Book recs?

[ceebee_eebee]

Hey, flist. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I'm kind of obsessed with books about plagues. History, fiction, whatever. But I think I've read all the ones I've been able to find at this point and I'm dying for some new ones. Do any of you have a taste for this type of speculative fiction? Got any good recs for me? I'd be SO appreciative.

Comments

[eve11]

This one's topical. A lot of it is history of early medicine-- but I found that also an interesting read.

Have you read World War Z? It's zombies, but it comes at it from the premise of a zombie plague.

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

I looooooooove WWZ. Pretty much the best book I've read in years. But the other looks VERY interesting. I'll check it out. Thanks!

[livii.livejournal.com]

Not plagues, but I'm reading Kim Stanley Robinson's Wild Shore right now, which is set in California after the USA was bombed back a couple hundred years or more by nukes in 1984. There are some interesting implications brought out about the effects of these nukes. It's speculative fiction and does deal with the rebuilding bit that's like rebuilding after a plague, maybe? Anyway, I'm about 2/3 in and enjoying it a fair bit (even though it's somewhat dated), and would recommend that.

My thing is really the lead up to plagues/extinction scenarios, and then the rebuilding afterwards, so I guess that's what I know more of. I read Cormac McCarthy's The Road a few months ago and that's a really chilling post-near-extinction scenario book (the event's not specified in the book, but in an interview McCarthy suggested it was an asteroid strike). Very fascinating read.

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

I've heard of The Road but not the other. KSR was the one who wrote the Mars series, right? I really enjoyed those back a hundred years ago when I read them. I'll definitely take a look. Thanks!

[janissa11.livejournal.com]

I...have many books like this. *g* Aren't you surprised??

I'm not sure where to start. I have nonfiction books -- numerous ones. Fiction -- I'll comb through and see what fits. The best fiction to start with is Connie Willis's Doomsday Book. Time-travel to the 14th century. Brilliance.

You must get The Great Mortality. History of the 14th century plague. Also The Great Influenza, history of the 1918 influenza pandemic.

Biohazard is a fascinating look at the Soviet bio-weapons program. Much on infectious disease there.

Stephen King's Cell is an alternate look at a plague of sorts. But you can't go wrong with The Stand.

The Cobra Event is pretty chilling, although more a story of an outbreak than a plague. However, Infected is utterly brilliant, FANTASTIC, and I would recommend it immediately. Also the sequel, Contagious.

Two Laurie Garretts to recommend. Start with The Coming Plague, and then depress yourself with Betrayal of Trust. They're mammoth books, both, so maybe more than you want, but riveting.

Barbara Tuchman, back to the Great Mortality -- A Distant Mirror. Again, brilliant.

Dust was pretty fascinating -- a different fictional plague.

Those are a few I've got. Lemme know if you want more, I'll see what I can paw through.

[livii.livejournal.com]

Yep, I've never read anything else by him, but he did write the Mars book. This is a trilogy as well, with three different futures for California? I only have the one book, but it's cracking along nicely.

I just like talking about books. :D

[eve11]

No problem. And oh, if you're into graphic novels, there's Y The Last Man, which involves a plague that kills every male of every species on Earth-- except for the protagonist IYorick) and his pet monkey.

[sparky77.livejournal.com]

This might be incredibly obvious, but have you read The Plague by Camus?

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

I LOVE YOU

Doomsday book is one of my alltime favorite novels. Hands down. I also TOTALLY loved The Cobra Event. Outbreak books are my bag, baby. The others I don't think I'm familiar with, but I'm gonna be hitting Borders tomorrow. YAAAAAAY!!! I need me some plague stories!

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

Heck yes. PLAAAAGUE! Awesome shit.

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

I used to read incessantly. But then I got so deep into the interwebs that I stopped reading as many books. It makes me sad. I need to get back to my roots.

[janissa11.livejournal.com]

*smooch* I know I have more to rec, but I'm pretty zonked so not thinking of 'em all. I have multiple books on ebola; Richard Preston's The Hot Zone was the first I read, but several others -- one by Glenn Close's dad, I think.

I got a book recently on yellow fever but was disappointed, no rec there. Hmm.

