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Biological War: A Scenario
There is an invisible weapon among us. By the time you know you are a victim, it has turned you into a killer. A blistering new non-fiction thriller from the Baillie Gifford shortlisted author of Nuclear War (200k copies sold).
A lab accident, a bio-attack, a global pandemic, and the collapse of human society. In this essential new book, based on dozens of new interviews with experts with high-level political, governmental, medical, and military responsibility, Annie Jacobsen examines this very scenario.
It would be only a matter of days before the infrastructure built to handle this gravest of situations would be in a battle for survival. The fallout: mass death, societal breakdown, widespread insurrection, anarchy, and a plague-ravaged wasteland that no longer resembles modern civilization.
There is no mushroom cloud, no shock wave or blast. Instead, the scenario that could end the world as we know it begins with something so small and malicious, that when used for evil, only evil can result.
This is what could happen; a roadmap to the hours, days, and weeks following the release of a biological agent, that serves as the most essential, forward-looking journalism in preparation for urgent societal upheaval.
A lab accident, a bio-attack, a global pandemic, and the collapse of human society. In this essential new book, based on dozens of new interviews with experts with high-level political, governmental, medical, and military responsibility, Annie Jacobsen examines this very scenario.
It would be only a matter of days before the infrastructure built to handle this gravest of situations would be in a battle for survival. The fallout: mass death, societal breakdown, widespread insurrection, anarchy, and a plague-ravaged wasteland that no longer resembles modern civilization.
There is no mushroom cloud, no shock wave or blast. Instead, the scenario that could end the world as we know it begins with something so small and malicious, that when used for evil, only evil can result.
This is what could happen; a roadmap to the hours, days, and weeks following the release of a biological agent, that serves as the most essential, forward-looking journalism in preparation for urgent societal upheaval.
416 pages, Paperback
First published July 28, 2026
About the author
Annie Jacobsen
14 books4,263 followersANNIE JACOBSEN is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author. Her books include: AREA 51; OPERATION PAPERCLIP; THE PENTAGON’S BRAIN; PHENOMENA; SURPRISE, KILL VANISH; and FIRST PLATOON.
Her last book, NUCLEAR WAR: A SCENARIO, is an international bestseller. Her newest book, BIOLOGICAL WAR: A SCENARIO, hits bookstores everywhere on July 28.
Jacobsen’s books have been named Best of the Year and Most Anticipated by outlets including The Washington Post, USA Today, The Boston Globe, Vanity Fair, Apple, and Amazon. She has appeared on countless TV programs and media platforms—from PBS Newshour to Joe Rogan—discussing war, weapons, government secrecy, and national security.
She also writes and produces TV, including Tom Clancy’s JACK RYAN.
Jacobsen graduated from Princeton University where she was Captain of the Women’s Ice Hockey Team. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband Kevin and their two sons.
Her last book, NUCLEAR WAR: A SCENARIO, is an international bestseller. Her newest book, BIOLOGICAL WAR: A SCENARIO, hits bookstores everywhere on July 28.
Jacobsen’s books have been named Best of the Year and Most Anticipated by outlets including The Washington Post, USA Today, The Boston Globe, Vanity Fair, Apple, and Amazon. She has appeared on countless TV programs and media platforms—from PBS Newshour to Joe Rogan—discussing war, weapons, government secrecy, and national security.
She also writes and produces TV, including Tom Clancy’s JACK RYAN.
Jacobsen graduated from Princeton University where she was Captain of the Women’s Ice Hockey Team. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband Kevin and their two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 334 reviews
August 2, 2026
Jacobsen's previous book NuCLEAR WAR: A SCENARIO greatly impacted (read: terrified) me when I read it a few years ago; it actually was one of my top 10 reads of
2024. I have highly recommended it since. So when I saw Jacobsen was coming out with a new novel on biological war this time, I knew I had to read it.
This book is highly informative and relevant (especially given the COVID-19 pandemic). In some ways, biological war is possibly worse than nuclear war, as it is silent, deadly, and impossible to detect until it's already caused likely irreversible damage and death. I learned a lot. I had no idea, for example, that making biological weapons is illegal, yet many countries are actively doing it under a guise of "we need to make these weapons so that we can proactively create the vaccines needed to fight them if we were to be attacked by them." All it takes is something a simple as a lab accident or mistake for these types of pathogens to get out and decimate entire populations. It's unimaginable- but Jacobsen imagines it tor us.
This is a book on an incredibly important topic and I think people need to read about it and be aware of the risks bioweapons pose. Jacobsen is thorough in her writing and research and yet I would feel remiss not to mention that I was disappointed to see several genAl images in the book. These illustrations were not only unnecessary but could lead one to question whether genAl was used in other capacities in the creation of the book as well. I firmly believe genAl has no place in our art and literature. This would have been a 5⭐️ review otherwise.
Thank you to Dutton Books for the gifted copy of this book. This is my honest review.
2024. I have highly recommended it since. So when I saw Jacobsen was coming out with a new novel on biological war this time, I knew I had to read it.
This book is highly informative and relevant (especially given the COVID-19 pandemic). In some ways, biological war is possibly worse than nuclear war, as it is silent, deadly, and impossible to detect until it's already caused likely irreversible damage and death. I learned a lot. I had no idea, for example, that making biological weapons is illegal, yet many countries are actively doing it under a guise of "we need to make these weapons so that we can proactively create the vaccines needed to fight them if we were to be attacked by them." All it takes is something a simple as a lab accident or mistake for these types of pathogens to get out and decimate entire populations. It's unimaginable- but Jacobsen imagines it tor us.
