Parasite

In the spirit of complete honesty, I have to admit that although I read this novel for the "2014 I Just HAVE To Read More of That Author WWE Challenge" I have never actually finished one of Mira Grant's novels before. I have started her debut novel Feed at least three times and have never gotten past page 104. But I am not one to hold one novel against an author. I felt that maybe because I am 40 years old and I only own a Nook HD+ (hey don't judge me, I love my Nook), and I just bought my first "smart" phone last year, and it is such a cheap model I have christened it my "slightly stupid phone" and I don't "Blog" or have a Twitter account, and the only news I get on-line is my entertainment news, that maybe I'm just getting old and it was all the technology and blogging references that were turning me off. So I decided to give her new novel Parasite book one in her new series "Parasitology" a try.

So I am going to have to do something I hate to do in my reviews, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN THE FOLLOWING REVIEW. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! BUT TO BE HONEST EVEN IF YOU READ THIS REVIEW I DON'T THINK THIS BOOK WILL SURPRISE YOU, SO FORGET ALL THIS ALL CAPS SECTION AND GO AHEAD AND FINISH READING MY REVIEW. I DARE YOU.

With Parasite, Mira Grant was able to rip off both Frankenstein (which I have read) and The Body Snatchers (which I have not read, but have seen all 4 movie versions). She did not even do it in a good way. By the 5th chapter I realized that the parasites were taking over their human hosts, and that Sally or Sal as she preferred to be called was a parasite. And then there was the Doctor Shanti Cale. The only thing missing from her "mad scientist" lab was the conductors for the lightning bolts. She even had her maniacal assistant in "Tandy". As the genetic engineer that designed the parasite, Dr. Cale spent much of the novel defending and explaining her actions which she knew were wrong at the time but did it anyway just because she could. In one of the few honest moments in the novel, she admitted to her son, who she abandoned by faking her own death, that if it had not been the parasites, something else would have pulled her away from him because her drive for scientific knowledge was just that great. As a character, Dr. Cale's insanity when she was speaking was a glorious light of entertainment in what was otherwise a completely forgettable novel.

Well at least now I can honestly say that I have given Mira Grant a fair shake and I don't like her writing. I'm sure this novel will go on to do well, if the reviews on Goodread.com are any example. As I stand in front of my bathroom mirror berating myself and giving my face the occasional smack I will tell myself for the 100th time "Being on the New York Times Best Sellers List DOES NOT make them a good author, just a popular one." Now forgive me as I go to my bedroom and write that sentence 101 times, maybe it will finally sink in!