The Consciousness Plague [Story 4 in the Phil D'Amato Ser... and over 360,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle – Amazon’s new wireless reading device. Learn more

26 used & new from $0.01

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
The Consciousness Plague
 
 
Start reading The Consciousness Plague [Story 4 in the Phil D'Amato Ser... on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
 
  

The Consciousness Plague (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Phil! Good to see you!..." (more)
Key Phrases: cafe car, New York, Carol Michosky, Darius Morton (more...)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


6 new from $3.23 20 used from $0.01

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
  Kindle Edition $9.99 -- --
  Hardcover -- $1.23 $0.01
  Paperback -- $3.23 $0.01
  Audio, CD, Abridged $29.95 $4.90 $4.79
  Unknown Binding, Abridged $34.99 $34.99 --
  Audio, Download Offsite Link $18.35 or less with new Audible membership

Special Offers and Product Promotions


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Pixel Eye (Phil D'Amato)

The Pixel Eye (Phil D'Amato)

by Paul Levinson
The Plot to Save Socrates

The Plot to Save Socrates

by Paul Levinson
3.9 out of 5 stars (21)  $11.21
The Silk Code (Phil D'Amato)

The Silk Code (Phil D'Amato)

by Paul Levinson
The Grays

The Grays

by Whitley Strieber
3.6 out of 5 stars (82)  $7.99
Borrowed Tides

Borrowed Tides

by Paul Levinson
Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this latest, disappointing case from the files of forensic investigator Phil D'Amato (after 1999's The Silk Code), a flu epidemic is sweeping the nation and young women are turning up naked and strangled in New York City's Riverside Park. Oddly, several witnesses to the murders, all recent flu sufferers, seem to have trouble remembering what they've seen. Then D'Amato's girlfriend comes down with the flu and forgets that he's recently proposed to her. Later, D'Amato himself catches the bug and discovers that a day has disappeared from his memory as well. What ties these bouts of short-term amnesia together turns out to be not simply the flu but a new wonder drug, Omnin. D'Amato soon finds himself investigating both the serial murders and the increasingly serious possibility that Omnin and other advanced antibiotics may in fact be on the verge of destroying human memory. Unfortunately, Levinson's flat prose and almost tension-free narrative prevent this novel from taking off. The murders, which all occur offstage, and the victims, none of whom we really care about, fail to engage. The medical mystery, although not without some intellectual interest, is equally lacking in tension. The author also has the annoying habit of pulling rabbits out of hats. Top-notch bacteriologists and mysterious millionaire benefactors repeatedly turn up to render expert testimony or twist the arms of a hostile FDA committee when needed. Levinson is widely considered to be one of the better new SF writers, but this novel won't enhance his reputation. (Mar. 13)Forecast: The book could be targeted to fans of medical thrillers and police procedurals, though neither audience is likely to be that impressed.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


From Library Journal

Forensic detective Phil D'Amato finds his investigation into a series of brutal killings interrupted by the onset of a bizarre plague that leaves its victims without portions of their memories, a phenomenon that slowly erodes the underpinnings of society and civilization not to mention crime control. The second outing for the hero of The Silk Code pits D'Amato against criminals and colleagues as he tries to unravel a puzzle with its roots in ancient history and its genesis in the evolution of consciousness itself. Levinson's intelligent blend of police procedural and speculative fiction should appeal to fans of mystery and sf and belongs in most libraries.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Tor Books (August 16, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0765307545
  • ISBN-13: 978-0765307545
  • Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,009,632 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

More About the Author

Paul Levinson
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Visit Amazon's Paul Levinson Page

Inside This Book (learn more)



Books on Related Topics (learn more)

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Consciousness Plague
47% buy the item featured on this page:
The Consciousness Plague 3.8 out of 5 stars (16)
The Plot to Save Socrates
35% buy
The Plot to Save Socrates 3.9 out of 5 stars (21)
$11.21
The Silk Code (Phil D'Amato)
9% buy
The Silk Code (Phil D'Amato) 3.2 out of 5 stars (37)
From a Buick 8
5% buy
From a Buick 8 3.3 out of 5 stars (348)
$7.99

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
 
(12)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

 

Customer Reviews

16 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read and a mnemonic of communications estorica, May 26, 2003
By Robert Rubyan (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
Dr. Phil D'Amato, NYPD forensic detective is a character who is easy to like. Smart, witty and well connected, he immediately becomes a person who the reader cares about. He is a worthy twenty-first century heir to my favorite, Sherlock Holmes.

The story is an engrossing mystery that weaves together serial strangulation murders of young college women in Manhattan and mysterious memory gaps triggered by a new antibiotic that seems to attack unknown microorganisms that unify the bicameral human brain.
The reader comes away entertained and educated in such diverse (yet related by the author's erudition) subjects as communication via the channels of the left and right brain, Marshall McLuhan, the essence of art, the successive (possible) rediscoveries of America by the Phoenicians, Irish (Celtic) monks, and Vikings, and a popular brand of perfume.

