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The Cobra Event
The Cobra Event is a petrifying, fictional account of a very real threat: biological terrorism.
Seventeen-year-old Kate Moran wakes one morning to the beginnings of a head cold but shrugs it off and goes to school anyway. By her midmorning art class, Kate's runny nose gives way to violent seizures and a hideous scene of self-cannibalization. She dies soon after. When a homeless man meets a similarly gruesome and mystifying fate, the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta sends pathologist Alice Austen to investigate. What she uncovers is the work of a killer, a man who calls himself Archimedes and is intent on spreading his deadly Cobra virus throughout New York City. A silent crisis erupts, with Austen and a secret FBI forensic team rushing to expose the terrorist.
Even more frightening than Preston's story about the fictitious Cobra virus, however, is the truth that lies beneath it. As the author writes in his introduction, "The nonfiction roots of this book run deep.... My sources include eyewitnesses who have seen a variety of biological-weapons installations in different countries, and people who have developed and tested strategic bioweapons." In fact, the only reason The Cobra Event was not written as nonfiction is that none of Preston's sources would go on record.
Woven throughout the novel are sections of straight nonfiction reporting that reveal the terrifying truth about the development of biological weapons and the clandestine operations of Russia and Iraq. Three years of research and more than 100 interviewswithhigh-level sources in the FBI, the U.S. military, and the scientific community went into The Cobra Event. The result is sure to shock you.
337 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
About the author
Richard Preston
26 books1,193 followersRichard Preston is a journalist and nonfiction writer.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 795 reviews
December 27, 2017
This is an excellent and VERY scary bio-terrorism thriller. I have read many of Richard Preston's books that relate to potential biological hazards and he never fails to bring the suspense. In fact, this book has one of the top 5 most suspenseful scenes I have EVER read in a book. I cannot talk about it too much further (spoilers, you know . . .), but lets just say a character has to make a split second decision that will have you hanging on the edge of your seat!
If you are a thriller fan, you owe it to yourself to read this book!
Side note of interesting trivia: Richard Preston is the brother of Douglas Preston - who writes the Pendergast series with Lincoln Child. This family has some great writers!
If you are a thriller fan, you owe it to yourself to read this book!
Side note of interesting trivia: Richard Preston is the brother of Douglas Preston - who writes the Pendergast series with Lincoln Child. This family has some great writers!
June 7, 2021
this, a book about a crazy sci-fi-y virus that turns people into self-masticating flesh-eating zombies, is easily the coolest and most exciting thing i've ever read for school. thank you, senior year biotechnology. keep being you.
it also is the most searingly traumatizing, because i read it nearly 6 years ago and can easily remember at least four images off the top of my head that were so disgustingly well described i am likely cursed to recall them for all time.
this was horrible and gross and so fun. and it's absurd that my teacher got away with calling it education.
again: keep being you.
this is part of a project i am doing where i review books i read a long time ago and am haunted by the memory of people-eating-themselves descriptions in return.
it also is the most searingly traumatizing, because i read it nearly 6 years ago and can easily remember at least four images off the top of my head that were so disgustingly well described i am likely cursed to recall them for all time.
this was horrible and gross and so fun. and it's absurd that my teacher got away with calling it education.
again: keep being you.
this is part of a project i am doing where i review books i read a long time ago and am haunted by the memory of people-eating-themselves descriptions in return.
January 24, 2013
I thoroughly disliked this book.
It started by introducing a little girl and savagely killing her with a horrible nervous system destroying virus. Unfortunately I was eating lunch when I started the book and lost my appetite (which has never actually happened to me).
I'm 200 pages into the book and the characters, setting, and descriptions are weak. It's like Preston followed a simple book writing formula, first introduce character, then describe character, describe setting, add something unique or personal... It felt formulaic to me.
Next up, the pages and pages and pages of Russian, US, and Iraq Bio weapon histories. I'm half way through the book and almost nothing has happened because Preston has spent too much time giving a history lesson and raving about everyone's lack of security. At one point he actually breaks the 4th wall to tell me this all true.
Overall, the book reads like a scary and disgusting Jared Diamond essay with a shitty story thrown in so it fits nicely under "fiction" in Barnes and Noble.
It started by introducing a little girl and savagely killing her with a horrible nervous system destroying virus. Unfortunately I was eating lunch when I started the book and lost my appetite (which has never actually happened to me).
I'm 200 pages into the book and the characters, setting, and descriptions are weak. It's like Preston followed a simple book writing formula, first introduce character, then describe character, describe setting, add something unique or personal... It felt formulaic to me.
Next up, the pages and pages and pages of Russian, US, and Iraq Bio weapon histories. I'm half way through the book and almost nothing has happened because Preston has spent too much time giving a history lesson and raving about everyone's lack of security. At one point he actually breaks the 4th wall to tell me this all true.
Overall, the book reads like a scary and disgusting Jared Diamond essay with a shitty story thrown in so it fits nicely under "fiction" in Barnes and Noble.
April 13, 2018
Sometimes you just crave a classic thriller -- and there is a reason that Richard Preston's THE COBRA EVENT is a classic. A tale of a biological warfare attack on Manhattan, it's the sort of impeccably researched scare-fest that really does keep even a jaded novelist like me reading well past my bedtime.
October 5, 2007
This book was amazing! Richard Preston, the author of "The Hot Zone," (the true story of the Ebola outbreak of a monkey research facility in Virginia) knows his stuff! This man is brilliant! Honestly, I can't say it enough. He knows diseases, virology, epidemiology, criminology and suspense. He KNOWS his stuff. Seriously if you haven't read any of his books, shame on you, get to it! NOW!
July 10, 2013
It begins with a common cold. You find yourself blowing your nose every moment. You sneeze occasionally. You take some cold syrup. The syrup doesn’t help. You even feel worse. You can feel yourself drifting apart. Someone’s talking to you, but you aren’t paying any attention. You feel weak and weary and disoriented. And then you suddenly drop to the floor, thrashing around violently. You feel strange blisters in your mouth. Next you begin to chew your lips and the insides of your mouth in relish. You know you’re hurting yourself but you just can’t help it. Then your spine begins to curve backward and backward, until you…
Sounds creepy, right?
Well, I’ve just described how the Cobra virus works.
The Cobra Event is a realistic science fiction. It’s about a virus, Cobra, which affects the brain and turns one into a monster, killing oneself from inside.
A homeless man dies on a subway platform. Days later, a teenager dies under strange circumstances. Dr. Alice Austen of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta is sent to New York to examine what seems like an outbreak of a disease. Along with her fellow scientists, she discovers this disease is actually a virus, released by an unknown terrorist, with strong indications of a bigger release to come soon. What follows is a flurry of scientific activities as they battle to discover the properties of this new virus, because doing that would help identify the terrorist.
This is one of those kinds of books I refer to as edutainment. I learnt much scientific stuff while reading. I was entertained by the chilling story as well. There were lots of biological and medical stuffs I liked in the book. I was distracted, though, by some of the expositions. The author seemed to explain everything, and with too many details, the reading experience felt like science lecture sometimes. I was detached a bit, but I kept on reading because I wanted to see how everything ends, though I predicted rightly who would and who wouldn’t survive.
About the characters, I didn’t really connect with any of them. I felt they didn’t have much depth. The bad guy, a scientist-turned-terrorist, however, was a real bad guy.
Overall, I’d say The Cobra Event is a wonderful read. I loved the chills it gave me—sometimes I stopped to wonder what if the air I were breathing was filled with virus particles. That’s what this book does to you. It shows you what a bioterrorist attack could look like today. I’d have given it more stars if the first part of the book didn’t drag out. The last fifty pages, with its fired shots and explosions, were the best parts.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good medical thriller and who doesn’t mind lectures while reading fiction. The author has some really great nonfiction books.
You’ll love this book if you’re a Michael Crichton fan.
So, here goes my three (***) stars to The Cobra Event.
Sounds creepy, right?
Well, I’ve just described how the Cobra virus works.
The Cobra Event is a realistic science fiction. It’s about a virus, Cobra, which affects the brain and turns one into a monster, killing oneself from inside.
A homeless man dies on a subway platform. Days later, a teenager dies under strange circumstances. Dr. Alice Austen of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta is sent to New York to examine what seems like an outbreak of a disease. Along with her fellow scientists, she discovers this disease is actually a virus, released by an unknown terrorist, with strong indications of a bigger release to come soon. What follows is a flurry of scientific activities as they battle to discover the properties of this new virus, because doing that would help identify the terrorist.
This is one of those kinds of books I refer to as edutainment. I learnt much scientific stuff while reading. I was entertained by the chilling story as well. There were lots of biological and medical stuffs I liked in the book. I was distracted, though, by some of the expositions. The author seemed to explain everything, and with too many details, the reading experience felt like science lecture sometimes. I was detached a bit, but I kept on reading because I wanted to see how everything ends, though I predicted rightly who would and who wouldn’t survive.
About the characters, I didn’t really connect with any of them. I felt they didn’t have much depth. The bad guy, a scientist-turned-terrorist, however, was a real bad guy.
Overall, I’d say The Cobra Event is a wonderful read. I loved the chills it gave me—sometimes I stopped to wonder what if the air I were breathing was filled with virus particles. That’s what this book does to you. It shows you what a bioterrorist attack could look like today. I’d have given it more stars if the first part of the book didn’t drag out. The last fifty pages, with its fired shots and explosions, were the best parts.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good medical thriller and who doesn’t mind lectures while reading fiction. The author has some really great nonfiction books.
You’ll love this book if you’re a Michael Crichton fan.
So, here goes my three (***) stars to The Cobra Event.
September 14, 2022
People seem to love or hate this book. I found it unputdownable - and I even read it via Open Library, a first for me with that somewhat clunky format.
Written in the late '90s, this book explores what's driving an outbreak of an unknown, very deadly virus that can be thought of as brainpox. Dr. Alice Austin, a junior biologist with the CDC, is sent to investigate what happened to Kate Moran, a 17yo NYC high schooler who suddenly started bleeding from her orifices, bit her own lips off, and went into convulsions. It was not a pretty death, but at least it was quick: within only 48 hours of exposure. Alice teams up with agents from the FBI as well as deep operatives within the government meant to stop biological attacks.
Preston did a great job creating tension throughout the novel, but especially at the end when a furious race to catch a madman ends up in the maze-like tunnels below New York City.
Truly thrilling, toward the terrifying end of the spectrum. I know this recommendation will, to some, feel "too soon" in the wake of the COVID pandemic, but if you can handle a fictional novel that skirts closely to recent events, The Cobra Event is a good one to choose.
Written in the late '90s, this book explores what's driving an outbreak of an unknown, very deadly virus that can be thought of as brainpox. Dr. Alice Austin, a junior biologist with the CDC, is sent to investigate what happened to Kate Moran, a 17yo NYC high schooler who suddenly started bleeding from her orifices, bit her own lips off, and went into convulsions. It was not a pretty death, but at least it was quick: within only 48 hours of exposure. Alice teams up with agents from the FBI as well as deep operatives within the government meant to stop biological attacks.
Preston did a great job creating tension throughout the novel, but especially at the end when a furious race to catch a madman ends up in the maze-like tunnels below New York City.
Truly thrilling, toward the terrifying end of the spectrum. I know this recommendation will, to some, feel "too soon" in the wake of the COVID pandemic, but if you can handle a fictional novel that skirts closely to recent events, The Cobra Event is a good one to choose.
September 16, 2020
Wow, I after reading
previously, I didn't think I'd be able to find a book that'd be able to match the same horror and suspense, but after reading this book, I'd say it was quite close!!
It starts out with teen Kate Moran, who is believed to have come down with a common cold, shakes it off and decides to go to School. While in school, Kate gets progressively worse, then suddenly collapses, having violent seizures and begins process of self-cannibalization. Hours later she dies in Hospital. When similar deaths start to occur, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) sends Dr. Alice Austen to investigate.
Dr. Austin and the rest of the Health officials investigating the matter soon realize that they are facing a deadly threat of Bioterorrism, a genetically engineered virus called Cobra, that fuses with the common cold with smallpox.
Even though the story is purely fiction, Richard Preston does go back and touch on the subject of Bioweapons and tests that were done in the 60's.
Just like The Hot Zone, The Cobra Event is scary and fascinating at the same time! Richard Preston does a wonderful job with the Scientific descriptions, and explaining many different viruses, some I've never even heard of.
A must-read for those who like to read about Outbreaks and Pandemics!
previously, I didn't think I'd be able to find a book that'd be able to match the same horror and suspense, but after reading this book, I'd say it was quite close!!It starts out with teen Kate Moran, who is believed to have come down with a common cold, shakes it off and decides to go to School. While in school, Kate gets progressively worse, then suddenly collapses, having violent seizures and begins process of self-cannibalization. Hours later she dies in Hospital. When similar deaths start to occur, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) sends Dr. Alice Austen to investigate.
Dr. Austin and the rest of the Health officials investigating the matter soon realize that they are facing a deadly threat of Bioterorrism, a genetically engineered virus called Cobra, that fuses with the common cold with smallpox.
Even though the story is purely fiction, Richard Preston does go back and touch on the subject of Bioweapons and tests that were done in the 60's.
Just like The Hot Zone, The Cobra Event is scary and fascinating at the same time! Richard Preston does a wonderful job with the Scientific descriptions, and explaining many different viruses, some I've never even heard of.
A must-read for those who like to read about Outbreaks and Pandemics!
April 20, 2017
While I would have given this book a five star rating, some parts were jumping back and worth a little too much.
With that being said, this book is terrifying. The author did a lot of research on it, but he also fictionalized some parts (mainly names and instructions on how to build weapons - for obvious reasons). The core part is that, yes, these things can and do happen all the time. We don't hear about it always but these types of biological weapons are aimed at eliminating a vast number of a population, not to kill everyone. There will always be some people who are "immune" to it.
The book itself kept going back from one person to another. It kept jumping from the unknowing victims and their final days to doctors to army personal and how they want to deal with the threat. Speaking of doctors, there was a bunch of scenes that dealt with autopsy of the victims. Some are very graphic, like the one where they peel the skin off the skull or the one where they basically yank out all the reproductive organs of a woman through a certain place on her body. Not for the squeamish.
Another thing that is scary is that a lot of countries have the power to grow these viruses. In fact, Russia at one point grew so much that one batch could have almost eliminated entire countries. These are also very specific viruses that are grown and engineered in labs that could be hiding anywhere. They have constant funds from private investors and can be disguised as regular medical research labs.
Not much else to say. The book is scary. The events described are also scary, mainly because this threat is undetectable. The victims started off having a runny nose (symptom of an upcoming cold) and they went off to contort in weird way and chew off their upper and lower lips. They also get blisters in their mouth, chew off their hands, and bleed a lot. Think of it like a mist hitting you on your walk home from work. You think nothing of it and in 24 hrs you end up dead in a very violent way.
With that being said, this book is terrifying. The author did a lot of research on it, but he also fictionalized some parts (mainly names and instructions on how to build weapons - for obvious reasons). The core part is that, yes, these things can and do happen all the time. We don't hear about it always but these types of biological weapons are aimed at eliminating a vast number of a population, not to kill everyone. There will always be some people who are "immune" to it.
The book itself kept going back from one person to another. It kept jumping from the unknowing victims and their final days to doctors to army personal and how they want to deal with the threat. Speaking of doctors, there was a bunch of scenes that dealt with autopsy of the victims. Some are very graphic, like the one where they peel the skin off the skull or the one where they basically yank out all the reproductive organs of a woman through a certain place on her body. Not for the squeamish.
Another thing that is scary is that a lot of countries have the power to grow these viruses. In fact, Russia at one point grew so much that one batch could have almost eliminated entire countries. These are also very specific viruses that are grown and engineered in labs that could be hiding anywhere. They have constant funds from private investors and can be disguised as regular medical research labs.
Not much else to say. The book is scary. The events described are also scary, mainly because this threat is undetectable. The victims started off having a runny nose (symptom of an upcoming cold) and they went off to contort in weird way and chew off their upper and lower lips. They also get blisters in their mouth, chew off their hands, and bleed a lot. Think of it like a mist hitting you on your walk home from work. You think nothing of it and in 24 hrs you end up dead in a very violent way.
February 26, 2017
I have always had a unexplained love of stories about epidemics and threats of apocalyptic level disease outbreaks. I like disaster movies in general, but in particular ones featuring disease, whether natural or a bio weapon. There aren't too many terrific novels in this genre, since many tend to be the same. It's exciting up until the point where the virus outbreak occurs, and then it sort of sinks into typical survivalist post-apoc fare.
This one, however, is very likely the best NOVEL written ever about a viral outbreak. The author, Richard Preston, really knows his stuff. He is the author of "The Hot Zone", the best known work of non-fiction about dangerous viruses like ebola, marsburg, etc. Specifically, "The Hot Zone" focuses on the threat of zoonosis, or viruses contracted from animals, especially with the leveling of the rainforest (which exposes new species and their bugs), modern transportation, etc.
"The Cobra Event" focuses on a different kind of threat--bio engineered and weaponized viruses. It's a fictional thriller that features an engineered virus that someone is threatening to loose in New York City. It's a horrible virus that's been engineered from a moth virus and the common cold to create a "brain pox". The symptoms are extremely gruesome and the bug is 100% lethal. In the story, a few mysterious deaths show up in NYC and a CDC doctor is sent to investigate. She (Austin) realizes it's a very dangerous new bug and calls in the big guns.
The book is mostly procedural/investigative. The CDC and FBI get involved trying to decode the virus and then catch the guy who has it before he lets it go in a huge dose and kills most of mankind. There are also good elements of medical thriller in the book, with vivid description of the cases and autopsies. There's a great deal of real history of biological weapons mixed in, sometimes tangents that go on for pages (such as about the weapons inspections in Iraq). Some readers just looking for a seamless thriller might get annoyed at these info dumps, but I found it all really interesting, and the real life stories added to the sense of reality that made the book more all the more frightening.
Fortunately, the book never does devolve into survivalist/post-apoc tedium since the worst is avoided. As such it reads more like an action/investigation thriller, which I liked.
All around, this book gets 5 huge hot viral stars from me. I can't quite believe I never read this before, but I read "The Hot Zone" way back when (also recommended), so perhaps at the time I thought this would be redundant. Not. I'd say this is the best viral thriller ever published and definitely a strong pager-turner that reads like a Forsythe, Ludlum, etc. If you like creepy virus stories, this is a must read.
This one, however, is very likely the best NOVEL written ever about a viral outbreak. The author, Richard Preston, really knows his stuff. He is the author of "The Hot Zone", the best known work of non-fiction about dangerous viruses like ebola, marsburg, etc. Specifically, "The Hot Zone" focuses on the threat of zoonosis, or viruses contracted from animals, especially with the leveling of the rainforest (which exposes new species and their bugs), modern transportation, etc.
