Reviews

What a ride!
Debo comenzar diciendo que Erin Bowman es una de mis autoras predilectas... siento que Erin tiene un gran potencial en armar historias originales con personajes (sobre todo femeninos) fuertes, y a veces me deprime notar que no tiene el reconocimiento que merece.
Volviendo a la reseña de este libro, debo decir: eso fue un viaje. Este libro es como contener el aliento durante 400 páginas. El mundo está bien elaborado, cada personaje tiene una personalidad bien formada, vemos como los personajes van evolucionando a través de la historia, la cual es rápida de leer, y, además, tenemos la infección/bacteria. Ame como es descrita está enfermedad y cómo se desarrolla. Ame todo la verdad, excepto a Dylan, a quien odie durante todo el libro por ser tan cabeza dura. Su final sólo me tocó un poco y fue más por Nova que por ella en sí. Como odie a esa mujer.
Y el final del libro... eso fue cruel. Aún falta para que salga la secuela, lo cual hace todo esto aún peor. Pero tengo fe en que Erin hará un excelente trabajo como lo ha hecho en sus libros anteriores.
A pesar de no dar detalles de la trama, preferí dar aviso de spoilers por si eres de esas personas como yo que no quieren saber absolutamente nada del libro.

allisoncrutch's review against another edition

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fast-paced

4.0

while it took me a few days to finish it, my actual reading time was about 4 hours! it is such a fast-paced book with *multiple* POVs. the multiple POVs pay off in the end with the kinda-sorta twist.

jane_kelsey's review against another edition

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5.0

This book is definitely going to have a spot on my favorite reads of 2020!

Why?
1. really good writing which draws you in, well researched and full of surprises
2. brilliantly paces plot, never knew what was going to happen, edge of your seat moments.
3. characters that you can love or hate, but above all understand their motivations and actions!
4. it all happens in space and there's a contagion (hah!)
and omggggg that ending!!!

So now, pick it up and read it! You're welcome!

jcsteely's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

amym84's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5

Originally posted at Vampire Book Club

After receiving a distress call from a drilling crew on the planet Achlys, the crew of the Odyssey is instructed to head out to the far reaches of the Fringe for a standard search and rescue mission.

However, once they arrive on planet and discover everyone dead and everything in chaos, they know that this isn’t a standard mission.

Now they’ll have to figure out who, or what, could take out an entire team of people all while trying to survive until backup arrives. But as secrets and suspect motivations start to come to light among the crew of the Odyssey it might become every man and woman for themselves.

There are four perspectives readers get: That of Nova, the pilot of the Odyssey, kicked out of the military due to a genetic disorder—she has a lot to prove, and potentially lose, with this piloting job. Thea, an intern with Hevetz Industries helping one of their top scientists—she’s overlooked due to her young age, but she’s resourceful. Dr. Lisbeth Tarlow, the aforementioned scientist, infamously known as the only survivor of a previous attempt to drill on Achlys—she definitely has kept her own secrets all these years. And finally, Toby the IT technician who is opposed to everything the Hevetz Industries stands for and is very out spoken in his disgruntlement.

The beginning of Contagion throws a lot at readers. Besides setting up all the various characters—those with perspectives and those without—we are also getting a background on the current political climate within the Union (aka United Planetary Coalition) which, based on how things play out in the story, will probably come more into play in the next book. Contagion itself focuses mainly on our ragtag group of people figuring out what happened on Achlys.

I did love the way Erin Bowman weaves the various perspectives into the story and with that how she sets up this mystery of potential goings on behind the scenes, sowing this sense of distrust. I feel hard pressed to say I completely trusted any of the characters.

However, I felt like Thea represented the “every(wo)man.” She kind of speaks for the reader. She’s the character who is the most removed from any political ties, that her perspective really took a step back and was good at showing the full picture of what needed to happen to survive. I really loved seeing her character go from being overlooked due to her intern status, to being the one making some tough decisions.

Erin Bowman really crafted an engaging and visual story in Contagion. I could see everything playing out in my mind as I read the words on the page. It calls to mind the best sci-fi movies. Fast-paced and full of twists and turns. There’s still enough mystery left regarding the Contagion itself to propel things towards the sequel.

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