The Infected

Before the Cure #2

by Deirdre Gould

The December Plague stripped thousands of people of their reason and basic humanity for two years. The disease left their bodies mostly untouched but their minds were ravaged by an uncontrollable fury and an insatiable urge to consume any meat they could find. The remaining immune population struggled to withstand the relentless waves of violent Infected until a cure for the disease was found. Neil Newton was one of the Infected. He spent two and a half years ill and trapped in a quarantined hospital until a cure team found him. Recalled to sanity by the cure, he finds the world is not the one he remembers. He wakes up surrounded by strangers in a place he does not recognize. His body is starved and scarred by the unending battles during his illness. His memory of what he has done to survive the past few years begins to return in pieces. And his family, including his eleven-year-old daughter, is missing in the chaos. In the shattered remains of human society, there are no real mechanisms to help him find his young daughter and her mother. No police to track them down. No widespread communications to appeal to for news. There is only a pitiful list of names of those who remain and the few strangers he meets who are willing to help him. The empty country is a vast web of abandoned roads, remaining Infected and dangerous pockets of Immunes who have become desperate as supplies and food dwindle. Neil risks the long trip home, hoping to find his family safe and fearing they'll never be able to accept what he's done to survive.

279 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 20, 2020

Reviews

[Saba Sitter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really, really enjoyed this book!! Deirdre Gould's writing definitely gets better as the series continues, and there are a lot less typos in this prequel than in the original series. She does a really good job of making you feel like you're really inside the world, and the characters are all very well written. There aren't any glaring plotholes and the whole thing flows very very well. Overall great book to end the series.

[Arianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright

I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first. The personalities all felt very much the same, and their viewpoints seemed to randomly change on a whim and change back again with no real reason. I really didn't like the way pretty much anyone behaved besides the lady in the very last chapter.

[Dawn O Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adventures with Neil and Friends

Another wonderful work by Deirdre Gould! Her characters are full, the scenery jumps out at you, and there are lots of surprises in The Infected! Goulishly Gould! 5 stars!

[Krish Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will read anything this author puts in front of me. I trust her that much, that I know I will enjoy the story her books are THAT good.

I eagerly await the next book.

[Alice Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A long journey to the cabin where a Cure can't save so many. The end of the road has more wisdoms than answers, but winter is coming.

[Brandi Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good! Again, a little repetitive at times, but I enjoyed the story and can't wait to see how it ends!