Microbe [Paperback]

Bill Clem (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2007

In 1947, the U.S. Army left behind a secret when they closed Ft. Miles, Delaware. A threat so deadly, they buried it 1000 feet down in the Atlantic Ocean. Now, sixty years later, an oil rig drilling off the coast of Delaware has hit something. Within hours, crew members are dying from a mysterious illness that kills unmercifully. On the opposite coast, Justin Flannigan, an estranged epidemiologist is visited by the director of the CDC who convinces him to come to Delaware to investigate the bizarre illness. But shortly after he begins his investigation, he gets another visit. This time from an eccentric old man who claims to know the origin of the deadly contagion, and soon, Justin begins to suspect there is more to it than what first appeared. It is evolving swiftly, becoming more deadly with each passing hour. As the illness spreads to the general population, Justin realizes that this one old man may hold the key not only to his survival, but to the survival of the entire planet.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The best astrobiological thriller since The Andromeda Strain." -- BookPage

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Vision Books (August 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979580811
• ISBN-13: 978-0979580819
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,030,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars reading > sleep, March 20, 2009

By 

A. Gilliam - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Microbe (Kindle Edition)

(Having read this in a Kindle I want to thank the author or whomever made it happen: the book has a table of contents)

The Andromeda Strain is one of my favorite stories and, sometimes, when something comes close to one of your favorites, you set too high an expectation for it. Nonetheless, I gave Microbe a try and I'm pleased I did.

Much to my surprise, before I had read 10 pages the book had gotten my interest. Before I managed to shut off my Kindle for the evening, I realized the clock was mocking me and, no, it just couldn't be that late -- but it was. Bill Clem is now on my list of dangerous authors (joining the ranks of Brent Weeks, Jack Campbell, John Scalzi, and Jeffry S. Hepple) who will keep you up at night repeating 'just...one...more...page' to yourself.

The author took a risk in his character portrayal that I found, frankly, refreshing. Too many authors these days give you so much about each and every damn character that you know more about them than you do about your parents, siblings, wife/husband, and conjoined-twin -combined- and this is a route Bill Clem didn't take, thankfully. It reminded me of some of the great early sci-fi in style where the story took the stage and you learned of the characters from their actions and could let your mind infer things about them, rather than being force-fed.

Every book has it's flaws, and some books are good enough that you just don't care because you enjoyed them so much. For me, this is one of those books and the bottom line in reading any book is it's absolute perfection but how much you enjoyed it. This book, I really enjoyed.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An easy to read suspense/ thriller, January 27, 2010

By 

Blue Cobia "Reader" (Anywhere USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microbe (Paperback)

I found Microbe by Bill Clem to be a good, easy to read, science fiction /suspense /thriller. This story has all the right elements. The characters are well thought out and are very believable. You have an Andromeda Strain type microbe arriving from space. This is followed by a government cover-up. Next you find an accidental uncovering of the past. There are people fighting to deal with the problem while unraveling the mystery. Twists and turns are all over the place. The whole book wraps up with a War of the Worlds ending. The story has you racing along with the people in the book trying to find out what happens next. It has you wondering if and how disaster is going to be averted. This is a good book for a quiet evening at home.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A thriller, yes but...., February 3, 2009

By 

Judy K. Polhemus "Book Collector" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Microbe (Paperback)

Microbe: "a minute life form (especially a disease-causing bacterium); usually too small to see with the naked eye."

One national online review calls "Microbe"--"the best astrobiological thriller since 'The Andromeda Strain.'" Perhaps that is because it is the first written since then. (Please refer to my addendum in the first comment.)

On the other hand, The Andromeda Strain is the pace-setter because it is the first of its kind--a thriller about extraterrestial, microscopic life--and is not only well-researched, but also well-written. Pacing is excellent.

"Microbe" is a thriller, yes--but Bill Clem plays fast and loose with his plot, his pacing, his characters, and the resolution. I've read many other novels with multiple threads that the writer uses for cliff-hangers, always returning and carrying that thread forward. At least once, maybe twice, Clem stops at a heart-pounding point and does NOT return to it--ever.

And the characters? Who are these people? Why didn't I care about them? Clem uses them more as plot devices rather than participants. That's a bad thing in novel with a such a terrifying premise. And the resolution? Here's what I said: What??!! I reread the previous couple of pages and still said: What??!! It doesn't make sense, not in the context as written and as meant. OK, I'm willing to concede I didn't understand it, although I normally grasp the rudiments of scientific content.

Bottom line: Bill Clem wrote a pot-boiler, for the book is exciting, but in doing so, he gives us a bare-bones story. Why, background on the female character alone would have added dynamics. And the old retired military man with a deadly secret? His story would have been fascinating. Either Clem was in a hurry to finish this thin novel or he had a terrible burden that weighed on and robbed his mind of needed focus and dedication as he wrote.

I give "Microbe" four stars because the book IS a thriller and I am a forgiving reader. Clem's premise is outstanding, his plot elements are a wonderful blend of outer space life deadly to earth's peoples, government conspiracy, lack of loyalty and honor, wholesale deception, and consuming greed.

For a book in which the writer uses all these elements that work together with clarity and cohesion, try Deception Point by Dan Brown. As for "Microbe" I don't mean to be hard on the book, but I expected more from Bill Clem, a very fine writer of medical and scientific thrillers. Try his Presidential Donor or Medicine Cup for first-rate thrillers!