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Plague Wars #0
The Eden Plague
Recently re-edited, with a new cover (look in the "more photos" link under the old cover, Goodreads policy does not allow us to change covers) and for those who like a physical book, available on CreateSpace POD sometime in March when I will do a giveaway I hope.
Special operations veteran DJ Markis finds armed invaders in his home and it all goes sideways. On the run from the shadowy Company, he turns to his brothers in arms to fight back. Soon he finds himself in possession of a secret that threatens the stability of the world, and becomes the leader of a conspiracy to change everything.
The Eden Plague is a science-fiction military techno-thriller with a touch of romance and humor, in the tradition of Crichton, Koontz and Ludlum.
See more of this author at http://www.davidvandykeauthor.com
*Lots of action, lots of moral dilemmas. If you want endless unbroken action with no thought or consequences, don't read this book! If you want deep anguish and mind-numbing character development, don't read this book! If you want a mix of bursts of action, sci-fi twists, and characters that think about what they do - but not overthink it - and an H/h love story, then give it a try.
If you contact me, the author, thru my website, and tell me you saw this offer on Goodreads, I will email you a review EBOOK copy for free.
Special operations veteran DJ Markis finds armed invaders in his home and it all goes sideways. On the run from the shadowy Company, he turns to his brothers in arms to fight back. Soon he finds himself in possession of a secret that threatens the stability of the world, and becomes the leader of a conspiracy to change everything.
The Eden Plague is a science-fiction military techno-thriller with a touch of romance and humor, in the tradition of Crichton, Koontz and Ludlum.
See more of this author at http://www.davidvandykeauthor.com
*Lots of action, lots of moral dilemmas. If you want endless unbroken action with no thought or consequences, don't read this book! If you want deep anguish and mind-numbing character development, don't read this book! If you want a mix of bursts of action, sci-fi twists, and characters that think about what they do - but not overthink it - and an H/h love story, then give it a try.
If you contact me, the author, thru my website, and tell me you saw this offer on Goodreads, I will email you a review EBOOK copy for free.
303 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 24, 2012
539 people are currently reading
3476 people want to read
About the author
David VanDyke
78 books232 followersDavid VanDyke is a former Army Airborne soldier and later, an Air Force officer. He lives in the Tucson area with his wife and three dogs. Look him up at davidvandykeauthor.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 191 reviews
November 30, 2012
Very well done military/black ops with a bit of end of the world as well and have read both the "romantic" version as well as the original version.
Well developed characters, a new scientific discovery vaguely along the lines of Jurassic Park and others of that type, with nanobot technology, carried along by excellent presentation of the usual black ops/military type action. Good character development which included the changes in mindsets triggered by exposure to the Plague.
The romantic version has a bit 'softer' feel to it that the original version but gives more depth to the main characters in some ways, I think. Both are very well crafted and polished, particularly for a self-published work. In comparing the two versions, it is obvious that the author is a writer than can take a storyline in more than one direction.
This is a series I'm definitely following.
Well developed characters, a new scientific discovery vaguely along the lines of Jurassic Park and others of that type, with nanobot technology, carried along by excellent presentation of the usual black ops/military type action. Good character development which included the changes in mindsets triggered by exposure to the Plague.
The romantic version has a bit 'softer' feel to it that the original version but gives more depth to the main characters in some ways, I think. Both are very well crafted and polished, particularly for a self-published work. In comparing the two versions, it is obvious that the author is a writer than can take a storyline in more than one direction.
This is a series I'm definitely following.
March 6, 2017
I cannot believe what I just read/listened to.
No offense to the narrator who did an awesome job.
But this story, OMG, a single, crazy, religious fanatic dude decides he knows what's best for all of humanity and regardless of the consequences, releases a biological virus to infect every human on the planet.
No kidding.
The book presents it as a GOOD THING.
PS. I had to finish the whole thing because I was hoping against hope that somewhere before the end of the book the MC would be exposed as the psycho he really was.
PPS. UGH...I have the heeby jeebies after reading this one.
No offense to the narrator who did an awesome job.
But this story, OMG, a single, crazy, religious fanatic dude decides he knows what's best for all of humanity and regardless of the consequences, releases a biological virus to infect every human on the planet.
No kidding.
The book presents it as a GOOD THING.
PS. I had to finish the whole thing because I was hoping against hope that somewhere before the end of the book the MC would be exposed as the psycho he really was.
PPS. UGH...I have the heeby jeebies after reading this one.
October 10, 2012
I expected this action/adventure to be military/black ops action, which it presents very believably. I also anticipated a bit of an 'apocalypse' twist, which it is, in a way, though in more end of the world as we know it rather than end of the world.
Well developed characters, a new scientific discovery vaguely along the lines of Jurassic Park and others of that type, with nanobot technology, carried along by excellent presentation of the usual black ops/military type action. Good character development which included the changes in mindsets triggered by exposure to the Plague.
