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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent sequel to Carlson's previous work!, August 3, 2008
This review is from: Plague War (Paperback)
A fan of "Plague Year," I picked up "Plague War" last week- after a long anticipation- just before flying cross county... and I was not disappointed. It was the perfect way to escape the otherwise hectic runaround of balancing a fussy seven-month old baby girl, an inability to clear my ears, and the jerk in front of my jamming their seat as far back as possible.
I was enraptured to find out more about what has become of the world after a year suffering under a machine plague that attacks and kills any living creatures of sufficient size. It's clear Mr. Carlson did his homework on a wide variety of issues- the impact such a plague would have on the environment (such as the prevalence of insects, and how vicious they would have become- something I would never have conceived of prior), the effects of the human body above 10,000 feet, the mechanics of nanotechnology, how the rest of the world reacted to the impending doom of the machine plague.
I was vaguely disappointed in not finding out as much about other issues I considered, like what happened to the US Navy- I imagine the Fleet would have sortied, for instance, and they could have supplied themselves well enough to last a year at sea. Major US warships have excellent Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical protection, and could've sealed themselves airtight and modified the pressure inside the ships if necessary (the machine plague self destructs at atmospheric pressures above approximately 10,000 feet)- not to mention submarines. It would have played an interesting role in the war described in the book.
All that could've taken another three hundred pages to go over, though. Heh. All in all, an excellent summer read. Pick it up, you won't be disappointed!
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More Classic Action-Adventure, July 31, 2008
This review is from: Plague War (Paperback)
For anyone who likes high-speed action loaded with shocks and wild ideas, the second PLAGUE book delivers. Carlson hits the ground running with PLAGUE WAR and only accelerates from there. This is one scary series! I've never seen end-of-the-world techno thrillers written this way. PLAGUE WAR is very personal but big in scope at the same time, loaded with politics and intrigue while jampacked with gunfights and other action sequences. Highly recommended.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This One's Made for the Big Screen - Movie Material!, August 24, 2008
This review is from: Plague War (Paperback)
I'm in love with this writer, or should I say his fiction. I reviewed his first novel over a year ago and gave it 4 stars. This one is even better.
This story is full of its own big ideas, which is no small accomplishment. It picks up again right after the end of Plague Year, but Carlson does a good job of making this book work as it's own story, reintroducing my favorites Cam Najarro and Ruth Goldman -- as well as a bunch of new cool dudes and new threats galore.
Most of the survivors in the world are still stuck above 10,000 feet elevation, barely hanging on after the machine plague, but Cam and Ruth have a vaccine nanotech that will allow people to walk below the barrier again, and everybody in the world wants it.
Reading Plague War is like walking through a living game of chess with the heroes and villians all crashing together around you as they fight for the vaccine.I won't write any spoilers here, but once again the whole book is loaded with amazing stuff and a few major shocks. Frighteningly real.
These books are made for the big screen. I bet a movie will come out soon.
The Hoff
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