There are several contagion science fiction books worth mentioning. 'The Hot Zone' by Richard Preston is a non - fiction thriller that reads like science fiction. It details the real - life threats of deadly viruses. In a fictional sense, 'The Girl with All the Gifts' is a great book. It's about a world where a fungal infection has turned most people into mindless 'hungries' and a special girl who may hold the key to the future. Also, 'The Drowned World' by J.G. Ballard, while more about a post - apocalyptic flooded world, has elements of contagion in the sense of the breakdown of the ecosystem which could be seen as a form of contagion on a global scale.