This is a book on an incredibly important topic and I think people need to read about it and be aware of the risks bioweapons pose. Jacobsen is thorough in her writing and research and yet I would feel remiss not to mention that I was disappointed to see several genAl images in the book. These illustrations were not only unnecessary but could lead one to question whether genAl was used in other capacities in the creation of the book as well. I firmly believe genAl has no place in our art and literature. This would have been a 5⭐️ review otherwise.
Thank you to Dutton Books for the gifted copy of this book. This is my honest review.
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July 29, 2026this was interesting and scary, but I must admit my disappointment that it got published with gen AI images :(
August 6, 2026
This could easily have been a more highly rated book for me had it not been for the unnecessary use of AI generated images throughout. Jacobsen credits her son as the ‘creator’ of AI images in the book, all of which could have easily been created by actual artists, rather than just typing a prompt into a generative AI program (which is not art, nor credit worthy).
For example, the image provided of a chimera, which is here depicted as (erroneously) having the head of a lion, the head of a goat, and the head of a snake, when the quote in the actual text explains it to be a creature with the head of a lion, body of a goat, and tail of a serpent. This may seem like nitpicking, however I believe if you’re going to go to the trouble of publishing a book, it might be prudent to actually check the accuracy of images you’re featuring, not just throw in whatever OpenAI spat out first, lest you give the impression you don’t actually care about the piece of work you have spent so long putting together.
Unfortunately, it cheapened what was an otherwise good piece of writing and left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I hope Jacobsen reconsiders the use of AI in future works. I enjoy her writing, but currently would not be willing to purchase other books by her as a result of this.
For example, the image provided of a chimera, which is here depicted as (erroneously) having the head of a lion, the head of a goat, and the head of a snake, when the quote in the actual text explains it to be a creature with the head of a lion, body of a goat, and tail of a serpent. This may seem like nitpicking, however I believe if you’re going to go to the trouble of publishing a book, it might be prudent to actually check the accuracy of images you’re featuring, not just throw in whatever OpenAI spat out first, lest you give the impression you don’t actually care about the piece of work you have spent so long putting together.
Unfortunately, it cheapened what was an otherwise good piece of writing and left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I hope Jacobsen reconsiders the use of AI in future works. I enjoy her writing, but currently would not be willing to purchase other books by her as a result of this.
August 3, 2026
Biological War
By Annie Jacobsen
This is one scary book! She unpacked a lot of information and then gave a scenario. After covid, which was just a warm-up to what we could be facing, we hopefully learned something. We lost 1.2 million people just in the US from covid. The things we could, and may someday, face is terrifying. A must-read.
By Annie Jacobsen
This is one scary book! She unpacked a lot of information and then gave a scenario. After covid, which was just a warm-up to what we could be facing, we hopefully learned something. We lost 1.2 million people just in the US from covid. The things we could, and may someday, face is terrifying. A must-read.
August 1, 2026
I really wanted to like this book. I was excited for it. Unfortunately, Jacobsen has decided to lean into both nepotism and AI to create many of the images used throughout this book. It ruined the experience of reading it and removed a lot of the credibility and respect I once had for this author.
July 30, 2026
After Nuclear War: A Scenario completely blew me away, I couldn’t wait to pick up Annie Jacobsen’s follow-up. While I still give a slight edge to Nuclear War simply because it introduced such a unique style of nonfiction, Biological War: A Scenario is every bit as meticulously researched, thought-provoking, and deeply unsettling.
Jacobsen makes an important point in her author’s note: this is not the scenario—it is one plausible scenario among many, some of which could be even worse. That framing is what makes these books so effective. Rather than predicting the future, she uses a hypothetical crisis to examine how governments, scientists, intelligence agencies, and public health officials might respond.
The scenario centers on a genetically engineered, airborne strain of bubonic plague with an extraordinarily high transmission rate and an estimated fatality rate of roughly 25%. It’s terrifying—not because it’s sensationalized, but because every step is grounded in extensive reporting and interviews with epidemiologists, intelligence officials, military leaders, scientists, physicians, and policymakers from around the world.
Interwoven with the scenario are fascinating histories of biological weapons programs, pandemic preparedness, SARS, Ebola, COVID-19, and other outbreaks. One of the book’s greatest strengths is its willingness to examine how misinformation, uncertainty, and rapidly changing scientific knowledge influence public response during a crisis.
I especially appreciated Jacobsen’s discussion of COVID-19. Reading it years later, it’s impossible not to reflect on how difficult those early months were. Scientific understanding evolved rapidly, public guidance changed as new evidence emerged, and political division often made an already impossible situation even harder. Whether your memories of that time are marked by frustration, grief, or uncertainty, the book serves as a reminder that managing a global health crisis is extraordinarily complex.
This is not an easy read. If you already struggle with health anxiety, it may honestly give you nightmares. I found myself thinking about it long after I closed the book, and I suspect I’ll revisit many of its ideas the next time the world faces a major infectious disease outbreak.
I also love how difficult this book is to categorize. I’ve seen it shelved as history, science, political science, current affairs, and even science fiction. In reality, it’s a fascinating hybrid of investigative journalism, historical nonfiction, and scenario-based storytelling unlike almost anything else being published today.
I still prefer Nuclear War: A Scenario by a small margin because its format felt completely fresh when I first experienced it, but this is another outstanding work from Annie Jacobsen. I’ll read anything she writes.
Recommended for readers who enjoy:
* National security and military history
* Investigative journalism
* Epidemiology and public health
* Disaster nonfiction
* Anyone who enjoys nonfiction that reads with the urgency of a thriller
⭐ Rating: 4.75/5
Purchased by me.
Jacobsen makes an important point in her author’s note: this is not the scenario—it is one plausible scenario among many, some of which could be even worse. That framing is what makes these books so effective. Rather than predicting the future, she uses a hypothetical crisis to examine how governments, scientists, intelligence agencies, and public health officials might respond.
