
Parasite
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Narrated by:
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Christine Lakin
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By:
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Mira Grant
John W. Campbell Award winner, 2010
Short-listed, The Hugo Best Novel, 2012
NPR's Top 100 Killer Thrillers, 2010
Nominated, Romantic Times' Best SF Novel of the Year, 2010
From New York Times best-selling author Mira Grant comes a vision of a decade in the future, where 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 Intestinal Bodyguard worm 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.
More from Mira Grant:
Parasitology
- Parasite
- Symbiont
- Chimera
Newsflesh
- Feed
- Deadline
- Blackout
- Feedback
- Rise
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Critic reviews
"A riveting near-future medical thriller that reads like the genetically-engineered love child of Robin Cook and Michael Crichton."—John Joseph Adams
"Readers with strong stomachs will welcome this unusual take on the future."—Kirkus Reviews
"Fans of [the Newsflesh] series will definitely want to check this new book out. But fans of Michael Crichton-style technothrillers will be equally enthralled: as wild as Grant's premise is, the novel is firmly anchored in real-world science and technology."—Booklist
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What made the experience of listening to Parasite the most enjoyable?
The story itself is exceptional keeping you wanting for more.Christine Lakin brings the characters to life quite well and makes it quite entertaining.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Tansy. She is so delightfully creepy and random. Funny and scary at the same time.What about Christine Lakin’s performance did you like?
Christine Lakin brought each of the characters to life, reflecting their own distinct personalities.Any additional comments?
Hope to see a continuation soonExcellent book, hope to see a continuation soon
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Unique Futuristic Fright
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Amazing read!
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A bit too predictable
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Enjoyable if not predictable
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In present day, Sal has spent six years relearning everything from language to coordination to social niceties. She has carved out a new life, though still under the guardianship of her parents (despite her calendar age of 27). She has a satisfying job at an animal shelter, a loving boyfriend who is a parisitologist, a chance to have better relationships with her family than her predecessor enjoyed, oh -- and standing appointments at SymboGen.
SymboGen is the massive and profitable company that has the patent on the intestinal bodyguard, and though they have done all the work to get the PR of being a benevolent do-gooder, Sal is suspicious of them and their intentions to her. In the aftermath of her accident, she has had a host of health issues and has needed extensive therapy (both psychological and behavioral). SymboGen covers the costs and keeps her close, seeming to observe nearly every aspect of her life.
The book moves well and has perfectly serviceable characters. It isn't particularly surprising as it becomes increasingly clear that the intestinal bodyguards aren't as harmless as they are billed, or when SymboGen's intentions are revealed to be firmly focused on the bottom line and not necessarily the public good. A massive company with impure motives? Not particularly groundbreaking. The idea that the majority of earth's inhabitants have swallowed (pun intended) what SymboGen was selling strains credulity a bit (humans have a fairly pronounced ick factor and willingly becoming the symbiote of a parasitic tape worm would have definitely triggered it). But there is an interesting blend of science into this fiction, and as major players are revealed in the book we meet far more interesting characters (though one definitely qualifies as a partial stereotype), and some nicely conflicting aims. The war is coming, and it seems everyone will have to pick sides. First in a trilogy.
Solid first entry, some predictability
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It's a bit creepy
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I enjoyed the reader and the plot kept me listening and interested to the very end. Overall a good read, but you have to pay attention, as it goes back and forth at times. I would definitely recommend it, and am looking forward to the sequel.
Interesting concept, although scary if you consider the possibilities
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Tanzie!
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Series Endings
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