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The Plague Trilogy #3
Scourge
THE END OF THE WORLD Dr. Samantha Bower witnessed the obliteration of human society. Entire continents decimated by a virus of unknown origins. Only a bleak world of ash and blood remains. One in which the survivors fundamentally change what it means to be human. Samantha now struggles to make sense of the devastation, and the horrific response of humanity to an extinction level event. Left with little else, she accepts help from a man once sent to kill her. He offers her a small village in the Congolese jungle unaffected by the virus. A place called Shangri-La that he claims to have seen firsthand. A place where the deepest mysteries of man's arrogance over nature will finally be answered for her. The world a barbaric wasteland, she must place her trust in a man that is fundamentally untrustworthy. With no other options, she goes with him in search for Shangri-La, and will discover a truth she could never have imagined.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 30, 2014
319 people are currently reading
204 people want to read
About the author
Victor Methos
75 books2,092 followersVictor Methos is the Edgar Award nominated bestselling author of over forty novels. He has been a criminal and civil rights lawyer in the Mountain West, conducting over 100 trials, and produces two books a year with his dog Fraiser by his side.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
May 30, 2017
The author has lost me with the conclusion of his plague trilogy. Even Dr.Samantha Bower of the Centers for Disease Control can't save this and the author needs to be bitch slapped by zombies for writing such trash even though he's a guy.
The first two books in the series were wonderful and I highly recommend them. Just pass on this thing. In the first book, Plague, we were treated to a true medical thriller as a tour guide returned to Oahu, Hawaii after leading a tour in the jungles in Peru and brought a brand new plague called Agent X that is similar to smallpox and Ebola only deadlier. Everything was quite within the realm of possibility as Dr. Samantha Bower of the Centers for Disease Control went to investigate and the president, Homeland Security, and the military decided to quarantine the entire island. The second book, Pestilence, showed what happened when some people escaped from Oahu and carried the lethal virus to Los Angeles.
I don't know if the author was drunk, crazy, or what when writing this third book. It essentially has some bad guys spreading the virus worldwide for no apparent reason and trying to trick and kill Samantha as they have killed off all the other scientists and doctors who were likely to come up with a vaccine. The first half of the book is Samantha giving an interview and just describing what happened. Boring. Suddenly the people who had been weakened and killed by the virus become zombie like creatures who attack and eat those who are not infected, have superhuman strength, and can outrun vehicles. Oh please. This is like some stupid zombie book for not-too-bright teens. Oh and they are seeding clouds with the virus and there is a Shangrai-La in the Congo where a red-haired woman leads a run down village of people who have been exposed but not gotten sick- who wants to mate Samantha with all the men and breed kids. What a disappointment this book is.
The first two books in the series were wonderful and I highly recommend them. Just pass on this thing. In the first book, Plague, we were treated to a true medical thriller as a tour guide returned to Oahu, Hawaii after leading a tour in the jungles in Peru and brought a brand new plague called Agent X that is similar to smallpox and Ebola only deadlier. Everything was quite within the realm of possibility as Dr. Samantha Bower of the Centers for Disease Control went to investigate and the president, Homeland Security, and the military decided to quarantine the entire island. The second book, Pestilence, showed what happened when some people escaped from Oahu and carried the lethal virus to Los Angeles.
I don't know if the author was drunk, crazy, or what when writing this third book. It essentially has some bad guys spreading the virus worldwide for no apparent reason and trying to trick and kill Samantha as they have killed off all the other scientists and doctors who were likely to come up with a vaccine. The first half of the book is Samantha giving an interview and just describing what happened. Boring. Suddenly the people who had been weakened and killed by the virus become zombie like creatures who attack and eat those who are not infected, have superhuman strength, and can outrun vehicles. Oh please. This is like some stupid zombie book for not-too-bright teens. Oh and they are seeding clouds with the virus and there is a Shangrai-La in the Congo where a red-haired woman leads a run down village of people who have been exposed but not gotten sick- who wants to mate Samantha with all the men and breed kids. What a disappointment this book is.
