Infection: Sympatico Syndrome: Volume 1 Paperback – 26 July 2016

Really enjoyed this book and looking forward to the next instalment. It's fast paced and believable and I couldn't put it down.

A very good post-apocalyptic book following three sets of characters who are in different locations in the USA as the outbreak begins. We follow them as they try to get to a 'safe haven' on an island near Green Bay, Wisconsin (on the Great Lakes). Characters are normal people, mostly likeable, not superheroes, and the plot hangs together extremely well.The disease itself is interesting - a virus which causes euphoria and extreme 'socialisation' (dancing, drinking and partying!) basically causing behaviour which spreads the disease very rapidly before victims succumb to a quick death. There is not much gore or violence in the book, but it is not a 'cosy catastrophe' because there are harrowing moments and some central characters die. This being set in America, almost everyone has a gun, or soon obtains one. There are some hints that Cole, the central character, may be resistant to the virus (he was an epidemiologist who worked in a military biohazard lab, where the virus may have been developed, and it was mentioned several times that he became sick but recovered during this time). Guess I'll have to read book 2 to find out if my theory is correct!Only 4 stars because it could have done with a proof-read; the author has a bit of a tendency to over-explain things; and annoying wordiness on occasion:"It was nice to not have to have to stake them out". "She fished a new pair from her pocket, having stuck them there before leaving her room". "He inspected his arrows, making sure they were all in good condition before returning them to the quiver he'd bought as well". Minor offences but annoying when repeated often - it just needs a tidy up by an editor and it will be a 5-star read.

It’s been so long since I have read a truly great apocalypse story and the thriller aspect to this made it immensely page turning. Infection really goes to the grass roots of this type of novel, more recently the ones I have read often feel cliched or like a parody of the genre. From the get go this book is powerful and brings up so many “what if” scenarios. Whilst our focal point is Cole and his quest, there are also the stories of his son Hunter, and his friend Elly which help to bring home how the infection has impacted upon both urban and rural areas. Sympatico itself is an unusual disease and the manic euphoria experience makes it a chillingly creepy one too and I like how it doesn’t fall into the more obvious route.Cole’s history of dealing with infectious diseases makes him the perfect candidate to fully understand the impact of what is happening. The balancing act he has to play between prepping like mad and convincing his family he isn’t actually, well, mad is a difficult one for him to manage. Asking your family to give up their jobs and homes, your child to give up school – all on a hunch? These are topics so often overlooked and I found it really refreshing to get this aspect in a story, the snapshot of time where things haven’t truly hit the fan, but something clearly isn’t right and having to make a life altering decision. It of course always helps when the one person who can identify things in advance has a handy island bequeathed to them. But that is the focus, and hey, handy islands have to belong to someone!Elly’s story is the more harrowing of the 3, urban areas often are though and whilst being on the 18th floor of a hotel is great for views, it runs the risk of becoming Elly’s tomb. Whilst Hunter is on quite the adventure, being in more rural parts makes day by day survival more perilous as time goes on. I love the juxtaposition between the 3, the inventiveness and resourcefulness they must all come to in order to make their way forward.There are little in the way of light hearted moments and it’s right that it should be that way, the world has become a very tough place to be, especially when we are at day 1 of the disease, the sparing use of these lighter moments gives it a much truer feel of what the characters are going through. There are some really harrowing scenes and my heart was pounding in places, really willing the story to play out the way I hoped it would – this is not a HEA though and not everything will go to plan. The pace and flow of the book is perfect with everything unravelling at a believable pace, great care has been taken to get these things right and it really pays off.It looks like this is book one of a trilogy and it does round off in a satisfying way whilst also being open ended for book 2. If you like your apocalypse books to be from Day 1 with a real life feel, you will love Infection!

Loved this book , found it hard to put down ,and am ready to read any other books by this author .

I really liked that you had several storylines to follow. The way all aspects of the basic necessities were brought up got me thinking about what I would do! Can't wait to start the next in the trio but as it is now half past four in the morning I should really get some sleep! Recommend it to all , just start it a bit earlier in the day

Post apocalyptic story with a decent twist. It's not much like the others of the same genre.Really decent story line and not just all doom and gloom.

Infection was a brilliant read. The story flowed so well. There isn't really any action and it certainly wasn't needed anyway. There were times when I had to hold my breath and that was enough excitement needed. I loved the characters they were amazing and when the labrador and the horses came in that was me hooked. The only thing I hate about having animals in the story is that there is always the chance that something could happen to them. I highly recommended this book.

Absolutely gripping series. Fast paced with an intriguing story line . Great characters. Would definitely recommend this series. Looking forward to the next book

Read this book so fast, every time i went to put it away the tory would reach a point where some action was imminent and had to keep reading. When book 1 in series ended i was so worried about the horses and goats being left on the mainland. You develop a relationship with the characters human and animal and worry about them as story progresses. Very good so far, cant wait to devour the next 2 books in the series.