The scenario centers on a genetically engineered, airborne strain of bubonic plague with an extraordinarily high transmission rate and an estimated fatality rate of roughly 25%. It’s terrifying—not because it’s sensationalized, but because every step is grounded in extensive reporting and interviews with epidemiologists, intelligence officials, military leaders, scientists, physicians, and policymakers from around the world.
Interwoven with the scenario are fascinating histories of biological weapons programs, pandemic preparedness, SARS, Ebola, COVID-19, and other outbreaks. One of the book’s greatest strengths is its willingness to examine how misinformation, uncertainty, and rapidly changing scientific knowledge influence public response during a crisis.
I especially appreciated Jacobsen’s discussion of COVID-19. Reading it years later, it’s impossible not to reflect on how difficult those early months were. Scientific understanding evolved rapidly, public guidance changed as new evidence emerged, and political division often made an already impossible situation even harder. Whether your memories of that time are marked by frustration, grief, or uncertainty, the book serves as a reminder that managing a global health crisis is extraordinarily complex.
This is not an easy read. If you already struggle with health anxiety, it may honestly give you nightmares. I found myself thinking about it long after I closed the book, and I suspect I’ll revisit many of its ideas the next time the world faces a major infectious disease outbreak.
I also love how difficult this book is to categorize. I’ve seen it shelved as history, science, political science, current affairs, and even science fiction. In reality, it’s a fascinating hybrid of investigative journalism, historical nonfiction, and scenario-based storytelling unlike almost anything else being published today.
I still prefer Nuclear War: A Scenario by a small margin because its format felt completely fresh when I first experienced it, but this is another outstanding work from Annie Jacobsen. I’ll read anything she writes.
Recommended for readers who enjoy:
* National security and military history
* Investigative journalism
* Epidemiology and public health
* Disaster nonfiction
* Anyone who enjoys nonfiction that reads with the urgency of a thriller
⭐ Rating: 4.75/5
Purchased by me.
August 12, 2026
President: I want evidence Russia is lying.
Understood.
President: How long until it gets here?
CIA director: Worst-case scenario?
The president nods yes.
CDC director: Weeks.
Secretary of HHS: Days.
BioDefense chief: Or it’s already here...
(yes, this is an actual quote from the book)
Biological War could have been a fascinating read on a genuinely frightening subject, but Jacobsen seems determined to make absolutely everything sound like the end of civilization as we know it. Every element in this scenario is pushed to the absolute extreme: a genetically engineered Yersinia pestis with a 100% fatality rate, airborne transmission, increased transmissibility through behavioural effects on infected people, a deliberate weapons program, a catastrophic release, and eventually the collapse of global society. The addition of dramatic hashtags such as “#CoughingBlood” and “#Killerplague” adds insult to injury. Of course there's a part about an influencer: gotta stay with the times. And the dialogues are especially bad. This dramatized writing feels like a Hollywood disaster movie (and not a good one like Contagion, mind you). But the problem is: this is supposed to be a realistic, scientific scenario.
The irony is that the subjects she writes about are already frightening enough. Hypervirulent diseases, biological weapons, and the possibility of misuse of biotechnology do not need exaggeration to be disturbing. Good science writing trusts the subject matter and lets the facts speak for themselves. Richard Preston’s The Demon in the Freezer is an excellent example of this: smallpox for example, and the fact it's still being kept in governed labs all over the world, is horrifying enough without needing constant reminders that the reader should be afraid. The tension comes from the reality itself, not from dramatic framing.
Biological War reminds me (negatively) of Spillover by David Quammen. It too suffers from constant, ominous, thriller-like framing which distracts from the facts, distracts from reading even.
Jacobsen also seems to overstate the capabilities of biological engineering, presenting it almost as if scientists can simply select the most horrifying traits from different viruses or bacteria, combine them, and create the ultimate super-pathogen. The complexity of biological systems and the fact that traits do not necessarily combine neatly or remain functional when brought together is (deliberately?) ignored.
Another particularly glaring example is the importance she gives to the claim that the Black Death was spread by Mongols throwing plague-infected bodies over the city walls of Kaffa in the 14th century, when the far majority of scientists and historians is questioning this single "eyewitness" account because a) Gabriele de' Mussi never left his home town of Piacenza, a good 3000km away from Kaffa, and b) while it may have contributed to the disease spreading in Kaffa itself, it will not have done much for the epidemic, because c) it's simply not how Yersinia Pestis spreads (effectively).
Her treatment of the COVID-19 pandemic raises similar concerns. Her criticism of the WHO and figures such as Fauci often feels less like a careful examination of scientific disagreements and more like a search for failure or wrongdoing. For example, the claim that the WHO repeatedly insisted that COVID could not be transmitted through the air leaves out the complexity of the debate at the time: the issue was not simply whether airborne spread existed, but how much evidence was available and how terms such as “airborne” and “aerosol transmission” were being defined.
The biggest problem is that these examples make me question how much of the book is actually grounded in established science. The WHO did make mistakes, many did, but COVID19 was unprecedented. However, Jacobsen repeatedly seems to choose the most alarming interpretation of uncertain issues while presenting contested claims with a level of certainty they do not deserve.
The final nail in the coffin is the absolute mind-boggling decision of Jacobsen to use AI generated images in her book. Images, that do not even add anything. An AI-generated image of a Russian Orthodox Church. Of a market-woman standing next to her stall. I have just one question: Why?
Why should I/we take this book seriously?
Understood.
President: How long until it gets here?
CIA director: Worst-case scenario?
The president nods yes.
CDC director: Weeks.
Secretary of HHS: Days.
BioDefense chief: Or it’s already here...
