Available now in audio book format.
A smallpox epidemic begins in a whisper with a single death, and then the name of the victim surfaces. Abdulaziz al-Sherhi. In a nation rich in imagination, this name requires none at all. In the weeks that follow, the epidemic fears crescendo into a national roar. People panic about dying from this horrific terrorist incited disease and clamor for a vaccination. The federal government lurches along, hurriedly creating more vaccinations to meet the demand.
Maggie Ride, a weary road warrior for a high tech company, submits to the shot only to realize this is no ordinary immunization. Her husband, Eddy, posts his suspicions about this deeply sinister government requirement to his web site.
Now he’s a target.
And Maggie is the bait.
The technology is real. Washington is corrupt. It’s only a matter of time before this isn’t just an intriguing idea for a political thriller.
Please note: Even though the premise of this book is about a vaccination that isn’t a vaccination, I’m NOT an antivaxer. Earlier, I was quite concerned about the speed of the vaccine coming to market–not because I was worried about what might be embedded in the vaccine but because there wouldn’t be adequate testing. All that shifted for me and I was convinced the vaccination was safe. In February, I got my first vaccine and a month later, my second. I’m looking forward to getting a booster shot in the next few months.
Over six billion people worldwide have gotten at least the first dose of a vaccine, and we’re closing in on three billion who are fully vaccinated. For those that worry that the vaccines aren’t sufficiently tested, this is a pretty large sample group.
For current information about Covid-19, Johns Hopkins University provides excellent, up-to-date information about the spread of the virus. Another great site is Worldometer, which slices and dices information for countries, states, and sometimes even the county level.
If you haven’t already, please get vaccinated. There’s no chip. There’s no conspiracy. Plain and simple, it could save your life or the life of a loved one.
Why this book? Why now?
The first time I read 1984, we were less than fifteen years away from the actual year and, what seemed like at the time, a hundred years away from the technology to control society like the book describes. The story stayed with me, though, as the ability to use technology to track people has became more insidious.
Then came Edward Snowden, who revealed the appalling invasiveness of the National Security Agency (NSA), which created a temporary furor. Within a few weeks, though, the front page stories drifted to the back pages and off the national radar. While the subject still produces spirited dinner conversations, we haven’t made any progress as a nation in protecting our privacy.
It got me thinking: What technology exists today to control people? What would be the trigger to get people to use the technology? Most important, what would it take for people to say enough is enough?
Fast forward a few years and into a political climate that was intentionally fueled by fear. When I wrote The Virus, the available technology made the book anything but science fiction, and with each passing year the technology to track and control people gets easier and cheaper. Then the only thing missing was a government corrupt enough and eager enough to maintain power to make the nightmare come alive.
I don’t know about you, but I was very nervous through the last administration. Today I’m more hopeful because we’ve returned to a more compassionate time. Most important? Science is once again center stage.
