About this title: When a young Greenwich Village woman becomes violently ill, and dies shortly thereafter, she signals the beginning of a plague unlike any seen before--a plague created by chemical warfare.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
"This is a scary book but is it already dated as it was written before 9/11 and I think how the US government agencies would react to any threat biological or other would be much different now. The whole idea of a biological terrorist act is scary just as new Flu outbreaks are today. Besides the story line, Preston gives a lot of factual background which at times slows the story down. Also, his description of an autopsy is more than I needed to read about."
"Due to some serious illness scenes, I would say this book is definitely not for the squeamish or faint of heart. However, if you were a fan of The Hot Zone or similar virus/pathology/outbreak literature & movies then I would recommend this book. While it's fiction, it is based on Patterson's rather extensive research into viruses, biological weapons, and how the U.S. government would respond."
"This was a fascinatingly creepy look into a fictional bioterrorist attack. When I first got it from a friend in high school, the inscription on the back dust jacket cover was enough to suck me in:
"The Book that terrified the president...!" (Apparently when the book was published, Bill Clinton took steps to determine if an event like the one described could actually happen.)"
"This is Richard Preston's (the author of "The Hot Zone") first work of fiction. It is, as one might expect, an entertaining, if terrifying and occasionally disgusting portrayal of a fictional bio-terror attack on NYC. The appeal is that Preston, a former science writer for several publications, including Newsweek, knows the finer, grosser details of disease and hot agent behavior when they interact with the human body. Every paragraph of this novel drips with frightening authenticity. The only thing really holding it back is that, Preston not being a professional fiction writer, the prose is somewhat clinical and the characterizations, while not flat, don't necessarily reach the depth one might like from a novel. Still, the characters have the same depth as any character in a Summer Action Blockbuster, so if you are looking for a beach read, this book is perfect."
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