(yes, this is an actual quote from the book)
Biological War could have been a fascinating read on a genuinely frightening subject, but Jacobsen seems determined to make absolutely everything sound like the end of civilization as we know it. Every element in this scenario is pushed to the absolute extreme: a genetically engineered Yersinia pestis with a 100% fatality rate, airborne transmission, increased transmissibility through behavioural effects on infected people, a deliberate weapons program, a catastrophic release, and eventually the collapse of global society. The addition of dramatic hashtags such as “#CoughingBlood” and “#Killerplague” adds insult to injury. Of course there's a part about an influencer: gotta stay with the times. And the dialogues are especially bad. This dramatized writing feels like a Hollywood disaster movie (and not a good one like Contagion, mind you). But the problem is: this is supposed to be a realistic, scientific scenario.
The irony is that the subjects she writes about are already frightening enough. Hypervirulent diseases, biological weapons, and the possibility of misuse of biotechnology do not need exaggeration to be disturbing. Good science writing trusts the subject matter and lets the facts speak for themselves. Richard Preston’s The Demon in the Freezer is an excellent example of this: smallpox for example, and the fact it's still being kept in governed labs all over the world, is horrifying enough without needing constant reminders that the reader should be afraid. The tension comes from the reality itself, not from dramatic framing.
Biological War reminds me (negatively) of Spillover by David Quammen. It too suffers from constant, ominous, thriller-like framing which distracts from the facts, distracts from reading even.
Jacobsen also seems to overstate the capabilities of biological engineering, presenting it almost as if scientists can simply select the most horrifying traits from different viruses or bacteria, combine them, and create the ultimate super-pathogen. The complexity of biological systems and the fact that traits do not necessarily combine neatly or remain functional when brought together is (deliberately?) ignored.
Another particularly glaring example is the importance she gives to the claim that the Black Death was spread by Mongols throwing plague-infected bodies over the city walls of Kaffa in the 14th century, when the far majority of scientists and historians is questioning this single "eyewitness" account because a) Gabriele de' Mussi never left his home town of Piacenza, a good 3000km away from Kaffa, and b) while it may have contributed to the disease spreading in Kaffa itself, it will not have done much for the epidemic, because c) it's simply not how Yersinia Pestis spreads (effectively).
Her treatment of the COVID-19 pandemic raises similar concerns. Her criticism of the WHO and figures such as Fauci often feels less like a careful examination of scientific disagreements and more like a search for failure or wrongdoing. For example, the claim that the WHO repeatedly insisted that COVID could not be transmitted through the air leaves out the complexity of the debate at the time: the issue was not simply whether airborne spread existed, but how much evidence was available and how terms such as “airborne” and “aerosol transmission” were being defined.
The biggest problem is that these examples make me question how much of the book is actually grounded in established science. The WHO did make mistakes, many did, but COVID19 was unprecedented. However, Jacobsen repeatedly seems to choose the most alarming interpretation of uncertain issues while presenting contested claims with a level of certainty they do not deserve.
The final nail in the coffin is the absolute mind-boggling decision of Jacobsen to use AI generated images in her book. Images, that do not even add anything. An AI-generated image of a Russian Orthodox Church. Of a market-woman standing next to her stall. I have just one question: Why?
Why should I/we take this book seriously?
July 31, 2026
3.5. maybe. (Rtc)
August 2, 2026
This easily could have been a 4 star book but I had to knock points off for the egregious use of AI. To write in depth about the potential destruction of humanity but include multiple AI generated images in your book shows a lack of critical thinking that throws the rest of the book into a questionable light, which is a shame given that it does seem to be thoroughly researched and fact checked. Was it really worth it to give your son a nepotistic leg up by crediting him for images that required no artistic skill whatsoever? I would say probably not.
Despite the AI images, sections of this book touched on the risks of AI and disinformation, and there was even a section in the acknowledgements about how AI is furthering advancements in synthetic engineering. These are clearly cogent points, but paired with unnecessary AI renderings of photos that could have very easily been obtained otherwise it cheapened the argument and turned it into something almost laughable.
Overall a disappointing execution for a book that was otherwise very interesting and well put together. Unfortunately, despite how interesting the topics of other and future books may be, I wouldn’t be inclined to buy and/or read any more of her work in future.
Despite the AI images, sections of this book touched on the risks of AI and disinformation, and there was even a section in the acknowledgements about how AI is furthering advancements in synthetic engineering. These are clearly cogent points, but paired with unnecessary AI renderings of photos that could have very easily been obtained otherwise it cheapened the argument and turned it into something almost laughable.
Overall a disappointing execution for a book that was otherwise very interesting and well put together. Unfortunately, despite how interesting the topics of other and future books may be, I wouldn’t be inclined to buy and/or read any more of her work in future.
August 7, 2026
The fictional scenario is a fast-paced exciting read for sure. However, one can't help but throw doubt into Jacobsen's motive of presenting this scary scenario based on these facts:
- She is promoting this book mainly through conservative-leaning podcast appearances like on the 'Joe Rogan Experience', 'the Danny Jones podcast', and 'the Shawn Ryan Show', to name a few. The author seems quite proud of these appearances as she has posted multiple clips of herself featured in these podcasts on her own Instagram account.
- "The Scenario" in the book is prefaced with a preamble that casts doubt on the research work (not related to COVID) Dr. Anthony Fauci has led.
- In the fictional parts, the way she depicts the action of US intelligent agencies like the CIA, NSA, DIA, are quite rosy, at times credulous and fetishizing. It reads like propaganda for the military industrial complex.
- In many occurrences, she draws parallel between her nightmare scenario and what happened with COVID-19. One can assume she is a believer in the “lab leak” theory on how covid-19 got out of China.
