Carole Parkinson
asked:
I found the ending puzzling. All through the book there was this question of did the Russians cause this epidemic. The ending was abrupt and frankly I don't know what the conclusion was. Do you readers have any thoughts about this to share?
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Mandy
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Melody Warnick
What Nancy said. What I took away is that human-caused climate change is the ultimate villain here, because it defrosted the mammoth and its virus, which got into polar bears, then birds, who carried it to the rest of the world. I don't think biowarfare was involved.
Nancy
I agree with Ashleigh about the polar bears digging up and eating the infected mammoth, but I think the Siberian cranes were infected by the mammoth or the polar bears, and they carried the disease to the rest of the world. Henry noted that the lab had been abandonbed for at least 10 years, so that took the Russians out of the equation. The irony is that neither super power unleashed the virus, but they both responded in a way that ended civilization on earth.
Doug
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Sharon
I file this under "shit happens". I loved this book. It is clear who the fictional politicians are based on real life in the USA and Russia but the author does not take advantage and push the reader into his agenda for writing this book or supporting a specific political leaning or belief. He does not have a subliminal message about what is happening in today's world.
He writes a fictional story that is so real and close to home as of July 2020 but the pandemic in the story is more virulent that what has happened with COVID. It is scary to read considering he wrote this book before the 2020 COVID occurrence.
I loved that politics and religion and evil and power are all part of the story but in the end, it is just the world evolving and changing as it has since when ever it began.
Pandemic and catastrophe events have occurred throughout the history of the world. The author does an excellent job of referring back to many major events that caused huge change in the world and with the world's mammal/animal/human population. I really enjoyed the ending because it is close to my personal beliefs that "shit happens" and it is not always related to evil people or power.
He writes a fictional story that is so real and close to home as of July 2020 but the pandemic in the story is more virulent that what has happened with COVID. It is scary to read considering he wrote this book before the 2020 COVID occurrence.
I loved that politics and religion and evil and power are all part of the story but in the end, it is just the world evolving and changing as it has since when ever it began.
Pandemic and catastrophe events have occurred throughout the history of the world. The author does an excellent job of referring back to many major events that caused huge change in the world and with the world's mammal/animal/human population. I really enjoyed the ending because it is close to my personal beliefs that "shit happens" and it is not always related to evil people or power.
Ashleigh
I think the implication was the polar bears dug up a preserved and infected mammoth and ate it and were infected by the ancient pre flu ancestor. Then the Russian scientists discovered it as they were trying to figure out what killed all those polar bears. They weaponized it and likely released it, and the US would have done the same for defense in war with the virus Henry invented at USAMRIID if Henry had not anticipated his sociopath co worker's plan and figured out a cure for his deadly virus and published it. So our ongoing Cold War killed us all. And maybe the polar bears could dig up the mammoth bc the permafrost is melting bc global warming. My thoughts. Just finished it 1 hr ago
Julie Furnell
I think it was concluded at the end that the virus was an ancient flu virus that had infected mammoths who were then frozen in the polar wastes only to be dug up and eaten by polar bears who in turn infected birds who in turn infected humans who had no immunity to it. the main character kind of concluded that humans did this to ourselves (global warming)
Mikele Hansen
I think there will be a sequel to this book! I hope there is because it was really good!
Ruth
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Brian Calandra
ANSWER CONTAINS SPOILERS I agree with everyone who's said that climate change unearthed the mammoth, which was eaten by polar bears, which were eaten by birds, which enabled the virus to jump to migrate to China and jump to people.
I also think, though, that Henry's "we did this to ourselves," referred to Tildy's maniacal focus on Putin as the source of the epidemic even though, as Jurgen said, the evidence didn't support it, and Jurgen's willingness to indulge Tildy's mania and engage in bio-warfare.
I also think, though, that Henry's "we did this to ourselves," referred to Tildy's maniacal focus on Putin as the source of the epidemic even though, as Jurgen said, the evidence didn't support it, and Jurgen's willingness to indulge Tildy's mania and engage in bio-warfare.
Susan Weidener
I had to read the ending a couple times. I think he was saying that it was inconclusive whether the virus was caused by the Russians, or by nature.
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