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The Eleventh Plague

The Eleventh Plague

List Price: $69.95
Your Price: $69.95
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: I suppose I may have read worse
Review: The concept of a bioterrorist using the biblical plagues was a good starting point, and the opening chapter was riviting. From there on, however, I was more and more disappointed. The writing was disjointed, the character motivation ranged from inadequate to silly. This book will certainly never win the Nobel Prize for literature. Still, I have to admit I did finish it. But really, would anyone with any knowledge of modern forensics not immediately reveal information to the FBI?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A definite page-turner, could not put it down.
Review: This book grabs your attention on the very first page and holds it till the very end. What was so eerie was the fact that this could really happen to the population. It makes you wonder about the things you eat and where you travel. It also makes you wonder how close we have probably come to something such as this and never were alerted to the facts.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Good, the Bad, and Things That Get Under Your Skin
Review: I usually do not read this kind of novel. This is why I was deeply surprised when a friend of mine - who is fully conversant with my taste - suggested that I read it and further intimated that I would like it. She was right. I absolutely could not put it down. I now await the upcoming film with jittery expectation! The Eleventh Plague falls into the medical-thriller genre and is perforce filled with rich information regarding new technologies, medicines, and, best of all, pathologies. It is the precise descriptions of the various infections, infestations, and contaminations that develop the book's subtle black humor and also keep the reader glued to the book hoping for another Schadenfreude-filled thrill. Necrosis, festering ruptures, central nervous system shutdowns, vicious bees. Need I say more? It's the only book I've come across recently (after the Magic Mountain, of course) that encourages the reader to indulge the more twisted side of his sense of humor while learning a whole lot about infectious disease. You will not regret it. The only danger is you may develop a yen for Purell. To those of us less interested in the squiggly and putrescent, the story offers that old archetypal favorite, the struggle between good and evil, recast for the late-twentieth century. In other words, good and bad are not nearly as well defined as they used to be. Arch-wickedness does not spring from the desire for global rule or for the anihilation of all that is good, but rather from a strong will to clean up the planet, in a manner of speaking. Arch-goodness, too, is not nearly as strong willed and fully chinned. The hero would die to save humanity but has no idea about how to live when there is no saving-the-human-race going on. He is our modern Galahad: a savior, but one who cannot negotiate the haze of the morning after. Enough said. My message to you, dear reader, is to peruse and to enjoy this book. You will surely get more kicks (than ticks) out of this one!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Scary because it's so damned real ... guaranteed to thrill!!
Review: This book has it all -- villains, heroes, history and viruses. It was fun and easy to read, but also fed my curiosity in medicine, ancient history, contemporary plagues, and bioterrorism.

Given the recent attention focused on biological warfare, this book also has intrinsic social value. The Eleventh Plague educates us and scares us, but also gives us hope in the form of ProMED.

After reading this book.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: a pretty good medical thriller
Review: This story has an interesting concept, the plagues of exodus on a modern day world. It was pretty well written, but there were a few problems. Vicky Wade's character seems pointless. I don't really see her role in the story, and there was so much potential for growth. Some of the plagues are a bit of a stretch. Hubbard's character was lacking something. I didn't like the way the author sold out in the end and set things up for a sequal (the book was good, but not enough for a sequel). Berger's character wasn't developed. And finally, you get really tired of ProMED real quick. But still, it had an interesting idea behind the story, and it had plenty of good points. check it out.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The paradigm medical thriller - must reading
Review: Last month, Israelis recounted the traditional Exodus story as we celebrated Passover. For us, the Biblical plagues are historical fact, and we delight in the expressions of our children as we count out the plagues one-by-one: blood, frogs... This time, I found myself looking at these words with renewed excitement, having just finished reading The Eleventh Plague by Marr and Baldwin. This fast-moving novel takes place in the modern world of science and internet, and the plagues are products of human, rather than devine devine retribution. Anyone who follows the recent advent of new and re-emerging diseases such as AIDS, Ebola, and the 'super bugs' must read this novel.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Riveting and a fast read
Review: When I started this book, I thought I was going to be disappointed. The first few pages were so sloppily written, I wondered if they had even been edited. But things started looking up immediately, and by the time I finished, I was totally absorbed. The villian is satisfyingly monstrous, and the hero is very likeable. I felt the characters were rather shallowly drawn, especially Vicky Wade. It is my guess that we were supposed to like her better than Mia, but I, for one, did not. I was not happy with the way things turned out for Mia, but I am assuming that we are going to see a sequel (actually I HOPE we will see a sequel and it seems the authors left us wide open for one). This is a very satisfying thriller.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A lesson in bio-terrorism, public health and religion.
Review: "The Eleventh Plague" is a fascinating book: it is both a first-class mystery with interesting characters, and an introductory lesson in medical public health. The hero is somewhat superhuman, like most adventure novels, but not beyond what one does find in real life. The insights into modern biological terrorism and the strengths and weaknesses of the medical community are somewhat frightening as the story is not at all farfetched.

Interestingly, this science-in-fiction story is also a lesson in religious history. The book will hold the interest of the devote of challenging medical mysteries and religion-not a usual combination, but this is not a usual book.

Alan M. Beck Professor of Animal Ecology School of Veterinary Medicine Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Kudos from Astoria
Review: Dr. Marr and Mr. Baldwin tightly shape, and then elegantly unravel, each of the ten plagues into a terrific thriller. The Eleventh Plague grows in energy, making it difficult to contain the anticipation for the next episode of havoc. Teddy Kameron is an epidemiologist's Iago and I rooted for Jack Bryne at each turn of a page. The other characters are there to move the story along. I just couldn't put the book down and, reading it in the morning, I even missed my train stop.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An exercize in Lengthy Prose
Review: Although I really enjoy medical thrillers, this novel was a hard one to wade through. The plagues are interesting to read about, but the story is mired in character descriptions that are simply too long. I do think that the novel was suspenseful, but I suggest a very determined reader tackle this one.


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