The Swarm [Paperback]

Arthur Herzog III (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 24, 2002

FAMILY ATTACKED BY BEESTWO KILLEDMARYVILLE, N.Y. Sept. 26 (AP)A family of five on an outing in an isolated spot by a stream were attacked by bees here.Mr. and Mrs. William Peterson died as the result of bee bites. Their three children were also attacked, one, Karen, age 12, severely.The local coroner, Dr. David P. Znac, speculated that both adults had allergies to bee bites, which can be fatal. About 30 deaths a year in the U.S. are attributed to bites from bees, wasps and hornets.What caused the bees to attack is not known.This was the beginning, barely noticed. Then the terror began to spreadterror that was to erupt into a national panic as the strange, seemingly purposeful murderous attacks of a new and vicious species of bees began to mount. Against this background, a band of scientists draw upon their knowledge to fight an enemy they only partly comprehend in a desperate race against time.Built around one of man's most haunting fearsthat the forces of nature will overrun his defenses and exterminate the human raceThe Swarm is a vividly imagined masterpiece of chilling adventure.

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), Earthbound, 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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 258 pages
• Publisher: IUniverse (October 24, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595253415
• ISBN-13: 978-0595253418
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,155,618 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Killer Bee yarn still a humdinger., February 27, 2002

By 

Chadwick H. Saxelid "Bookworm" (Concord, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Swarm (Paperback)

It's too bad that most people will recognize the title only from Irwin Allen's Golden Turkey Award winning (for Most Badly Bumbled Bee Movie) adaptation rather than from Arthur Herzog's excellent source novel. A plausible feeling blend of fact and fantasy, The Swarm tells of the aggressive Brazilian Killer Bees (derived from the misguided cross-breeding of domestic Brazilian Bees with African Killer Bees, which are quite ill tempered) mistakenly getting introduced into the New York area. Quickly they spread across the country and begin posing a serious threat to the nation's safety. Can the bees be destroyed without harming the citizens or the enviroment? If you are looking for edge of your seat suspense then forget Allen's movie (which is good only for a laugh, believe me - it's my biggest guilty pleasure) and read this book, it is one of the best animal (or in this case insect) attack stories ever written.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the swarm, March 27, 2009

By 

Angel Liwanag "" book-la "" (los angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Swarm (Paperback)

techno thriller ala michael crichton ( God rest his soul, there goes the jurassic park series). great pacing,keeps you reading right through the end! unfortunately, the movie does not at all deliver the excitement the book does. not many movies do justice to the book, except the first "jurassic park" but then, that's another review altogether.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant and terrifying, March 23, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Birmingham, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Swarm (Hardcover)

Moves with speed and thrills. Even reading it now, with killer bees a real threat, it is still highly effective. The movie version by Irwin Allen in 1978 was a travesty compared to this horror/sci-fi classic. Killer bees in this story come into the US via container ships, spreading havoc and famine across the country, and it seems it is up to scientists and the military to stop it. THE BATTLE LINES ARE DRAWN!