This follow up to Zer0es is going to make fans of paranoid tech thrillers very, very happy. While not exactly a sequel to Zer0es, Invasive again features FBI agent Hollis Cooper trying not to freak out and to keep a lid on technology that that could threaten humankind’s very existence.
This time futurist Hannah Stander is also on board to help. The mystery starts with a flayed dead man surrounded in zillions of dead ants in a rural cabin. When we find out the killer ants were genetically engineered, this story goes all Michael Crichton. And that’s not a bad thing—especially when fed through the buzzsaw of Wendig’s imagination.
“Wendig puts his own stamp on this propulsive techno-thriller with his signature action set pieces, a deeply damaged heroine, and a pervasive threat that will give all but the most hardened readers the creepy-crawlies. The book makes some very salient points about the ethics of genetic engineering but doesn’t forego action as the book culminates in a biological catastrophe, not to mention a deadly cat-and-mouse chase on the treacherous Kalalau Trail on the North Shore of Kauai. Hannah Stander is a standout heroine—raised by survivalists and gifted with an unparalleled ability for predictive analysis. Think Thomas Harris’ Will Graham and Clarice Starling rolled into one and pitched on the knife’s edge of a scenario that makes Jurassic Park look like a carnival ride. Another rip-roaring, deeply paranoid thriller about the reasons to fear the future.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Genetically engineered ants command center stage in Chuck Wendig’s enthralling science-fiction thriller Invasive…Wendig does an impeccable job blending fact and fiction as he describes invasive species and insects being used as biological weapons. This is a propulsive tale that also examines our interaction with — and manipulation of — the natural world.”
— Washington Post
Invasive (9780062351579) by Chuck Wendig. $25.99 hardcover. 8/16/16 on sale.
Advance Readers Edition 