July 21, 2019
Medical thriller? No, simply sci-fi. This whole series was sci-fi and it went down hill from the outset. This book was in freefall from early on. There seemed to be very little structure to the plot. The book could 've gone on forever with more cheap thrill-events piled on top of the last and few added anything to story. The heroine is TSTL to the point I found her unlikable; I certainly couldn't take her behaviour seriously. There are so many holes in the series, but especially this book, that if you're a DNF type of reader you stand no chance. It was tedious and the lame twist and the end didn't make up for it. If you liked the first two books then give this a go but be prepared for a change in direction. Good luck..
February 4, 2023
These three books in the series could have been rounded up to one great book. Each succeeding book lost a little bit of steam, and too many variants of the viruses startled to boggle me down.
September 6, 2014
Someone really should have taken the time to proofread.
It is very common to find a lot of errors in e-books, particularly books by amateur writers and books in the cheap thrills genre. I got the Plague trilogy for free with my amazon unlimited subscription and did not have unreasonably high expectations; I was not expecting a perfectly crafted grammatically flawless work of art. Even though I knew going in that these books weren't going to be great, I got all three because I have a real love of a good plague. There seem to be a limitless number of vampire books out there and zombies are catching on as well, but a good plague book is still hard to find.
All that was a long intro to say that this trilogy was a pretty epic fail. The main character had absolutely no depth whatsoever-- take 15 seconds to imagine the most stereotyped leading lady heroic female doctor character you can think of and that's her. And every other character is either killed off with so little fanfare that you don't care at all, because you don't care about any of the characters, or is bizarrely unmentioned for long periods of time (for example she spends a great deal of time risking her life and the lives of others trying to save her sister and her sister's family and then is told by a guy whom she has many reasons not to trust that they are safe, no specifics, and then the sister isn't mentioned again for like a book and a half, and that's not the only instance). The biggest issue is that I'm pretty sure the author just sat down and wrote all three books without taking any notes or reading back over what he had written. There are so many blatant inconsistencies that's the only way I can imagine missing them. I only read the books one time, not all that carefully, while exercising, and I cannot begin to list the contradictions. The writer stresses over and over that the virus keeps mutating and getting worse, yet it is clearly, obviously, undoubtedly a ton worse in the second book. These bad guys explode the virus over a bunch of major cities sometime around the beginning of the second book/ end of the first yet in the third book they are threatening to do drop the virus with drones over the same cities which seem to no longer be infected. The symptoms of the virus, how it's transmitted, how quickly people get sick and die, all of those things are wildly inconsistent.
I will not go into factual errors. There are many. I think the one that I found most egregious and that was actually offensive is that the author wrote that the fact that the AIDS virus (he did not make a distinction between HIV and AIDS) now takes so many years to kill has "nothing" at all to do with the medicine but is because the virus is smart and wants to keep its victims alive longer in order to spread to more hosts. This utter bullshit was written as a quote from a character in the novel who was a doctor at the centers for disease control, and thus the author was presenting this as a statement of fact from an expert in his story.
I honestly cannot say why I read all three of these books. They did get progressively worse. On the off chance that the author is small time enough to read reviews: in the future, write out some basic facts about your made-up disease and stick to them; create a timeline of your major plot points-- time should be linear and move in the correct direction; if you are going to reference real diseases, you should probably check your facts, Google is very easy to use; get a proof reader, if you have one now, fire them and get a new one.
It is very common to find a lot of errors in e-books, particularly books by amateur writers and books in the cheap thrills genre. I got the Plague trilogy for free with my amazon unlimited subscription and did not have unreasonably high expectations; I was not expecting a perfectly crafted grammatically flawless work of art. Even though I knew going in that these books weren't going to be great, I got all three because I have a real love of a good plague. There seem to be a limitless number of vampire books out there and zombies are catching on as well, but a good plague book is still hard to find.
