Contagious

By: Scott Sigler

Narrated by: Scott Sigler

Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

From the acclaimed author of Infected comes an epic and exhilarating story of humanity’s secret battle against a horrific enemy. Across America, a mysterious pathogen transforms ordinary people into raging killers, psychopaths driven by a terrifying, alien agenda. The human race fights back, yet after every battle the disease responds, adapts, using sophisticated strategies and brilliant ruses to fool its pursuers. The only possible explanation: The epidemic is driven not by evolution but by some malevolent intelligence.

Standing against this unimaginable threat is a small group, assembled under the strictest secrecy. Their best weapon is hulking former football star Perry Dawsey, left psychologically shattered by his own struggles with this terrible enemy, who possesses an unexplainable ability to locate the disease’s hosts. Violent and unpredictable, Perry is both the nation’s best hope and a terrifying liability.

Hardened CIA veteran Dew Phillips must somehow forge a connection with him if they’re going to stand a chance against this maddeningly adaptable opponent. Alongside them is Margaret Montoya, a brilliant epidemiologist who fights for a cure even as she reels under the weight of endless horrors. These three and their team have kept humanity in the game, but that’s not good enough anymore, not when the disease turns contagious, triggering a fast countdown to Armageddon. Meanwhile, other enemies join the battle, and a new threat - one that comes from a most unexpected source - may ultimately prove the most dangerous of all.

Catapulting the listener into a world where humanity’s life span is measured in hours and the president’s finger hovers over the nuclear button, rising star Scott Sigler takes us on a breathtaking, hyper-adrenalized ride filled with terror and jaw-dropping action. Contagious is a truly grand work of suspense, science, and horror from a new master.

©2008 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"An inventive, amped-up yarn . . . full of pressure-cooker mind games." ( Entertainment Weekly)
"Riveting . . . leads the reader from one startling detail to the next . . . a terrifying page-turner." ( Publishers Weekly)

steller continuation of the infected series

this series..... I just can't put it down! if you need a good series, I truly reccomend this one. The reader is great. The story is captivating. listen to this one.

Great book. captivating. couldn't put it down. 👍

This is one of my all time favorites . Captivating. Author was so much better with the female voices than 1st book.

Listen to "Infected" first.

"Contagious" follows immediately on the heels of "Infected," by the same author, forming a single story in two parts. I don't think that a listener would pick up on what is happening in "Contagious" very well if she hadn't listened to "Infected" first. With both of these books, Mr. Sigler has given us a pretty engrossing sci-fi-medical/technical/military thriller-horror story that keeps us enthralled, despite its unlikely premise. Mr. Sigler skillfully leads us into an untenable predicament (which I probably shouldn't reveal here, for the sake of preserving the suspense). At the end I was asking myself: How could the plot have gone any other way, given all the difficulties laid down by the alien intelligence? I can see why Mr. Sigler's books have become podcast sensations. If only he hadn't insisted on narrating his audiobooks himself! Please, Mr. Sigler, please, please allow professional actors to narrate your subsequent audiobooks. Then they would warrant five stars.

loved it

I really enjoyed the story was everything I hoped for in the Part 2 of the Siri

wickly good listen, worthy purchase.

always am concerned about long books. though they are perfect for long drives, they tend to be uneccessarily wordy, and at times deeply boring. this book was non of that. from start to conclusion, it had my attention.

That son of a bitch gets 5 stars

That son of a bitch!

Wow! Not only is this book what you want out of a thriller, creepy, haunting, action packed, Scott can just write a damn good story – an original story. I have never read a book that is so haunting that I could only read it during the day hours and for only an hour. It was the same for Infection, the first book, too, but the twist and turns in Contiguous is much more gripping. It is not until all the combatants have their cards on the table until that I can sit and read nonstop.

Much of the intensity is due to the stupidity of the politicians playing their pissing contest, the “what the fuck moves” that people make, or the bleeding hearts we have for humanity. Many times they should have put a bullet in the head of an infected or possible infected. I can’t say who I wanted to pimp slap the most, Montoya or the president’s chief of staff. These are the things that Scott massages to make his creepy factor.

Scott gives creates friends whose dedication is palpable or ideal family members, he sets you up to invest your feeling in these people and then bam! As the insidious infection invades these totally happy and clueless people, I have to stop reading. Seriously. There is a point when the daddy has to get the spanking spoon for the mother, I squeezed my eyes so tight so I could not visualize it. I know what you are saying, lady that doesn’t work, but this series has that effect on me.

And “that son of a bitch,” every time the orbiter calls Perry Dawsey that name, I was amused. I was disappointed with the ass kicking Scott set up for Perry. Perry Dawsey was, the son of a bitch and he got his ass kicked! But when DISCIPLINE was required, Perry became, “that son of a bitch.” Scott raises the intensity of the book by changing the characteristics of the infection, the intelligence of the antagonist, and stakes of survival. I will tell you this, drop kick any blond hair-cute seven-year-old girls.

The location of the action happens in Michigan. Being a Michigander I enjoy that. This was especially enjoyable when that action is taking place in Detroit. I have never read a book where the location is someplace that I know. Wow action at Belle Isle, the Renaissance Center, MLK high school, all the Detroit land marks. Based on the fact that I do know these locations, hummm, with 2 minutes and counting, there was no way that could get to some of those locations.

Another great addition to the trilogy

The first one left me wanting more and this did not disappoint. The killer virus genre needed a fresh take and Sigler definitely delivered. Good stuff.

cool book but

I hated the jarring ominous sound put in between scenes. I go to sleep with my books and that sound is a horrible unnatural sound and stupidly childish.

What was the last word?

The story was awesome, lots of twists of angles to keep you interested. The narrator should stick to writing books and not narration.

Great Sequel

It was painful to see Perry done that way after all he had been thru. I'll be damned if that wasn't a great ending to a great sequel. Scott has done it again!