Serpula (fungus) are formed. The strand mycelium of "Serpula", which can be up to 8 mm thick, are invasive and can spread over non-nutritive surfaces to find new food sources, even spreading through pores in stone, brickwork, and cement. After its initial growth period, the fungus can produce the water it needs and can continue growth into dry timber, eventually degrading it to powder—hence the term "dry rot". "S. lacrymans" is the most serious cause of building timber decay in the UK and northern Europe. The "Dictionary of the Fungi" (10th edition, 2008), suggests that the genus contains two species. , the
Affliction (Hamilton novel) of the flesh-eating zombies in time to save Micah’s father. Critical reception for "Affliction" was mostly positive. "Publisher’s Weekly" called Hamilton’s take on zombies 'invigorating', while Kirkus lamented that much of the book consisted of Anita ‘preaching to the choir’. Several reviews mentioned the series' longevity, including the British Fantasy Society, who noted "The reader needs to feel that the events that take place are sufficiently different from previous novels in the sequence to continue to hold interest" and felt Hamilton had done enough to encourage both new and old readers. In 2013, "Affliction" made the "New York Times" bestseller