Pestis 18 (Tor Books) [Hardcover]

Sharon Webb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1987 | Series: Tor Books

The Black Plague--yersinia pestis--now genetically engineered into the new, even more horrifying form known as Pestis 18.

Two canisters of the virus are now in the hands of terrorists.

One had been planted in a large American city. If the terrorists do not receive a $500 million ransom, it will be opened...

The other canister is on an island off the coast of Georgia. Captured at the island's inn are Bruton Farrier, an American Congressman, his girlfriend Sally Strickland, a very important British politician, an aging romance novelist and her secretary, an unhappy teenager and her younger brother, and the staff and owner of the inn.

All are hostages--pawns in a play for supremacy that threatens the entire country with incurable plague.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Pestis 18 is Yercina pestis, a variety of the bacillus that caused the Black Plague, the scourge of Europe in the Middle Ages. Now it has been secretly re-created by the CIA, but scientists have not yet developed an antitoxin. The Russians, however, have. These are the complications Congressman Bruton Laird Farrier must unravel when terrorists seize two cannisters of the plague, secreting one of them on St. Cyrils Island off Georgia, and holding the vacationers there (Farrier among them) as hostages. Although he outwits his captors, Farrier is faced with a terrible dilemma: the time clock is running; where is the second cannister? When will it explode? Webb, an R.N., nicely integrates technical information on bioengineering, decontamination procedures and the development of antibiotics. The dialogue is crisp and the narrative fast paced and all too credible.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

An eagerly anticipated Thanksgiving holiday becomes a nightmare for ten guests at an exclusive lodge on one of Georgia's sea islands when they and their hosts become hostages of foreign mercenaries bent on loosing a deadly plague virus on the U.S. mainland unless a huge sum is paid in gold. The prisoners include a congressman and an ambassador, VIPs targeted to lend authenticity to the threat. Ironic plot twists characterize Webb's suspense tale: the tables are turned on the predators with the help of a spunky nurse and a scared little boy, and respected agents of the U.S. government (who, it turns out, developed the modern biological Black Death) rival the terrorists for sheer horror and duplicity. With brief but sound character profiles, colorful environmental descriptions, and plenty of action, Pestis 18 is recommended for public libraries. Marion Hanscom, SUNY at Binghamton Lib.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (February 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312930038
• ISBN-13: 978-0312930035
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,726,148 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A medical thriller for today!, September 17, 2004

By 

Ms. Liz (Ashland, KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pestis 18 (Paperback)

I almost quit on this too soon. By page 50, I was hooked! This was a real rollercoaster ride. I give it a 4.5, rather than a 5 because the sections of the book that told of the different government agencies competing for jurisdiction, each with its own agenda, was a bit slow. The best parts were of the hostages on the island. None were stereotypical characters. Each was a fully defined, flawed, person. The terror lasted until the last second and the last page. This was chilling and sad (some had to die), and more true today than when it was written. We don't worry about the KGB anymore, they seem almost tame. Muslims terrorists are much worse. A great story, wonderful read.