🩸 Horror Fiction

The Becoming

✍️ Jessica Meigs
Reader Score
4.5
(1 review)
$55.99
Temporarily out of stock

Currently unavailable

This book is sold out right now. Leave your email — we'll let you know if it comes back, and you'll get 10% off any book today.

In stock now — readers of this book also loved:

Gaseous Clay and Other Ambivalent Tales
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.4
1
John Travis
Gaseous Clay and Other Ambivalent Tales
$14.82
78
The Feral Files
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
1
Rian Mileti
The Feral Files
$17.99
81
The Old Habits of Quincy Mason: Discarded Characters, Vol. 1
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
1
L Emmett Timmons
The Old Habits of Quincy Mason: Discarded Characters, Vol. 1
$8.11
81
Fenomenos Extranos
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
1
Jaime Ivars Tur
Fenomenos Extranos
$15.00
81
These Lonely Places
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.6
1
R K Kombrinck
These Lonely Places
$20.95
86
Monster
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
1
Keith Ferrario
Monster
$14.99
81
📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A military-trained woman fights the Michaluk Virus in this survival thriller by Jessica Meigs.

Cade Alton loses her family to the Michaluk Virus after it escapes the CDC. She teams up with her best friend to flee Memphis, joining other survivors in Mississippi. The group’s safety is compromised when the virus arrives at their safe house. Cade must decide whether to help her friend rescue his wife in Memphis or join the others in Biloxi. This choice impacts everyone’s survival.

Key Themes
Virus outbreak Survival choices Group dynamics
Literary Context

The story is set in the United States, specifically moving from Atlanta to Memphis and then Mississippi. It reflects contemporary anxieties about biological threats and institutional failure during a widespread health crisis.

Difficulty
●● Medium
Recommended For Fans Of
Max Brooks · John Scalzi · Stephen King's The Stand · Richard Matheson
🩸
Horror Fiction
🏛 Tantor Audio 📅 2021 🌐 English 📔 Compact Disc ISBN: 9798212091619

📝 Description: The Becoming

Jessica Meigs presents The Becoming, a narrative centered on Cade Alton, whose life unravels when the Michaluk Virus escapes from the CDC in Atlanta. This deadly pathogen reaches Memphis, claiming her family and forcing her to reactivate dormant military skills. She joins forces with her best friend to escape the city as the infection spreads through the Southeastern United States. The story follows Cade and a group of survivors seeking refuge in Mississippi. Tensions rise among the strangers as resources dwindle and fear takes hold. When the virus breaches their safe house, the group must flee again. Cade faces a critical decision that determines both her fate and the survival of those around her. She must choose between returning to Memphis with her best friend to find his wife or accompanying the others to rescue a survivor in Biloxi. Each path carries heavy consequences for the entire group. Meigs draws on military thriller traditions and post-apocalyptic horror tropes to explore themes of loyalty, survival instinct, and moral compromise under extreme duress. The book suits readers who enjoy character-driven disaster fiction with high stakes and complex interpersonal dynamics. It may not appeal to those seeking lighthearted entertainment or purely supernatural ghosts without a scientific basis.

💎 Our verdict on The Becoming

“
🩸
Horror Reads editorial team
Horror desk
Jessica Meigs crafts a tense narrative that effectively merges military precision with the creeping dread of biological horror. The strength lies in its focus on interpersonal dynamics and the erosion of trust among survivors, rather than relying solely on gore or jump scares. Cade Alton’s journey from grieving widower to tactical leader is grounded in realistic psychological strain, making the stakes feel immediate and personal. This approach appeals strongly to fans of character-driven post-apocalyptic fiction who value logical survival strategies and moral ambiguity. While it lacks supernatural whimsy, its rigorous adherence to scientific plausibility and military protocol creates a unique, chilling atmosphere that resonates with readers tired of predictable horror tropes.
✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers seeking high-stakes character-driven disaster fiction will find this narrative compelling for its exploration of loyalty and moral compromise under extreme duress. Those who appreciate military thriller traditions applied to survival scenarios will engage with Cade Alton’s reactivated skills and the tense interpersonal dynamics among strangers. The book suits audiences interested in the psychological weight of impossible choices, such as the critical decision between rescuing a spouse or aiding a broader group. It offers a gritty look at how fear and dwindling resources fracture community bonds, providing intellectual satisfaction through complex ethical dilemmas rather than simple action sequences.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.5
Based on 1 reviews
5
0
4
1
3
0
2
0
1
0
H
Horror Reads editorial team

Jessica Meigs crafts a tense narrative that effectively merges military precision with the creeping dread of biological horror. The strength lies in its focus on interpersonal dynamics and the erosion of trust among survivors, rather than relying solely on gore or jump scares. Cade Alton’s journey from grieving widower to tactical leader is grounded in realistic psychological strain, making the stakes feel immediate and personal. This approach appeals strongly to fans of character-driven post-apocalyptic fiction who value logical survival strategies and moral ambiguity. While it lacks supernatural whimsy, its rigorous adherence to scientific plausibility and military protocol creates a unique, chilling atmosphere that resonates with readers tired of predictable horror tropes.

✍️ More books by this author Jessica Meigs

Revelations
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
Jessica Meigs
Revelations
$55.99
81
Read →
Revelations
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
Jessica Meigs
Revelations
$45.95
81
Read →
The Becoming
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
Jessica Meigs
The Becoming
$45.95
78
Read →

🏛 Books from this publisher Tantor Audio

Bathwater Blues
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.6
Abe Moss
Bathwater Blues
$55.99
86
Read →
Dreams in Black Static: Eight Stories
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
Ambrose Ibsen
Dreams in Black Static: Eight Stories
$45.99
81
Read →
The Numbing
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
Flint Maxwell
The Numbing
$35.99
81
Read →
The Messy Man
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
Chris Sorensen
The Messy Man
$39.99
78
Read →
Night of the Mannequins
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
Stephen Graham Jones
Night of the Mannequins
$32.99
81
Read →
Cursed by Death: A Graveminder Novel
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
Melissa Marr
Cursed by Death: A Graveminder Novel
$45.99
79
Read →

You might also like

See more →
Revelations
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
1
Jessica Meigs
Revelations
$55.99
81
Read →
The Becoming
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.4
1
Jessica Meigs
The Becoming
$45.95
78
Read →
Bathwater Blues
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.6
1
Abe Moss
Bathwater Blues
$55.99
86
Read →
Shingles Audio Collection Volume 8
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.6
1
Steve Wetherell
Shingles Audio Collection Volume 8
$55.99
86
Read →
Midnight Under the Big Top: Tales of Madness, Murder, and Magic
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.6
1
Brian James Freeman
Midnight Under the Big Top: Tales of Madness, Murder, and Magic
$55.99
86
Read →
The Best Horror of the Year Volume Nine
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.6
1
Various
The Best Horror of the Year Volume Nine
$55.99
86
Read →

Have a question about this item?

Ask about the edition, condition, delivery or anything else — we reply by email or phone, usually within a day.

Home Genres
Cart
Wishlist