Rating: 
Summary: Hang on--Its One Hell of a Ride!
Review: From the first to the last page, Mr. Preston grabs the reader and doesn't let go. He strikes the chord of terror and reality in having dangerous biological weapons dispersed throughout America's metropolis--New York City by a lunatic mad man. Its a race against a biological holocaust that is qucikly ticking to detonation. Spies, viruses, danger, and intrigue all make this a first rate novel. Readers should also check out Preston's "The Hot Zone."
Rating: 
Summary: Fiction that Reads Like Non-Fiction
Review: This is the case of a good story with not-so-good execution. Preston is not a fiction writer, and it shows. While the plot is great and the characters intriguing, it's very jarring to suddenly have Preston (as there is no real "narrator") explain something directly to the reader. There are those who can do this well, and those who can't. I enjoyed the story, but would have liked for it to "feel" like a novel. Instead, it felt like a documentary non-fiction book. Would I recommend this book to others? Probably, with the reservations noted above. Would I read it again? Probably not. I prefer my thrillers to read like thrillers and not "pull me out" of the fictional world every few pages. On the whole, I give it 3 1/2 stars, if that was an option. Not too great as a "novel," but a good account of a biohazard event. Entertaining and interesting, but it was very hard to stay involved in the story when the author couldn't stay involved in it himself. Richard Preston is a good writer, and his books are generally good. If you like bio-medical thrillers, you'll probably like Cobra Event, but be aware that it's not the best book in its field.
Rating:
Summary: Cobra Event is a Smahing Success
Review: This ia a book that grabs and doesn't let go until the last page!Suspense, character development are all in large doses for ages teen to fifty-something folks.. Enjoy this book and share it only as you are ending it or you will be fighting over who reads next..
Rating:
Summary: Ok but....
Review: I actually stopped really reading this book after the autopsy-part. I love to read gory sci-fi/horrorbooks, one of my favorite books is Brite's Exquisite Corpse, but in this book the overtly detailed autopsy just didn't feel right here. It felt like those Faces of Death-videos. or rotten.com. This outshines Hannibal (which wasn't that gory after all :) ) I did flip through the "History"-parts though. :-D
Rating:
Summary: a great buildup towards a disappointing finish
Review: The first 80% of the novel is quite good and a real page-turner, and I do not doubt that the story line is realistic (I'm a grad student in Microbiology). However, the end of the story is contrived and very unsatisfying -- I won't give it away, but it is a 'deus ex machina' sort of ending. Put another way, if 'Silence of the Lambs' had such a plot structure, Hannibal would have been caught and executed, and all would have lived happily ever after -- end of story. Watch '12 Monkeys' instead....
Rating:
Summary: Sobering entertainment that illustrates human vulnerability
Review: Richard Preston's bio-terror thriller shocks, informs, and clarifies as it demonstrates how vulnerable humans are as a species to nefarious techies (or socio-paths, paranoic schizophrenics, or eco-terrorists)that have a whim to decimate the human population using genetically engineered viruses. Were it no so plausible given the growing number of conscience-less weirdo's, it would be the most adreneline pumping tome I have read. The sobering matters with which it deals limits the thrill for me. The plot and characterization are fairly well done, though it is strongest where Preston was brilliant in The Hot Zone: expository material in a narrative context. His style is transparent, nearly without exception, making it a good day's read.
Rating:
Summary: You need to read this book!
Review: Yes, this is the book that caused Bill Clinton to finally realize how real the threat of a bio-strike is on the United States. Too bad this realization didn't come from hearing his advisors but from a book of fiction. Keep in mind, that if this book had such a profound effect on a president, imagine the effect on you. You will come to realize how truly probable a bio-strike is in the near future. The book is unsettling only because it is all too real. True, it is fiction but it isn't far from the truth at all.
Rating:
Summary: Most informative literature i've read in a long time
Review: I read The Cobra Event after I had finished The Hot Zone and I enjoyed Preston's style of writing so much in Hot Zone that I immediately read Cobra Event. I think that the Hot Zone has become so popular and often read that it has become a classic. (Now you gasp if someone hasn't read The Hot Zone) Moving along, The Cobra Event has the same technique of writing that The Hot Zone has (probably because it's by the same writer)and I especially liked the History outtakes. Wow! What a writer. I believe reading should be a learning experience and every single Richard Preston book I've read has been better than a textbook. [By the way, I really suggest that everyone should read First Light, which I think is usually overlooked when one thinks of Preston's great books.] What's so great about Cobra Event is its complete suspense that sucks the reader into the action. I could barely breathe while i was reading the book because of the possibilities of plot that were running through my mind. After reading the book, I couldn't help but research on the subjects in the book. Now, I have seriously looked into working for a government agency that works with viruses or researches on viruses. Thank you Richard Preston for being such a compelling writer!
Rating:
Summary: The Cobra Event!
Review: This, I can say, is one of the best books I ever read!! It's simply awesome! It centers around the bioterrorist efforts of someone to reduce the human population, and the person releases a deadly strain of virus which kills people in quite gruesome features...I loved this book! I'm a 14 year old who just finished reading it over the weekend, and I am definately going to read The Hot Zone next; another book I strongly reccommend!!You've gotta read it; I guarantee it you will find it extremely enjoyable. Plus, the book contains a glossary, which definately helps explain all of the technical terms...plus, if you've read any Michael Crichton books, or Tom Clancy books, you'll definately love this one! Whether you swift through it in a weekend, or read it over the course of a full week, I definately feel it will be an enlightening experience. It has terror, thrills, info, suspense, and a lot of nasty, nasty stuff which you pray will never come true!!
Rating: 
Summary: The suspense is REAL!
Review: After having read Preston's frightening 'The Hot Zone' I felt that he could only scare me witless if he ever tried a fictional story along similar lines...and 'The Cobra Event' is exactly that: very frightening. Could it happen? It sure seems like it could, which makes it even more horrific. It should be no surprise that Richard Preston has it within himself the ability to write a hum-dinger of a yarn because his brother is Douglas Preston, one-half of the duo that gave us 'Relic', 'Thunderhead' and 'The Ice Limit' (among other great thrillers). Richard takes us on a journey that is both scary and entertaining as well. In several instances the story made me feel as though I were witness to something truly horrible, as though I should turn away but couldn't. In one respect we've got a straight 'Bio-Thriller' of the 1st order...in another vein (sorry) we've got a classic 'whodunnit'. Preston combines the two seamlessly and the tension mounts from beginning to its satisfying climax. What more can I say? I enjoyed 'The Cobra Event' VERY MUCH. I have to give a warning though: some of the scenes described in the story are every bit as horrific as can be in written form. A few almost made me gag. The detail is stunning, realistic and written so well you feel as though you are really THERE...all that was missing was the smell (for which I was profoundly thankful they COULDN'T re-create). This is a thriller as good as most out there, and maybe even more so because the stuff in THIS book isn't just fantasy, it COULD ACTUALLY HAPPEN. I pray it doesn't.
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