- Multiple illustrations and images are generated with AI.
It also begs the question, why the book was released in July of 2026, right before the Republican-led inquiry into Dr. Fauci?
- She is promoting this book mainly through conservative-leaning podcast appearances like on the 'Joe Rogan Experience', 'the Danny Jones podcast', and 'the Shawn Ryan Show', to name a few. The author seems quite proud of these appearances as she has posted multiple clips of herself featured in these podcasts on her own Instagram account.
- "The Scenario" in the book is prefaced with a preamble that casts doubt on the research work (not related to COVID) Dr. Anthony Fauci has led.
- In the fictional parts, the way she depicts the action of US intelligent agencies like the CIA, NSA, DIA, are quite rosy, at times credulous and fetishizing. It reads like propaganda for the military industrial complex.
- In many occurrences, she draws parallel between her nightmare scenario and what happened with COVID-19. One can assume she is a believer in the “lab leak” theory on how covid-19 got out of China.
- Multiple illustrations and images are generated with AI.
It also begs the question, why the book was released in July of 2026, right before the Republican-led inquiry into Dr. Fauci?
July 31, 2026
I loved her book on Nuclear War, but this one was shoddy and had so much AI slop in it. Also a weird number of nods to the Joe Rogan universe (which I guess makes sense because those podcast bros keep having her on). Overall I’d say this book does a disservice to biological war preparedness and I have a hard time trusting the validity of her research given the use of generative AI…
2.5 stars rounded up to 3? Jacobsen is an incredible writer though - you’ll probably be able to read the whole thing in an afternoon.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3? Jacobsen is an incredible writer though - you’ll probably be able to read the whole thing in an afternoon.
July 1, 2026
Perhaps even more horrifying/plausible (particularly post-COVID, which we can all relate to) than Nuclear War: A Scenario, but I could not look away!!!
July 29, 2026
If you haven't had the shit sufficiently scared out of you recently, this book oughta do the trick. The author has done extensive research, and the inevitability of what happens here might be enough to keep you locked in your home on a desert island far from everywhere.
But...
I find it interesting that this book is being pitched as everything except what it is: a fictional accounting of what could happen.
The author takes pains to offer background and history, but still, the "scenario" here is a fiction, and in that telling, there are some moments that would give you gas pains in any other work.
What is offered here is compelling, but is the story here anything different from what you got in movies like Contagion or Outbreak or, to be honest, the opening sections of The Stand? Nope.
But...
I find it interesting that this book is being pitched as everything except what it is: a fictional accounting of what could happen.
The author takes pains to offer background and history, but still, the "scenario" here is a fiction, and in that telling, there are some moments that would give you gas pains in any other work.
What is offered here is compelling, but is the story here anything different from what you got in movies like Contagion or Outbreak or, to be honest, the opening sections of The Stand? Nope.
July 31, 2026
Was super excited until I noticed a lot of the images are generated by AI
August 1, 2026
Bizarre and disappointing for such a respected author to have her kid create AI images when actual photographs would have been considerably better.
August 6, 2026
This book was actually awful. It was very poorly fact checked, especially on the science underpinning the scenario and the nuances of BW programs/capabilities. It reads like it was entirely written by ChatGPT with the prompt “include as many mentions of government acronyms, classified info, and quotes from nat sec leaders.” The epidemiology of the outbreak makes zero sense in terms of how it spreads geographically and temporally. The idea that there would be zero non pharmaceutical interventions or effective antibiotics… and the statement that we have zero defenses after the use of a biological weapon. And lol loved how she repeatedly claimed that BW use would automatically lead to a US nuclear response. It’s all just fear mongering wrapped up in a World War Z or 2012 movie plot.
Sad because I was really looking forward to the release of this book as an opportunity to draw attention to the importance of biosecurity and BW prevention. At least it made me laugh.
Sad because I was really looking forward to the release of this book as an opportunity to draw attention to the importance of biosecurity and BW prevention. At least it made me laugh.
August 3, 2026
UGH WHY DOES AI RUIN EVERYTHING.
I LOVED this book. This would’ve been 5 stars for me. Then I noticed a TON of the images in it were created using generative AI. What’s even more insane about this is the fact that the author points out that AI has the chance to worsen this already horrific scenario. There’s NO place in art or literature for AI. Also a little irked by some passages leaning pro-cop, pro-ICE, comparing Charlie Kirk (calling him a political activist lmao) to Jan 6th, etc. and then lowkey shitting on healthcare professionals for not knowing more about a brand new virus in the early days of COVID.
Idk man. Lost a lot of respect for this author and it sucks because this was genuinely terrifying and I was enjoying it just as much if not more than nuclear war a scenario. Fuck AI and fuck cops ✌️
I LOVED this book. This would’ve been 5 stars for me. Then I noticed a TON of the images in it were created using generative AI. What’s even more insane about this is the fact that the author points out that AI has the chance to worsen this already horrific scenario. There’s NO place in art or literature for AI. Also a little irked by some passages leaning pro-cop, pro-ICE, comparing Charlie Kirk (calling him a political activist lmao) to Jan 6th, etc. and then lowkey shitting on healthcare professionals for not knowing more about a brand new virus in the early days of COVID.
Idk man. Lost a lot of respect for this author and it sucks because this was genuinely terrifying and I was enjoying it just as much if not more than nuclear war a scenario. Fuck AI and fuck cops ✌️
July 29, 2026
Following up Nuclear War: A Scenario, this exploration of genetically modified weaponized pathogens dials up the dread of extinction-level, man-made nightmares in horrifying ways. I couldn't put it down, no matter how badly I wanted to. The thorough research stood out, adding a distinct ethos to the seemingly unimaginable. Despite the research emphasis, Jacobsen delivered the history, science, and illustrative scenario with a captivating, almost campfire delivery, unflinching in the wake of recent pandemic and political happenings. I wish the ending had been developed into a bit more of an aftermath postlude, a la Nuclear War, but wanting more at the end is probably a good sign.
