Infected (novel)

Infected
	Cover artwork for 2008 first edition hardcover
Author	Scott Sigler
Language	English
Publisher	Crown Publishing
Publication date	2008 (print), ; 2006 (podcast)
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (2008 novel and e-book), ; Podcast
Pages	352
ISBN	978-0-307-40610-1
Followed by	Contagious

Infected is a science fiction biopunk thriller novel by author Scott Sigler. 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.^[1] The book was initially titled Infested,^[2] with the name changing in order to distance itself from a movie releasing with a similar title.^[3]

Plot

The novel follows several characters as they deal with an alien invasion on the microscopic level. The narration is primarily through the perspectives of Perry Dawsey, an ex-football player with an anger problem, and Margaret Montoya, an epidemiologist with the CDC who is investigating a strange disease that turns seemingly normal people into murderers.

Reception

Critical reception for Infected has been mixed, with Monsters and Critics praising the book's action and pacing.^[4] The San Francisco Chronicle 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."^[5] The Guardian also reviewed Infected, criticizing the book's "portentous cliff-hangers and one-dimensional characters".^[6]

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".^[7] BookReporter and Publishers Weekly also positively reviewed the book,^[8] with BookReporter citing the character of Perry Dawsey as the "heart" of the book.^[9]

Adaptations

Film

Infected was formerly optioned by Rogue Pictures and Random House Films,^[10] with the option having lapsed in 2010.^[11]

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.^[12] The first issue was released August 1, 2012,^[13] but the series was put on hold indefinitely due to delays with subsequent issues.^[14]