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Infection: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Novel (Sympatico Syndrome Book 1) Kindle Edition
They weren't ready for the apocalypse but ready or not, it was coming...
Faced with the very real possibility of extinction of the human race, Cole Evans has only one chance to save his family and survive — a safe haven on an isolated, hard to reach island. No one realizes there's a deadly illness spreading like wildfire until it's too late. With few symptoms, victims literally drop dead after a brief surge of energy. Within days, the virus tears through the population of the United States and the world. Can Cole convince his brother that the danger is real and that there's enough space for his family as well? And, can they all reach the island before the lights go out for them ... forever?
Get this exciting post-apocalyptic thriller today.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateAugust 12, 2016
- Reading age13 - 18 years
- File size931 KB
- Loneliness sprung from being among other people but not feeling connected. Alone meant zero human contact and no opportunity to make a connection.Highlighted by 79 Kindle readers
- After grabbing six lanterns, five flashlights, including a couple of crank varieties, extra bulbs, and batteries, he got kerosene for the lamps, Googled the supplies needed for a solar oven, then bought enough for three.Highlighted by 59 Kindle readers
- An assortment of utility knives went into the cart, ropes, stakes, netting, and then he came to the tents.Highlighted by 52 Kindle readers
From the Publisher
Swine Flu didn't scare former epidemiologist Cole Evans. Ebola didn't frighten him either. Sympatico Syndrome terrified him.
The deadly virus was like if Ebola and the Spanish Flu had a baby and Sympatico Syndrome was the lethal offspring. It races through the population with the contagious of measles. With an over 95% mortality rate, the only way to survive is to flee to the most isolated place you can find. Given a few days advance warning from a former colleague, Ellie, Cole knows he must find a safe haven — and find it fast!
For Cole, that's an isolated island a mile off-shore in Green Bay. His son, Hunter, is away at college halfway across the country, and what seems like an easy feat for him to get home soon turns into a harrowing nightmare of a journey.
Cole's brother and his family live nearby, but convincing them that this virus is real and they must drop everything and get to safety before the virus infects them all is easier said than done. They aren't ready to give up their jobs, or home, and pull their kids from school on a vague warning from someone they have never met. Can he get everyone to safety in time?
Editorial Reviews
Review
From the Inside Flap
Sean was right behind him with the truck and Jenna and the kids following Sean. He hoped his brother wouldn't jump out and start waving his handgun around. He was grateful for Sean's forethought to bring the weapon, but it was three against one, and now Jenna and the kids were around.
Cole rolled his window down a crack, squinting at the man who was backlit by the sun and wearing a baseball cap pulled low. "What's going on? I live on this street and need to get home."
"Do you have proof of residence?"
Cole glared. "Since when do I need proof that I live in my house? My key is proof, now get those barricades out of the street and let me through." He had his license, of course, but that wasn't the point. He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "The two vehicles behind me are family. Let them in, too."
"Cole, is that you?"
He blinked up at the face. "Who wants to know?"
The man pulled off his cap. "It's me. Jerry Keeling."
"Doctor Keeling? The dentist?" He'd taken Hunter to the guy a few times after their regular dentist had retired. He'd also spoken to him at the annual block party, but he'd never had the impression the man would become militant in a situation like this.
"Yeah. We've had outsiders trying to seek shelter in the neighborhood. They think because we're upscale here, that we're safe."
Cole bit back a retort. Their neighborhood, while nice enough, was hardly upscale. "Look, Jerry, I just need to get home. It's only going to be for a few hours, then we're leaving." Crap. He probably shouldn't have said that.
Jerry scratched his cheek, his gaze wandering to the other two men as if seeking permission. "Okay,I guess I can let you pass, but the truck and the other car will have to stay out. Only residents allowed." He smiled as if he was doing Cole a favor.
Cole fixed Jerry with a hard stare. "Listen, Jerry, that's my brother in the truck and his family in the red Ford. Now, unless you're going to shoot me, they're coming, too."
Jerry glanced back, his grip shifting on the hunting rifle. He cast a nervous look at the other two men still on the other side of the barricade. "I don't know. We're only supposed to let residents through--"
Cole had had enough of this. He put the car in park and opened his door. He looked at the other two men, their rifles pulled closer to their bodies as if they were ready to aim them. He spread his arms, palms out. "Listen, I live here. Right over there, in fact." He pointed to his house. "We're coming through here, getting my belongings and then leaving. We're not stealing anyone's stuff, and we want to keep all contact to a minimum. I don't even want to be this close to any of you. I'd recommend that you keep back from anyone trying to approach the barricade and get yourselves some good masks."
"Who the hell are you to tell us what to do?" One of the men circled the barricade. He was taller and heavier than the short, slim, dentist,and he shouldered Jerry out of the way. "We say who comes and who goes."
Cole narrowed his eyes and straightened his shoulders. "As it happens, I know a thing or two about diseases since I'm an epidemiologist. I worked with the CDC for many years and even went to Africa to help manage the Ebola outbreak. Do you have better credentials?"
The man's mouth dropped open.
"Yes, that's what I thought."
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B01FYBBC2Y
- Publisher : MPMcD Publishing (August 12, 2016)
- Publication date : August 12, 2016
- Language : English
- File size : 931 KB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 270 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #23,196 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
M. P. McDonald is an author known for captivating narratives that blend magical realism, post-apocalyptic adventure, and historical fiction. Her stories leave readers on the edge of their seats, exploring new worlds and time periods with gripping intensity.
Beyond writing, M. P. McDonald cherishes moments with her grandsons, finding inspiration in the joy and wonder they bring. These connections often influences her work, infusing it with depth and authenticity.
An enthusiastic novice gardener, M. P. McDonald cultivates plants like sunchokes, sweet potatoes, watermelons, and pumpkins, drawing parallels between their growth and the development of her stories. With a growing fan base captivated by her unique storytelling, M. P. McDonald's work lingers in readers' minds and hearts long after the final page.
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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.
Wow - a good read is an understatement. Others have commented on the author's creation of a virus - I found his endnotes on how he designed the virus very interesting. From what I remember of my biology classes, everything seems to hold together.
Pros: well-written - I don't recall any grammar errors nor misuse of words or the like. Engaging characters. I really felt for the family as one of the children contracted the virus. I also liked the character growth of Hunter as he traveled across the country.
Cons: a few things seemed unrealistic - Cole having multiple ebola type Haz-Mat suits for one.
Other comments: The story arc of getting to the island was completed but a lot of threads were left hanging. I realize this was set to be a trilogy but I would have preferred to have more closure.
My personal ranking is 4.5 rounded down to 4. I recommend it.
I’m a little stumped with how to review this one. It came to me by way of recommendation when searching for books where romance was not an important plot point. This does not deliver in that respect. It is not the main plot point, but we spend a lot of time dealing with it and so if you’re anti romance (I’m not anti, just bored with it) then this is not the book for you. It’s not terribly written, by any means. Thoughts are pretty coherent, and I didn’t notice any major major plot holes. That having been said, I can’t say I like it either. I’m intrigued. I was intrigued enough to finish it and then bought the second one because I have hopes for it. I don’t know why though. I don’t particularly like the main character though she does have some admirable qualities, and almost everyone else is either an archetype or a plot device and who they are matters very little. I think that could change, which is maybe where my optimism lies and why I’ve bought the next one. I’ll read it and post a review there, and I guess we’ll see if I find what I’m looking for, whatever that is, and will give me the desire to finish out the series.
Top reviews from other countries
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.