Parasyte, Vol. 1 by Hitoshi Iwaaki, Andrew Cunningham (Translator), Foltz Design

From the Publisher

SILENT INVASION
They arrive in silence and darkness. They descend from the skies. They have a hunger for human flesh. They are everywhere. They are parasites, alien creatures who must invade–and take control of–a human host to survive. And once they have infected their victims, they can assume any deadly form they choose: monsters with giant teeth, winged demons, creatures with blades for hands. But most have chosen to conceal their lethal purpose behind ordinary human faces. So no one knows their secret–except an ordinary high school student. Shin is battling for control of his own body against an alien parasite, but can he find a way to warn humanity of the horrors to come?
Ages 16+

Publishers Weekly

Grisly and surreal, this story of an alien invasion gives the phrase "talk to the hand" a whole new meaning. Alien spores roughly the size of tennis balls fall to earth one night; from within crawl sluglike creatures that burrow their way into the brains of humans, effectively killing them and taking over their bodies. Young Shinichi is wearing headphones when one tries to attack him, and it ends up taking over his hand instead. The hand talks to him-in time, he names it Migi ("right")-and begins devouring books to learn more about the new "host race." Meanwhile, other invaders are devouring people, touching off a worldwide string of horrid murders; the invaders can sense one another, and a clue in a late chapter hints at some sort of purpose for their trip to Earth. Violence is graphic and often shocking, depicted in a style reminiscent of western comics and H.R. Giger. The ordinary nature of the rest of the illustration gives the whole book an unsettling edge, a sort of subliminal "it could happen anywhere" vibe. A cult favorite manga, this was originally released in the U.S. by Tokyopop in the '90s, but Del Rey is presenting a new translation and it should find an eager audience. (May)

Benjamin RussellCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information. - School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up
An unknown number of tennis-ball-sized spores falls to Earth, each containing an organism intent on taking over the brain of a human being, metamorphosing its head into a mutable alien killer. Shinichi is attacked by one of these parasites but uses a tourniquet to stop its progress in his arm. The next morning he finds that his right hand has become a sentient creature that requires his circulation system to continue living. The creature is eventually named Migi and exists in a curious balance with Shinichi, as it needs him to survive but was originally supposed to kill him and use his body to kill still more people. Migi's partial possession brings Shinichi into contact with other parasites that have successfully taken over their hosts, and who are involved in mass murders of various degrees of subtlety. The light horror tone of the book allows for mild gore and successful suspense. The thoughtful plot developments are accompanied by workmanlike artwork, effective enough with the xenomorphic bits, but lacking flair in executing the more mundane situations. The closing preview for the second volume makes it seem as if the artist has matured, however, and the story's potential is likely to leave readers wanting further exploration.

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