, it may be too late to do a damn thing about it. The problem is that this invader is a microscopic parasite. All across the United States, average people are turning into raving lunatics suffering from extreme paranoia and committing horrendous acts of violence against friends and family – even themselves – after becoming a host. Now a small group of investigators must try to determine what this parasite is, what it does and where it came from. Is it natural, having  been dormant for thousands of years? An advanced biological weapon? The only link shared with the infected, aside from their acts of violence, are their  insane rantings about “triangles” that coincide with the symbols later found on their bodies. Meanwhile, an infected man marked with seven of these triangles, attempts to cure himself before he also does something horrifying – more horrifying than anything anyone could have possibly imagined.

This is not the first time there has been a story about humans becoming infected with parasites who use our bodies for some other, bigger purpose. The story has been told in books and movies for ages and hopefully it will continue as it is a pretty good start for any good horror. Whether it’s some alien face-fucking an egg into your body that will hatch into something nastier later, to some Burpee Seeds From HellFrom Hell reviews that absorb and then clones you, having your body taken over and controlled by something else is a terrifying prospect. Having something make you watch as it uses your body to betray you, making you kill your friends, your child – and you completely powerless to stop it. It’s all quite horrific. Luckily, Scott Sigler does not completely regurgitate the same old story and is able to draw on the premise with just enough new bits, and told in such a thrilling way, that you will fly through each page to see what happens next with the characters.

There are not a lot of them to keep up with in InfectedInfected reviews, nor did there need to be. Using three main characters, three different perspectives of the overall story is told. Dew Phillips, a no-nonsense, abrasive man normally hired by the United States government to help with the jobs they would like to keep unseen by the American public. The dirty work. Currently a member of a small group of people in the newly formed Project Tangram, he is in charge of finding these infected citizens and attempt to contain them, preferably alive, so that they can be studied and hopefully provide the key needed to unlock the secrets behind the triangles. With him you get the birds eye view of the carnage brought on by people infected. He is the one on the ground, kicking in doors and staring into the insane eyes of an infected person before they light themselves on fire, or stepping over the bloated corpses of their victims.

The studies would be lead by Margaret Montaya, originally from the CDC. Using what little materials they have collected from the remains of an infected, Margaret’s team are initially fascinated with what they initially discover about the parasite. This eventually leads to horror when they begin figuring out exactly what these infected are capable of and what their ultimate purpose is. This is the CSI portion of the book, where forensics are detailed as the corpses of recently infected are dissected, the invading parasite studied. From her point-of-view, you get the tech and the tension as her and her team try to get a handle on what they are dealing with.

Lastly, there is Perry Dawsey. Poor, poor Perry Dawsey. A one-time, rising football star once featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, Perry now finds himself working a technical support gig after a career-ending knee injury seven years ago. He has always dealt with severe anger issues now compounded by the shitty hand life has dealt him, including an extremely abusive father who, from beyond the grave, still controls almost every aspect of Perry’s life. To top everything off, Perry becomes one of the unfortunate people who become infected. He is also the focal point of the book.

Most of what happens with Perry happens inside his small apartment. The terrifying, gag-inducing plight of a man fueled by the ghost of an abusive  father, who will not just let these parasites take over his body without a fight. In doing so, he suffers more than any other character I have read about in some time. The torture, insanity and pain ol’ Perry goes through – most by his own hand – is unbelievable. Using forks, the searing rings of a stove burner, to a nice, big pair of chicken scissors – what Perry does to try to separate himself from his new friends, and the great way Scott relays the details, will make you wince and possibly even trigger your gag reflex.

If you have ever been the victim of a  fat, infected boil that needed lancing, or a gigantic zit ripe for popping, then you may also be familiar with the absolute disgust that can be triggered if you attempt any type of home remedy. Take whatever sights and sounds that accompanied watching the thick, warm mixture ooze out, or splatting against your mirror with a squishing sound, then multiply that by 1000 and add pain so severe it could literally drive you insane – THEN you may get an idea of what Perry endures.

Scott shifts the story back-and-forth between these individuals in such a way that you are never bored with any of them, and never left disappointed when the story leaves one character for another. In the case of Perry Dawson and his plight, the breaks away from his apartment were usually accompanied with a sigh of relief. All of this leading to the conclusion of the bigger picture, a reveal that is quite horrific, with the purpose of the parasites discovered and realizing the scope of the threat they pose. All of this setting up the next two novels in the Infected series that I absolutely cannot wait to dive into.

I hate to admit that I am just now discovering Scott Sigler, as he is pretty well-known for using today’s web technology to help get his material out to the masses. Most of his work can be heard for free on his website via periodical podcasts. Scott also has a pretty active Twitter account for those of you (like me) who use it. But in a way my late start is a good thing. Like being turned on to a band you never listened to before I don’t have to wait for new material. I have a backlog of his stuff to check out as well as the sequel to Infected titled ContagiousContagious reviews.  So if you have been lame like me, and yet to jump on the Sigler bandwagon, I urge you to do so as for me it has gotten off to a pretty thrilling start.

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