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Symbiont (Parasitology, 2) Paperback – October 13, 2015

by Mira Grant (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,008 ratings
Editors' pick Best Science Fiction & Fantasy
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From New York Times bestselling author Mira Grant comes the second book in the terrifying Parasitology series.
 
The SymboGen-designed tapeworms were created to relieve humanity of disease and sickness. But the implants in the majority of the world's population began attacking their hosts, turning them into a ravenous horde.

Now those who do not appear to be afflicted are being gathered for quarantine as panic spreads, but Sal and her companions must discover how the tapeworms are taking over their hosts, what their eventual goal is, and how they can be stopped.
 
"A riveting near-future medical thriller that reads like the genetically-engineered love child of Robin Cook and Michael Crichton." —John Joseph Adams on Parasite
 
 
More from Mira Grant:
 
Parasitology
Parasite
Symbiont
Chimera
 
Newsflesh
Feed
Deadline
Blackout
Feedback
 
Rise
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Book 2 of 3
    Parasitology
  2. Print length
    544 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Orbit
  5. Publication date
    October 13, 2015
  6. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1.5 x 8.25 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0316219010
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0316219013
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A riveting near-future medical thriller that reads like the genetically-engineered love child of Robin Cook and Michael Crichton."―John Joseph Adam on Parasite

"Readers with strong stomachs will welcome this unusual take on the future."―Kirkus Reviews on Parasite

"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 on Parasite

"Grant extends the zombie theme of her Newsflesh trilogy to incorporate thoughtful reflections on biomedical issues that are both ominously challenging and eerily plausible. Sally is a complex, compassionate character, well suited to this exploration of trust, uncertainty, and the price of progress."―Publishers Weekly on Parasite

"It's a well-grounded medical wariness that gets at the heart of the what the Parasitology series will be asking: What happens when the cure is worse than the disease?"―NPR Books on Parasite

"An exceptionally creepy medical-horror thriller that's the perfect spine-tingling read for Halloween...[a] roller coaster ride."―RT Book Reviews on Parasite (4 1/2 stars)

"Deft cultural touches, intriguing science, and amped-up action will delight Grant's numerous fans."―Publishers Weekly on Deadline

"The zombie novel Robert A. Heinlein might have written."―Sci-Fi Magazine on Feed

"A masterpiece of suspense."―Publishers Weekly on Feed (Starred Review)

About the Author

Mira Grant lives in California, sleeps with a machete under her bed, and highly suggests you do the same. Mira Grant is the pseudonym of Seanan McGuire -- winner of the 2010 John W. Campbell Award for best new writer. Find out more about the author at www.miragrant.com or follow her on twitter @seananmcguire.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orbit; Reprint edition (October 13, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 544 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316219010
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316219013
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.5 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,008 ratings

About the author

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Mira Grant

Mira Grant

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Mira Grant lives in California, sleeps with a machete under her bed and highly suggests you do the same. Mira Grant is the open pseudonym of Seanan McGuire, a successful fantasy writer and the winner of the 2010 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.

Find out more about the author at www.miragrant.com or follow her on twitter @seananmcguire.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,008 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Barbara A. Carlson
5.0 out of 5 stars Great second book, headed for the third one now!
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2016
Verified Purchase
I read anything I can by this author. The characters are well developed, the action scenes keep me glued to the page, and the book is over much too soon. This second book had a few things repeated from the first as background, but it wasn't overly intrusive. It's a very novel concept that made me think about what and who I am with a big dose of "what if" ... Thought provoking.
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Jeff Stockett
4.0 out of 5 stars Exciting Story, Great Characters, But watch out for that cliffhanger
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2014
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There is a lot here to like.

The first book was so unique that it's pretty hard to match it. It was such a fun new idea, and while this book lacks the newness of the first book, it makes up for it in post-apocalyptic adventure.

Sal is trapped in the bay area amid a zombie apocalypse that somewhat resembles an alien invasion. It has elements from so many different genres that fit together seamlessly and make for a great story.

I love that we get to know Sal's character in a much more intimate way. She is learning and growing throughout this story. It's an incredible journey to be inside her head as she comes to terms with who and what she really is.

It had a bit of a cliffhanger ending, which wouldn't be bad except for this book has only been out a few weeks so I'm going to have to wait a long time for the next one. I suppose if my only complaint is that I want more, that's a pretty good endorsement of this book.

Mira Grant once again hit it out of the park. She's quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.
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Anya Grady
5.0 out of 5 stars I'm so mad that it's over
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2023
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I have a hard time reading anything new. I have an optimistically large shelf of books I optimistically intend to read. They have been there a very long time. I dust them. But I've reread Grant's Newsflesh series endlessly, and the 1.5 books I usually refer to by "Murder Mermaids", so when circumstances forced me to new territory it was Grant to whom I turned. I stayed in a rapidly-cooling bathtub for three hours to finish the first book, and we'll say that I've not gotten much done today in pursuit of finishing this one.

And, as previous experience might have warned me, the second book of a trilogy doesn't end anywhere I'm happy about. So now I have to go buy ANOTHER new book --because despite my Optimism Shelf of perfectly fine books that I'm totally going to read I swear, the one about brain bugs is the only New Book for me.