Most of the action occurs in New York City but the West Coast, the Midwest and Europe are included as locales. We learn about the importance of Lindisfarne, where one of my favorite illuminated manuscripts, the Lindisfarne Gospels, originated. We are introduced to the hypothesis that the Phoenicians, on their way to North America, taught the Celts to write.

Each revelation, no matter how esoteric, enriches the weave of the mystery, and draws the reader in deeper. Thus this excellent page turner also triggers awareness of many fascinating areas of communication. There is also a well developed supporting cast including police, academics and a politician or two.

I came away feeling enriched and entertained. The Consciousness Plague is a good read. Buy it.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars deft sf/mystery mix, March 18, 2002
By "davistee" (West Coast) - See all my reviews
Phil D'Amato returns in this sharp, enjoyable, sometimes
superb novel. Levinson weaves together the search for
a serial murderer (police procedural) with a baffling
series of memory losses that may be related to the very
basis of our consciousness (science fiction). One of the
problems I often have with novels that try this kind of mix is that the science fiction is lumpy -- it doesn't really fit well
with the mystery part. But The Consciousness Plague handles
that beautifully -- Levinson serves the mystery with one
hand, the science fiction with another, the blend couldn't
be more natural. I think that this novel is, in many ways,
a better introduction to Phil D'Amato than The Silk Code
(though parts of that novel may be more profound).
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A lovely little book, April 12, 2004
By Addison Phillips (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is the first book I've read by this author and it's a sequel, although this didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book. The first half or more is a nice combination of SF with modern police procedural. As the book progresses, though, the writer seems to lose an idea of where to go (and to some extent he's painted himself into a corner).

I liked the forgetfulness problem, although frankly Phil Dick has done this far better (FAR more frighteningly and effectively) in books like Ubik (if you like this one, Ubik will blow your doors off). Still, for a little novel, I enjoyed it, read it in about two sittings.

I agree with much of the criticism in other reviews here, but can't be too hard on the book. The writing is reasonably well crafted, if methodical, and I enjoyed it, even if suspending disbelief got harder at the book progressed.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars An enthralling drama, highly recommended
An Audie Award finalist, The Consciousness Plague is the abridged audiobook on CD adaptation of award-winning science fiction author Paul Levinson's dark saga concerning a sudden,... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Midwest Book Review

3.0 out of 5 stars A promising premise buried under pedestrian prose
I really wanted to like this book. Paul Levinson's novel promised great things: 1) it has an intriguing premise 2)I've liked mixed genres books before 3)The setting and science is... Read more
Published on July 25, 2004 by Wayne Klein

3.0 out of 5 stars Starts well, goes off track
This mystery has an interesting scientific premise: a medication is killing bacteria that enable the brain to remember. Read more
Published on January 31, 2004 by M. A Michaud

1.0 out of 5 stars by the numbers
In addition to his seeming clumsiness with words, this is
modern science fiction by a white, middle aged writer who
is now using the standard template of comtemporary SF by... Read more
Published on October 27, 2003

1.0 out of 5 stars Writing Plague
The science was credible enough to sustain the story. The writing wasn't. Ham-handed exposition and dialogue that belies a tin ear for conversation are just two of the things... Read more
Published on August 19, 2003 by Goldie

2.0 out of 5 stars A Plague that Fails to Engage
American readers have always had a fondness for thrillers that involve a conspiratorial or historical basis: tales such as intelligent werewolves eating humanity from the dawn of... Read more
Published on March 22, 2003 by Martin Asiner

2.0 out of 5 stars Unmemorable story of memory.
NYPD forensic detective Phil D'Amato encounters a frightening loss of memory while assisting on the homicide investigation of a series of stranglings. Read more
Published on October 14, 2002 by David Montgomery

4.0 out of 5 stars For the mystery reader who hasn't tried Sci-Fi
What do forensic science, ancient Phoenicians, a New York serial killer, and amnesia all have in common? Read more
Published on July 22, 2002 by Jeffrey J. Lyons

5.0 out of 5 stars McLuhan, Phoenicians, Viruses, and more
Paul Levinson mixes all sorts of goodies together to produce this triumphant return of Phil D'Amato: the origins of the alphabet, theories of consciousness, viral plagues, and... Read more
Published on July 19, 2002 by Peeter Cummins

5.0 out of 5 stars What a pleasure to read at the end of a long day!
I tend to work long, long hours in the software industry. I can be hard on books. I like creative and complex stories. Read more
Published on June 26, 2002 by Kate Savage

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   



So You'd Like to...


Create a guide

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:







i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.



Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.