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Summary: Mr. Preston strikes again! Bravo......
Review: I was chewing my fingernails all the way through this book. Yikes! If the contents of this work are accurate, and I have confidence they are, the implications are enough to keep you awake at night. Don't forget to kiss your kids as often as possible.....
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Summary: The end of the world may be a virus, not a bomb
Review: Smallpox -- another piece of the highly complex 21st century puzzle that must be understood and put into place. In this highly readable account, Preston explains that smallpox is a particularly deadly killer that HAS NOT been eradicated, HAS been experimented with as a biowarfare agent, and MAY HAVE GREATER POTENTIAL TO WIPE OUT MANKIND than any atom-based bomb yet invented. This book is a highly palatable and enjoyable way to get the facts along with several surprises on the topic that will keep you thinking after you have turned the last page.
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Summary: An interesting and informative read
Review: The Demon in the Freezer starts and ends with anthrax, with smallpox in the middle. Though smallpox is generally thought to have been eradicated, Richard Preston examines the possibility that this cannot be certain and that we may see the virus emerge again, tieing in anthrax through theories of possible biological warfare.One of the main things I enjoy about Richard Preston's writing is that he does not simply list facts about the virus itself, he also tells the stories of the people involved, whether it be the victim or the scientist. This book is definitely worth the read.
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Summary: Nothing beats the Hot Zone.
Review: Perhaps because I found Richard Preston's The Hot Zone such a terrifying and captivating book, this one pales in comparison. I was not thrilled with his book The Cobra Event either. In this true story of bio-terrorism and all of it's implications, Richard Preston seems to taffy stretch the truth in many instances, seemingly a deliberate attempt to make what is already a dreadful truth even more terrifying. For me, he failed, it was boring. I wavered between a thirst for knowledge, lay-person knowledge that is, and anger at the author for tossing out biological weapon recipes as if they were pennies to be had by all. At one point he does claim that it is "public" knowledge, but one would normally have to do a great deal of research on the subject and be well-versed and well trained in the field of bio-chemistry to understand it. Instead, Mr. Preston attempts to make it very easily understood, leaving one with a "Gee thanks a lot Mr. Preston" sarcasmic attitude. I thought his own attitude was cocky at best, but feel I must give credit paradoxically for the wealth of knowledge the book did contain. The only portion of the book I found scary in the least was Mr. Preston's delivery of information that could, and most likely will, fall into many ugly hands. Much of what is said in this book could have been said with less detail and more vivid animation. I wonder why he wrote it? It doesn't, in my opinion, necessarily frighten, it's too factual for the average reader to scare them, it's outright boring for a lay person such as myself and it smacks of sensationalism regarding a subject too awful even for that. There's only a handful of people in today's world I think would benefit from this book, and we haven't found them yet. Gee, thanks a lot Mr. Preston.
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Summary: Good technical stuff; Not coherent enough throughout
Review: This one jumps around quite a bit. Chronologically, it works OK, but many of the diversions I was led along were dead-ends. Why dedicate so much background info on Lisa Hensley (although I admire her very much) when it isn't pertinent? This book is right up Preston's alley, and he demonstrates quite a bit of research. But I'm not sure if 1.5 pages at the end is enough to finally learn what the author believes. Anyway, an interesting read nonetheless. My copy was library-loaned, and I accidentally spilled red wine on parts of the second half of the book. IT'S NON-TOXIC, don't worry ;-)
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Summary: Microbes all over the Place
Review: I love Preston's research and coverage of horrific events. I read him initially in The Hot Zone, which I still think was wonderful. He has a grasp of science that wouldn't put a non-science reader off. I happen to be a scientist and a lawyer. I like his work.
