Contagious [Hardcover]

Scott Sigler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 2008

From the acclaimed author of Infected comes an epic and exhilarating story of humanity’s secret battle against a horrific enemy.

Across America, a mysterious pathogen transforms ordinary people into raging killers, psychopaths driven by a terrifying, alien agenda. The human race fights back, yet after every battle the disease responds, adapts, using sophisticated strategies and brilliant ruses to fool its pursuers. The only possible explanation: the epidemic is driven not by evolution but by some malevolent intelligence.

Standing against this unimaginable threat is a small group, assembled under the strictest secrecy. Their best weapon is hulking former football star Perry Dawsey, left psychologically shattered by his own struggles with this terrible enemy, who possesses an unexplainable ability to locate the disease’s hosts. Violent and unpredictable, Perry is both the nation’s best hope and a terrifying liability. Hardened CIA veteran Dew Phillips must somehow forge a connection with him if they’re going to stand a chance against this maddeningly adaptable opponent. Alongside them is Margaret Montoya, a brilliant epidemiologist who fights for a cure even as she reels under the weight of endless horrors.

These three and their team have kept humanity in the game, but that’s not good enough anymore, not when the disease turns contagious, triggering a fast countdown to Armageddon. Meanwhile, other enemies join the battle, and a new threat — one that comes from a most unexpected source — may ultimately prove the most dangerous of all.

Catapulting the reader into a world where humanity’s life span is measured in hours and the president’s finger hovers over the nuclear button, rising star Scott Sigler takes us on a breathtaking, hyper-adrenalized ride filled with terror and jaw-dropping action. Contagious is a truly grand work of suspense, science, and horror from a new master.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Alien invaders threaten humanity in Sigler's over-the-top thriller, the sequel to Infected. In the near future, U.S. president John Gutierrez goes straight from his inauguration to crisis management when his national security team informs him that he must focus his attention on Project Tangram, a secret government program to stave off an epidemic caused by alien parasites, which form itchy blue triangular patches on the skin. Victims eventually become paranoid and violent. As the infestation spreads, Gutierrez must decide whether the outbreak can be contained without the use of tactical nukes on American soil. Meanwhile, the creatures responsible for the parasites get a foothold in Michigan through a seven-year-old girl, who manifests possession by drawing blue triangles on her dolls. While lacking the psychological sophistication of Jack Finney's The Body Snatchers or David Gerrold's War Against the Chtorr series, this page-turner builds inexorably to an explosive ending. 5-city author tour.(Jan.)
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* In Infected (2008), Sigler crafted an intense thriller in which an alien species infects humans, inflicts them with nasty triangular growths, and turns them into murderous creatures. Apparently that was just the beginning. In this sequel, which, thanks to some nifty backfilling can be read as a stand-alone, the aliens are changing their attack plans, sending down to Earth a new version of the infection, one that can be transmitted by humans from host to host. The heroes of the first novel return: epidemiologist Margaret Montoya, gung-ho CIA man Dew Phillips, and Perry Dawsey, who, in the previous novel, dealt with his alien infection in a unique and somewhat grisly manner. Now Perry is attuned to the aliens, able to overhear their “chatter” and lead pursuers to their centers of activity, where the aliens appear to be building portals designed to let the first wave of invaders come to our planet. This is a gutsy, ambitious, and completely seductive novel, B-movie horror of the highest order, told with conviction and gusto. The characters are appropriately larger than life (but still recognizable as real people), and the author is clearly a talented storyteller who knows how to write scenes that are graphic, frightening, and memorable. Many veteran horror writers will be grinding their teeth in envy. A definite must-read, whether you’ve read Infected or not. --David Pitt

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Crown; First Edition edition (December 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307406318
• ISBN-13: 978-0307406316
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.4 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (174 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #635,541 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

New York Times best-selling novelist Scott Sigler is the author of ANCESTOR, INFECTED and CONTAGIOUS, hardcover thrillers from Crown Publishing.

Before he was published, Scott built a large online following by giving away his self-recorded audiobooks as free, serialized podcasts. His loyal fans, who named themselves "Junkies," have downloaded over eight million individual episodes of his stories and interact daily with Scott and each other in the social media space.

Scott reinvented book publishing when he released EARTHCORE as the world's first "podcast-only" novel. Released in twenty weekly episodes, EARTHCORE harkened back to the days of serialized radio fiction. His innovative use of technology puts him at the forefront of modern-day publishing and has garnered brand-name exposure among hundreds of thousands of fiction fans and technology buffs.

He's been covered in Time Magazine, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, The Huffington Post, Business Week and Fangoria. He still records his own audiobooks and gives away every story - for free - to his Junkies at www.ScottSigler.com.

Michigan native, Scott lives in San Francisco with his wife and dog.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I could NOT put this down, January 5, 2009

By 

N. J. Steere (Sunny Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Contagious (Hardcover)

As a big fan of Scott's books, I was excited for the release of this book. This is the first time one of his books has been available in print before being released as a podcast, so it was my first time being able to read one of his stories at my pace instead of waiting on new episodes to be released.

Big Mistake.

I inhaled this 400+ page monster in two days, and could not put it down. The novel is intense, thrilling, terrifying, and action packed. The book is a sequel to his novel Infected which (for the most part) took place in the incredibly small setting of an apartment living room. The sequel pulls out all the stops, moving to a few truly memorable setpieces on the rushing ride to an over-the-top finale that boggles the mind in its intensity and scale. Great characters, humor, gore, and a story based on actual science and technology that's terrifying in it's near-believeability.

Buy this book and read it. If you're on the fence, at least visit the author's website, where you can listen to a VERY high production value audio version on the first book, or read it as a pdf. If you like what you see of Infected, this book will get its hooks in you bad. Don't say you weren't warned, and say hello to Chauncey for me.

33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hold on to your seat..., December 30, 2008

By 

M. Kimberlin (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Contagious (Hardcover)

True to form, Scott Sigler skips the on-ramp and barrels straight into the speedway. Contagious picks up Perry Dawsey "post-recovery". The problem is this: Perry still hears the voices of the things that invaded his body and this mountain of rage is not going to take it sitting down. Using the information he gains, Perry fights back. So, the disease changes tactics and the infection is spreading.

Scott Sigler pulls the reader on to the next page and does not let them stop until they hit the end. Great book...I look forward to much, much more from this author.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profoundly entertaining, the perfect sequel, January 12, 2009

By 

Triton Blue (Tallahassee, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Contagious (Hardcover)

Sigler has topped himself with Contagious. I honestly took a half work day last week to finish it, and lost more than a few hours of sleep staying up to read just one more chapter.

With Contagious, Sigler has tapped back into that /vast/ and detailed imagination best manifest in his The Rookie universe and capped it with by far the best interpersonal drama he's written. Contagious bridges the private horror of Sigler's previous novel Infected with enough subtle hooks to cut anyone up on the story. It delivers a relentless, constantly accelerating tale that reaches the sublimely horrible in its final act. No spoilers here, but I've not felt as electrified by, and connected to, the grand action in any recent movie short of The Dark Knight.

Sigler is a rising star, and looks to have finally reached the main stage with Contagious. My highest recommendation.