THe Hot Zone by Richard Preston

Essay by BZguy06High School, 12th gradeA+, April 2004

download word file, 2 pages 4.0 1 reviews

"Terrifying, suspenseful, and remarkable! These are the words describing a number one New York Times Bestseller, The Hot Zone . It is about a highly infectious, deadly virus from the central African rain forest that suddenly appeared in the suburbs of Washington D.C. There was no cure. In a few days 90 percent of its victims are dead. A secret military SWAT team of soldiers and scientists are mobilized to stop the outbreak of this exotic "Hot"" virus. The Hot Zone tells this dramatic story, giving a hair-raising account of the appearance of rare and lethal viruses and their "crashes" into the human race. Shocking, frightening, and impossible to ignore, The Hot Zone proves that truly really is scarier than fiction."

In his high- suspense, terrifying non- fiction novel, The Hot Zone, Richard Preston delivers quite a thriller. Once I opened this book, I was always wondering what would happen next.

It made me realize that there are so many viruses out there and how dangerous a lot of them are. I never realized that any virus could affect you this way. But what makes it so great, one might ask? Well, the scariness of the novel, for one thing. The prospect of a lethal virus using a primate as a host is enough to make anyone jump out of their skin, especially since the book is non- fiction. And another thing: the unexpectedness of this novel makes you want to read more. It is filled with so much suspense. You never know where the author is going to take you in his quest to explain the three lethal viruses (Ebola Sudan, Marburg, and Ebola Zaire) discussed in this book.

At first, you may not understand the book. But as you read on, you start catching on.