"The Cobra Event" focuses on a different kind of threat--bio engineered and weaponized viruses. It's a fictional thriller that features an engineered virus that someone is threatening to loose in New York City. It's a horrible virus that's been engineered from a moth virus and the common cold to create a "brain pox". The symptoms are extremely gruesome and the bug is 100% lethal. In the story, a few mysterious deaths show up in NYC and a CDC doctor is sent to investigate. She (Austin) realizes it's a very dangerous new bug and calls in the big guns.
The book is mostly procedural/investigative. The CDC and FBI get involved trying to decode the virus and then catch the guy who has it before he lets it go in a huge dose and kills most of mankind. There are also good elements of medical thriller in the book, with vivid description of the cases and autopsies. There's a great deal of real history of biological weapons mixed in, sometimes tangents that go on for pages (such as about the weapons inspections in Iraq). Some readers just looking for a seamless thriller might get annoyed at these info dumps, but I found it all really interesting, and the real life stories added to the sense of reality that made the book more all the more frightening.
Fortunately, the book never does devolve into survivalist/post-apoc tedium since the worst is avoided. As such it reads more like an action/investigation thriller, which I liked.
All around, this book gets 5 huge hot viral stars from me. I can't quite believe I never read this before, but I read "The Hot Zone" way back when (also recommended), so perhaps at the time I thought this would be redundant. Not. I'd say this is the best viral thriller ever published and definitely a strong pager-turner that reads like a Forsythe, Ludlum, etc. If you like creepy virus stories, this is a must read.
January 7, 2014
Ehhh... the idea behind this book was solid and interesting but poorly executed. Quite simply, the writing broke the book with its overuse of passive verbs, inconsistent verb tense and overall repetition of words. From the technical aspect, this book seemed like it originated from someone who had neither read a novel nor took a writing class. Despite its gore, the book talked down to its audience in an insulting fashion (perhaps Richard Preston secretly agrees with his villain?). The characters lacked personality. Why even bother to name these "people"? That is how devoid of humanity they came across. Still, the book's premise held originality and it certainly played a role in inspiring Scott Sigler's Infected, so for that alone the book deserves some credit. I recommend his brother's thrillers MUCH more than this one.
March 27, 2012
Once again Richard Preston sets out to scare us about the (very real) threat of diseases and viruses that could wipe out a significant portion of the world population. Unlike The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story this book is fiction and about what if a virus was altered and used as a weapon, rather than about a natural virus.
The first half of this book is great. The slow buildup as the virus starts to be found, the uncertainty of the source or nature of it, the small snippets of real-life background of biological weapon research and development.
But once the source starts to be revealed the book really loses its way and degenerates into a generic chase with an inevitable conclusion. Sorry to tell you but the good guys win in the same way they do in every Hollywood blockbuster. Now it's not that I don't want the good guys to win but it was so predictable and cliched it really let the book down. If the authors intent was to scare and educate people on what these viruses can do then he really should have taken it further. The start was great with random people dropping, terrifying symptoms, panic and uncertainty. He should have played that part out a lot longer. Let it creep out into further random parts of the city. The public knowing something but nothing at the same time. And towards the end ramp it up to full blown epidemic. The virus was defeated too easily and it could give people a false sense of security. He should have shown what could really happen if it got loose.
An interesting book and one that grips you most of the way it really lost its strength. This book would have been better if the author had been willing to take it further.
The first half of this book is great. The slow buildup as the virus starts to be found, the uncertainty of the source or nature of it, the small snippets of real-life background of biological weapon research and development.
But once the source starts to be revealed the book really loses its way and degenerates into a generic chase with an inevitable conclusion. Sorry to tell you but the good guys win in the same way they do in every Hollywood blockbuster. Now it's not that I don't want the good guys to win but it was so predictable and cliched it really let the book down. If the authors intent was to scare and educate people on what these viruses can do then he really should have taken it further. The start was great with random people dropping, terrifying symptoms, panic and uncertainty. He should have played that part out a lot longer. Let it creep out into further random parts of the city. The public knowing something but nothing at the same time. And towards the end ramp it up to full blown epidemic. The virus was defeated too easily and it could give people a false sense of security. He should have shown what could really happen if it got loose.
An interesting book and one that grips you most of the way it really lost its strength. This book would have been better if the author had been willing to take it further.
April 20, 2013
My thrill and excitement for this novel started to dissipate a little more than halfway through. Possibly at my own fault, not sure.
There were moments in which I wasn't sure if the author desired to tell a great story or to anecdote a great textbook. The story would be moving along quite nicely and then we'd pause, take a step back away from the setting & characters, and discuss real-life biology or geography or science history.
Hard to get a good cadence with these odd interruptions. I found myself skipping thru them; perhaps they'd benefit another reader who cannot accept fiction as fiction.
The conclusion was very claustrophobic. It puts me in the mind of a Douglas Preston novel which makes me ask if authors Douglas & Richard share more than just a last name.
Take it or leave it. I've owned this book for maybe 5yrs and am just getting to it.
There were moments in which I wasn't sure if the author desired to tell a great story or to anecdote a great textbook. The story would be moving along quite nicely and then we'd pause, take a step back away from the setting & characters, and discuss real-life biology or geography or science history.
Hard to get a good cadence with these odd interruptions. I found myself skipping thru them; perhaps they'd benefit another reader who cannot accept fiction as fiction.
The conclusion was very claustrophobic. It puts me in the mind of a Douglas Preston novel which makes me ask if authors Douglas & Richard share more than just a last name.
Take it or leave it. I've owned this book for maybe 5yrs and am just getting to it.
December 19, 2014
I had already read Preston's ground-breaking non-fiction The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus. But a fiction writer he ain't.
Cardboard characters, a stupidly evil villain, an incredulous plot, and worst of all, poor writing.
I expected much better after having read his non-fiction.
No match for Michael Crichton
If you haven't read it, I would give it a miss.
Cardboard characters, a stupidly evil villain, an incredulous plot, and worst of all, poor writing.
I expected much better after having read his non-fiction.
No match for Michael Crichton
If you haven't read it, I would give it a miss.
April 11, 2007
This author kind of reminds me of Michael Crichton and Dan Brown, in that it's written like a screen play. I read this book and still got a C in my bioterrorism course. LAME.
April 16, 2019
Se devora.
November 10, 2017
I don't often read the afterword in novels, but I did for some reason with this one, and in doing so had some of my problems with the book confirmed. Preston admits himself that this is a blend of fiction and non-fiction: that he'd taken a non-fiction scenario and non-fiction research and fictionalised them. I found it a very uneasy blend. It's extremely detailed about viruses, their weaponising, the equipment, the strategies to combat them... Research is used best when it's used sparingly. I was watching Jordan Peterson the other day (if you don't know who he is, you should, so I'm not explaining him) and he said you should always know 90% more than you speak about. I reckon writing is the same. I got the impression with this book that I got the 100%.
Having said all that, this is a fascinating insight into the possibilities of bioterrorism. The virus chosen is particularly horrific, and the description of the agonies endured by the sufferers was almost too intense to read in parts (the self autopsy scene comes to mind). The final chapters, closing in on the terrorist and the hunt through the subway tunnels, were brilliantly tense. I think this would make an incredible movie.
It's hard to rate. Some of the novel is 5 stars, some I struggled with and thought appallingly written (for a fictional novel). So I'm sort of averaging it out.
If you like pandemic, apocalyptic novels, then this is a must read on your list.
Having said all that, this is a fascinating insight into the possibilities of bioterrorism. The virus chosen is particularly horrific, and the description of the agonies endured by the sufferers was almost too intense to read in parts (the self autopsy scene comes to mind). The final chapters, closing in on the terrorist and the hunt through the subway tunnels, were brilliantly tense. I think this would make an incredible movie.
It's hard to rate. Some of the novel is 5 stars, some I struggled with and thought appallingly written (for a fictional novel). So I'm sort of averaging it out.
If you like pandemic, apocalyptic novels, then this is a must read on your list.
December 30, 2010
This book I discovered by chance--and I am glad I did. It was a real page turner. Published in 1997 it is the horrifying story of "black biology" and the possibilities of biological weapons. The CDC, New York City police and fire department, and the FBI form "Reachdeep" -- a criminal investigation team working together to solve biological weapons mystery before a deadly "brainpox" virus is released worldwide.
A great deal of the book is based on facts that we should all be aware of now. It is a textbook of sorts for the layman. It even contains a glossary.
Find a copy and read it. You will not be disappointed!
I am now adding more about this remarkable, informative book. I could not sleep last night and turned on the National geographic channel, For three hours I listened to programs on the same subject covered so correctly and detailed in the Cobra Event. The programs covered how a virus works in great detail--the Ebola virus--how they are dealt with (quarantine), biopsy, naming of a virus, how they are passed,
biological warfare, different levels of safety (suiting up)--
I already knew it all from reading this excellent, WELL-RESEARCHED novel.
I have looked at his more recent books--Preston writes a great deal of nonfiction. I can see why.
What should I read now?
A great deal of the book is based on facts that we should all be aware of now. It is a textbook of sorts for the layman. It even contains a glossary.
Find a copy and read it. You will not be disappointed!
I am now adding more about this remarkable, informative book. I could not sleep last night and turned on the National geographic channel, For three hours I listened to programs on the same subject covered so correctly and detailed in the Cobra Event. The programs covered how a virus works in great detail--the Ebola virus--how they are dealt with (quarantine), biopsy, naming of a virus, how they are passed,
biological warfare, different levels of safety (suiting up)--
I already knew it all from reading this excellent, WELL-RESEARCHED novel.
I have looked at his more recent books--Preston writes a great deal of nonfiction. I can see why.
What should I read now?
August 5, 2016
2.5 stars. A good story but not very good writing. He lapses into encyclopedia-like explanations, often repeating the same fact thrice in one paragraph+, his metaphors are horrible, and the point of view is all over the place. Also though he brags in an introduction about how accurate it is, there really are problems in the science, at least as I understand it.
+ Page 57: " [he] fitted a chain mail glove over his left hand. ...the prosector wears a metal glove on one hand … Most accidental knife cuts during autopsy occur on the pathologist's non-dominant hand. In most people that's the left hand. You hold the knife in your dominant hand. So accidental cuts usually occur on the nondominant hand. You wear a chain mail glove on your nondominant hand." (And there's more, but that's a taste of it. Stop, already!)
+ Page 57: " [he] fitted a chain mail glove over his left hand. ...the prosector wears a metal glove on one hand … Most accidental knife cuts during autopsy occur on the pathologist's non-dominant hand. In most people that's the left hand. You hold the knife in your dominant hand. So accidental cuts usually occur on the nondominant hand. You wear a chain mail glove on your nondominant hand." (And there's more, but that's a taste of it. Stop, already!)
November 24, 2016
"The Hot Zone" scared me to death when I read it 20 years or so ago. I missed his fictionalized version of what a bio-terror event might look like in a major city. A little stilted at times (when Preston tried to inject more fiction-type elements into the book, he is really a better non-fiction writer) but overall really well-researched and terrifying. A little dated as it's almost 20 years old, but still a good read.
August 9, 2013
Richard Preston needs to learn how to write a cohesive story. Plain and simple. Honestly got a page in and had to stop, it was so bad.
May 26, 2014
4.5 stars
Re-read. A thrilling story that seems almost plausible by today's standards. That is what makes this story truly horrifying!
Recommended!
Re-read. A thrilling story that seems almost plausible by today's standards. That is what makes this story truly horrifying!
Recommended!
December 3, 2017
This books starts off great. A character you like (Kate) yikes!! horror! ANd then, the author goes on a rant about how insecure governments keep viruses, and biological weapons.. page after page of textbook style reading and then.. back to the story.
Then they introduce Alice, a character you will love, and just as she starts to make headway..
Then; The author goes on a rant about how biological weapons.. page after page of textbook style reading and then.. back to the story..
They introduce more characters, Hopkins, etc.. and the story starts to take shape again...
Then; The author goes on a rant about how insecure governments keep viruses, and biological weapons.. page after page of textbook style reading and then.. back to the story.
The story introduces you to the villain and gets you interested and then....
the author goes on a rant about how insecure governments keep viruses, and biological weapons.. page after page of textbook style reading and then.. back to the story.
Great story, it really is, but if he had done away with the technical - no one gives a damn abut the technical jargon - it would have rated a 5, as it is I had trouble giving it a 2.
Then they introduce Alice, a character you will love, and just as she starts to make headway..
Then; The author goes on a rant about how biological weapons.. page after page of textbook style reading and then.. back to the story..
They introduce more characters, Hopkins, etc.. and the story starts to take shape again...
Then; The author goes on a rant about how insecure governments keep viruses, and biological weapons.. page after page of textbook style reading and then.. back to the story.
The story introduces you to the villain and gets you interested and then....
the author goes on a rant about how insecure governments keep viruses, and biological weapons.. page after page of textbook style reading and then.. back to the story.
Great story, it really is, but if he had done away with the technical - no one gives a damn abut the technical jargon - it would have rated a 5, as it is I had trouble giving it a 2.
March 31, 2021
It begins when a New York City teenager has a seizure in class and dies shortly after. CDC scientist Alice Austen is dispatched to observe the autopsy and try to determine if this is an infectious agent. She quickly determines that this is not an accident but an act of terrorism. A deranged, disgraced biotechnician is intent on releasing the deadly Cobra virus in New York, to kill as many “useless humans” as possible.
This is a great thriller, that kept me enthralled and turning pages as quickly as I could. I’d read Preston’s nonfiction bestsellers: The Hot Zone and The Demon In the Freezer , so I knew he had the research background to make this a very plausible scenario. Reading it in the era of COVID19 just makes it that much more frightening, and interesting. I loved the details on how the teams of scientists, public health officials and FBI agents worked to decipher the clues.
If you’re at all squeamish you might want to skip some of the autopsy scenes.
This is a great thriller, that kept me enthralled and turning pages as quickly as I could. I’d read Preston’s nonfiction bestsellers: The Hot Zone and The Demon In the Freezer , so I knew he had the research background to make this a very plausible scenario. Reading it in the era of COVID19 just makes it that much more frightening, and interesting. I loved the details on how the teams of scientists, public health officials and FBI agents worked to decipher the clues.
If you’re at all squeamish you might want to skip some of the autopsy scenes.
June 27, 2017
I have no words. Read the book. Read it, in all of its sciency amazingness. The first book to ever scare the actual living heck out of me, but in such a good, adrenaline-filled way that I don't even care. Read the book.
July 5, 2019
3.5 Stars!
Well, shit. That was intense. 😳
Well, shit. That was intense. 😳
July 27, 2020
When Stephen King says he was scared after reading this book, it became a must-read. Yes, we live in a world currently struggling with COVID but imagine, just imagine, how worse it could be.
May 28, 2022
Half a star...
October 26, 2020
This was a brutal, scary, and graphic book. It was a hell of a page turner as well. I was back and forth on 4 or 5 stars; I decided on 4 since I'd say the writing wasn't quite on the level of some of the stuff I've been reading lately, but for pure entertainment value it was 5/5.
This book is about the terrifying world of bio-terrorism and all the nightmare-inducing things that come along with that. The writer doesn't hold back at all. We're dealing with an engineered virus here, Cobra, or brainpox, and the implications of it are serious business. Bill Clinton, who was president of the USA at the time, apparently read the book and had a meeting with his top scientists to discuss the possibilities associated with a similar event happening in real life. It gets in your head, and it doesn't leave (pun intended).
This is a different kind of horror, but it's as scary as anything I've read. It's also peppered throughout with brief historical interludes about bioterrorism history, as well as some very specific medical details. Besides those occasional asides, the book moves fast and is very readable. Unfortunately there are no great characters here that stand out, but I give it a pass on that since the main character here is the virus itself.
It's a shame Richard Preston hasn't written more fiction; I would love to read more of what his sick mind has to offer. Overall I'm going to go with 4.2/5 and I'll recommend this to people who are interested in this kind of thing. Reading it in 2020 makes it all the more scary, but I will say it occurred to me to THANK GOD we aren't dealing with something like Cobra.
This book is about the terrifying world of bio-terrorism and all the nightmare-inducing things that come along with that. The writer doesn't hold back at all. We're dealing with an engineered virus here, Cobra, or brainpox, and the implications of it are serious business. Bill Clinton, who was president of the USA at the time, apparently read the book and had a meeting with his top scientists to discuss the possibilities associated with a similar event happening in real life. It gets in your head, and it doesn't leave (pun intended).
This is a different kind of horror, but it's as scary as anything I've read. It's also peppered throughout with brief historical interludes about bioterrorism history, as well as some very specific medical details. Besides those occasional asides, the book moves fast and is very readable. Unfortunately there are no great characters here that stand out, but I give it a pass on that since the main character here is the virus itself.
It's a shame Richard Preston hasn't written more fiction; I would love to read more of what his sick mind has to offer. Overall I'm going to go with 4.2/5 and I'll recommend this to people who are interested in this kind of thing. Reading it in 2020 makes it all the more scary, but I will say it occurred to me to THANK GOD we aren't dealing with something like Cobra.
October 16, 2022
I enjoyed this novel, and though now the content seems dated, the action is still fun and compelling.
Some may find the long non-fiction digressions about the then-state of bioterrorism as sponsored by various nations (and I mean that governments seem much more involved with engineering biological weapons than terrorists do) a little long, but the information provides a good deal of context about the issue that is required for the novel and that casual readers are unlikely to get anywhere else.
Many may feel that much of the action has been seen in movies and novels before, but some scenes in the novel are amusing and inspired, such as when one of our mains defuses a bio-bomb while stuck upside-down in a vertical subterranean shaft, which was simultaneously charming, ludicrous, and entertaining.
I hope, too, that we actually do have people as committed to preventing biological threats to humanity as those who appear as mains in this novel. However, I remain convinced that the most dangerous aspect of any virus is humans: their knowledge, actions, intents, duplicity, stupidity, arrogance, and greed. Viruses have none of these, and before we knew what viruses were, we didn't create them (computers) or weaponize them (biology). So, as in many other areas and issues, the human factor is the most dangerous and least predictable.
Read up on viruses now. What you learn will be significant context for the pandemics, natural or anthropocentric, to come.
Some may find the long non-fiction digressions about the then-state of bioterrorism as sponsored by various nations (and I mean that governments seem much more involved with engineering biological weapons than terrorists do) a little long, but the information provides a good deal of context about the issue that is required for the novel and that casual readers are unlikely to get anywhere else.
Many may feel that much of the action has been seen in movies and novels before, but some scenes in the novel are amusing and inspired, such as when one of our mains defuses a bio-bomb while stuck upside-down in a vertical subterranean shaft, which was simultaneously charming, ludicrous, and entertaining.
I hope, too, that we actually do have people as committed to preventing biological threats to humanity as those who appear as mains in this novel. However, I remain convinced that the most dangerous aspect of any virus is humans: their knowledge, actions, intents, duplicity, stupidity, arrogance, and greed. Viruses have none of these, and before we knew what viruses were, we didn't create them (computers) or weaponize them (biology). So, as in many other areas and issues, the human factor is the most dangerous and least predictable.
Read up on viruses now. What you learn will be significant context for the pandemics, natural or anthropocentric, to come.
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