SFF

Symbiont

Orbit: Hachette. (Parasitology, Bk. 2). Nov. 2014. 608p. ISBN 9780316218993. $26; ebk. ISBN 9780316219006. SF
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Sal Mitchell's world changed at the end of the first book of the series, 2013's Parasite. She believed that the parasite that she and millions of others like her had implanted was helping her, but now she realizes that she is the parasite. Sal and love interest Nathan (and everyone else in San Francisco) are in grave danger from the hordes of humans whose implants have started attacking their hosts, and there are those who want the parasites to win. The chief villain, as with all good horror, is the human who created the monsters out of hubris and greed.
VERDICT Pretty much nonstop action keeps the narrative moving, with only a few inconvenient stops for scientific exposition. Grant (author of the "Newsflesh" series and "October Daye" series under the name Seanan McGuire) sometimes has trouble striking the right tone for Sal, who is a challenging heroine and by turns horribly naïve and maturely intuitive. Be warned, this one ends on another cliff-hanger. [See Eric Norton's sf/fantasy feature, "A Multiplicity of Realms," LJ 8/14.
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