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Burn [Paperback]

Bill Ransom (Author)
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)


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Book Description

September 1996
A ruthless and determined band of terrorists take the entire world hostage by threatening to release a deadly virus into the environment if their demands are not met. By the author of ViraVax.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ransom's sequel to ViraVax rivals John Barnes's Kaleidoscope Century as the SF novel with the highest body count of the year. But while Barnes's novel is an exercise in machismo, Ransom's is a delightful romp with comic-book attitudes and plenty of flare. The villain here is Major Ezra Hodge, whose positions as both a high government functionary and an influential member of a religious sect, the Children of Eden, enable him to manipulate events with apparent impunity. Reporters, politicians, scientists and an assortment of terrorists die from the viral agent he unleashes. Readers unfamiliar with ViraVax may wonder why it might be possible to kill everyone in the world of 2015 by introducing the agent into only bottled water and Communion wafers, but the fast-paced narrative here maintains a tight enough scope to make this seem a minor issue. The ostensible heroes are a pair of genetically engineered children named Harry and Sonja; Harry's father, a spy and recovering alcoholic; and a virologist named Marte Chang. They escape most of their predicaments more through activity than ingenuity, while doing their research off the page. Readers looking for spectacle will find that this novel delivers more "bang for the buck" than most. Ransom maintains a jaunty attitude throughout (the one sex scene is both hilarious and necessary to the plot), and, while his characters are rarely more than two-dimensional, their adventures and the events that guide their lives are fascinating enough to carry the day.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Ransom's Viravax (1993) recounted the thwarted scheme of brilliant scientist and religious fanatic Dajaj Mishwe to unleash a deadly virus on an unsuspecting humanity and usher in a new Eden. Now, with Mishwe and his underground lab destroyed, the two cloned children Mishwe had designated his Adam and Eve--and who are perhaps the only two persons immune to the virus have been rescued and quarantined. Meanwhile, Mishwe's surviving confederate, Gen. Ezra Hodge, is busy with the backup plan involving worldwide distribution of contaminated bottled water and vaccines produced by his cultic brethren, the Children of Eden. As opposing forces converge on Mexico City, where a full-scale outbreak could erupt, scientist Marte Chang and special agent Rico Toledo, heroes of the last disaster, maneuver to save the day. Ransom's prose and ideas probably didn't deserve more exposure than a single book, yet his scientific speculation is respectable enough and the rousing action abundant enough to keep readers well entertained. Carl Hays --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback
  • Publisher: Ace Books (September 1996)
  • ISBN-10: 0614136067
  • ISBN-13: 978-0614136067
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,142,228 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bill Ransom was born in Puyallup, Washington, in 1945, and he began full-time employment at the age of eleven as an agricultural worker. He attended Washington State University on track and boxing scholarships, and the University of Puget Sound on a track scholarship. He received his BA in Sociology and English Education from
the University of Washington in 1970.
From 1965 to 1970 Ransom worked as an expeditor on a quick engine change team, building and repairing military and commercial jet engines. He studied American Minority Literature and Old and Middle English on an NDEA Title IV Fellowship at the University of Nevada, Reno, then began a pilot project with the Poetry in the Schools program in Washington State. He received his MA in English from Utah State University. He founded and directed the popular Port Townsend Writers Conference for Centrum. He was a firefighter, fire fighting basic training instructor, and CPR instructor for six years, and an advanced life support emergency medical technician for ten years in Jefferson County, Washington. He volunteers with humanitarian groups in Central America.
Ransom has published six novels, seven poetry collections, numerous short stories and articles. "Learning the Ropes" (Utah State University Press), a collection of poetry, short fiction and essays, was billed as "a creative autobiography." Three of his short stories from this collection have been selections of the PEN/NEA syndicated fiction project, often called "the Pulitzer prize of the short story": "Uncle Hungry," "What Elena Said," and "Learning the Ropes." These appeared in the Sunday Magazine editions of major newspapers around the country. His latest book, "The Woman and the War Baby," is available from Blue Begonia Press.
His poetry has been nominated for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.
Bill Ransom currently serves as Academic Dean of Curriculum at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington.

 

Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Artificial Viral Agents unleashed to turn Earth into Eden, December 31, 1995
By A Customer
This review is from: Burn (Hardcover)
I would be happy to answer questions about this novel or others that I've written, or questions on writing in general. http://www.tcd.net/~bransom Best wishes, Bill
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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars On a short list.., June 8, 2005
This review is from: Burn (Paperback)
This is one of only 2 books that I lost interest in finishing to the point where they were put down. I had bought it, read probably half of it, and consciously decided to not bother finishing it. I don't even remember what it was that turned me off, but it still sticks out in my memory.
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