Five stars, no notes, I was terrified the entire time. I love a body snatcher horror, and I could not put this one down. An alien threat is taking over the crews of station after station on the fringe of human-occupied space, and the shifting focus on different groups of characters handling the threat in their own ways massively upped the stakes and made it clear that no one was safe. It’s going to take me a few days to recover from this.

Parasite by Darcy Coates is a science fiction horror that takes place on different space stations. Each time the reader goes to a different space station the reader and the people aboard the space station know a little bit more about the enemy which is a plant-based lifeform that can borrow the skin and mimic the human they have just killed. This leads to a lot of mistrust and suspicion just amongst regular humans not infected. This novel is intense as each station is a fight for human life thrill ride. The premise reminds me of John Carpenter's The Thing mixed with Aliens, where the thing is a threat but the biggest threat is paranoia from humans. The novel works as a series of vignettes since each station is its own story but also works as a larger story by way of knowledge. We follow 5 different women on space stations with different job titles one is a captain while another is the lowest person on the space station. The women portrayed all have inner strength even if they don't realize it. The characters are different and each own individual. The stories are all paced very well, there was only one story that took me a while to get into as the lead character is an asshole (self-admitted) and takes a bit to warm up to but by the end, I was very invested in the story. I will say it was pretty bold of Darcy Coates to tell a completely different story with a whole new set of characters each time, but every time by the end of the story I was invested. The fourth story was my favorite and I could argue that that story should have been last. This is a fun novel that reads very quickly. I would have liked one chapter where all the survivors from the stations meet up and kick some alien butt but Coates stuck to each story being self-contained where no characters from other stories meet. The stories were originally written as short stories and put together as an omnibus. I would like to think Netgalley and Poisoned Press Books for a free copy in exchange for a review. I read this as part of the rerelease. Parasite was first published on August 6, 2016.

Plot Summary: While outside of Space Station 331, a crew member spots something large and black wrapped around the satellite. The crew member attempts to dislodge it but it attacks. The crew member comes back to the airlock without their helmet seeming fine. do they let them in or not? this starts the nightmare of a parasite that can mimic the way we think and talk. how can humans defeat such a thing? As the story unfolds and humans interact with this deadly new species they learn their strengths and weaknesses giving humanity a chance to defeat them.

What I Liked: How intense and sometimes gory the stories got. I love kick-ass women and this book is full of them. I loved the paranoia aspect of the book and how far that went sometimes. I loved when space madness is involved in the story and how chaotic that is mixed with aliens that can mimic people. Story 4 was my absolute favorite it was intense, had many twists and turns, was a love story, was funny, and had the best ending. The first story is short but kind of jarring before you realize the story is completely new. I liked the weakness of the Cymic when not in the human body can not see only hear.

What I Disliked: The survivors never meet up or there is any connection at all. Smart women kept making too dumb of mistakes not thinking of the enemy at all times.

Recommendations: Parasite is a really fun easy read that is intense in all the right places. The book has kick-ass female leads that are all written differently and for the most part, rise to the challenge. Despite the book's dark subject, it finds ways to inject humor throughout. This is my first Darcy Coates novel and I'm charmed. I recommend you read Parasite.

Rating: I rated Parasite by Darcy Coates 4.1 stars out of 5.

Talk about out of this world!!

This book had me enthralled, as a parasite alien life form overthrows space stations one by one, with such stealth and precision that humanity doesn't even realize it's happening.

I hope to see this story adapted for tv screens one day

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Special thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The disconnected stories made the book seem kind of disjointed, and the ending was very abrupt. Otherwise it was okay. Definitely creepy.

I absolutely loved this book this was a continuation of Darcy's short story station 331 this book is very detailed on several stations or moons with different characters that all encounter a unknown organism that mimics its host and either kills or infects all those around it. This book is a great sci fi book to read and I would love to see this book be turned into a movie since it's similar but very different to some other amazing movies out their like the thing definitely worth reading this book

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jam packed with suspense, action and dread. I hated coming to the end of this book. It was brilliant.

I've read a couple of books by this author and I enjoyed most of them, but I think this was my favorite so far! I loved how scary it was at times and I think this is an amazing read for October.

i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I enjoyed the use of aliens in a different way. I look forward to more from the author.

A gripping science fiction novel about aliens being able to inhabit people's skins. On a remote space outpost, female protagonists are forced to fight for their lives, and also try to stop the spread of this invasive species. Well written.

Sadly i'm not able to read this one. For some unknown reason it didn't get sent to my kindle . and i know i hit download that day i got it.

Is that your colleague or is a parasite wearing your colleague's skin?

I understand this book was first published as a serial story. Since I'm an impatient person, I'm glad that I read this after it was gathered together into one book with five parts.

One thing I noticed right away in this book is that there are a lot of strong female protagonists. I appreciated that.

Each segment (novella) of this story takes place on different stations across space that humans have colonized. Some of the stations are very small and some are huge.

Then unexpected, unwanted visitors in the form of slimy bioforms start hitching rides to these station on meteors, asteroids, or what have you. That's when the horror starts.

I liked the different viewpoints from each of the five sections. I enjoyed the characters. And the monsters were scary. I enjoyed the book...and again, I'm glad I got to read it all at once rather than waiting for installments.

I really enjoyed this sci-fi book. I didn't realise when I was first approved for it that the book is essentially made up of five short stories/novellas. For such shorts it is amazing how much action and character development has been achieved and although they are all separate stories they all follow on and kind of link together to make one very enjoyable read. This is the first time I have read this author's work but I will now be checking out their other books.

This has been out for several years and has lots of helpful reviews from readers smarter than I, so I'll just recommend it for scifi fans.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!

A scary and wonderful sci-fi story that was original and kept me on the edge of my seat. Darcy Coates is fast becoming one of my favorite authors.

Darcy Coates quickly became one of my favourite writers. I haven’t read all of her books yet but I’m on a mission to do that.

Parasite is another one of her brilliant stories which kept me turning the pages even when I could barely keep my eyes open. The story focuses on the parasites, how humans fight them. We don’t get to know the different characters too deeply, we only get glimpses into their lifes right when the parasites are coming.

Parasite is set in a future which hangs on a balance, a future that could be lost forever, a future that could be saved though. I wish someone made a series which is based on this book.

I highly recommend Parasite becuase it is past-paced, horrifying and exciting and bloody and scary.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy,

I can always expect a high level of terrifying creepiness from Ms. Coates, and this one definitely delivered. The descriptions of the creatures are frightening. The atmosphere is dark and ominous. The action is fast-paced. The only fault I found is the structure of the book kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I would've liked to see a common character throughout to tie the pieces together or for the parts to flow together better. Otherwise I enjoyed this one. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for granting access to this book in exchange for an honest review. I will post this review tomorrow to my Bookstagram and companion Facebook page @thatreadingrealtor.

The suspense in this book is killer. From the very beginning it sets up how isolated the stations are, and it really helps drive home the suspense and horror. There isn't much detail in the stations or within the world, including of the origin of the life form. That being said, all that is made up with the how gripping the books events are and keeps you wanting to know what happens next. I definitely recommend to anyone who loves sci-fi and space novels. It's a very quick read and definitely enjoyable.

Every once in a while, i enjoy reading something totally different to what i would normally read. So glad that i chose to read 'Parasite', as not only was it very enjoyable, but had me gripped from start to finish. Recommended.

(Awaiting Amazon to publish my review).