All that was a long intro to say that this trilogy was a pretty epic fail. The main character had absolutely no depth whatsoever-- take 15 seconds to imagine the most stereotyped leading lady heroic female doctor character you can think of and that's her. And every other character is either killed off with so little fanfare that you don't care at all, because you don't care about any of the characters, or is bizarrely unmentioned for long periods of time (for example she spends a great deal of time risking her life and the lives of others trying to save her sister and her sister's family and then is told by a guy whom she has many reasons not to trust that they are safe, no specifics, and then the sister isn't mentioned again for like a book and a half, and that's not the only instance). The biggest issue is that I'm pretty sure the author just sat down and wrote all three books without taking any notes or reading back over what he had written. There are so many blatant inconsistencies that's the only way I can imagine missing them. I only read the books one time, not all that carefully, while exercising, and I cannot begin to list the contradictions. The writer stresses over and over that the virus keeps mutating and getting worse, yet it is clearly, obviously, undoubtedly a ton worse in the second book. These bad guys explode the virus over a bunch of major cities sometime around the beginning of the second book/ end of the first yet in the third book they are threatening to do drop the virus with drones over the same cities which seem to no longer be infected. The symptoms of the virus, how it's transmitted, how quickly people get sick and die, all of those things are wildly inconsistent.
I will not go into factual errors. There are many. I think the one that I found most egregious and that was actually offensive is that the author wrote that the fact that the AIDS virus (he did not make a distinction between HIV and AIDS) now takes so many years to kill has "nothing" at all to do with the medicine but is because the virus is smart and wants to keep its victims alive longer in order to spread to more hosts. This utter bullshit was written as a quote from a character in the novel who was a doctor at the centers for disease control, and thus the author was presenting this as a statement of fact from an expert in his story.
I honestly cannot say why I read all three of these books. They did get progressively worse. On the off chance that the author is small time enough to read reviews: in the future, write out some basic facts about your made-up disease and stick to them; create a timeline of your major plot points-- time should be linear and move in the correct direction; if you are going to reference real diseases, you should probably check your facts, Google is very easy to use; get a proof reader, if you have one now, fire them and get a new one.
September 5, 2014
Um...what happened?
when I saw Mr methos had another virus story due out late August,I was excited.I had enjoyed the first two and believe he is a good writer.well,I used my prime free book.(I guess that beats spending money!)And looked so forward to reading it.I savored the thought.oh was I ever disappointed! not only did I waste my free book,I wasted it on a zombie(ok,"imp") novel!I hate zombie books.and being that this book had characters from the last books,I did not expect this.maybe it was in the description of this book.can't swear.but if you hate zombie books BEWARE!! I'm so upset.I didn't finish it after verifying what kind of book this was.BUT I WASTED MY PRIME BOOK ON THIS! sigh...I will be leary of any future books by Mr methos.
when I saw Mr methos had another virus story due out late August,I was excited.I had enjoyed the first two and believe he is a good writer.well,I used my prime free book.(I guess that beats spending money!)And looked so forward to reading it.I savored the thought.oh was I ever disappointed! not only did I waste my free book,I wasted it on a zombie(ok,"imp") novel!I hate zombie books.and being that this book had characters from the last books,I did not expect this.maybe it was in the description of this book.can't swear.but if you hate zombie books BEWARE!! I'm so upset.I didn't finish it after verifying what kind of book this was.BUT I WASTED MY PRIME BOOK ON THIS! sigh...I will be leary of any future books by Mr methos.
January 1, 2015
Disappointed
I like stories that could possibly happen. This series was good until it reached zombie status. Ridiculous. Save your money and just read the first two books.
I like stories that could possibly happen. This series was good until it reached zombie status. Ridiculous. Save your money and just read the first two books.
June 20, 2020
Edits
The deceive novels are brilliant and well executed and are from an area the author knows well. My thought is that medical is unfamiliar territory and that the immense challenge of incorporating all that new info with the challenge of writing a 3 phase book was too much.
Once they were on the road again, he pulled out his phone and checked the next name before he said, “Head to the 405. We got a thirty-minute drive ahead of us.” [phones are down—no internet].
The stranger came out of the room and sprinted toward her. [sprinted? when his leg is separated at the knee?]
“The detonations were the beginning,” Sam said. “The virus had appeared in South America and Hawaii before then, but we thought it was a fluke, the kind of aberration of nature that pokes its head out sometimes. [not true. It started from a canister in peru.]
A man I barely knew had me promise to watch his daughter. He was dying of the pox and he killed himself to prevent others from getting infected through him. [but, he would certainly have infected his daughter]
I knew that not everyone would die from an attack by the infected. Many of them would become infected themselves. [i thought they were all already infected?]
