PARASITE open thread!

[seanan_mcguire]

To (somewhat belatedly) celebrate the release of Parasite, here. Have an open thread to discuss the book.

THERE WILL BE SPOILERS.

Seriously. If anyone comments here at all, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. So please don't read and then yell at me because you encountered spoilers. You were warned. (I will not reply to every comment; I call partial comment amnesty. But I may well join some of the discussion, or answer questions or whatnot.)

You can also start a book discussion at my website forums, with less need to be concerned that I will see everything you say! In case you wanted, you know, discussion free of authorial influence, since I always wind up getting involved in these things.

Have fun!

Comments

[pilgrim3.livejournal.com]

Just finished Parasite last week and found it an enjoyable read. But there were a few weak spots.
The way Sal speaks. I know she's learned English from scratch, but its weird. Not sure if its a plus or a minus.
The big reveal about Sal - saw it coming as soon as Adam and Tansy were brought into the frame.
Sal's dad. OK, he wouldn't be sweeping the house for bugs. His security team would be. And they'd also be evacuating the family to a secure facility as soon as the shit started hitting.
Also, he treated Sal like she was a willing enemy agent. Please. Again, if push came to shove, polite persuasive long term interrogations, possibly backed up with fMRI would yield amazing results. Plus that his daughter is a worm in a human suit.
Symbogen vs. US government. Really? Really? If push came to shove, I doubt that SG could stand against the FBI, or if the feds got pissed enough, the Marine expeditionary force. To borrow from Stalin, how many armored divisions does Symbogen have?
Banks. If he's a brilliant paranoid, he's incompetent at it. And so is his head of security. Two (possibly more) rival organizations infiltrated his company at very high levels within striking distance of him. At this point, he needs to throw himself on the mercy of the feds. Why? Because a lot more countries than the US are going to be looking for his scalp as the news creeps out. And I suspect they will be a lot less nice.
Dr. Cale. OK, who is backing her? All that lab equipment, counterespionage, fake identities, coma cases and similar gear does not come cheap. Who pays for it all? A benevolent billionaire (complete with volcano lair)? The mafia? The Feds?

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Although I appreciate your criticism, and you absolutely have a right to it, please don't post negative reviews directly to my journal? It's inappropriate for me to address your concerns in a public forum, so all you've really managed to do is make me feel bad. :(

[pilgrim3.livejournal.com]

Miss Maguire,
I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel badly about Parasite.
I honestly figured the answer would be "Read books two and three. "
Again I'm very sorry and hope that I was only a minor blot in your day.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

It's all right, really, and I don't mind discussion of elements that didn't work for you. This just came off very much as "I want you to see a negative review," and that besaddens me.

All is well.

[l33tminion]

I thought Dr. Cale was funding her lab by blackmailing Banks.

I didn't think it was an odd portrayal to have Banks not be as much of a mastermind as he thinks he is. All the excerpts about how the implant was advertised point to Banks as a marketing genius. By the time the book starts, he's rich and powerful, but still way in over his head.