I guess I'm going to have to re-download "Plague, Inc." now
I guess I'm going to have to re-download "Plague, Inc." now
August 10, 2026
Long review coming but TLDR it's like if Plague Inc was written by like... Bari Weiss
So I should start by setting out how this book is structured. A book I would've written about this subject would have been structured differently, but then, I didn't write the book; therefore I want to take this book on its own terms. Jacobsen basically lays out a fictionalized scenario of a genetically modified Y. pestis (plague's causative agent, a bacterium) outbreak originating from a Russian biowarfare facility that then brings about the collapse of society. Throughout the elaborate fictional narrative she intersperses "History Lessons": brief primers on the historical-scientific background underlying her narrative choices, to emphasize their plausibility. On those terms, I actually really enjoyed the book! Of course she oversimplifies for the general public but for the most part* I found the actual biology quite grounded. I was fascinated and mortified by the extensive citations of the Russian biowarfare program, in particular (spoiler!) the use of an "inducible system" (she doesn't call it that, but that's what it is, analogous to a standard mouse doxycycline-inducible system in a mouse lab) to have the plague bacterium produce encephalitic virus (!!) upon exposure to antibiotics. How horrible. And she clarifies that this is only a scenario, not THE scenario.
The problem is that only about 50-70% of this book is about biological warfare. The remaining portion is trying to re-litigate what went wrong with the American political climate, and in particular COVID-19. I began to suspect this early on: she mentions the lab leak theory of COVID often, sometimes even presuming its truth, without ever highlighting that the bulk of studies definitively argue against that theory; she describes gain of function research as "evil" instead of confronting it on its own scientific terms. But it really picks up when the virus "comes to America" in the story. She goes on random asides about how the poverty in Skid Row shows how America has failed (she literally writes "what would FDR think?"), she describes the unhoused as zombies, she goes on a tangent about fentanyl, a tangent about China, a tangent about right-wing influencers, a tangent about the Palisades fire (?), MANY tangents about Gavin Newsom having a podcast (??), a tangent about Charlie Kirk's murder (???), and the list goes on and on...
I guess my problem with this is that it confounds what she's even talking about. If she wants to make a defense of this vague idea that our nation is falling apart because we don't talk to our neighbors or whatever, then fine, but that has nothing to do with biowarfare. Make the claim boldly on its own terms rather than inserting it into an unrelated book. It sounds like a middle-aged Beltway insider waking up in the middle of writing a policy book and deciding they want to write a personal essay about how the America they were used to is not the one that exists anymore. Well, let me tell you something, Ms. Jacobsen; it's too bad! But let Ezra Klein and the other talking heads write about that. I listened to this book to hear how we beheld a pale horse, and its rider's name was Death.
So I should start by setting out how this book is structured. A book I would've written about this subject would have been structured differently, but then, I didn't write the book; therefore I want to take this book on its own terms. Jacobsen basically lays out a fictionalized scenario of a genetically modified Y. pestis (plague's causative agent, a bacterium) outbreak originating from a Russian biowarfare facility that then brings about the collapse of society. Throughout the elaborate fictional narrative she intersperses "History Lessons": brief primers on the historical-scientific background underlying her narrative choices, to emphasize their plausibility. On those terms, I actually really enjoyed the book! Of course she oversimplifies for the general public but for the most part* I found the actual biology quite grounded. I was fascinated and mortified by the extensive citations of the Russian biowarfare program, in particular (spoiler!) the use of an "inducible system" (she doesn't call it that, but that's what it is, analogous to a standard mouse doxycycline-inducible system in a mouse lab) to have the plague bacterium produce encephalitic virus (!!) upon exposure to antibiotics. How horrible. And she clarifies that this is only a scenario, not THE scenario.
The problem is that only about 50-70% of this book is about biological warfare. The remaining portion is trying to re-litigate what went wrong with the American political climate, and in particular COVID-19. I began to suspect this early on: she mentions the lab leak theory of COVID often, sometimes even presuming its truth, without ever highlighting that the bulk of studies definitively argue against that theory; she describes gain of function research as "evil" instead of confronting it on its own scientific terms. But it really picks up when the virus "comes to America" in the story. She goes on random asides about how the poverty in Skid Row shows how America has failed (she literally writes "what would FDR think?"), she describes the unhoused as zombies, she goes on a tangent about fentanyl, a tangent about China, a tangent about right-wing influencers, a tangent about the Palisades fire (?), MANY tangents about Gavin Newsom having a podcast (??), a tangent about Charlie Kirk's murder (???), and the list goes on and on...
I guess my problem with this is that it confounds what she's even talking about. If she wants to make a defense of this vague idea that our nation is falling apart because we don't talk to our neighbors or whatever, then fine, but that has nothing to do with biowarfare. Make the claim boldly on its own terms rather than inserting it into an unrelated book. It sounds like a middle-aged Beltway insider waking up in the middle of writing a policy book and deciding they want to write a personal essay about how the America they were used to is not the one that exists anymore. Well, let me tell you something, Ms. Jacobsen; it's too bad! But let Ezra Klein and the other talking heads write about that. I listened to this book to hear how we beheld a pale horse, and its rider's name was Death.
July 29, 2026
This is one of the more frightening books I have read in a long time, and even more unnerving than Annie Jacobson's previous book, *Nuclear War*. This book is full of real-life events of outbreaks, biohazards, quarantines, government responses, germ and virus infection facts, and other history lessons, which were interesting to listen to as they were woven through the main story.
