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Quarantine Zone
New York Times best-selling author Daniel H. Wilson delivers a thrilling sci-fi series that raises hard questions about free will and the nature of good and evil.
Humanity has discovered the root of all the Malnoro virus—a devastating malady that modifies the neural pathways for empathy. Those infected have been forcibly imprisoned in the Quarantine Zone (whether they choose to do good or evil). Meanwhile, the rest of the cured world is sterile and crime-free, but permeated by an oppressive, paranoid fear of new outbreaks.
If we could "cure" ourselves of the capability to do evil, should we? And could a person truly be good without the choice to do evil?
Humanity has discovered the root of all the Malnoro virus—a devastating malady that modifies the neural pathways for empathy. Those infected have been forcibly imprisoned in the Quarantine Zone (whether they choose to do good or evil). Meanwhile, the rest of the cured world is sterile and crime-free, but permeated by an oppressive, paranoid fear of new outbreaks.
If we could "cure" ourselves of the capability to do evil, should we? And could a person truly be good without the choice to do evil?
160 pages, Hardcover
First published January 12, 2016
2 people are currently reading
188 people want to read
About the author
Daniel H. Wilson
124 books2,064 followersA Cherokee citizen, Daniel H. Wilson grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He earned a Ph.D. in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
March 24, 2021
Fantastic premise. What if evil was a disease that could be cured? But some people are incurable and have to choose between being good or evil. In the future evil has been cured in most of human kind and those who can't be are walled off to fend for themselves. Definitely explores the nature of good and evil but I feel the story suffers from being too short. It may have worked better as a novel as the story felt very rushed in places. Fernando Pasarin provides some gorgeous, dynamic art.
February 7, 2017
No es una mierda, pero casi.
May 1, 2020
Good idea but poor follow through in its execution. There were too many gaps in the plot that were left painfully unanswered.
October 25, 2021
What a fine thing to see: a complete selfsustaining action adventure story. Beginning, middle, end. Huge splashy panels give this one a stunner every ten or so pages (and I do mean... surprising angles!) and the story, of a man wanted put to justice( death?) by his own crew (Gladiator, Minority Report, others)--and his to be wife... well, I gave ONE thing away. Very much worth a sit and glare; minute yet treasured details and Hollywood-ready talk and twists and timing...!
April 1, 2016
interesting premise. The world is divided by people who have no ability to hurt, and those that are infected with a virus that do nothing but hurt and commit violence, all separated by a wall.
But are the differences between the affected and unaffected true, and what is being hid?
Excellent illustration, decent but predictable storyline.
But are the differences between the affected and unaffected true, and what is being hid?
Excellent illustration, decent but predictable storyline.
October 15, 2022
I understand why the rating is so low. This story doesn’t have a satisfying ending. However, it’s really cool and very dystopian so it worked out in the end. I had a great time.
October 5, 2020
The premise was good and promising, but the execution was limited. The ending was too rushed and so many questions remain unanswered. The art is standard, super buff guys and women with large breasts. Forgettable novel.
May 6, 2017
I was bitterly disappointed with Quarantine Zone. Being a massive fan of the Robopocalypse series and Daniel H. Wilson, I had such high hopes for this graphic novel. It seemed like such a good premise, humans with the "evil gene" secluded in a quarantine zone, but it was just handled so poorly. The narrative is unconvincing and the artwork doesn't suit. Bummer.
May 13, 2016
Unfortunately, pretty disappointing. Sigh. I had high hopes for this one. I just don't care for the military stories. The art was average comic book and mostly forgettable. And the characters were pretty generic. I'll just stick to Wilson's novels.
August 1, 2018
Interesting idea and a decent read. I think the philosophy behind the book is wrong but it was fun way to address it.
February 26, 2024
A bit rushed at the end. A different take on good and evil. It's about intent and choices.
December 14, 2017
When I 'retired' a year(point)five back (that's a year&a(1/2)) I decided I was going to "read more." Easy enuff' --> as I had been practically not reading at all during the past few years of employment. I subscribe to SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN and interestingly enough, there was an article recommending five (5) Sci-Fi books! Gr8 source and "pool" to get a bunch of books to read. I read JOIN, DARK MATTER, TOO LIKE THE LIGHTNING -- and at that point felt "my brain was full." All three books, so far, were profound, bordering on "ponderous" (by "ponderous" I mean almost anything by T Pynchon) -- very thought-provoking.
Not so with this book?! How'd this get into Sci-American's list?
But I gotta admit, I haven't read a "comic book" since gawd-nose-when, and this nicely-illustrated story is, yes, a comic book. A bit more detailed and a smidge more "deep" than comix of yore. (Well, there is and were R Crumb's stuff -- but THAT's another story).
I wouldn't be surprised if someone makes a movie out of this -- but i'm already tired of movies (& stories) where the body count far exceeds the number of alive&living characters remaining at the end. Gory. Basically dark. I can see this really appealing to, say, teenagers and what us old people might call "disaffected" younger people. I've said (if not "close to nothing") ... too much, eh?
Not so with this book?! How'd this get into Sci-American's list?
But I gotta admit, I haven't read a "comic book" since gawd-nose-when, and this nicely-illustrated story is, yes, a comic book. A bit more detailed and a smidge more "deep" than comix of yore. (Well, there is and were R Crumb's stuff -- but THAT's another story).
I wouldn't be surprised if someone makes a movie out of this -- but i'm already tired of movies (& stories) where the body count far exceeds the number of alive&living characters remaining at the end. Gory. Basically dark. I can see this really appealing to, say, teenagers and what us old people might call "disaffected" younger people. I've said (if not "close to nothing") ... too much, eh?
December 19, 2016
Good artwork, but the story is really bad. Very basic premise that isn't well thought-out or developed at all.
November 6, 2020
A book with a far more interesting concept then execution.
The concept is that evil is pathogenic and humans have found a way to remove it from ourselves, but some are deemed "incurable." I.e., these people still retain the ability to choose between good and evil actions. These people end up in "quarantine zones" and are routinely harassed by the military enforcement of the "good" people.
This concept alone is fascinating. It's similar to the idea of mass incarceration in real life targeting minority or impoverished communities but taken a step further. Now the means of control come from our biology. Those who aren't "cured" are capable of "bad" actions while those who are cured can't even "intentionally hurt a fly." The label of "evil" hangs over anyone deemed undesirable and they are cast off, understood to be inherently worthless as a functioning member of society.
Let me briefly imagine the themes that could be explored here. With this concept you could explore the themes of social population control in both the "desirable" and "undesirable" communities. You could pose questions on what it means to be human and why the choice to do good makes good actions more meaningful. You could analyze government elitism, posing the question "do the ones on top take their medicine, too?" Imagine if those in control remained "infected" with the ability to choose good and evil while using a propaganda narrative to control the docile population and oppress the population that can choose like them but have been deemed "lower" in social standing. You could speak about inner-class struggle as the quarantined citizens punish themselves with their own crimes of violence against one another despite all being in the same societal position, AND how the intentional lack of structure or support from the controlling system perpetuates this violence so the quarantined citizens never get ahead. You could examine the nature of what is "good" and how one's morality can be so skewed by the perceptions of who and who is not an "enemy" that even when you have no way to meaningfully choose to do "evil" actions, you can still intentionally commit acts of violence and horror if you believe you're justified in doing so. Secrets, cover-ups, human nature, race and wealth class, prejudice, and control are such raw themes and their potential is found in the framework of this story.
Unfortunately... it's all so average and so quick. The story touches on some of these themes, sure. But it never really examines them with an overly critical lens. It doesn't feel like it's saying much of anything. If this world could be explored in a more drawn out expanded series, it could really "say something." But here it seems like all those themes just serve as an interesting background for a story that essentially comes down to "good guy vs bad evil man." And then it's over and it says how the world is going to "change" but of course we don't see any of that or derive any particular lesson from it.
I am of two opinions. I believe the best writing reflects social and human struggles and provides, if not a solution, a ponderous reflection for us to stop and think critically on. But I think some writing can just be fun and action packed and that's completely okay because the fun thrills that the writing provides makes it inherently valuable! Not everything has to be deep or have some hidden message to be worth the time to read. But for me, personally, I think the themes presented here in this work are too valuable to be blown over as merely story dressing. And that's how I felt the story treated them. It's a fun work with an interesting concept over all but it is very "average." It does nothing to truly stand out from its many peers on the comic shelves even though it could potentially say SO much. I did have some enjoyment while reading this but once this book goes up on the shelf, I doubt I'll think much about it again.
The concept is that evil is pathogenic and humans have found a way to remove it from ourselves, but some are deemed "incurable." I.e., these people still retain the ability to choose between good and evil actions. These people end up in "quarantine zones" and are routinely harassed by the military enforcement of the "good" people.
This concept alone is fascinating. It's similar to the idea of mass incarceration in real life targeting minority or impoverished communities but taken a step further. Now the means of control come from our biology. Those who aren't "cured" are capable of "bad" actions while those who are cured can't even "intentionally hurt a fly." The label of "evil" hangs over anyone deemed undesirable and they are cast off, understood to be inherently worthless as a functioning member of society.
Let me briefly imagine the themes that could be explored here. With this concept you could explore the themes of social population control in both the "desirable" and "undesirable" communities. You could pose questions on what it means to be human and why the choice to do good makes good actions more meaningful. You could analyze government elitism, posing the question "do the ones on top take their medicine, too?" Imagine if those in control remained "infected" with the ability to choose good and evil while using a propaganda narrative to control the docile population and oppress the population that can choose like them but have been deemed "lower" in social standing. You could speak about inner-class struggle as the quarantined citizens punish themselves with their own crimes of violence against one another despite all being in the same societal position, AND how the intentional lack of structure or support from the controlling system perpetuates this violence so the quarantined citizens never get ahead. You could examine the nature of what is "good" and how one's morality can be so skewed by the perceptions of who and who is not an "enemy" that even when you have no way to meaningfully choose to do "evil" actions, you can still intentionally commit acts of violence and horror if you believe you're justified in doing so. Secrets, cover-ups, human nature, race and wealth class, prejudice, and control are such raw themes and their potential is found in the framework of this story.
Unfortunately... it's all so average and so quick. The story touches on some of these themes, sure. But it never really examines them with an overly critical lens. It doesn't feel like it's saying much of anything. If this world could be explored in a more drawn out expanded series, it could really "say something." But here it seems like all those themes just serve as an interesting background for a story that essentially comes down to "good guy vs bad evil man." And then it's over and it says how the world is going to "change" but of course we don't see any of that or derive any particular lesson from it.
I am of two opinions. I believe the best writing reflects social and human struggles and provides, if not a solution, a ponderous reflection for us to stop and think critically on. But I think some writing can just be fun and action packed and that's completely okay because the fun thrills that the writing provides makes it inherently valuable! Not everything has to be deep or have some hidden message to be worth the time to read. But for me, personally, I think the themes presented here in this work are too valuable to be blown over as merely story dressing. And that's how I felt the story treated them. It's a fun work with an interesting concept over all but it is very "average." It does nothing to truly stand out from its many peers on the comic shelves even though it could potentially say SO much. I did have some enjoyment while reading this but once this book goes up on the shelf, I doubt I'll think much about it again.
March 10, 2025
I hated to give the ‘It’s-not-you-it’s-me’ speech to “Invisible Emmie” but I’m drowning in books here.
Okay, it’s an interesting idea. Evil is a virus that we can eliminate. But on page 3 it says During the Purge, we cured most of the population. And those who were genetically incurable… were banished to the Quarantine Zone.
And on page 4 it says No medical test can determine who is infected.
WTF? Anyone else see a logical flaw here?
Anyway, suspension of disbelief and all. Our story begins with the high-tech being called to execute an ‘infected’ They cage her and when she grabs a scalpel and threatens someone so she can escape, she finds out its a rubber scalpel and this was just a trick. It would be impossible for her to make that threat if she wasn’t infected with the evil virus.
Later a group of Good Cops are out searching for evil infected. They are lured into a trap and one of the cops gets scratched. Whoops. They gotta kill him now.
One of the soldiers — a Mr. Huxley — is pretty upset by it and the other soldiers cavalier attitude that evil is evil, period.
The cops are sent to the Quarantine Zone to capture an infected to had infiltrated the highest levels of government. On the way down Mr. Huxley decides to propose marriage to another officer.
Before she can answer their helicopter is shot down. Lots of running and shooting later they are order to keep after the infected. While hunting him Huxley is stabbed by someone they saw spit on the blade! So his fellow officers set off the self-destruct in his armor.
But just as his girlfriend says that yes, she’ll marry him, he lets her know that he disabled the self-destruct and has been infected all along. He runs away.
They court martial his girlfriend for not killing Mr. Huxley when she found out he disabled the self-destruct bomb in is suit.
