''Infected'' is a science fiction novel by author

Scott Sigler Scott Carl Sigler is an American author of science fiction and horror and a podcaster. Scott is the New York Times #1 bestselling author of sixteen novels, six novellas, and dozens of short stories. He is the co-founder of Empty Set Entertainme ...

. The novel was initially released in 2006 in podcast format with a print release in 2008 by Crown Publishing, with Sigler continuing to offer the podcast version online. The book was initially titled ''Infested'', with the name changing in order to distance itself from a movie releasing with a similar title.

Plot

The book follows several characters as they deal with an

alien invasion The alien invasion or space invasion is a common feature in science fiction stories and film, in which extraterrestrial lifeforms invade the Earth either to exterminate and supplant human life, enslave it under an intense state, harvest people ...

on the microscopic level. The narration is primarily through the perspectives of Perry Dawsey, an ex-

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player with an anger problem, and Margaret Montoya, an

epidemiologist Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...

with the

CDC The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

who is investigating a strange disease that turns seemingly normal people into murderers.

Reception

Critical reception for ''Infected'' has been mixed, with ''

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'' praising the book's action and pacing. ''

The San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The pa ...

'' panned the book, stating that the book's intensity "might work in a series of cliff-hanging audio episodes, but as a novel to be read in a few sittings, ''Infected'' can't rise above its overheated prose and rote characterizations." ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' also reviewed ''Infected'', criticizing the book's "portentous cliff-hangers and one-dimensional characters". ''The Sacramento News'''s "Bibliolatry" praised ''Infected'', calling it "imaginative, gross, frightening, suspenseful, funny, thought-provoking and sick in the "omigawd-I-wanna-barf" way". ''BookReporter'' and ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' also positively reviewed the book, with ''BookReporter'' citing the character of Perry Dawsey as the "heart" of the book.

Adaptations

Film

''Infected'' was formerly optioned by

Rogue Pictures Rogue (originally Rogue Pictures) is an American independent production company founded in 1998 by Patrick Gunn and Matt Wall, originally started off as a genre film label of the Universal-affiliated independent film studio October Films and was ...

and

Random House Films Random House Studio is a production company responsible for adapting books published by Penguin Random House to film and TV. The company, originally owned by Penguin Random House, was transferred to Bertelsmann sister company Fremantle North Am ...

, with the option having lapsed in 2010.

Graphic novel

In 2010, work began on a graphic novel adaptation of Sigler's ''Infected'', with the series to be published by IDW in the summer of 2012. The first issue was released August 1, 2012, but the series was put on hold indefinitely due to delays with subsequent issues.

References

{{Scott Sigler 2006 American novels 2006 science fiction novels American biopunk novels American thriller novels Science fiction horror novels Novels by Scott Sigler