We owe our good health to a humble parasite – a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the Intestinal Bodyguard worm 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.

Almost as soon as I finished Mira Grant’s recent novella, Kingdom of Needle and Bone, I knew that Parasitology was gonna be the next series of her’s that I’d read. The sense of believability in Kingdom was just palpable, and uncomfortable. I fell in love with her ability to blend sci-fi & horror & quirky characters in Into the Drowning Deep, and based on this first book in the Parasitology trilogy, I’m in for a fucking treat.

Parasite is the story of Sally Mitchell, or Sal, as we’ll come to know her. Sally was involved in a horrific car accident, one she was not expected to survive after slipping into a coma. But then miraculously, Sally wakes up. The story really begins about six years later, so Sal’s life experience is…unique. She has no memory of her life before the accident, and so much feels so new to her. Throughout the novel, everything about Sal’s perspective is just a little unexpected.

The story takes place in the not-so-distant future, in the age of SymboGen. SymboGen is a massive corporation started by three scientists. Their biggest contribution to society has been the Intestinal Bodyguard, a genetically manipulated parasite ingested into the body. It’s a medical miracle. This parasite is keeping the world’s population healthier than ever, helping our immune systems ward off sickness & disease. Additionally, people no longer have to remember to take their medications…it’s all handled by their Bodyguard.

After her miraculous recovery, Sal becomes something of a pet project for SymboGen. They monitor every aspect of her life, and she spends copious amounts of her time at their facility undergoing all manner of scientific tests.

In fact, most of the people in Sal’s life are scientists. Her boyfriend, Nathan, is a parasitologist at a city hospital in San Francisco, and her father is high up the ladder with the Army’s infectious diseases department (where her sister is also an intern).

So, when shit hits the fan in this book (and it hits the fan hard), Sal has this kind of circle of protection & knowledge surrounding her. If she can trust any of them, that is.

Soon enough, there are…incidents. One after another. People not acting like themselves. They become blank slates. Vacant. And then ultimately, extremely violent. And suddenly, Sal finds herself right in the middle of this very dark, sprawling conspiracy. Is it the Intestinal Bodyguard that’s causing people to act this way? Or is it something else?

Like Kingdom of Needle and Bone, Parasite asks a lot of questions of the reader. Would you allow yourself to play host to a parasite if you thought it would improve your health? How far would you stretch the limits of your ethics if you could save millions of lives? And how far would you go to protect the lives of those closest to you?

Damn, I loved this one a lot. It had a wicked X-Files vibe, which I’m always going to appreciate. I think Sal is an incredibly interesting main character. She’s trying to build herself from the ground up, all while trying to handle the emotional fallout of dealing with her family, who don’t really know how to handle her. She is not the person they knew, and that comes through to Sal in some really upsetting ways. She’s scared, and she’s confused, but she’s also a fighter. And a dog lover, so, come on. She’s fucking awesome.

There are also some great secondary characters in this book, not the least of which is Tansy. Tansy is…just wow. She’s weird & hilarious & possibly-maybe one of the most unhinged characters I’ve ever met. Or at least the character with the least amount of filter between her brain & her mouth. What a total badass!

This is a great start to a trilogy! Grant takes her time setting things in motion, but then you’re fully grabbing onto the “oh shit bar” constantly. The creepy stuff is super creepy, and there are some serious moments of tension in this one. All that & the offbeat humor, and some big emotional gut-punches…yeah…I’m VERY excited to get going on Symbiont!