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    White Plague
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    White Plague
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    White Plague
    Audiobook11 hours

    White Plague

    Written by James Abel

    Narrated by Ray Porter

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    In the frozen waters of the Arctic, Marine bioterror expert Joe Rush races to save a submarine crew from a lethal threat.

    "The pleas for help stopped coming just after five in the morning, Washington time. The Pentagon staffers cleared for handling sensitive messages sat in horror for a moment and then tried other ways to reach the victims. Nothing worked so they called the Director, who phoned me."

    In the remote, frozen waters of the Arctic Ocean, the high-powered and technically advanced submarine U.S.S. Montana is in peril. Adrift and in flames, the boat-and the entire crew-could be lost. The only team close enough to get to them in time is led by Marine doctor and bioterror expert Joe Rush.

    With only thirty-six hours before the surviving crew perish, Joe and his team must race to rescue the Montana and ensure that the boat doesn't fall into enemy hands: A fast-approaching foreign submarine is already en route, and tensions may explode.

    But that's the least of their troubles. For the surviving sailors are not alone on the sub. Something is trapped with them. Something deadly. Something that plagued mankind long ago, when it devastated the entire world. And the crew of the Montana has unknowingly set it free. Now, Joe and his team must not only find a way to save the Montana and her crew, but stop a lethal horror of apocalyptic consequences from being unleashed on all humanity.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJan 6, 2015
    ISBN9780698191396
    Unavailable
    White Plague
    Author

    James Abel

    James Abel is the pseudonym for an accomplished author and Arctic expert. He lives and works in New York City.

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    Reviews for White Plague

    3.5/5

    319 ratings11 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This standalone SF story depicts a scientist's reaction to an act of terrorism. The breathtaking scope of this scientist's response amps up terror to extreme levels.
    • 3/5
      When American scientist John O'Reilly and his family are in Ireland for a few months, a bomb goes off and his wife and two kids are killed. Something switches in his head and he wants revenge. He is able to create a plague that only kills women. He unleashes it in three countries, but it quickly spreads throughout the world. It was ok. I thought the beginning and end were much better (for keeping me interested), but most of the middle part of the story dragged for me. The book was told from many different points of view, and there were a lot of characters to figure out. There were political and religious musings that weren't as interesting to me.
    • 5/5
      great book
    • 2/5
      I dug this one out for a change of pace. I'd looked it over before, but hadn't read it. But I'm usually desperate for new reading material, so I decided to give it a try.

      The basic plot is that a crazed scientist develops a plague designed to infect and kill women. It gets worldwide distribution, and so all of womankind faces the possibility of extinction - soon to be followed by all men, of course.

      It's set in the modern day, or possibly in the near future - but so near that there's nothing to distinguish it from the present. Well, the present as of 1982, since a key plot point is the Irish Republican Army.

      The book was surprisingly riveting - it was almost impossible to put down until I was about three-fours of the way through. And it's a LONG book. But towards the end the whole thing began to pall. With most women dead, and the major character in an incredibly bleak situation, the book became awfully hard to read towards the end. And I found the ending itself quite unpleasant. Herbert was an incredibly gifted and intelligent writer, and I cannot make any criticism of his technique in this book; I just don't like what he had to say. Not everyone would feel the same way, obviously.
    • 4/5
      Another hit on the Frank Herbert "other than Dune" list of works. It's a visceral study of revenge and politics, and I recommend it.
    • 4/5
      The White plague is not particularly pleasant, but tells the gripping story of John O'Niell, who is a molecular biologist studying the genetic patterns of native Irish in an approximation of the modern day when it was published, that being 1982. You can tell by the level of computer technology. Anyway, he is looking out a bank window waiting to complete some business and sees a car bomb go off below him as he is watching his wife and twin children walk away on a shopping errand. They are obviously killed and he is so distraught by the incident that he fractures in to a few separate personalities. One of these goes in to hiding and ingeniously creates a plague virus that is highly contagious and targeted to specifically kill women. He sends the virus to Ireland, England and Libya in payment for the death of his family in a terrorist bombing. (The IRA received materiel and training from Libya). The plague escalates and endangers the continuity of humanity, cities and regions are isolated by burned borders or are simply nuked out of existence to stop the spread of the death. There are obvious disruptions of systems, both religious and political. Yada yada yada, the hunt for a cure leads to revolutions in genetic engineering and the reduced population of women has a huge impact on future society as well.For something so morbid and destructive, it is actually an entertaining read. Frank Herbert is a man of great ideas and intellect as well as a brilliant writer. Many of the characters are Irish and he perfectly captures the nuances of the Irish accent. Very well done story.
    • 3/5
      I've always enjoyed Frank Herbert - until now. I hadn't heard of this title so when it came across my hands at work, I was excited to try it out and the story sounds good! Women are virtually extinct, wiped out by a plague that affects only them - societies crumble and fragment into smaller ones, governments topple, whole countries get "cleansed" by fire (the only sure way to obliterate the carriers - who are males) - it sounds like an interesting apocalytpic tale. But it didn't live up to that - it's often plodding, too slow for all that happens. The creator or this plague does so out of grief and revenge and Herbert tries to make him into some villain, but I just thought he was whiny and petty, frankly. Lots of people suffer grief - they don't destroy the world! Anyway, it was ok but it took some serious work to get through. 2.5 stars
    • 3/5
      This is basically Frank Herbert's version of The Stand, without the mystical, archetypical characters. It wasn't bad, but The Stand is about 10 times better. Basically, think The Andromeda Strain, except the virus actually gets out this time.
    • 1/5

      Five out of ten.

      John O'Neill is a molecular biologist who was witness to the death of his wife and twin sons. Consumed by an all-engulfing hatred for a world that could produce such horror, he creates and unleashes a plague and then goes on a journey to see the evidence of his own handiwork.

      Great idea but could and should have been so much better.

    • 1/5
      I got about half way through this senseless pile before tossing it in the trash.Basically, the story is about all the women in the world being killed by some hackneyed bioengineered plague, which is carried by men and passed around on money. The story makes little sense as it follows various irritating people, including one of the few women who ended up being quarantined by pure luck.That's about all I can remember. It was awful.
    • 5/5
      A well crafted science fiction, revenge thriller by the author better known for the Dune books. Molecular biologist Dr. John O'Neill's wife and children are blown to bits before his eyes by a terrorist carbomb. In the madness of his grief he is determined that those responsible be made to pay.He uses his skills to create a plague of global magnitude. Invariably fatal, the plague is also selective, targeting only women. The world is left in chaos, scientists are baffled, governments refuse to work together and closet themselves, each trying to be the first to come up with a cure. Firebombing affected areas becomes the order of the day.Not satisfied with merely creating disaster, Dr. O'Neill goes on a pilgrimage to Ireland to view his handiwork firsthand. He embarks on an overland trek thru the devestation, billing himself as a biochemist "who only wants to help", joined by a pathetic, almost faithless Catholic priest, a mute boy and (unbeknown to him) the IRA terrorist directly responsible for the death of his family.The book grows slightly tedious at this point, with much philosophical musing and many lengthy arguments as Dr. O'Neill is probed by his trek mates to determine who is he really. The ending is also a bit disappointing, building and building but failing to quite hit its expected peak.Overall, though a frightening and altogether too possible scenario leaves the reader breathless and turning page after page to find out if the world is truly ended or if the scientists will pull together and save the day.