This is one of the best post-apocalyptic books that I have ever read (and I have read quite a few). The characters were believable and complex with real motivations, making the best out of a dire yet plausible situation. You couldn’t help from rooting for them. There were no dark anti-hero’s here.Like most of this genre, I wanted to enjoy a good story and think through the situation that the characters found themselves in – this book allowed me to do both. The fictional disease seemed realistic and was presented in a convincing consistent way. The reactions of all of the people, whether major characters or not, made sense. Sometimes the main characters made mistakes (and they and I learned from those). I have read (or tried to read) many free Amazon books over the last few years. Most are worthless. This is one of three (total) that rank with the very best of the free ones AND with the best of other fiction that I have read over the years. The author clearly has talent and I plan to purchase her second book in the series, “Isolation”. If it was available now I’d be buying it.The book itself is a complete story, not a teaser. It stands on its own and left me with enough interest in what would happen next that I am eagerly awaiting the sequel.

This book held me by the throat from the first page. I felt that I was with Cole, Sean and Hunter as they tried to escape and survive the horrific events unfolding around them. You can taste the fear on your tongue as the reader kept pacing and fighting with them to survive. So happy Elly met Jake and they survived also. Hunter and Sophie helping each other to make it alive. It ended with joy and a deep sadness. Must buy the next novel to continue the story, believe me, it’s that good.

Post apocalyptic tale that keeps you interested throughout. Riveting. Great descriptive prose, easy to read and picture what's going on. Liked it very much.

Infection: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Novel by M.P. McDonald The subtitle pretty much gives the basic plot away. Like Stephen King's "The Stand," or a myriad of others in this genre, a bio-engineered virus escapes from a government lab. In this novel, the reason for the escape seems to be carelessness or incompetence, not malice. But the end result is an infection that is 98% lethal, with an incubation period of perhaps weeks, few diagnostic symptoms prior to catastrophic hemorrhaging and death. Disease victims seem to experience euphoria and a desire for social contact. The latter effect s implied in the name, "Sympatico Syndrome." Cole Evans, the main protagonist, is a trained epidemiologist with experience with the Ebola virus in the field. He is friends with Elly Johnson, who works with the Center for Disease Control (CDC), on temporary duty in Chicago. These two, plus Cole's son, Hunter, his brother's family, and three other survivors make up the tiny circle on which the book is focused.What I Liked: While the general plot is not original, to say the least, it is in the specifics that make or break a novel, since few are totally original. "Infection" handles the specifics pretty well. McDonald has crafted an interesting page-turner. The Sympatico Syndrome hits like a sledgehammer and spreads like wildfire. Even people who understand the principles of preventing viral transmission take the needed precautions too late. Cole and Elly are exceptions and Cole's family take his advice, even though it sounds crazy to them. They survive. One girl survives without special precautions, so she is apparently one of the 2% that have natural immunity. I liked the flow of the narrative, the dialogue, and the plot. It kept my interest throughout. Cole is a believable hero. No superman, he nevertheless has the leadership skills and knowledge necessary to ensure his own survival and save many of those close to him. Things I did not like: The editing was not great. Probably worse than average for a self-published book. It seemed to me that the plague spread incredibly fast. For example, Hunter Evans left his college campus and drove toward the island retreat. But within two days, even on remote farms, everyone was already dead and rotting. I don't think that this kind of rapid spread is possible. Two months, Yes. Two weeks, maybe. Two days, no. A great deal of space is spent itemizing the supplies Cole and his extended family packed into their rental truck. Of course, they thought they were packing for months of seclusion on an island. But tit turns out that in a couple of weeks, most people would be dead and the supplies of the nation are free for the taking. Since the author knows what will happen, I am surprised that she devoted so much space to the supplies that they packed. In contrast, Elly has almost noting but some masks and gloves in her hotel room, but she does fine by merely waiting a couple of days for everyone to die, then taking what she needs. Sheltering in place seems to be a viable option, particularly in this case. But in a more realistic situation she would have to shelter for months, and food would have been a real problem and possibly water, if the utilities began to fail. The novel is a rather linear plot of problems encountered, problems solved. The conclusion is merely the solution of the problem of getting the main characters to the island retreat. I would have liked to see a bit more character growth. I did see a bit in the case of Cole and his brother. Elly seemed to be amazingly unreflective. Her main emotion seemed to be fear mixed with stoicism. She does find the fortitude to kill a man in self-defense, which is a stretch for a person trained to save lives. But even in this crisis, she seems to not reflect on what she had to do, show remorse, or be greatly affected at all. I think a sort of mental numbness would be a defense mechanism, and is not unrealistic. I saw this in the Vietnam War. But too much numbness makes for an uninteresting story. Editing was not great. Yes, I know that professional editing is expensive. Yes, I know that even good editors miss some problems. But a thorough edit, focusing on comma rules, would help this novel greatly.Conclusion: I liked this book. It is not a deep, introspective study. But I have a weakness for stories of survival against impossible odds. Readers should be aware that this book is the introduction of a series, and does not resolve the root problem of how to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. It does not ask, much less try to answer, the deep questions that such a plague poses. But it does provide a diverting read, and perhaps that is enough.