Invasion (1997 novel)

:" See also, "Invasion (2001 novel)", a military themed novel written by author Eric L. Harry"infobox Book |
name = Invasion
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Robin Cook
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Thriller novel
publisher = Pan Books
release_date = 1997
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 393 pp
isbn = ISBN 0-330-35288-1
preceded_by = Chromosome 6
followed_by = Toxin

"Invasion" (1997) is a thriller novel by American author Robin Cook.

Plot summary

Robin Cook envisions in this book a strange contact with extraterrestrial aliens. A spaceship arrives on Earth, in the form of a tiny black disk. It then sends a signal, inviting thousands more disks to come. Those who handle the disks receive a sting, soon followed by flu-like symptoms and ending in what could be called "zombie assimilation" into an alien collective consciousness and begin to prepare everything for the real aliens' arrival. Ultimately a mismatched group gathers to combat this invasion including the fiance of the main infected person Beau. They discover that this has been planned for a very long time as the rocks just activate the virus which is in fact in our DNA. After working by themselves for a while and two of the group being killed they hook up with Doctor Harlan McCay who has a Biological Warfare Research Lab at his disposal. He explains that he has a degree in immunology but had a private practice in a nearby town. When the invasion started he headed to the lab which is left over from the Cold War but is still stocked and was at least somewhat staffed (the staff apparently left when they got infected) and although it was a secret the local Native Americans knew about it and had at some point in time informed him of it. The lab had everything they needed to work on a cure for the virus. They find that infecting themselves with another virus will cause the virus to expose itself and oxygen will destroy it (it came here 3 billion years ago when there was little to no oxygen so it's vulnerable to it in a virion state) and after testing this with infected mice (it cures all but the one infected the longest who dies: apparently if its in your system too long the cure kills you) they take a cold virus that has never been encountered before (it was artificially engineered) as it is mild enough to not kill the person infected but will do the job. Also as it is artificially created no one will have encountered it so they will have no immunity to it and everyone will be infected. They then storm the mansion where a machine is being built to bring the aliens to Earth from other planets this virus has taken over. The group smashes the machine with a car and it is destroyed. Beau is too far gone to be cured and tells them to run. He dies and the mansion is destroyed but they are able to spread the cure and the invasion is ended.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

*"Invasion", a 1997 TV film based on the novel.