We won't go out alone.
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Albany, CA
3.0 out of 5 stars The story does develop, yet the first book was more engaging
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2017
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The Parasitology trilogy is intriguing science fiction and offers inviting character development. The first book was quite more engaging. The second and third books in the trilogy feel like drafts that still need some significant structural editing and brainstorming. Worth reading for me, but a little repetitive and containing some errors in logic, I think.
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Christian Potter
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful second book of this trilogy
Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2021
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I needed to read this book after the ending of the first one. I was not disappointed! Mira grant unravels plot like a master, and leads her reader along the path she has paved for them at her leisure.
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Ruff Day
4.0 out of 5 stars Christine Lakin is yet again doing a fantastic job narrating for Mira Grant
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2015
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Christine Lakin is yet again doing a fantastic job narrating for Mira Grant. I love her take on Sal!

The beginning of this jumps right in. You really do not even need to read book one to understand but with everything that is going on with Sal early on, I think the background there would be quite helpful. The one critique I have is that Sal is getting a bit on my nerves. She is getting so whiny. Every word that comes out of her mouth is a whine. Yes, she has gone through quite a bit and has find out a lot of stuff that would throw anyone off but … still! She faints every two minutes, I mean almost literally, every two minutes.

stopped just outside a curtain of sliced plastic, cut lengthwise like the screen on a butterfly aviary or a grocery store produce department storage area. I looked at it and swallowed hard. There was something impersonal and medicinal about those dangley strips of waxy plastic, like nothing I was on this side would matter once I was on that side “The broken doors are open.” I murmured.

Just before this she gets some, what can be said to be bad news. I get why those dangley strips of plastic are such a big deal but come on! I just want her to stop. I keep telling myself that she is in the middle of a zombiepocalypse, true, and her parents are a bit crazy, and there is her sister, the stuff with her boyfriend, Adam and Tanzy. It is a lot. Anyone would need a freaking time out. But geez… I wanted to fast forward and get back to the zombies eating people. Yes, please! Gore galore! No more emo stuffs.

The plot of the story is interesting but I just feel like too much was put onto Sal’s emotions. It totally threw me off. Although the audio, and again the narration was fantastic, I found Sal to be so grating that I did not want to finish this! A Mira Grant!

While the plot does have a lot of issues there is definitely some drama and more zombies. Or sleepwalkers. They are not technically zombies but they are sort of… I do like how she made this happen though. As a parasitologist she shows that she knows what she is talking about and it comes through in her fabulous writing. But, even with all of that Sal just drove me so crazy. Thank goodness there were others that used their heads in situations and did not whine every two seconds.

And I realize I probably sound like I am whining about this book! Well, I am. I think maybe after Parasitology my hopes were up too high.

In short: Overall, this IS interesting but there is a lot of nonsensical plot holes and the characters can grate on the nerves. Not my favorite of Mira Grant’s.

Received by the author for an honest review.
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EdinTennessee
5.0 out of 5 stars Park of a great trillogy
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2020
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Very well written and engaging tale.
Sounds like something a pharmaceutical company would do.
btw, the children's book oft referred to in this series is a creation of the writer for this series.
It never really existed, but the concept is intriguing.
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silksmonkey
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent all around
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2016
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Mira Grant does it again with another awesome read in her Parasitology series. Very complex characters, deep plots and unexpected twists make this a very enjoyable read I was sad to finish
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Top reviews from other countries

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Amelia Robinson
5.0 out of 5 stars Agghhh I love
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 3, 2021
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Read this. Loved this. Mira grant is a genius in character and world building! The story telling! Ahhhh!
If you like this
Read FEED by Mira grant! Even better
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bazzinga
1.0 out of 5 stars what have you done Mira?
Reviewed in France on September 28, 2017
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I red a few books of Mira Grant translated in french. It was very good so I decided to give it a try in english. Now, I know that a good english or american book is translated in many languages. This one was not.
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Avid Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Great series
Reviewed in Canada on December 25, 2016
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Mira grant's work is original and thought provoking.
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Dinraal
4.0 out of 5 stars A good read
Reviewed in Canada on December 28, 2018
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I enjoyed most of it. It is entertaining but chapters are too long because of the amount of throwbacks to what happened in the first book.
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Tales of a Librarian
4.0 out of 5 stars A little irritating in structure but still good
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 13, 2015
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As another reviewer has said, this isn't perfect (it certainly doesn't reach the heights of the Newsflesh trilogy) but it is entertaining. I like Sal and I'm enjoying her character journey and development. The apocalyptic scenario is just about different enough - although you have to wonder if maybe Mira Grant just didn't get zombies out of her system yet (and if so I'm more than happy to have another book set in the Newsflesh universe). The highly morally ambiguous cliques that have formed around Banks, Cale and Sherman are a dark and nasty treat. There really are no white hats here - it's pick the sin you can live with. And I like the science. I've always appreciated the fact that Mira Grant doesn't talk down to her readers. So yes I enjoyed this and I will be reading Chimera when it is released.

However I found the plot to be a bit jumbled. Some of the reasons for Sal acting as she does are either spurious or just a bit too convenient time wise (yes, I bet she really did wake up after non elective brain surgery and think that's the time to escape - honestly! It was just a bit sloppy.) Sal does seem to spend a lot of time fainting etc but there are medical reasons for this so it didn't irritate me like it did some people. There is plenty of action but they seem to be disparate episodes rather than propping up the whole plot. I personally found the ending a bit feeble. Fine if you want a cliffhanger but this really just highlighted that there was a fair amount of padding in book one, again in this book and that condensed down we could of just had a really cracking duology or even a longer stand alone novel. So there were irritations.

It was saved by the Grant's writing, by the characterization and largely by the concepts and how they were presented. This is a good book - I think it just wasn't quite ready. All that aside I am looking forward to the conclusion in book three.
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