Symbiont by Mira Grant

This is book two of Mira Grant's Parasitology trilogy so there may necessarily be some spoilers if you haven't read book one, Parasite. Which you definitely should. It's amazing.

Sal has escaped the clutches of SymboGen and it's morally bankrupt founder, Dr. Banks for the relative safety of Dr. Shanti Cole's illegal lab. But with San Francisco falling apart under the influx of the parasite-infected zombie apocalypse, nowhere is really safe for long. Sal's life is further complicated by the necessity of a dangerous operation to repair damaged blood vessels in her brain which will require her to venture forth among her enemies. She must also plan the rescue of her spiritual sister and resident fun psychopath, Tansy, from SymboGen.

Mira Grant is the pseudonym of fantasy author Seanan McGuire. She has also written the Newsflesh trilogy under this name (which is also excellent. In fact, just read everything she's ever written. You won't be disappointed.) Zombie fiction isn't usually my bag but this series feels like something that could actually happen in the near future. It's clear that McGuire-as-Grant did massive amounts of research into parasites, epidemiology, and drug development protocols. The result seems eerily prescient and raises questions of ethics, identity, and the relationship of humans to other species.

Comments

The Outsourcerer's Apprentice by Tom Holt

I don't know if I would call this a sequel but it is set in the same universe as Doughnut and When It's A Jar so it's definitely related. Benny just wanted to take a break from studying for exams by escaping into YouSpace for a while. Unfortunately, he has lost his doughnut and is trapped as Prince Florizel in a world that is falling apart. The Wizard who controls everything has been outsourcing all the magical labor for his own ends to different dimensions which has begun a ripple effect towards destabilizing the entire plane. Now, Florizel and his reluctant subjects Buttercup, a Red-Riding-Hood sick to death of having to kill talking wolves everyday, and Turquine, a knight suddenly curious about the increase in dragons and what that means for his union, must confront the Outsourcerer once and for all. Tom Holt is probably the next spiritual successor to Terry Pratchett in terms of humor. This series blends quantum mechanics, macroeconomics, and fantasy ...

Black Wolves by Kate Elliott

I love seeing the words "First in a New Series" on books, don't you? After having been disgraced by the murder of his king, Captain Kellas of the Black Wolves has accepted retirement, content to live with his beautiful wife and raise his grandchildren. Then reeve Marshal Dannarah, sister to the king, comes to him with a secret mission. She believes there is a plot to kill her nephew, the current King Jehosh. Meanwhile, Sarai, an outcast among her people, offers herself in marriage sight unseen to an outsider of her clan, unknowingly involving herself in the politics of two rival queens. The lives and paths of disparate individuals will cross and knot in unexpected ways as plot and counterplot play out. This is actually a follow-on series to Kate Elliott's Crossroads trilogy. As I was reading this, I kept having those moments where I remembered this character or another from the first trilogy. I wish I had gone back and re-read the Crossroads, jus...

Dreamer's Pool by Juliet Marillier

Did you ever pick up a book only to realize that you've read it before but so long ago that it's just outside of what you remember? Happened to me with this book. I started reading it and it felt so familiar that I scoured my shelves thinking that I had bought it before. I couldn't find it and then I wondered if I was going crazy but I knew way too much about the book, including the resolution of the central mystery. I can only conclude that I bought it, didn't like it, gave it away, and then rebought it. The good news is that I liked it much better the second time, even if I did end up skipping all the parts not featuring the two main characters. Blackthorn was facing an ignominious death in prison at the hands of a corrupt nobleman when a fey mysteriously arrives and offers her freedom if she will forgo vengeance for seven years and also agree to help anyone who asks her for it during that time. She is unhappy with the idea but agrees, esca...

The Literary Lucy

Search This Blog