Aconyte Books, the fiction imprint of the global games group, Asmodee, has lifted the lid on its long-planned series of novels inspired by the global bestselling game, Pandemic.

The first title in the series will be Pandemic: Patient Zero, scheduled to land on shelves this September and promising to take fans of the franchise on a journey into the future, where an expert team of epidemiologists are tasked with tracking down potential outbreaks and resolving them before a pandemic breaks out.

A synopsis of the title reads: ‘In this first title, new recruit Bodhi Patel finds himself in South America, far from his comfort zone, where the clues to the source of a new mutated virus lie on land controlled by a local warlord.’

Aconyte’s publisher Marc Gascoigne, said: “To say this series has been long in the planning would be an understatement. Patient Zero was completely written and about to be announced in early Spring 2020 when… well, we all know what happened next. Even with a message as positive as the one enshrined in the game and the novels, the timing wasn’t right.

“Now updated, it truthfully and respectfully captures the courage and sacrifice of experts in the field, and shows what can be achieved when teamwork, cooperation, and empowerment are put to the test.”

The title has been written by Amanda Bridgeman, whose pair of futuristic crime thrillers, The Subjugate and The Sensation, have recently been optioned for a TV series by the team behind True Detective and Mr Robot.

The Perth, Australia-based writer has worked closely with the Aconyte and Z-Man teams, constructing a complete cast of relatable characters, and the organisation they work for, who will appear throughout the series. Two more novels are currently in development, for publication in 2022.