Parasite by Mira Grant

Science Fiction

What Goodreads says:

"A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease.

We owe our good health to a humble parasite - a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the tapeworm protects us from illness, boosts our immune system - even secretes designer drugs. It's been successful beyond the scientists' wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a SymboGen tapeworm living within them.

But these parasites are getting restless. They want their own lives...and will do anything to get them."

Here is the basis of the Parasite story.

The more we protect ourselves from the environment the more we lose our immunity.

Symbogen is a large corporation that has developed an offspring of the tape worm that will keep people healthy.

Parasite starts with one person, supposedly brain dead who suddenly is not.  Sally Michell was in a car crash.  She was brain dead and the doctor was trying to get the family to turn off the machines when she suddenly woke up. 

Sally Mitchell had one of their tapeworms.

Look for a diverse cast of characters, tension on top of tension and secrets after secret.  All of that makes up Parasite.  Parasite is divided into very well though out and well-written sections.  Each section reveals a little more about the puzzle that is Sally Mitchell. Part of Sally’s secret is revealed at the very end of the book although I don’t think it is a secret from the reader, only from Sally.  This is Book One.

It is a long book at 562 pages.  This is not one you read in one setting but once you get into the story you will want to keep reading.  I could see some form of this really happening so things were not that off the wall.  By page 500 I realized very little would be solved.  I was right.  Parasite ends with a cliff-hanger.  It is Book One and the last page says:  “TO BE CONTINUED”

Orbit published Parasite by Mira Grant in 2013.

I received an ARC of Parasite from Netgalley.