Bookworms: Infected (2008) by Scott Sigler

Hold onto your stomach and your brains as the infection is spreading! Infected by Scott Sigler introduces a mysterious virus of unknown origins that spreads, infecting people, bodies, minds, and horror readers’ imaginations alike.

Infected by Scott Sigler follows a few storylines, detailing an infection as it spreads through one man’s body and its counterparts spread to others, witnessing the beginning of an outbreak before it inevitably becomes one.

The main character Perry Dawsey, gets infected, as do others briefly mentioned throughout the book, with these blue triangles that try to take over both his body and mind, spreading and speaking to and with him as they grow stronger. The triangles test his impulse control, his ability to withstand pain, and his determination to not be a victim.

The storyline following Perry’s adventure, really all in his apartment, is the best part of Infected. These sections about Perry draw out the suspense as the reader tries to figure out what the heck is even going on. Moreso, these are the sections that will bring on the dry vomit as well. Gory details of what the triangles are doing to Perry’s body and the even more descriptive and nauseating illustration of how Perry deals with the infection decidedly places this story in the horror section.

Psychologically, the triangles create anger management problems and drain the infected’s personalities, creating perfect hosts. The physiological manifestation of the infection goes a step further with the triangles not only having a curious hive personality but also bubbling like tumors, itching and developing their own eyeballs on Perry’s body to witness the infected’s world. Creepy much!

Of course, there must also be the government’s side to the story as they haphazardly and with much faux bravado, investigate the infection. This storyline runs parallel to Perry’s but while it definitely has its share of gore, the characters and their handling of the situation is more reminiscent of Hollywood drama than routine CDC operations one would hope for.

Infected is an easy read from an author who got his start and a multitude of fans by sharing his works originally online for free before being published. This book was worth the read, mostly because I willingly read nearly any apocalyptic story, though I generally prefer them to carry their weight more in unique ideas and relatable, realistic characters. However, Infected does tell an intriguing surface level story that will lead to a quick read and hunger for a sequel, which luckily was published shortly after with the title Contagious.