From New York Times bestselling author Mira Grant, a high-concept near-future thriller.A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease.We owe our good health to a humble parasite—a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the tapeworm protects us from illness, boosts our immune system—even secretes designer drugs. It’s been successful beyond the scientists’ wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a SymboGen tapeworm living within them.But these parasites are getting restless. They want their own lives… and will do anything to get them.