Contagion (Contagion, #1)

by Erin Bowman

Responding to the distress call was supposed to be a straightforward mission. But when Thea Sadik and her crew land on the distant planet of Achlys, they find destruction and devastation . . . and no survivors. As they try to piece together the puzzle of who or what could have decimated an entire operation, they discover that some SOS messages should be ignored and some monsters are only too ready to awaken.

• ISBN10: 0062574140
• ISBN13: 9780062574145
• Publish Date: 24 July 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 432
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

YES!
+Outer space!
+Intergalactic cover up!
+Zombies?!
+The whole book takes place over a few hours, which is one of my favorite plot devices ever.


NO!
-Too many characters introduced at once!
-Looong chapters.
- Really slow until people start getting sick, but then still not very interesting.

[kalventure]

Re-read before I dive into Immunity, and it is just as good the second time!

Friends, this book absolutely blew me away. Contagion was one of my most anticipated releases and one that surpassed my expectations completely. This is hands-down one of my favorite reads of 2018.

Fun fact: when I was in the eighth grade I borrowed my grandmother's copy of [b:The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus|16213|The Hot Zone The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus|Richard Preston|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1413747743s/16213.jpg|909325] by Richard Preston and decided that I wanted to be a microbiologist so I could work with contagious hot diseases for the CDC. That book sparked an intellectual curiosity in me for science that has never wavered (I almost got my Associate's Degree in Microbio before switching to Anthropology three-quarters of the way through). The science and infectious disease aspects of this book really spoke to me, beyond being an amazing piece of science fiction and horror. (Because yes, this book is terrifying and I am glad I didn't read it at night.)

It got in us and most are dead.
Decklan flew for help.
Don’t trust the kid.

Fast-paced and instantly engaging, Contagion is one of the best examples of atmospheric writing that I have encountered in the horror and science fiction arena, which adds to the reading experience as I was fully immersed in the world that Bowman carefully crafted.

Each of the characters are flawed and complex, with pasts that dictate their present behavior in understandable ways (if not frustrating... my reading experience was akin to screaming "behind you!" when watching horror movies). Each character experiences growth and development, even secondary characters, and while I would definitely characterize this as a plot-driven story the reader is just as invested in the characters and their plight.

"Follow the bloody footprints, they said. What could go wrong, they said."

The worldbuilding beyond the contained environment that the book is set within is done organically, bit by bit as it served to bring the larger narrative and framework for the series into focus but never felt like an info dump. Underlying the horror that the Odyssey's crew encounters while embarking on their response to a distress signal on Achlys is also a complex social and political structure. Unveiled slowly and organically within the narrative, we learn that there are rebels that want to secede from the United Planetary Coalition. Was this secret drilling endeavor part of a plan to leave the union? Or a way to strengthen it? The character's discussions and varying opinions about this sounded very similar to Brexit debates.

An inky blackness that swam and twisted and curled like ribbons.

This book is incredibly well written and beautiful in its horror; the atmospheric writing having me on the edge of my seat for about five hours straight as I devoured the words in search of what would happen next. Mistrust and fear permeate off of the characters and carried off of the page onto me and I cared for each of their well-being. (Even Dylan, whose actions frustrated me.)

I cannot wait for the second book in this duology and for the rest of the world to be able to read this book! I never found myself bored and essentially read this entire book in one sitting. If you like horror and science fiction, I cannot recommend this book enough.

Many thanks to HarperCollins for providing me an electronic ARC of this book via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review. Quotations were taken from an uncorrected proof and are subject to change upon publication.

This was my first read in my 24in48 Readathon.

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

3.5*

It's time for space zombies, y'all! Need I say more? I do? Okayyy.

The Stuff I liked:

• It's quite action packed! Honestly this would make an amazing movie or show, because it almost read like one? But yeah, there was pretty much always something exciting happening, so that's a plus.



• Um, space zombies are always a plus. I've never been like "nah, space zombies, pass", and I doubt I ever will be. It's just a cool concept, and I think that the author handled it in a way that really worked. Because it was well-thought out, they made much more sense than say, The Walking Dead zombies.



• It was quite dark (space pun not intended, but accepted), and the atmosphere was awesome. Seriously, you could feel how dire this situation was, no question. Like space itself was cool, but this planet was a mess, and you could feel it throughout the book. The stakes were very high, and they felt it.



• It's super readable. I finished almost the entire book on one very short plane ride, so... that should tell you something. I actually didn't even nap, like I'd planned, because I wanted to keep going.

The Stuff I Didn't:

• The POV switches threw me off a little. They were frequent, which I didn't even mind, but sometimes they didn't feel necessary? Like it could have just continued being someone else's turn, you know?



• Since it is so action-packed, I didn't get as strong of a connection to the characters as I'd have liked. What I knew of them I did enjoy, and I liked finding out bits and pieces, but I do think going a bit deeper into the characterization would have made it stronger. Plus, it would have been easier to handle the POV switches really.

Will I Read the Sequel? I mean, it's more likely that I will than I won't!

Bottom Line: Felt different than the average space book, in a good way! A little light on characterization, but heavy on action.

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

It's no secret around my blog that I LOVE horror! Horror books, horror movies, horror shows - I love them all. So when I saw this compared to 28 Days Later and Resident Evil, but set in space, I knew it was going to be the book for me!

Contagion begins by introducing us to the crew who is dragged into this rescue mission that they aren't at all qualified for. The main characters are Thea, a microbiology intern who's assisting a renowned scientist, and Nova, a pilot who really isn't ready for a mission this intense. Both girls were interesting characters with well developed backstories and I ended up really enjoying both of them. The side characters were equally well written, although there is of course one that I utterly despise.

Dylan, the captain of the crew, is a complete moron without a single redeeming quality. She's set up as a romantic interest, but I honestly couldn't have cared less if she'd been eaten in the second chapter. She had no qualms about risking every single other person under her command to serve her own interests. I did understand her initial reasoning, but it came to a point where I just couldn't believe that anyone in a military command position would be that stupid. But I digress.

Contagion starts slowly, but the action quickly picks up once the rescue crew makes it to the planet that issued the distress signal. Things go south quickly when they realize that they're too late. The crew they've come to help is dead or missing and they have no idea why, and no idea whether they should stay to find out.

Like I said earlier, the main selling point of this book was the horror aspect. It's in the FIRST sentence of the synopsis! And, while this was an interesting book with an undeniable creep factor, it really wasn't terrifying. I love the idea of having to unravel what happened to wipe out an entire crew, but the way that they got there and the repetitiveness of some of the horror left me wanting more. That isn't to say that it was bad, by any means! I think a lot of people who are less eager to be kept up at night with the lights on will probably love this. Personally, I expect more scares from a good horror book.

Still, the story was a good one. There isn't much I can say without spoilers, but the whodunnit aspect of Contagion was fantastically done and there were multiple twists that surprised me. This book is fast paced with a creepy atmosphere! It does end on a cliffhanger, but not a terribly frustrating one, and there is a tiny hint of romance. If you're looking for a good, creepy science fiction thriller, this is probably a book you'll love! Just don't come looking for anything as terrifying as 28 Days Later.

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars