Rating: 
Summary: Curiously overrated
Review: I was so disappointed in this book. Several industry reviewers ranked this in their top 5 books of all time, so naturally I thought it was a must read. Yet, I thought the book was extremely boring, and could have been condensed into about one-third of its size by eliminating all the surplus and uninteresting details he included. I contrast this effort with On The Beach, which is also often listed by these same industry reviewers in the top 5 scariest books, and which really does deliver. This book would have been much better as a semi-fictionalized effort than as a total non-fiction piece.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than Hollywood
Review: The true story is much scarier than the Hollywood knock-offs that came out shortly after the first run of this book.
Rating:
Summary: FROM THE FIRST PAGE I WAS HOOKED
Review: I read The Hot Zone for an extra credit assignment in my advanced ap biology II class in high school. I read alot and enjoy suspense, horror, and mystery books. I was really not looking foward to reading this book at all..needless to say I have changed my mind now. After I read the first few pages I couldnt put it down and ended up reading in one night. Since then, I have read it 4 or 5 times and have a new found love for books of similar subject. I really love the suspense on the edge of your seat type novels but Stephen King, Clive Barker, Dean Koontz no where near match up to the level of fright I got from reading this. It was the most terrifying thing I have ever read,simply becuase, it is real life. This could really happen and there would be no way to stop it. Thanks to Richard Preston I have found my calling in life and I am about to set out on making myself a career in a similar subject field, possibly genetics. Thanks so much.
Rating: 
Summary: A decent look at how close we came to ebola
Review: Ebola here? In the United States?!!! Yes, it happened. And it could happen again. Read about how close to a real outbreak we came. Sure, I've read better summary chapters in other books about this outbreak but if you'd like to delve into the world of viruses and how close we came to an ebola outbreak in the United States, give it a read.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointment
Review: I knew when I picked up The Hot Zone, that there would be some rather discriptive passages. It IS a book about a horrendeous virus that does terrible things to the human body. However, the author seems to relish in the gorey details. There is page after page of details of "liquifying organs", "black vomit" and descriptions of frozen dead monkeys. Some of these descriptions are repeated again and again. I was hoping for some details as to any research into treatment or preventative measures, but there is VERY little in this book. It is more concerned with grossing the reader out. There is maybe two paragraphs devoted to the tests to see if Ebola is an airborne virus, yet whole chapters are devoted to the Army dissection of hundreds of monkeys. Every page is filled with meaningless trivia (Nancy cooks a chicken, CJ wonders if the woman on the telephone at a gas station is having an affair, Robin loses a filling, etc.). Some of these meaningless details are repeated two or three times (sticky tape, sticky tape, sticky tape). All of this culminates with the author's pointless and cliche trip into the cave where the virus is thought to have originated. Did he really think HE would find the originator of the virus? What was the point in putting himself and everyone in his entourage at risk? One last point, reading this book, it was obvious that the author wanted to write a fictional novel, not a non-fiction based on actual events. He seems almost disappointed when key characters DON'T contract any virus. A disappointment all around.
Rating:
Summary: The Hot Zone
Review: First I had to read a non-fiction book for my english class. I had not yet gotten one and I needed to read one in a week. My dad recommended to me this book. I went out and got it. I could not put it down. A grusome story about the different strains of filio viruses and what the effects they have on human beings. This book scared me, to think that somthing as terrible and species-threatening as Ebola could infiltrate the US, is mind-blowing. I would recommend this book to anybody.
Rating:
Summary: The Terrifying True Story
Review: Dear Richard Preston, After reading this shocking true story,I fell in love with it. That seems weird doesn't it, liking a true story that is a very bad nightmare coming true. I loved how you discribed this terrible virus, you informed the reader a lot by talking about it and how it was originated.the thought of the book being a true story and at the same time the suspense made me continue reading this book, or else it would've been a dull book. You did a great job on writing this nonfiction. I bet you informed alot of people by writing about this virus, I know I was informed because I never heard about any virus like this kind. I believe a movie was also made, The Outbreak, to inform the world about this scary true story. THat movie was a big hit and I bet whoever saw that moive got the idea on it. I loved how you set up the chapters, you started where everything started and end the book by ending the virus from spreading around. This virus was so deadly that it killed the infected person within ten days.The ratio was so high on this virus, it killed nine out of the ten people that were infected with this virus. You really did everything up to the task, so there isnt a lot to complain of. Except you could've interviewed the actual people that were involved in this story and asked all the question the everyone would've asked them. You could've also put more pictures or even better, make those pictures in color so the reader could see the virus in detail. To tell you the truth, I don't like to read books at all but after reading the first chapter I couldn't stop reading it. This proves to me that everyone will enjoy reading this book. I really enjoyed reading your book and I know everyone will love this book. Thank you for writing this great novel and I will always enjoy reading your books in the future. Sincerly, Harout Khatchoyan
Rating: 
Summary: Inf
Review: First of all, my little brother (14yrs old) persuaded me to read this book--he is very much into scientific works like those of Chricton etc.) Well, I enjoyed the work. I learned a lot of information from the book--like details on the virus--it actually made me conscious of every bit of spit I swallowed and the like! I, however, have some criticism. I don't altogether understand why there was so much detail. In some areas, I just wanted to get past all the "circular" stuff and get down to what I knew was coming next! Also, has it been scientifially verified that AIDS originated in Africa? Has a book been written in such detail as has the Hot Zone, tracing the probable or actual discovery and development of the disease? In other words, does anyone really know for sure that this was the source or have there been other theories yet to be proven or disproven? So it's a knowledgable book that I would probably recommend (PG-13 for language, I'm sure!). I'm not sure all the "terminology" was necessary, but perhaps I'm just an island in a sea of readers that feels that way! Anyway, enjoyable, or rather intriguing and informative stuff!
Rating:
Summary: Terrifying
Review: This book scared the hell out of me. It wouldn't have if it weren't a true story. I wouldn't dare reread it now, because as of this writing, there's an outbreak in Uganda, I believe, that is threatening to go beyond the border if it hasn't already, and dwelling on the human suffering taking place there is an unthinkable enterprise.My one reservation: the writer's decision to play scientist/adventurer and go where he perfectly well doesn't belong at the end (and I don't mean linguistically--I mean as a completely unnecessary part of his field work).
Rating:
Summary: The Hot Zone
Review: The Hot Zone is an intriguing, hard to put down book. Every page is going to have something new. You never know what's going to happen next. The book is about a virus that cannot be stopped. It demolishes everything in its path, leaving nothing behind. In this book it describes how Marburg, Ebula Sudan, Ebola Zaire, and Ebola Reston can kill its host so fast, that the host will never know what hit him. A filovirus, which is the deadliest virus known to mankind. It kills its host in such a way that no human being could imagine. You have to have a strong stomach to be able to read about Ebola or to watch someone or something that has Ebola die. A filovirus takes all your major organs and cells and builds them up with bricks (crystals) until they explode. For example, when you do an autopsy on a monkey wioth Ebola, the testicles of a male are swollen and black and blue. There is blood pouring out of every hole in your body during the last stage of the virus. All your major organs have either turned to fluid or have swollen up and turned hard. It is proven that only one form of Ebola is airborne. That virus is Ebola Reston. It is only airborne to monkeys. It has no affect on human beings. For some unknown reason that scientist cannot figure out why. Ebola Sudan, Ebola Zaire, and Marburg are spread through blood to blood contact, it is spread the same way that AIDS is spread. There is only one weakness that this book has, and that is that sometimes the book will go off the subject, and the author will start talking about someone's life. Other than that, the book is a great book to read. It will open youeyes to what you do, because you never know where this virus will end up. Without knowing how it happened, the virus jumped from Africa to the Phillipines. The book also will open you eyes to realize that there are other species in the world that believe they are higher on the food chain than us, and they are right. This book can be recommened to anyone who has a strong stomach and likes reading about scientific studies on viruses. This book can also be recommened to anyone who wants to go into the medical field, laboratory work, or military.
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