Plague Zone

Plague Zone by Jeff Carlson
book 3 of Plague Year series
Mass Market Paperback, 318 pages
Penguin group, December 2009
ISBN-13: 9780441017997
science fiction

Synopsis:

After surviving the machine plague and the world war that followed, nanotech researcher Ruth Goldman and ex-army ranger Cam Najarro discovered that a new contagion is about to be unleashed.

My Thoughts:

Plague Zone is the third and final book in Carlson's Plague Year series (Plague Year, Plague War). They were all released right to mass market paperback editions. Yet again, you need to suspend belief and just follow the action. (How, exactly, with all the devastation, war, and end of civialization, are they managing to continue to make nanotechnology when it was so difficult to make before the first nano-plague?) This was originally supposed to be released with the title "Mind Plague" and that's what it's about: a new nanotechnology plague is released that, rather than killing people outright, effects their minds. Plague Zone is sheer escapism. Rather than list the questionable science and numerous problems with this book - and all of Carlson's Plague Year books - let me just say it's a fine airplane book. Actually, it would probably make a better movie series than it does a book. No rating. I read it to finish up the series.

Quotes:

Cam Najarro pushed into the fallen greenhouse with one arm, struggling through the torn sheets of plastic. opening

Less than an hour ago, ten thousand fire ants had billowed into the grrenhouse, surging through the protected area like a cyclone. The weight of the frantic people inside was enough to topple one wall. Then someone crashed against a support beam. pg. 2

Most of the survivors called it Plague Year, restarting the calendar and forgetting everything else in human history. The machine plague killed more than five billion people and left thousands of animal species extinct. Now it was Year Three. In many ways, Earth had become a different planet. The microscopic nanotech disintegrated all warm-blooded life below ten thousand feet, where it self-destructed. What remained of the ecosystem was beyond repair. There were only reptiles, amphibians, and fish left to whittle down the exploding insect populations. pg. 7

The war had ended fifteen months ago, but the combatants on all sides were exhausted. There were shortages of fuel, medicine, and tools. They had to deal with the bugs and widespread crop death. pg. 9

Then someone screamed from Allison's direction, a high boyish shriek....
Jefferson was under attack. pg. 18

Nanotech, Ruth thought. Nothing else spread so fast. pg. 23

If they survived the night, even if they sealed this place in concrete and built a heavy fortress to contain her home, Ruth knew they could never stay. The villiage needed to be permanently abandoned. pg. 32