Tag: Disease

The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston

Nonfiction

This man might be my new favorite author. His storytelling talent is so great that he can make anyone enjoy reading about biology and disease. Two months ago I read his book, The Hot Zone, and it was the scariest piece of nonfiction I have ever read. This book was less frightening in my opinion, partly due to the less graphic descriptions of what the smallpox virus can do to the human body. But, the implications of what could happen if someone somewhere decided to release one of the many strains of smallpox that are kept frozen in tubes and stored in chained containers in secret locations, that induces worry and fear. In addition to exploring the history of smallpox and the possibility of it being used as a biological weapon, we are also treated to a play by play of what happened in the days following September 11, 2001 with the anthrax scare. What happened with anthrax could happen with smallpox, or any airborne killer, only it would most definitely be much more devastating.

I am looking forward to reading the rest of Richard Preston’s novels. I feel like I won’t be making a bad decision in purchasing another one of his books since I have immensely enjoyed two of his works already.

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

Nonfiction

I never thought that the most horrifying book I would ever read would be nonfiction. The first twenty pages alone are just as anxiety-inducing and frightening as the beginning of a scary movie. I felt nearly the same as I would during the first few minutes into watching a new thriller, I was unsure as to what type of horror awaited me and I was anticipating being scared.The narrative, the detail, it’s incredible, the way this man writes is absolutely brilliant. I couldn’t turn my eyes from the page, so much so that I haven’t read a piece of nonfiction this fast in a long time. I can’t even remember where I heard about this book and why I thought it was wish list worthy, but I am so elated that I finally made the decision to buy it. I could read this book over and over again. I feel like this says a lot for a book that is about the Ebola and Marburg viruses. 

However, if you have a hard time reading about blood and gruesome bodily functions, I would suggest staying away. I love the macabre, but there were times when I was like, wow, the author really isn’t holding back here, this couldn’t be any more graphic. There were passages that even I thought were a bit too much. At the same time, this attention to detail will not deter me from purchasing another book written by this man, a book that happens to contain the same subject matter, Crisis in the Red Zone, which I hope to read and review in the near future.