Contagious
Contagious | |
Title | Contagious |
Publisher | Crown Publishing |
Published | December 30, 2008 |
Pages | 448 |
ISBN | 978-0307406316 |
Podcasted | 2008-2009 |
ScottSigler.com Page |
Contagious is a thriller / science fiction novel by American author Scott Sigler, and the sequel to Infected. As with previous novels, Scott Sigler has preceded the release of the hardcover novel with the podcast version of the novel. The first episode of the podcast version was released on December 7, 2008.
Synopsis
Across America, a mysterious pathogen transforms ordinary people into raging killers, psychopaths driven by a terrifying, alien agenda. The human race fights back, yet after every battle the disease responds, adapts, using sophisticated strategies and brilliant ruses to fool its pursuers. The only possible explanation: the epidemic is driven not by evolution but by some malevolent intelligence.
Standing against this unimaginable threat is a small group, assembled under the strictest secrecy. Their best weapon is hulking former football star Perry Dawsey, left psychologically shattered by his own struggles with this terrible enemy, who possesses an unexplainable ability to locate the disease’s hosts. Violent and unpredictable, Perry is both the nation’s best hope and a terrifying liability. Hardened CIA veteran Dew Phillips must somehow forge a connection with him if they’re going to stand a chance against this maddeningly adaptable opponent. Alongside them is Margaret Montoya, a brilliant epidemiologist who fights for a cure even as she reels under the weight of endless horrors.
These three and their team have kept humanity in the game, but that’s not good enough anymore, not when the disease turns contagious, triggering a fast countdown to Armageddon. Meanwhile, other enemies join the battle, and a new threat — one that comes from a most unexpected source — may ultimately prove the most dangerous of all.
Characters
Government Officials | ||
Name | Information | Episodes Seen |
---|---|---|
John Gutierrez | President of the United States of America | Ep. 1, 2 |
Vanessa Coleburn | Chief of Staff | Ep. 1, 2 |
Donald Martin | Secretary of Defense | Ep. 1, 2 |
Murray Longworth | Deputy Director of the CIA | Ep. 1, 2 |
Margaret Montoya | CDC Epidemiologist | Ep. 1 |
Amos Braun | CDC Epidemiologist | Ep. 1 |
Dew Phillips | CIA Operative | Ep. 1, 2 |
Clarence Otto | CIA Operative | Ep. 1 |
Other Characters | ||
Perry Dawsey | Victim of the infection | Ep. 1, 2 |
Charlotte Wilson | Victim of the infection | Ep. 1 |
Chelsea Jewell | Victim of the secondary infection (Main Antagonist) | Ep. 2 |
The Exterminators (DOMREC) | ||
Charlie Ogden | Colonel, Head of the Exterminators | Ep. 1, 2 |
Jeff Cope | Corporal, Communication's Officer | Ep. 1, 2, 3 |
Lucas Mazagadi | Sgt. Major, NCO | Ep. 1 |
David Lodge | Captain | Ep. 1 |
Devon "Nails" Neilson | Sgt. Major | Ep. 1 |
James Eager | Sergeant, Fire Team Leader | Ep. 16 |
Alan Roark | Private | Ep. 21 |
Novel Research
In a previous podcast, Sigler has mentioned that he has plot "advisors" including members of the U.S. armed services, a PHD candidate in Biology, and "someone who works with satellites" (whose actual job is apparently too sensitive to be revealed). He also stated that he is seeking an expert on quantum entanglement and communication.
Release Schedule
Infected has been translated into several languages. For a full listing, visit the Translations Page.
| ||||
Cover Art | Edition | Country | Release Date | Site |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st Ed. Hardcover | United States | December 30, 2008 | Amazon.com U.S. | |
1st Ed. Paperback | United Kingdom | August 20, 2009 | Amazon.co.uk | |
1st Ed. Paperback | United States | December 29, 2009 | Amazon.com U.S. | |
1st Ed. Paperback | Germany | January 1, 2010 | Amazon.de Germany | |
Audio | ||||
Cover Art | Edition | Country | Release Date | Site |
2008 Podcast Audio Release | Worldwide (Internet) | December 7, 2008 | Podiobooks.com |
Promotional Efforts
Exterminators Patch Contest
A contest was held where the object was to design the patch used by the DOMREC team nicknamed The Exterminators. Scott Sigler announced the winner on November 5, 2008 in a congratulatory blog post. The winner was a junkie by the name of Jennifer Wills who can be found on the forums at scottsigler.com with the user name of cruzbabe63. Her winning design is pictured at right. Her winning submission earned her several prizes among which was a signed first-edition of Contagious in hardcover.
Characters Named for Fans
Similar to the novel Nocturnal, author Scott Sigler’s novel Contagious includes randomly chosen fans who have characters named after them. The luckiest of these fans will also have their character die a horrific and untimely death as the novel progresses. The following list of names can be found on the Contagious Fan Character page.
Poster Promotion
In his innovative style author Scott Sigler ran a unique promotional campaign on December 16, 2008. In order to generate awareness of the upcoming release of the horror novel Contagious, there were twelve unique promotional posters released, each hinting at a key phrase or plot point. What do they mean? You'll find out when you read the book or listen to the free podcast. What's more, if you put all twelve of these high-resolution, printable posters together in the right order, and you can see Perry's final, doom-filled vision.
Through January 2009, the only one you will find at scottsigler.com is the "DOMREC." The rest roll out exclusively on eleven other websites. Each site will feature one poster design only. To collect them all, you must visit all the sites (or subscribe to their respective RSS feeds).