The deceive novels are brilliant and well executed and are from an area the author knows well. My thought is that medical is unfamiliar territory and that the immense challenge of incorporating all that new info with the challenge of writing a 3 phase book was too much.
Once they were on the road again, he pulled out his phone and checked the next name before he said, “Head to the 405. We got a thirty-minute drive ahead of us.” [phones are down—no internet].
The stranger came out of the room and sprinted toward her. [sprinted? when his leg is separated at the knee?]
“The detonations were the beginning,” Sam said. “The virus had appeared in South America and Hawaii before then, but we thought it was a fluke, the kind of aberration of nature that pokes its head out sometimes. [not true. It started from a canister in peru.]
A man I barely knew had me promise to watch his daughter. He was dying of the pox and he killed himself to prevent others from getting infected through him. [but, he would certainly have infected his daughter]
I knew that not everyone would die from an attack by the infected. Many of them would become infected themselves. [i thought they were all already infected?]
February 21, 2021
After reading the first part of this trilogy I wrote: "A great read, very appropriate at this time. I must say that a trilogy is a bit much, with some trimming and good editing this might have been an exceptional medical thriller in one novel. Now, three novels, however good and exciting is perhaps a bit too much."
After the second part of the trilogy I wrote: "This second part of the trilogy proves my point. The plot just keeps meandering on and on, and doesn't seem to go anywhere. And I have still one more book to go... Help!
Again: a good editor might have been helpful to avoid the endless repetitions of fact-stating, of descriptions etcetera. A very good writer (say Michael Crichton) might have made a very good novel out of this (or maybe he already has...). "
This third part of the trilogy I haven't even finished. It has turned from a medical thriller into a slasher dash zombie movie script, and has lost any form of credibility it had. Sorry, it's not for me. What a waste of time this has been.
After the second part of the trilogy I wrote: "This second part of the trilogy proves my point. The plot just keeps meandering on and on, and doesn't seem to go anywhere. And I have still one more book to go... Help!
Again: a good editor might have been helpful to avoid the endless repetitions of fact-stating, of descriptions etcetera. A very good writer (say Michael Crichton) might have made a very good novel out of this (or maybe he already has...). "
This third part of the trilogy I haven't even finished. It has turned from a medical thriller into a slasher dash zombie movie script, and has lost any form of credibility it had. Sorry, it's not for me. What a waste of time this has been.
October 8, 2017
"A Shocking Drama Of A Deadly Plague"
The world is now covered in ash and blood. Those who have survived are not human. Doctor Samantha Bower witnessed the devastation. A man who once was sent to kill her is going to help her instead. They go to a small village in the Congolese Jungle which had not been touched by the virus. Together they search for Shangri-La and will discover the unbelievable truth. This novel is stunning. Even though I prefer the legal thrillers of author Victor Methos, he has produced a very shocking story. Let's pray to not ever have a plague as described by this author.
The world is now covered in ash and blood. Those who have survived are not human. Doctor Samantha Bower witnessed the devastation. A man who once was sent to kill her is going to help her instead. They go to a small village in the Congolese Jungle which had not been touched by the virus. Together they search for Shangri-La and will discover the unbelievable truth. This novel is stunning. Even though I prefer the legal thrillers of author Victor Methos, he has produced a very shocking story. Let's pray to not ever have a plague as described by this author.
February 12, 2018
The scourge is overtaking the earth, no question about it.
In this, the third installment of Mr. Methos' sweeping trilogy, we find our intrepid doctor in various sites trying to identify this new, terrible disease. While she is busy surviving attempts on her life, she also is trying to develop a new vaccine.
Wait, why are men trying to kill her? Indeed. And where did this virus come from, anyway?
Most importantly, is there anyone she can trust?
In this, the third installment of Mr. Methos' sweeping trilogy, we find our intrepid doctor in various sites trying to identify this new, terrible disease. While she is busy surviving attempts on her life, she also is trying to develop a new vaccine.
Wait, why are men trying to kill her? Indeed. And where did this virus come from, anyway?
Most importantly, is there anyone she can trust?
October 13, 2018
Wow
R thought I’d read a book about zombies, but I just read all three of these books.Once i started reading them, I couldn’t stop. I had to find out what Sam found out, especially in the jungles of South America and then Africa. Although the author calls these people the”ips’ (infected persons), they are still zombies. Very interesting read as to what mankind will do to achieve power.
R thought I’d read a book about zombies, but I just read all three of these books.Once i started reading them, I couldn’t stop. I had to find out what Sam found out, especially in the jungles of South America and then Africa. Although the author calls these people the”ips’ (infected persons), they are still zombies. Very interesting read as to what mankind will do to achieve power.
February 27, 2024
A disjointed lost mess
As the third book in a trilogy, this was a massive digression from the tone and writing of the first two books. As the story veered from medical thriller into zombie-land, I couldn't help but feel the author wanted to keep shocking his readers and had to dip into Walking Dead territory. The man characters somehow devolved into caricatures of themselves, repetitive and wooden. A shame since the first book showed so much promise.
As the third book in a trilogy, this was a massive digression from the tone and writing of the first two books. As the story veered from medical thriller into zombie-land, I couldn't help but feel the author wanted to keep shocking his readers and had to dip into Walking Dead territory. The man characters somehow devolved into caricatures of themselves, repetitive and wooden. A shame since the first book showed so much promise.
June 6, 2024
A mind boggling finale
Nothing in Scourge is as it seems. Even if you're an aficionado of medical thrillers, you will never see the ending coming. If you want something completely unpredictable, the Plague Trilogy, and Scourge in particular, need to be on your must read list. My favorite medical thriller series to date, and I've read A LOT of them! Highly, highly recommended! Deserves 6/5 stars, but the scale only goes to 5, so 5/5 well earned stars. Must read stuff!
Nothing in Scourge is as it seems. Even if you're an aficionado of medical thrillers, you will never see the ending coming. If you want something completely unpredictable, the Plague Trilogy, and Scourge in particular, need to be on your must read list. My favorite medical thriller series to date, and I've read A LOT of them! Highly, highly recommended! Deserves 6/5 stars, but the scale only goes to 5, so 5/5 well earned stars. Must read stuff!
September 23, 2024
he third book in The Plague Trilogy. With the virus completely out of control and several gas explosions having been set off over various states, as well as other countries, it’s a race against time for Sam to try and do something. There is clearly an enemy at work, but as yet, that enemy remains invisible. The majority of this book is in the form of an interview given to a member of WHO by Sam Bower.
September 16, 2022
Mucho vómito
La novela tiene una trama interesante, pero se excede con lo del “vómito negro”…no la pude terminar. ¿Qué está pasando? Con las películas sucede lo mismo, escenas de vómito en todas. Sé que es una reacción natural del ser viviente, como tantas otras, pero, ¿por qué mostrarlas o describirlas con lujo de detalles? Es sumamente desagradable.
La novela tiene una trama interesante, pero se excede con lo del “vómito negro”…no la pude terminar. ¿Qué está pasando? Con las películas sucede lo mismo, escenas de vómito en todas. Sé que es una reacción natural del ser viviente, como tantas otras, pero, ¿por qué mostrarlas o describirlas con lujo de detalles? Es sumamente desagradable.
February 26, 2023
Loved The Scourge
Great finish for this last book in the series. I would love to read many more like it. Sam seems a bit naive sometimes, in her insistence to rescue people who are doomed, even though she would die too. Yes she is a doctor, a virologist but a rational person can see when attempting rescue is impossible. Exciting series.
Great finish for this last book in the series. I would love to read many more like it. Sam seems a bit naive sometimes, in her insistence to rescue people who are doomed, even though she would die too. Yes she is a doctor, a virologist but a rational person can see when attempting rescue is impossible. Exciting series.
June 18, 2023
Book 3! outstanding read and way to end a series!
Book 3, takes you on a roller coaster ride.
After we came through the 2020 pandemic, this book hits too close to home.
Every word, just takes you a bit further, but one we can surely imagine happening.
Had me on the edge of my seat, totally enthralled.
Love his writing and can't wait to read another by him. Kudos
Book 3, takes you on a roller coaster ride.