Laying out a hauntingly grim "what if" scenario, Jacobson showcases a fast-spreading, devastating, genetically modified plague that's adverse to antibiotics, quickly spreading among big city populations and causing not only mass death but also mass panic and rioting. The hysteria quickly turns into complete chaos, crumbling society as a whole as public health agencies, government, and the military try urgently and desperately to identify the pathogen and maintain order. It is a dismal, and at least somewhat plausible 'what if' scenario—one that makes the COVID pandemic look mild by comparison. Even if this is very exaggerated, a real-life event half as bad as this one would be devastating worldwide. I was completely invested in Jacobson's telling of every infected person going about their own life and infecting others without their knowledge. It was horrifying to listen to how rapidly the infection spreads, quickly reaching global pandemic status. The fact that there are multiple Level 4 biosafety labs near big metropolitan areas is staggering. Listening to how labs all across the world have genetically modified super-contagious viruses made me ask the question: why the fuck would scientists create this sort of thing?
This book read as a catastrophic horror novel to me and made me feel pretty apprehensive, but it was also so utterly captivating I couldn't stop reading it; it only took me a day and a half to finish. It's very informative and gripping, from the beginning outbreak to its extremely bleak and dystopian outcome. Whether this story is partly embellished or not, it's crazy to know that the balance of society hangs on any of these labs around the world not having a critical leak, whether accidental or on purpose.
Laying out a hauntingly grim "what if" scenario, Jacobson showcases a fast-spreading, devastating, genetically modified plague that's adverse to antibiotics, quickly spreading among big city populations and causing not only mass death but also mass panic and rioting. The hysteria quickly turns into complete chaos, crumbling society as a whole as public health agencies, government, and the military try urgently and desperately to identify the pathogen and maintain order. It is a dismal, and at least somewhat plausible 'what if' scenario—one that makes the COVID pandemic look mild by comparison. Even if this is very exaggerated, a real-life event half as bad as this one would be devastating worldwide. I was completely invested in Jacobson's telling of every infected person going about their own life and infecting others without their knowledge. It was horrifying to listen to how rapidly the infection spreads, quickly reaching global pandemic status. The fact that there are multiple Level 4 biosafety labs near big metropolitan areas is staggering. Listening to how labs all across the world have genetically modified super-contagious viruses made me ask the question: why the fuck would scientists create this sort of thing?
This book read as a catastrophic horror novel to me and made me feel pretty apprehensive, but it was also so utterly captivating I couldn't stop reading it; it only took me a day and a half to finish. It's very informative and gripping, from the beginning outbreak to its extremely bleak and dystopian outcome. Whether this story is partly embellished or not, it's crazy to know that the balance of society hangs on any of these labs around the world not having a critical leak, whether accidental or on purpose.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2026
This book is both terrifying and fascinating. It challenges us to consider the boundaries of science and the moral constraints that are often overlooked or disregarded. Biological War is somehow more terrifying than nuclear war: a scenario. However, this doesn’t read like a sensationalist science fiction novel with the intention to scare people into buying another book. It reads as a well-researched book that is terrifying simply because of the violations and failures of scientists and leaders to use tools for the common good.
August 3, 2026
First and foremost, it’s incredibly disappointing to see that they used GenAI images in this book. In a book as well researched as this one, it casts a bit of doubt on if they also used those tools to research. It’s really disappointing on both the author and publisher to use AI, knowing full well that so many people are using them to replace creatives. It was a 4 star read but I’m definitely taking one off for that.
However, assuming it was all researched in legitimate ways, it was an interesting and enthralling read. I didn’t like it quite as much as Nuclear War, but it did an amazing job of outlining the dangers of a man-made biological weapon, whether it was let out inadvertently or not. I really like Jacobsen’s style when it comes to stories like this one.
However, assuming it was all researched in legitimate ways, it was an interesting and enthralling read. I didn’t like it quite as much as Nuclear War, but it did an amazing job of outlining the dangers of a man-made biological weapon, whether it was let out inadvertently or not. I really like Jacobsen’s style when it comes to stories like this one.
August 5, 2026
I rushed to read this because Nuclear War was excellent, but had to DNF at 15% after the AI images, the painful AI-like writing, and the tired Russophobic cliches undermined what is such an important subject. Plus, not listing Ken Alibek in the otherwise exhaustive list of interviewees while heavily relying on his insights was odd. Just shoddy presentation, sadly.
Did Not Finish
August 4, 2026The book is excellent but DNFing about 1/3 through as we’ve now hit the second time an image by her son (?) made using AI has appeared
August 4, 2026
I don’t mean to be bossy but actually yes I do because I’m telling you YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK.
Biological War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen should be required reading for everyone living in the United States.
Huge thanks to Dutton for the gifted copy of this book, which I devoured in one day.
You’ll probably do the same - it’s that gripping.
See my review on Instagram for this terrifying but essential book:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbTI6C...
Biological War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen should be required reading for everyone living in the United States.
Huge thanks to Dutton for the gifted copy of this book, which I devoured in one day.
You’ll probably do the same - it’s that gripping.
See my review on Instagram for this terrifying but essential book:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbTI6C...
August 8, 2026
Even though I think Jacobsen’s Nuclear War was slightly better, this was equally, if not more, terrifying and insightful. Shows how ill prepared we are for many issues.
August 4, 2026
An agent for the CIA or. NSA could have written this book. It’s full of scary propaganda designed to. scare you into consenting to billions of your tax dollars going to the bloated Pentagon budget. All her sources have an agenda and she does her job in promoting it.
August 8, 2026
Another horrifying read from Jacobsen.
