IQ 83 [Mass Market Paperback]

Arthur Herzog (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1980

A world lapsing into imbecilitytrue horror!New York TimesYOU ARE DR. JAMES HEALEY AND LAST WEEK YOU WERE A GENIUSThat was before the DNA experiments. Before the accident you said could never happenSince then you have felt your mind decaying a little more each day. You have watched your wife slip into imbecility. You have seen the crowds growing murderous with animal terror, the President of the United States babbling and drooling on TVOnly one thing separates you from them. You, at least, know what is happening as you search for the cure for the horror you have unleashed upon the worldas each day the dimming of your mind lowers your chance of finding it!

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Arthur Herzog is an award-winning novelist, non-fiction writer and journalist, renowned for his best-selling novels The Swarm, Orca (both made into popular movies), Make Us Happy, Heat and IQ 83, hailed by the British press as one of the best science fiction works ever written.His non-fiction best sellers include Vesco, which Publishers Weekly hailed as "A brilliantly researched storyone of the years remarkable biographies" and The Woodchipper Murder. A New Yorker, avid reader, and world traveler, Herzog continues to write fiction and non-fiction books. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Publishing Corporation (March 1, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425044335
• ISBN-13: 978-0425044339
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,110,716 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Dead than Dumb, June 14, 2006

By 

doomsdayer520 (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: IQ 83 (Paperback)

This minor classic from 1978 might seem like a fairly typical medical disaster story, about yet another runaway virus. But this one has a few unique aspects to it, as Arthur Herzog did some intriguing explorations into the social and human ramifications of his plotline. In essence, scientists have accidentally created a contagious virus that makes everyone stupid. Sounds corny, and in a few places it is, though the novel is still a very rewarding read, thanks to the travails of the protagonist. The hero, brilliant scientist Dr. Healey, is the guy who's trying to save the world by finding the cure for the virus he had a hand in creating, while he also succumbs to the stupid sickness himself. What's really interesting is the way Herzog constructed the inner struggles of a man who was once an intellectual and knows that he is losing his brains, while also knowing that the world depends on him hanging on to his intelligence while going inexorably dumb. This leads to some quite effective musings from Herzog on the meaning of intelligence and smartness (which is different). He also did a pretty good job of constructing his collapsing society, as dumbness leads to some unexpected drama in politics and human interaction. Herzog's science is also complex and realistic, a la the medical novels of Robin Cook and his ilk. Pick up this old novel if you'd like an enjoyable doomsday scenario that's a little deeper and creepier than the rest. [~doomsdayer520~]

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More relevant than ever, March 4, 2011

By 

L. McGeer (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: IQ 83 (Paperback)

I picked this one out when my Dad took me to a paperback book swap when I was about 12 or 13. I loved it for the science and the way it was constructed, never realizing that it was a respected work that would be reprinted in the future. This is mostly because it does become somewhat "goofy" toward the end, but it is necessary to the plot.

Every few years the title pops into my head as I watch or read news, so I'm off to buy and enjoy it again. Great fun for any fan of negative utopias and those disturbed by the seemingly random and imprudent recombinant gene experiments so popular for profit motives today.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantabulous, April 5, 2003

By 

Pamela Dickey (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: IQ 83 (Hardcover)

This book is great! It is about a bunch of doctors who mess around with DNA, and they unwittingly cause an accident that makes everyone in the world lose a bunch of IQ points and start acting dumb! It even happens to the President of the US. This is a great read!