Parasite
Ratings5
Average rating4.6
When a guard discovers an unusual lifeform on her remote moon outpost, she disregards protocol to investigate―with catastrophic consequences. It soon becomes clear she’s stuck in isolation with an alien capable of incredible depravity. The parasite wears its victims’ skins and adopts their personalities. It mimics the way they talk, the way they look, the way they act. It’s the perfect disguise.
And by the time humanity realizes it’s facing extinction, it’s already too late.
As the alien’s ruthless progress collapses communication networks, wipes out defenses, and leaves hundreds of stations to fend for themselves, a handful of remarkable individuals must find a way to battle the greatest threat the universe has ever encountered… or die trying.
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As a science fiction/Fantasy/horror author Darcy Coates, with an extensive bibliography has been on my radar for a while especially given she lives in the Central Coast of Australia with "her family, cat, and a collection of chickens. Her home is surrounded by rolling wilderness on all sides". I selected Parasite out of her back catalogue as it ticks a lot of my preferred boxes, Science Ficiton, Interstellar Space, Aliens and Pandemic models…
As I was reading it its style reminded me of World War Z with its shifting view points in a series of discrete encounters in a larger narrative. This made sense when I realised this novel is actually five short stories/novellas tied together by an alien invasion throughout a distant human-populated system united under an entity called Control.
A fast, well-crafted straight forward tale of the monstrous alien infiltrator infection and the humans who after setbacks learn to rally and begin to defeat the threat. Nothing wrong with that. My sole caveat is that ends with a "the war had only just begun…". So whilst I don't think there is any likelyhood of a continuation of the story so it can leave a reader a bit unsatisfied.
I can't believe the low ratings on this book. It's definitely one my favorite horror stories although I am a sucker for sci-fi horror.
The story constitutes of 3 short stories and 2 novellas which are all set on different planets, but they're all going through the same thing...An invasion of the most horrifying aliens you can imagine. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a single short story in my life but then this author gives me 3 in a row that are outstanding! Her prose is simple and fast paced and an absolute thrill ride. I'll definitely be reading more of her work.