After we came through the 2020 pandemic, this book hits too close to home.
Every word, just takes you a bit further, but one we can surely imagine happening.
Had me on the edge of my seat, totally enthralled.
Love his writing and can't wait to read another by him. Kudos
January 17, 2025
iPS???
Unfortunately, this is an acute comedown from the first book. The device of having the infected turn into beings called “ips” is beyond laughable. Also the double quotation marks in large sections were totally unnecessary and confusing. It’s sort of like a horror comic book, and not even a good one.
Unfortunately, this is an acute comedown from the first book. The device of having the infected turn into beings called “ips” is beyond laughable. Also the double quotation marks in large sections were totally unnecessary and confusing. It’s sort of like a horror comic book, and not even a good one.
August 9, 2019
Disappointing trilogy end
I did not enjoy this book. The zombie thing was a silly choice, the plot twists were not believable, and the ending was rushed, as though the author couldn’t wait to be done. I enjoyed the other two in the series.
I did not enjoy this book. The zombie thing was a silly choice, the plot twists were not believable, and the ending was rushed, as though the author couldn’t wait to be done. I enjoyed the other two in the series.
September 4, 2019
Shockingly Good
I was beginning to dislike the direction of the story because it seemed like it was going to turn zombie-ish. I'm so surprised to see the turn and this turned out to be a fantastic trilogy.
I was beginning to dislike the direction of the story because it seemed like it was going to turn zombie-ish. I'm so surprised to see the turn and this turned out to be a fantastic trilogy.
June 20, 2020
Very real and raw
Such a great plot. Very interesting. Kind of disgusting sometimes with the description of the sick people and zombies. But fun to read. Sam is a very cleaver, cool, fun to be with main character.
Such a great plot. Very interesting. Kind of disgusting sometimes with the description of the sick people and zombies. But fun to read. Sam is a very cleaver, cool, fun to be with main character.
September 9, 2020
Enjoyed. Easy to read.
Liked because it kept me reading wanting to know what happened. I love zombie end of the world movies and stories. Just lack more to read on how Dr Bower got from one place to the next. I recommend. Read all 3 books.
Liked because it kept me reading wanting to know what happened. I love zombie end of the world movies and stories. Just lack more to read on how Dr Bower got from one place to the next. I recommend. Read all 3 books.
January 8, 2022
This series hits a little to close but a great read!!
In today's COVID world this series hit a little bit too close to home but it was a fantastic read and I didn't wanna put it down each night to go to bed.
In today's COVID world this series hit a little bit too close to home but it was a fantastic read and I didn't wanna put it down each night to go to bed.
January 8, 2023
what went from being a medical thriller in Book one and somewhat in Book 2 totally deteriorates in this last book of the Trilogy. It is almost sci-fi but I think most sci-fi are better written. Don't waste your time or money
November 2, 2023
Great What If Sci-fi Series....
I liked this series a lot. I think I cried for the whole world once or twice. I'm not sure if anything like what took place in the story could actually happen. Good read tho.
I liked this series a lot. I think I cried for the whole world once or twice. I'm not sure if anything like what took place in the story could actually happen. Good read tho.
August 14, 2019
Crazy scary that it could really happen.
Makes you want to hug your loved ones and keep them close. Great read. Can't wait to read the next one.
Makes you want to hug your loved ones and keep them close. Great read. Can't wait to read the next one.
January 27, 2020
Better than I thought based on the first two.....
A bit disjointed, overall better than the first two. I liked the hope it conveyed to humanity. Overall, not badI A fitting end.
A bit disjointed, overall better than the first two. I liked the hope it conveyed to humanity. Overall, not badI A fitting end.
March 28, 2020
Awesome
I just kept reading! The search for a vaccine became an unreal nightmare for Samantha. And it became a trap!
I just kept reading! The search for a vaccine became an unreal nightmare for Samantha. And it became a trap!
May 6, 2020
Best of the trilogy!
May 14, 2020
Scourge
The only thing that I do not like about victor’s books is that he misspells Susan. Every time. It’s not Suzan. At least not every person with that name
The only thing that I do not like about victor’s books is that he misspells Susan. Every time. It’s not Suzan. At least not every person with that name
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews