A highly infectious, deadly virus from the central African rain forest suddenly appears in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. There is no cure. In a f...
read full description
reviews
Feb 01, 2008
Charissa
rated it: 
Holy fuck. This book will make you want to wash your hands... a lot. Also, you may feel compelled to go out and purchase your own HAZMAT suit. Try not to read this book before bed. It may cause some unsettling dreams. Like... dreams about your internal organs liquifying and bleeding out of your eyeballs. I don't know, I found that kind of unsettling. This book has singlehandedly accomplished my vow to never visit Africa. Mostly because Africa is a giant continent filled with monkey pox a
More...
25 comments
like
(38 people liked it)
Dec 17, 2009
Oddmix
rated it:
Terror at the personal level.
Very personal for me...
I read this book while on night watch in the Army. I was eating cheap red licorice at a frenzied pace while I read from sheer nerves. The idea of bleeding out through every bodily opening was terrifying.
The next morning I went to the bathroom and discovered that cheep red licorice passes nearly untouched through the human digestive system. It goes in red and comes out red - blood red. I very nearly screamed More...
Very personal for me...
I read this book while on night watch in the Army. I was eating cheap red licorice at a frenzied pace while I read from sheer nerves. The idea of bleeding out through every bodily opening was terrifying.
The next morning I went to the bathroom and discovered that cheep red licorice passes nearly untouched through the human digestive system. It goes in red and comes out red - blood red. I very nearly screamed More...
2 comments
like
(39 people liked it)
May 24, 2010
Sara
rated it: 
The positive: Friggin' scary. Not just the descriptions of people bleeding out of their pores, or the bit about the melting organs -- it all started with an imperceptible bug bite, or maybe sex, or perhaps just breathing the air in a certain place. Then you get a headache and red eyes*. Then you slowly start to melt from the inside out**. It's a sort of sick pleasure, though, to read it. It's as well-written as most medical thrillers, and nicely paced.
The negative: I mean, of course More...
The negative: I mean, of course More...
7 comments
like
(7 people liked it)
Sep 17, 2007
Nathan
rated it:
At first it feels no different from a flu. Quickly, the back pains start, followed by uncontrollable fever and blistering. Your insides begin to liquify, and in a matter of a few days, you're dead, your internal organs have literally melted. Reader, meet Ebola. Richard Preston’s The Hot Zone explores Ebola from its first appearances in the rain forests of Africa to its one outbreak in the United States, at a monkeyhouse in Reston, Virginia, a short drive from Washington, D.C. He focuses on the h
More...
2 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Dec 16, 2009
Tortla
rated it: 
Read this while you are eating on a plane next to a sick person.
0 comments
like
(9 people liked it)
Oct 07, 2007
Jessica
rated it:
The Hot Zone is about a family of viruses in which relates to each other and how they caused a full alert to the U.S. Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease. In the group of viruses, Marburg, Ebola Zaire, and Ebola Reston are the three viruses that are mainly discussed. As the book progresses, the Marburg virus mutates and emerges into the Ebola Zaire and then to Ebola Reston. While I was reading this book, I thought that it was difficult to follow along since there are many scientific
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 10, 2008
Christine
rated it:
I could say that this book changed my life. I could say that, although it's not quite true as I haven't passed my MCATs yet. But the study of disease and populations and epidemics was brought to a head the first time I read this book around 2003 (I think). Now with the H5N1 poised to jump species and AIDS still an ongoing problem and globalization, environmental and water shortages are present-day issues I think that it would be crazy to think that viruses vs. people is over. However I don't
More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Mar 08, 2009
ew. this book has the most descriptive gorey stuff u can find. warning: will puke!
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Nov 10, 2007
Neesha
rated it:
The first time I read (well, started reading) this book I was in junior high...and I read the first chapter and was terrified...so I stopped. When I read it again a couple of years ago, I got through it but was still a little freaked out. Ebola and the hemorrhagic fevers scare me and intrigue me at the same time. It;s the kind of book that is eerie to read late at night when you're alone. Definitely entertaining, but the disclaimer to this one is that the historical situation it is based on
More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Aug 11, 2011
The Hot Zone is an action packed page turner that leaves you feeling that you actually learned a fairly decent chunk of biology (and you did!). It can be understood from a layman's perspective, which is a beautiful effort in itself given how complex some of the information is. I am giving this book a high rating because of this and how well written it is. However, there are a few small points that I'm not overly fond of. It is written in a fairly confusing style I wanted at first to liken it to
More...
Aug 08, 2011
In 2009, the United States experienced an outbreak of swine influenza whose viral origin is in pigs, but in rare instances, can be passed to humans. This current unknown strain also can be passed from human to human, but the mortality rate is less than 10%. Still, people are wary – sometimes even panicky. 2009 was not the best year to read Hot Zone. I’m not fond of terror or horror tales. The thing that makes this book frightening is that it is non-fiction.
The book begins in Kitum Cave, Ken More...