Read
July 30, 2026Grim and foreboding but utterly plausible, this book posits that a lab leak of a pathogen from any of the Level 4 BSL labs around the world could end the world. The book reads like a compulsive thriller except all the stages of this scenario is utterly true, compiled from dozens of experts into our feasible future plight.
The book presents a lot of information in a digestible manner because it's turned into a narrative. Some of what it says are as follows. Despite being signatories to the Biological Weapons Convention, dozens of countries evade actual compliance with the ban through the workaround of defensive research into genetically modified (and natural) pathogens in BSL-3 and BSL-4 labs. These labs work under the rationale that they can provide defenses and vaccines should any bioweapon be released, but themselves could constitute global catastrophic risk. Such labs work with 'gain of function' pathogens: viruses and bacteria that 'gain' new experimental functions or strengths.
Furthermore, the book discusses how artificially edited pathogens use recombinant DNA that could chimerically splice two different diseases together into one hybrid potent disease, such as rabies with chickenpox or plague with equine encephalitis. It's not an easy way to die from symptoms like chest pain or multiorgan failure. Because they are manufactured, any intentional bioweapons released by a malicious government or terrorist faction can be more powerful than what's naturally around-- in all terms including lethality, virulence, transmission rate, or ability to defeat present antibiotics. Because they can be inherently undiscoverable, hypothetically bioweapons can be sprayed like aerosol over a target state. This would not be warfare between armies but mass casualties of civilian populations, which would mean populations can die while the infrastructure remains intact for the offending party to take over. The attacking party can vaccinate their own population while withholding such safety to the rest of the world. This is the theory; however, due to the globalized nature of our interrelated world, the book shows that the spread of infection can be uncontrollable and lead to complete collapse.
I really appreciate learning these things from this book, even as it's hard for ordinary laymen like me to know how to stop such a scenario from happening.
The book presents a lot of information in a digestible manner because it's turned into a narrative. Some of what it says are as follows. Despite being signatories to the Biological Weapons Convention, dozens of countries evade actual compliance with the ban through the workaround of defensive research into genetically modified (and natural) pathogens in BSL-3 and BSL-4 labs. These labs work under the rationale that they can provide defenses and vaccines should any bioweapon be released, but themselves could constitute global catastrophic risk. Such labs work with 'gain of function' pathogens: viruses and bacteria that 'gain' new experimental functions or strengths.
Furthermore, the book discusses how artificially edited pathogens use recombinant DNA that could chimerically splice two different diseases together into one hybrid potent disease, such as rabies with chickenpox or plague with equine encephalitis. It's not an easy way to die from symptoms like chest pain or multiorgan failure. Because they are manufactured, any intentional bioweapons released by a malicious government or terrorist faction can be more powerful than what's naturally around-- in all terms including lethality, virulence, transmission rate, or ability to defeat present antibiotics. Because they can be inherently undiscoverable, hypothetically bioweapons can be sprayed like aerosol over a target state. This would not be warfare between armies but mass casualties of civilian populations, which would mean populations can die while the infrastructure remains intact for the offending party to take over. The attacking party can vaccinate their own population while withholding such safety to the rest of the world. This is the theory; however, due to the globalized nature of our interrelated world, the book shows that the spread of infection can be uncontrollable and lead to complete collapse.
I really appreciate learning these things from this book, even as it's hard for ordinary laymen like me to know how to stop such a scenario from happening.
August 9, 2026
Ordinarily, I would have rated this book three stars. The scenario described within is well-researched, if highly speculative. However, the introductory chapter, which is meant to provide background knowledge and context for the hypothetical events that follow, is lacking in depth and frequently defaults to an America-centric perspective. One glaring example is the discussion of the proliferation of BSL-4 labs, which Jacobsen notes in the text is a worldwide occurrence. However, she includes no details of international perspectives on the operations of these facilities, such as political pressure that led Japan's NIID to operate their BSL-4 lab as a BSL-3 facility for decades. Even if we charitably assume this book was written for a primarily American audience, what good does it do to deprive us of global perspectives? Surely Jacobsen has access to international sources.
Unfortunately, my bigger problem with this book is the inclusion of generative AI images. These images are not critical to the reader's understanding of the text nor are they of particularly unique subjects. Stock images can be found of every AI-depicted subject.
The use of AI images in this book speaks to a profound laziness that is troubling to witness in the work of a journalist. If such visible shortcuts have been taken with the book's visual aids, it is conceivable that other, less visible shortcuts have been taken elsewhere in this work. Was generative AI used to aid in the creation of the text as well? While I am almost as concerned with the culture of blindly accusing authors of AI use as I am with the use of AI itself, Jacobsen has severely undermined her credibility here and, with her inclusion of AI-generated images, contributed to the erosion of trust in the publishing industry itself. I can only hope that the AI images are removed from future editions of this book or at minimum removed from any of her forthcoming work. Until then, I am rating this book one star to make my position clear: generative AI should have no place in book publishing. Full stop.
Unfortunately, my bigger problem with this book is the inclusion of generative AI images. These images are not critical to the reader's understanding of the text nor are they of particularly unique subjects. Stock images can be found of every AI-depicted subject.
The use of AI images in this book speaks to a profound laziness that is troubling to witness in the work of a journalist. If such visible shortcuts have been taken with the book's visual aids, it is conceivable that other, less visible shortcuts have been taken elsewhere in this work. Was generative AI used to aid in the creation of the text as well? While I am almost as concerned with the culture of blindly accusing authors of AI use as I am with the use of AI itself, Jacobsen has severely undermined her credibility here and, with her inclusion of AI-generated images, contributed to the erosion of trust in the publishing industry itself. I can only hope that the AI images are removed from future editions of this book or at minimum removed from any of her forthcoming work. Until then, I am rating this book one star to make my position clear: generative AI should have no place in book publishing. Full stop.
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