Parasite by Mira Grant

Parasite (Parasitology, #1)

by Mira Grant

A decade in the future, 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 tapeworm 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.

Reviewed by empressbrooke on

4 of 5 stars

Share
Parasites are definitely not as glamorous as zombies, but Parasite was just about as fun as Mira Grant's Newsflesh trilogy. They share many similarities - secret labs, slightly-psychotic-yet-childish bodyguards, epidemics caused by well-meaning scientific advancements in public health, large entities with nefarious purposes (a corporation this time around).

Parasite feels a little less fully formed than Feed did, likely as a result of taking place so much earlier in its epidemic. In Feed, the story started when the world was already chin-deep in the zombie outbreak, and Grant was able to explore the effects it had on every imaginable aspect of life. Parasite is a near-future that is much nearer to the present than Feed was, and therefore there isn't as much world building to do. Despite that, it was still a ton of fun and worth reading if you enjoyed Grant's previous books.

Edited to add: How could I forget the highlight - a mention of my favorite local ice cream, Jeni's, which has become famous enough to serve as an alibi for amnesiac parasite hosts everywhere.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 12 December, 2015: Finished reading
  • 12 December, 2015: Reviewed