The book begins in Kitum Cave, Ken More...
Jan 02, 2009
Katherine
rated it:
In this “thriller” work of nonfiction, Preston traces the history of perhaps the deadliest virus ever known to humans – the Ebola virus. Ebola has several strains including Ebola Sudan, Ebola Reston, Ebola Zaire (the deadliest with a death rate of nine out of ten), and finally, the sister to the Ebola virus, Marbury. Ebola first gained international attention when a local man named Charles Monet had gone for a camping trip during which he trekked through a set of caves in Zaire. Exactly how h
More...
Nov 15, 2011
Austin
rated it:
The Hot Zone is a nonfiction work, based on a true story, about the deadly Ebola virus and its close cousins. The book tells the story of several people who come into contact with these viruses, which have a 90% fatality rate in those infected, and then goes on to recount the true story of an outbreak of the “Ebola Reston” virus that occurred at a primate quarantine center within 20 miles of Washington, DC. The piece concludes with the author’s account of his own trip to the infamous Kitum Cave
More...
May 09, 2011
Iskreads
rated it:
Imagine 10 of you standing in a room, all of you have just been infected with Ebola, within three weeks, 9 of you will be dead. Ebola is what this book is all about. This book starts off with a story about a man named David Monet, he goes into a cave on the slopes of mount Elgon in Kenya. Seven days later his face muscles dissolve, leaving a zombie expression, and the rest you will just have to find out yourself…
I have never had Ebola. This book tells you every detail of what will ha More...
I have never had Ebola. This book tells you every detail of what will ha More...
Mar 24, 2011
Stephen
rated it:
This is one of the few books my brother has read, ever. I knew if it was good enough for him, it had to be awesome.
If you don't have a strong stomach, skip the first chapter. There's a very gory scene in the hospital as a man faces his demise after becoming infected with the Marburg virus. After that, the book is fairly mild (in terms of gore), but the story flows naturally and is very engaging.
This is a true story, written as more of a novel, about the Marburg and Ebola More...
If you don't have a strong stomach, skip the first chapter. There's a very gory scene in the hospital as a man faces his demise after becoming infected with the Marburg virus. After that, the book is fairly mild (in terms of gore), but the story flows naturally and is very engaging.
This is a true story, written as more of a novel, about the Marburg and Ebola More...
Mar 03, 2011
bunnychii
rated it:
Something haunts the human race. It is incredibly dangerous. It has killed many people. It kills randomly, without notice or warning. It can kill with the speed like no other of its kind. The killer is Ebola. A small loopy virus that inserts itself in your cells, killing thousands and millions of them, eventually turning organs into mush within just two weeks.
Yes, this is the viewpoint Richard Preston creates in his book, The Hot Zone.
It was definitely a shock, reading t More...
Yes, this is the viewpoint Richard Preston creates in his book, The Hot Zone.
It was definitely a shock, reading t More...
Dec 19, 2010
Keri
rated it:
Loving science and working in the medical field I may be a bit biased. The way the viruses affect the body, the way they duplicate, and how they evolve is fascinating to me. I LOVE this book.
It is a true story about outbreaks around the world of some of the most deadly viruses (like Ebola) known to man. A story about the people who fought, studied, and discovered the lethal viruses, along with the story of those who died and those who survived them.
This is what really happened, not More...
It is a true story about outbreaks around the world of some of the most deadly viruses (like Ebola) known to man. A story about the people who fought, studied, and discovered the lethal viruses, along with the story of those who died and those who survived them.
This is what really happened, not More...
Oct 29, 2010
Nate
rated it:
Too hot to handleee!
Richard Preston
10/28/10
THE HOT ZONE
When I finished The Hot Zone , instinctively a shocking tingle ran up my spine.wow that is a true story! I thought to myself as I ran to the faucet to wash my hands wondering if there were any hot viruses thriving on their host. The thing that I enjoyed about this book is the fact that not all the mind twisting events appeared at the beginning of the book, but truly every chapter some way or the More...
Oct 09, 2010
Linda
rated it:
Subtitled, “A terrifying True Story,” this is an account of the Ebola virus that killed so many people in Africa. In the summer of 1979, about the time HIV began to spread, there was another lethal virus that seemed to come from a cave near Mt. Elgon in Uganda. “HIV is a highly lethal but not very infective Biosafety Level 2 agent. It does not travel easily from person to person, and it does not travel through the air. You don’t need to wear a biological space suit while handling blood infec
More...
