I can see this becoming a television series. There are a lot of characters and power plays between them at the compound, and the threat of the "cremation crew" that hunts the "diseased." The epidemic of this apocalyptic is called Dragon Scale. 
 The premise is pretty cool, the story started to drag a little, but then picked up. Part of the problem was that I was listening to the CD and got tired of the narrator, so I ditched that and just read the book, much better. 3.5. (Some vulgar language was unnecessary at times-- when it's overdone it loses the desired effect).