Meanwhile Huxley is captured and told that the infected and only temporarily insane and that they are not evil even though they are capable of evil. Huxley doesn’t believe this.
So, this was horrible. The art was decent but the story was so insipid and the characters so two-dimensional that the story that they are trying to tell comes out looking like BS.
In the end to good guys slaughter a lot of people swear good has prevailed.
I hated this story. It was ridiculously simplistic and had no particular point to make.
1 star. It leaves my presence immediately.
Okay, it’s an interesting idea. Evil is a virus that we can eliminate. But on page 3 it says During the Purge, we cured most of the population. And those who were genetically incurable… were banished to the Quarantine Zone.
And on page 4 it says No medical test can determine who is infected.
WTF? Anyone else see a logical flaw here?
Anyway, suspension of disbelief and all. Our story begins with the high-tech being called to execute an ‘infected’ They cage her and when she grabs a scalpel and threatens someone so she can escape, she finds out its a rubber scalpel and this was just a trick. It would be impossible for her to make that threat if she wasn’t infected with the evil virus.
Later a group of Good Cops are out searching for evil infected. They are lured into a trap and one of the cops gets scratched. Whoops. They gotta kill him now.
One of the soldiers — a Mr. Huxley — is pretty upset by it and the other soldiers cavalier attitude that evil is evil, period.
The cops are sent to the Quarantine Zone to capture an infected to had infiltrated the highest levels of government. On the way down Mr. Huxley decides to propose marriage to another officer.
Before she can answer their helicopter is shot down. Lots of running and shooting later they are order to keep after the infected. While hunting him Huxley is stabbed by someone they saw spit on the blade! So his fellow officers set off the self-destruct in his armor.
But just as his girlfriend says that yes, she’ll marry him, he lets her know that he disabled the self-destruct and has been infected all along. He runs away.
They court martial his girlfriend for not killing Mr. Huxley when she found out he disabled the self-destruct bomb in is suit.
Meanwhile Huxley is captured and told that the infected and only temporarily insane and that they are not evil even though they are capable of evil. Huxley doesn’t believe this.
So, this was horrible. The art was decent but the story was so insipid and the characters so two-dimensional that the story that they are trying to tell comes out looking like BS.
In the end to good guys slaughter a lot of people swear good has prevailed.
I hated this story. It was ridiculously simplistic and had no particular point to make.
1 star. It leaves my presence immediately.
June 9, 2019
An interesting premise that quickly fails to take off with an anticlimactic end. I was very excited to read Wilson's Quarantine Zone as it felt like it could've been a fun, intuitive story. Humanity has isolated a virus that affects our brains and causes us to commit "evil" acts, from stealing a piece of gum to global acts of genocide and everything in-between. Those who can't be cured are sent to the quarantine zone, which is harshly patrolled lest these incurables attack the "good" people of the world. Unfortunately the story and characters leave a lot to be desired, as it about halfway through it turns into a cookie cutter "take down the bad guy before he annihilates the world as we know it" story, with a bland villain and contrived heroes. I'd recommend skipping this unless you really need a sci-fi fix.
December 8, 2019
Been saving this for months now and I’m so bummed having finally read it. I swear I checked ratings but I’m 100% sure I didn’t now, so it must have been for Daniel H Wilson’s author line on this piece. It’s just really bad. The art is mostly fine but the premise feels like something a teenager writing their first creative narrative would produce after reading 1984 and playing a lot of Call of Duty. Characters felt thin and the really bizarre twist for me was the reveal that some of the good characters were actually infected with the evil virus (but one pairing had clearly been together a very long time and well, I don’t know, sex seems like a great way to spread diseases that seem to pass via fluids...). I’m just not entirely sure why this exists. Man that sounds mean, but I honestly wouldn’t ever recommend this to anyone for any particular reason and I’m usually pretty forgiving.
June 26, 2018
Sorry, this was bad. I expected much more than this. The point is that the idea behind the Story is promising, but the one that actually came out is disappointing.
Imagine the possibility to 'heal' humanity from aggression that is a virus settled down in the frontal cortex. These people cant do any harm to even a fly. But... Some people cant be healed and therefore are kept in a quarantine zone, where street gangs rule. The twist is that even of youre not healed you can live a normal life and learn that aggression and violence is not the way to go.
Thats the setting and i wont tell anything about the story because it was all but good.
Imagine the possibility to 'heal' humanity from aggression that is a virus settled down in the frontal cortex. These people cant do any harm to even a fly. But... Some people cant be healed and therefore are kept in a quarantine zone, where street gangs rule. The twist is that even of youre not healed you can live a normal life and learn that aggression and violence is not the way to go.
Thats the setting and i wont tell anything about the story because it was all but good.
June 30, 2017
Real potential, but the concept is slammed into an exceptionally slim volume for a single-volume, stand alone graphic novel.
Premise: Humanity's capacity for evil is based on the presence of a virus--one we (humanity) has learned to kill. in 99% of the world population the capacity for evil has been removed. The few who can't be "cured" are locked in a Quarantine Zone in what used to be the eastern USA. We follow the story of a particular group of Quarantine Zone Enforcers--military troops who protect this brave new world from the infected "incurables."
Premise: Humanity's capacity for evil is based on the presence of a virus--one we (humanity) has learned to kill. in 99% of the world population the capacity for evil has been removed. The few who can't be "cured" are locked in a Quarantine Zone in what used to be the eastern USA. We follow the story of a particular group of Quarantine Zone Enforcers--military troops who protect this brave new world from the infected "incurables."
November 10, 2020
The premise was so good and promising, but the execution was terrible. So many plot holes. The story falls apart at the start because the idea is that people are cured of being evil and are uncapable of harming anyone and then you have a special police force that kills incurable people that live in the quarantined zone. There was also no deeper examination of the themes, it all seemed just a backdrop for different fight scenes.
October 10, 2023
2.5*
I think the concept of the story was very promising and had started to make points that were really insightful and thought-provoking for the reader, but it felt incredibly rushed with just almost not enough world building for my liking and left a lot of open ends. I think if this comic was almost double the page length it very likely could’ve helped eliminate a lot of the gripes I (and everyone else) has with it.
I think the concept of the story was very promising and had started to make points that were really insightful and thought-provoking for the reader, but it felt incredibly rushed with just almost not enough world building for my liking and left a lot of open ends. I think if this comic was almost double the page length it very likely could’ve helped eliminate a lot of the gripes I (and everyone else) has with it.
February 19, 2024
I totally dug the premise of the book, what with the idea of evil being an infection that had to be eradicated by the ‘good guys’. This story had SO much potential, but fell flat in too many spots. The writing was decent, but the execution of the plot was half baked with too many one dimensional charters and themes that were never properly fleshed out. Although I will say, Quarantine Zone would be a cool tv series and could give the story more depth than the graphic novel was able to provide.
March 29, 2022
Really wanted to like this graphic novel as sci-fi is my thing but the inconsistent artwork and a really bad story based on an even worse premise just took all the joy out of this comic. What made it worse is that both the writer and artist were supposed to be pretty good, but maybe the 4 colorist and 2 editors can give us a clue as to what went wrong...
June 3, 2018
Like so many have said, the premise here is cool. It got me to pick it up. That said, the story felt rushed. I wish Wilson had taken longer to tell this one - would've helped. Especially the ending which was bizarre. And not in a good way.
Middle of the road read.
Middle of the road read.
January 13, 2019
Lame
I started reading this thinking it would have a plot worth keeping my interest instead it has long winded nonsense which resulted me in skipping to the boring ending. This comic was a waste of a purchase!
I started reading this thinking it would have a plot worth keeping my interest instead it has long winded nonsense which resulted me in skipping to the boring ending. This comic was a waste of a purchase!
June 11, 2019
This is the best science fiction story that I've read in many, many, many years. If you love science fiction and graphic novels, you'll want to read this.
Thank you for the loan Franklin Public Library!
Thank you for the loan Franklin Public Library!
August 15, 2020
“Quarantine Zone” Graphic Novel
[9781401252274]
We never know how legitimate this behaviour altering virus really is? Some of the incurables seem more humane that the ‘pure’.
Most enjoyable dystopian graphic novel. ****
[9781401252274]
We never know how legitimate this behaviour altering virus really is? Some of the incurables seem more humane that the ‘pure’.
Most enjoyable dystopian graphic novel. ****
August 1, 2023
How did Nora end up being the main character in this? And it was much more of a love story than I ever expected... in a great way! Loved the themes of toeing the line good vs. evil and the inherent gray-ness of the world.
May 21, 2017
Interesting premise, but felt rushed and underdeveloped. Could have been so much more :(
April 19, 2019
Cool premise -shallow storytelling
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews