My take on: Pandemic

Reading Pandemic by Scott Sigler was certainly an interesting experience. Normally, I get my horror fix from movies and TV. I feel like this book has all the hallmarks of a blockbuster movie or an epic TV series. Scientist Margaret Montoya has just saved the world from an alien race, but she doesn't feel like a hero. Millions had to die before others could live, and many blame Margaret. But the alien virus has returned and Margaret has been forced back into action. Seriously, doesn't that sound like a Hollywood plot?!?

This is book three in a series, Infected and Contagious are the other books. Ordinarily, I would not read book three in a series without reading the first two, but I made an exception because of this trailer....

My interest was certainly piqued. The first few pages lived up to that trailer. A young woman, who has just severed one of her arms, is trying to fight her way out of a submarine. Why? Just about everyone on the submarine is dead. Has this young woman lost her mind? She dies during her escape. Now, Lake Michigan, the spot of her demise and countless others, has become a hot-bed of activity. What is going on? I found myself asking that question with every chapter. There are a lot of characters and plot points in the first few chapters. I felt the pacing was a little slow in the beginning because of this. An elaborate setting has to be established before the book can really get going.

Since setting off a nuke in Detroit, Margaret Montoya has turned into a hermit. She spends her days reading blogs about what a horrible woman she is. Her husband, Clarence, has had enough. He wants a wife not a grumpy roommate. Just as Clarence is about to leave, Margaret is dragged back into the fray. Once again, she will have to save the human race. I love that a woman is thrust into the role of hero in a horror novel. Usually, a man gets that role. Yes Margaret is flawed, but she desperately wants to save the world before it's too late. I felt really sorry for Margaret. A lot of her friends are gone and she has such immense guilt as a result.

There is a lot of science behind the spread of this alien virus. I'm not a science person and I would have quickly tuned out if Scott Sigler's writing wasn't so engrossing. Even the secondary plots are interesting. Steve Stanton, a gifted engineer, is forced to toil away in the family restaurant until his brilliance can be put to good use. The time has come for Stanton, he's headed to Lake Michigan. What's his stake in all of this? Can't tell you, I don't want to spoil too much of the book!! There is A LOT going on.

I think this is a series I have to read from the beginning. I want to know more about the origins of this society. Is it a great ending to a series? I can't say that without reading the whole series. Sometimes I like one book in the series over another, but I definitely liked this one and I want to know more!


Rating: Give it a try

Note: I received a copy of the book from Wunderkind PR in exchange for an honest review.