Infected (novel)

Lore & Background

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.

Critical reception for Infected has been mixed. Monsters and Critics praised the book's action and pacing, while The San Francisco Chronicle panned it, 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 also criticized the book's 'portentous cliff-hangers and one-dimensional characters.' The Sacramento News's 'Bibliolatry' praised it as 'imaginative, gross, frightening, suspenseful, funny, thought-provoking and sick in the "omigawd-I-wanna-barf" way.' BookReporter and Publishers Weekly also positively reviewed the book, with BookReporter citing the character of Perry Dawsey as the 'heart' of the book.

Infected was formerly optioned by Rogue Pictures and Random House Films, with the option having lapsed in 2010. In 2010, work began on a graphic novel adaptation, 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.

Reader's Guide

Infected occupies a notable place in the evolution of digital publishing, having first gained an audience as a free podcast serial before receiving a traditional print release. Its mixed critical reception highlights the tension between serialized and novel formats: some reviewers found its cliff-hanger structure effective for audio but less successful as a continuous read. The book's biopunk premise—an alien invasion at the microscopic level—and its focus on two protagonists, an ex-football player and a CDC epidemiologist, contributed to its cult following. The abandoned film and graphic novel adaptations reflect the challenges of translating the work to other media. Despite the lapsed film option and stalled graphic novel series, Infected remains a representative example of early 21st-century transmedia storytelling, where a work could originate in podcast form and later appear in print, while still being offered freely online.

Did You Know?

• The novel was initially titled Infested, but the name was changed to distance itself from a movie releasing with a similar title.
• The book was first released in 2006 as a podcast, with a print edition following in 2008.
• The novel was formerly optioned by Rogue Pictures and Random House Films, but the option lapsed in 2010.