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

I thought about reading those but I heard such mixed reviews. Maybe I'll pick up the first one and see how it strikes me.

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

I think I've read all of Preston's books (I looooved Demon in the freezer) but any other good ebola books you can think of would be VERY welcome.

[janissa11.livejournal.com]

Virus Hunter had some Ebola content.

On a related subject, I found Deep Survival fascinating.

More epidemiology than actual plague, Secret Agents.

I KNOW I have at least one more on Ebola. Hrrm. Ahh. Ebola!

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

YOU PLEASE ME.

I am so damn excited right now!

[janissa11.livejournal.com]

The scary part? FIVE of the books I listed are sitting by my bed right now in various stages of re-read. I am always looking for more, so I'll be haunting your post for new books!

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

We are TRULY disturbed. But this whole swine flu thing has gotten me in the mood for more apocalyptic plague stories. What can I say?

[rhipowered.livejournal.com]

Besides The Stand, most of the stuff I know is actually memetics or mind-based plague. Not quite what you're looking for but good reads:
- Joan Slonczewski's Brain Plague is really good feminist SF about the potentialities of intelligent infection, co-opted by humans but with its own agenda.
- Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash deals with religious/sociocultural belief as virus.
- John Barnes' Century Next Door series is about computer viral control of human culture--Candle is especially good.

More traditionally, I've heard good things about Greg Bear's Darwin's Radio but never read it.

[ravenskyewalker.livejournal.com]

I have the same problem! I'm addicted to books (have worked in libraries and then bookstores for 20+ years), but am also addicted to the Internet, so can -- way too often -- hang out at the computer for hours, not getting any book-reading done. So very sad...

[ravenskyewalker.livejournal.com]

I have an odd attraction to post-apocalyptic speculative fiction and have been thinking about some of it again lately, what with the incessant reports about swine flu. Some of it was nuclear-induced, though, not plague.

The Stand by Stephen King

Earth Abides by George R. Stewart

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

On the Beach by Nevil Shute

Alas Babylon by Pat Frank

Those last two are post-nuclear and deal with survival afterward, although I think no one ultimately survived On the Beach. (I also love seagoing adventures, and found OtB haunting with its last, lonely submarine crew hunting the world for other survivors.)

The Last Ship by Brinkley involved a couple of Navy crews (an American warship and a Russian submarine, as I recall) who were the only known survivors of nuclear war.

James Tiptree, Jr. (the AKA of Alice Sheldon), along with all her other greatly disturbing science fiction, wrote a short story in which a dire plague spread through the world via air travel; I think it wiped most people out. Can't remember the title, but can remember reading it!

Here's a non-fiction book that may not exactly fit what you're looking for, but it was one of the scariest books I've read about food: Spoiled: the Dangerous Truth About a Foodchain Gone Haywire by Nicols Fox, from 1997.

[jigglykat.livejournal.com]

I was going to recommend Earth Abides, but the person above beat me to it. We had to read that book for my HS freshman English class. Wow, I'm having flashbacks.

I'm actually jotting down a couple of the recommended books. HOORAY.

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

Thank you for reminding me of The Great Influenza! I found it at work the other day, but couldn't remember the title when I was updating my Fishpond wishlist.

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

Ooooo. Brain Plague sounds VERY interesting! I'll definitely give that one a looksee. Thanks!

[runtling.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, I was just about to post that. I loooove The Plague.

I think I'll be bookmarking this post for new book ideas. ;3

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I can't believe how awesome everyone is for pointing out books I've never heard of. I was so afraid I'd tapped out the whole genre. EEEE! So excited for new books!

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

Right? New books recs please me to a ridiculous degree. Can't WAIT to hit borders.

[chloe-az.livejournal.com]

I have a few non fiction books that I had for a history course "Science, Medicine and Public Policy in America". I will dig them out of storage for you to get their names. I remember reading them and being amazed and horrified at the same time.

[chloe-az.livejournal.com]

Since it isn't light reading but interesting:

The Cholera Years: The United States in 1832, 1849, and 1866

Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-82

America's Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza of 1918

The Great Influenza: The story of the deadliest pandemic in history