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Summary: Another viral thriller for Preston
Review: By now, with his third book about infectious agents (after THE HOT ZONE and THE COBRA EVENT), Richard Preston has firmly established himself as a virus nerd. His writing bursts with the thrill of discovering new outbreaks of disease and the tiny viruses responsible for epidemics. In THE DEMON IN THE FREEZER, Preston sets out to describe the horrors of the smallpox virus and its potential as a biological weapon. He charts the history of the disease, the progress of the eradication campaign begun in the 1960's, and the development of super-strains designed to kill large numbers of people. In an era without natural occurrences of smallpox, people have forgotten how horrific the disease truly is, and Preston makes sure his readers understand by graphically describing the progression of the disease from the first appearance of a centrifugal rash to the uncontrollable blistering, the collapse of the immune system, and, in some cases, the hemorraghic destruction of internal organs. The chapters on smallpox itself are framed by the anthrax attacks of October 2001. The possibility of biological warfare - by terrorists, a nation, or a disgruntled virologist - looms large in this book. At times, the book is repetitive, as though the author did not trust his readers to remember what he wrote earlier. The book also suffers from a loose construct - a skipping around from small pox to Ebola to anthrax as well as among the various principals in viral research - that seems to defy logic at times. Some of the anecdotes seem inserted merely to ratchet up the level of suspense. However, despite these flaws, THE DEMON IN THE FREEZER is a riveting narrative. Anyone who does not believe smallpox is a real threat should read this book. The insights into virology and genetic engineering are geared for the layman, making the text accessible to a wide audience. I highly recommend this book for readers with a fascination of infection and viruses. While not as tightly written as THE HOT ZONE, this book is yet another Preston's horror story, complete with suspense and gore.
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Summary: Starts a Bit Slow, But Finishes Quite Dramatically
Review: I am a big fan of Richard Preston's. Both his fiction and his non-fiction are worthwhile (which is fairly rare for an author), and his latest contribution is no exception. Although it starts off a bit awkwardly with a summary of the anthrax attacks in Florida and New York in the fall of 2001, he quickly switches over to discussing smallpox. I can only assume that he wanted his readers to be familiar with how dangerous, exactly, a bioterrorism action could be. The thing is that it was really hard to make the jump into talking about smallpox when he had been discussing anthrax for twenty pages. Not only that, but there was a 30 year schism in the timeline. Relatively quickly, though, Preston picked it up and gave a human face to smallpox sufferers, and explained, why we should destroy all of the working stocks of the disease and why it should be purposely removed from the planet. He makes a stellar case against the Iraqi weapons program as well, but some information in the book seems a bit questionable. Although it is true that most molecular biologists had heard of Jackson's mousepox experiment, and most people had heard of the weapons-grade nature of the anthrax used in the attack, I hadn't heard of how the anthrax had gotten that way. It was a dramatic moment in the story telling, but was it really necessary? Only time will tell. It is a widely known fact that biological weapons are easy to make, but making that fact more widely known sometimes seems like a bad idea. Other than that, the book was excellent, intelligent, and provocative. Hopefully Bush will take a cue from it the way that Clinton did from The Cobra Event. Buy it, read it, enjoy it. But, be careful with whom you share it.
Harkius
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Summary: Solid and Light Introduction to the Threat of Bio-Terrorism
Review: This book is a fascinating account of the current state of affairs regarding (primarily) smallpox, anthrax and the threat of bio-terrorism. It is well worth the effort as a light read and is reasonably well-written. I actually picked it up hoping it would contain more on the biology of pathogens, but the book's a little thin on that score. It relies chiefly on anecdote to give you a sense of the recent history of smallpox eradication efforts, the developing risk of biological pathogens being used by terrorist groups, political and diplomatic efforts to control access to these substances and how scientists study and respond to them. I could have wished the book contained a more scientific account of how pathogens work, how they are structured chemically, and why they are dangerous. However, this book doesn't purport to be a research tour de force, so don't expect the sun. The moon ain't bad.
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Summary: A scary, revealing story
Review: This is another good non-fiction story by Richard Preston. He presents the facts, as horrible as they may be, in a readable format without any superflous narrative (in most cases). It was scary to learn about the dangers of smallpox, and how deadly this disease really is. He also brings to light the sometimes crazy workings of our governmental agencies who are supposed to protect us from this type of horror. It seems though that they can never agree on the best course of action. I have read all of Mr. Preston's books, and he always delivers. My only objection to this particular book is the often overly descriptive narrative of the physical characteristics of the people involved in the story. I don't think it is absolutely necessary to know a person's height, hair and eye color or the way they dress. I found this a bit distracting. Otherwise, this is a book that every American should read.
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