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  1. TheHedgehog

    TheHedgehog Contributor Contributor

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    The Hot Zone, by Richard Preston (a book on Ebola)

    Discussion in 'Discussion of Published Works' started by TheHedgehog, Oct 11, 2009.

    If you haven't read it, The Hot Zone is a non-fiction biological thriller that documents Ebola and Marbug outbreaks the around the mid 1900s, one including an outbreak of Ebola Zaire in Washington DC (there are three types of viruses in the Filovirus Family: Marbug - 25% kill rate, Ebola Sudan - 50 -70% kill rate, and Ebola Zaire - 90% kill rate) There is no cure, or even a vaccine.

    I've been reading this, and it's genuinly terrifying. Not only because Ebola is such an awful disease, but the fact is that this is real, and it will eventually show its deadly head again in the world. Have you read this book? And if you have, why did you like/dislike it? Do you have any other suggestions for me that are like The Hot Zone? Please share you thoughts on this book or the like. :D
     
  2. garmar69

    garmar69 Contributor Contributor

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    That was a great read. I'm currently reading another book he wrote called The Cobra Event and it is about biological weapons and written in the same manner as The Hot Zone.

    I'm about a quarter of the way through this one and The Hot Zone was a lot better imo.
     
  3. TheHedgehog

    TheHedgehog Contributor Contributor

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    Great; thanks for the opinion! Would you still recommend The Cobra Event regardless? Or is it just a so-so book without the comparison of The Hot Zone?
     
  4. garmar69

    garmar69 Contributor Contributor

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    Since I've only read about 80 pages so far I hate to diss it too much. It's kinda irritating when the author just has to describe every bit character down to their toenails. In the first 80 pages there are a lot of people introduced and every one has a full blown log of every darn stitch of clothing they're wearing.

    The science behind what the story is about is fascinating. Since it's a fiction novel based on real science, and not a non-fiction account, I would like to see more story. It's kind of weak in that area. I kinda feel as though the author is preaching a bit and it's intrusive. I would definitely recommend borrowing it from the library if you enjoy the science and skipping over a lot of the boring stuff like clothing descriptions and repeating information because the author is afraid you didn't get it. :D

    I guess it could be that I'm also re-reading Hannibal and just finished The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris. He's a true master of character description without author intrusion and he tends to spoil me on other lesser authors. If you haven't read those two books I highly recommend you do so asap. Red Dragon is good, also.
     
  5. TheHedgehog

    TheHedgehog Contributor Contributor

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    OK. I'll try to score as many of those titles as I can next time to the library. :D
     
  6. Jobeykobra

    Jobeykobra New Member

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    I literally had a panic attack in Freshman year while reading that scene in the airplane near the beginning of the book. Our biology teacher assigned it. Great book.
     
  7. InkDream

    InkDream Active Member

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    That book thoroughly freaked me out in the 9th grade. Ebola is a prime example of ignorance being bliss. I have an active and visual imagination and that book put some nasty pictures in my head. [They're still there many years later.]

    I'm never going to Africa. Ever.
     

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