Mar 02, 2010
Nassim
rated it:
When most of us think of the army, we think of soldiers being deployed to a distant land. Or of camouflaged armies trooping through thick forests and wielding an assault rifle all while being bombed at by enemy jets up above in the stormy clouds, which may luckily bring some rain so they can have their first real drink of water in 3 days. But after reading The Hot Zone by Richard Preston, those images were burned from my mind. In its place remains one of a soldier dressed in a biohazard-preventi
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 15, 2010
Timothy
rated it:
I am a huge fan of Stephen King, but the most frightening tale I’ve read in a long time was penned by author Richard Preston, whose book The Hot Zone, is rooted in reality and tells the story of how the destruction of the rain forests—particularly in Africa—are unleashing new and frightening viruses. King himself wrote of the first chapter, “The first chapter of The Hot Zone is one of the most horrifying things I've read in my whole life--and then it gets worse. That's what I keep marveling
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 03, 2010
Maria
rated it:
I am torn between giving this book 3 or 4 stars. The beginning was 5 stars but the rest was 3 stars. I **highly highly** recommend picking up this book and reading at least the beginning of it.
It's about the Ebola virus and its closely related cousin, Marburg. These viruses originate in Africa and in the beginning of the book we get a description of what they are and what they do to the human body (it's absolutely gruesome!). There are also a couple of interesting chapters on the pe More...
It's about the Ebola virus and its closely related cousin, Marburg. These viruses originate in Africa and in the beginning of the book we get a description of what they are and what they do to the human body (it's absolutely gruesome!). There are also a couple of interesting chapters on the pe More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Nov 01, 2009
Kimberlynn
rated it:
I absolutely loved this book. It was probably the best book that I have read all year!!! It has a spectacular story line and is scientifically interesting in a compelling true story about an extremely infectious disease outbreak from 1967 to 1993. This would be a wonderful book to use in a high-school biology class especially during a unit that involves discussion of viruses. This is such a powerful book that describes in great detail the introduction of Ebola and the different strains that
More...
Dec 08, 2011
03RyanH
rated it:
The Hot Zone was a very entertaining and nonfictional story about a new strain of Ebola that was stored and almost escaped in a part of the U.S. right next to Washington D.C. I felt like the book was great and one of the best books I have ever read until I got to the ending when I was thinking I had 50 pages left in the book for an exciting ending but instead I was left completely speechless after the climax of the book was over but instead I got what I felt like was a really disappointing way
More...
May 23, 2011
Rebekkila
rated it:
Holy Shit, this book was terrifying. The book was a true account of the cases of Marburg and Ebola that erupted in the 70's and 80's. I remember hearing about ebola and what it does to the victim felt I felt very distant from it. Ebola and Marburg make Aids look like a walk in the park. Now when I hear of someone stricken with with these diseases it will make my blood run cold.
The first chapter was about a man whose identity was kept secret so he was referred to as Charles Monet. He contr More...
The first chapter was about a man whose identity was kept secret so he was referred to as Charles Monet. He contr More...
Jun 20, 2009
Daisy
rated it:
This book was really eye opening. The information in the book is so interesting and it explores and explains in everyday words what Marburg, Ebola and the different types of Ebola are so that anyone having the want and will to understand what the fuzz is about can learn. I really truly love the book.. their is no book like this that i have read in my life.. the way the author tells the story and the facts, makes the book interesting and not at all boring. The way he gives away hints and you beli
More...
Jun 14, 2008
Jessica
rated it:
omg this book was kind of disgusting but it was good. there was too many gory and depressing scenes that happend in africa. this story deals with ebola virus when it first began and a couple of other deadly viruses that came from africa. the chapters are different stories told by different people who experienced these events. (i think its fiction or based on true stories). its a great book but you would have to prepare yourself for a lot of disturbing images it creates.
Mar 29, 2011
Emilee
rated it:
This is book that began my obsession with all things viruses. Alright, so it's a little dramatic, and yes, judging by the book's description, it's a bit misleading (the Ebola strain that is the focus of the book does not affect humans, but monkeys) - but behind the melodramatic facade is some really hardcore science found in digestable form. This book gives all the interesting insight into how viruses evolve and plague our world, without being bogged down with dry, academic writing found in sc
More...
Jul 12, 2010
Avel
rated it:
Must Read this banned book.
I could not believe it when I saw this book among the banned books displayed in my state's university library. This book is not-fiction. It was banned because it is spine-chilling. Give me a break! This book gives an awesome accounting of what happens with some of the world's most deadliest viruses, both in the handling of them and symptoms they present. It is terrifying to read, yes, but so what? It is real-life and real-life can be ghoulish sometimes. Rea More...
I could not believe it when I saw this book among the banned books displayed in my state's university library. This book is not-fiction. It was banned because it is spine-chilling. Give me a break! This book gives an awesome accounting of what happens with some of the world's most deadliest viruses, both in the handling of them and symptoms they present. It is terrifying to read, yes, but so what? It is real-life and real-life can be ghoulish sometimes. Rea More...
Apr 14, 2008
Sally
rated it:
This book is really good if you are a nerd like me. The book is a true story about ebola virus and how it makes a trip from the Congo, Africa to the United States. It quotes Steven King on the cover as saying something to the effect of "The most terrifying book ever." (I am paraphrasing.) I didn't like the ending though... it was very anticlimactic... which is actually a good thing considering it is a true story about a deadly virus. It is pretty interesting.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