Here are links to the posters for each site:
- Blog of all things cool: BoingBoing
- Science-fiction news blog: io9.com
- World's deadliest vidcast: Ask a Ninja
- Ring tone and cell-phone content site: Myxer
- Indie rock showcase podcast: Accident Hash
- Science fiction/fantasy publisher: Tor.com
- Astronomy/science blog and podcast: Bad Astronomy
- Web marketing guru: Chris Brogan
- Killer comedy podcast: Keith and the Girl
- Online culture vidcast: EPIC-FU
- Home of the 7th Son podcast novel trilogy: J.C. Hutchins.net
- Scott Sigler official website: ScottSigler.com
Contagious Book Tour
Following the success of the Sigler Stank Tour to promote the release of the novel Infected, author Scott Sigler is taking to the road again to promote the release of the sequel Contagious. The following schedule is the confirmed tour dates and locations.
Date | Time | City, State | Location |
---|---|---|---|
3 Jan 2008 | 2:00pm | San Francisco, California | M is for Mystery Bookstore |
6 Jan 2008 | 7:00pm | Seattle, Washington | U-Village Barnes & Noble |
10 Jan 2008 | 3:00pm | San Francisco, California | Borderlands Books |
13 Jan 2008 | 8:00pm | Denver, Colorado | Tattered Cover Bookstore |
14 Jan 2008 | 7:00pm | Phoenix, Arizona | Changing Hands Bookstore |
15 Jan 2008 | 6:30pm | Houston, Texas | Murder by the Book |
16 Jan 2008 | 7:00pm | Dallas, Texas | Borders Books & Music |
17 Jan 2008 | 7:00pm | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Magers & Quinn |
19 Jan 2008 | 7:00pm | Chicago, Illinois | The Book Stall |
20 Jan 2008 | 7:00pm | New York City, New York | Borders at Columbus Circle |
21 Jan 2008 | 7:30pm | Falls Church, Virginia | Borders at Bailey's Crossroads |
Accolades
Awards
2009 - Recipient of the Founder's Choice Award from Podiobooks.com | |
2009 - Finalist for the Parsec Award in Best Speculative Fiction Story (Long Form / Novel) | |
2010 - Recipient of the Our History Project Literary Excellence Award in Best Audio Book - Silver Award |
Quotes
A host of well respected authors and news outlets were kind enough to provide quotes in reference to the print version of ontagious. Here is what they had to say:
“An inventive, amped-up yarn . . . full of pressure-cooker mind games.”
—Entertainment Weekly
“A marvel of gonzo, in-your-face, up-to-the-minute terror. Sigler is masterful at grabbing the reader by the throat and refusing to let go.”
—Lincoln Child, New York Times bestselling author of Deep Storm
“Fraught with tension . . . Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets The Hot Zone.”
—Rocky Mountain News
“Part Stephen King, part Chuck Palahniuk . . . a pulpy masterpiece of action, terror, and suspense.”
—James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of The Judas Strain
“Riveting . . . leads the reader from one startling detail to the next . . . a terrifying page-turner.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Powerfully written . . . [with] an unforgettable central character. You’ll never listen to Cole Porter’s ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’ the same way again.”
—Dallas Morning News
“Once begun, not easily put down . . . leaves the reader’s heart still racing when the last page is turned.”
—Roanoke Times
Theme Music
The podcast version of Contagious used the song Perfect Day to Die by the band The Transfer. For a comprehensive list of music used in the podcast versions of Scott's works, refer to the Theme Music page.
Episode Downloads
Episode Number | Download Link | Podcast Date | Online (PDF) Link |
---|---|---|---|
Episode 1 | Download | December 7, 2008 | Download |
Episode 2 | Download | December 15, 2008 | Download |
Episode 3 | Download | December 21, 2008 | Download |
Episode 4 | Download | December 28, 2008 | Download |
Episode 5 | Download | January 5, 2009 | Download |
Episode 6 | Download | January 11, 2009 | Download |
Episode 7 | Download | January 18, 2009 | Download |
Episode 8 | Download | January 25, 2009 | Download |
Episode 9 | Download | February 2, 2009 | Download |
Episode 10 | Download | February 7, 2009 | Download |
Episode 11 | Download | February 15, 2009 | Download |
Episode 12 | Download | February 23, 2009 | Download |
Episode 13 | Download | March 1, 2009 | Download |
Episode 14 | Download | March 8, 2009 | Download |
Episode 15 | Download | March 15, 2009 | Download |
Episode 16 | Download | March 21, 2009 | Download |
Episode 17 | Download | March 29, 2009 | Download |
Episode 18 | Download | April 5, 2009 | Download |
Episode 19 | Download | April 12, 2009 | Download |
Episode 20 | Download | April 19, 2009 | Download |
Episode 21 | Download | April 26, 2009 | Download |
Episode 22 | Download | May 3, 2009 | Download |
Episode 23 | Download | May 10, 2009 | Download |
Episode 24 | Download | May 17, 2009 | Download |
Episode 25 | Download | May 24, 2009 | Download |
Episode 26 | Download | May 31, 2009 | Download |
See Also
External links
Novels by Scott Sigler
Aliens: Phalanx • Alive • Alight • Alone • EarthCore • Mount Fitz Roy • Ancestor • Descendant • Infected • Contagious • Pandemic • The Rookie • The Starter • The All-Pro • The MVP • The Champion • The Gangster • The Crypt • Nocturnal