A definite twist at the end which leaves me wondering just where the author tends to go with the plotline, which could develop in an interesting way.
Well developed characters, a new scientific discovery vaguely along the lines of Jurassic Park and others of that type, with nanobot technology, carried along by excellent presentation of the usual black ops/military type action. Good character development which included the changes in mindsets triggered by exposure to the Plague.
A definite twist at the end which leaves me wondering just where the author tends to go with the plotline, which could develop in an interesting way.
March 5, 2021
Rule#1: Try not to shoot your future wife.
When veteran combat medic Daniel Markis finds armed invaders in his home and it all goes sideways, he must operate on instinct. Who is the man he killed, and the woman he shot, and what is this Eden Plague? On the run from the shadowy Company, Daniel turns to his brothers in arms to fight back, to find the woman and get the answers he needs. Soon they take possession of a secret that threatens the stability of the world, as together they lead a conspiracy to change everything.
I won this book in a first reads giveaway on Goodreads. After reading that synopsis, it gives you the idea of a promising read. But, the main problem with this read, as with the synopsis, is that it tries to pack too much information into one book/paragraph. If The Eden Plague had been much longer, I feel that it would have made much more of an impact. There just isn't any depth, to the characters or the plot. There is plenty of action to keep up the pace, but I lacked any connection to the story.
Another issue I had with The Eden Plague was that it was extremely preachy. At times, it felt like the author was inserting his own beliefs into the characters, which made them feel disingenuous. The addition of a lackluster romance really killed the momentum for me. Since I lacked character connection, this felt like a ploy to get readers who normally don't go for this genre.
I tend to prefer my sci-fi reads to be almost excessive in the amount of scientific jargon. To me, it screams 'I did my research', which this book did not. Unfortunately, in the end The Eden Plague just wasn't for me. I didn't mind the ending but because the book really lacked depth I won't be continuing on with this series.
*Won in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway
When veteran combat medic Daniel Markis finds armed invaders in his home and it all goes sideways, he must operate on instinct. Who is the man he killed, and the woman he shot, and what is this Eden Plague? On the run from the shadowy Company, Daniel turns to his brothers in arms to fight back, to find the woman and get the answers he needs. Soon they take possession of a secret that threatens the stability of the world, as together they lead a conspiracy to change everything.
I won this book in a first reads giveaway on Goodreads. After reading that synopsis, it gives you the idea of a promising read. But, the main problem with this read, as with the synopsis, is that it tries to pack too much information into one book/paragraph. If The Eden Plague had been much longer, I feel that it would have made much more of an impact. There just isn't any depth, to the characters or the plot. There is plenty of action to keep up the pace, but I lacked any connection to the story.
Another issue I had with The Eden Plague was that it was extremely preachy. At times, it felt like the author was inserting his own beliefs into the characters, which made them feel disingenuous. The addition of a lackluster romance really killed the momentum for me. Since I lacked character connection, this felt like a ploy to get readers who normally don't go for this genre.
I tend to prefer my sci-fi reads to be almost excessive in the amount of scientific jargon. To me, it screams 'I did my research', which this book did not. Unfortunately, in the end The Eden Plague just wasn't for me. I didn't mind the ending but because the book really lacked depth I won't be continuing on with this series.
*Won in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway
October 16, 2014
-¿Para qué vamos a razonar, planificar e investigar si lo podemos arreglar a tiros?.-
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. Daniel Markis, veterano de guerra, vuelve a casa para encontrar que la puerta de su domicilio parece abierta. En lugar de llamar a la Policía, entra pistola automática en mano (luego piensa en llamar a los representantes de la ley pero el teléfono no funciona, claro...), se toma unas cuantas pastillas estimulantes (que lleva bajo el asiento del coche normalmente, como el arma, claro...) y se encarga tanto de la mujer que le dispara con una escopeta del calibre .12 como del tipo trajeado que parece trabajar para alguna agencia gubernamental y que trata de hablar. Tras recuperarse del subidón de adrenalina, de estimulantes y de los efectos secundarios de los esteroides que también consume (claro...), descubre que la mujer que debería estar muerta se está duchando y sus heridas no son más que cicatrices. Libro inicial (número 0 para el autor) de la saga Plague Wars.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. Daniel Markis, veterano de guerra, vuelve a casa para encontrar que la puerta de su domicilio parece abierta. En lugar de llamar a la Policía, entra pistola automática en mano (luego piensa en llamar a los representantes de la ley pero el teléfono no funciona, claro...), se toma unas cuantas pastillas estimulantes (que lleva bajo el asiento del coche normalmente, como el arma, claro...) y se encarga tanto de la mujer que le dispara con una escopeta del calibre .12 como del tipo trajeado que parece trabajar para alguna agencia gubernamental y que trata de hablar. Tras recuperarse del subidón de adrenalina, de estimulantes y de los efectos secundarios de los esteroides que también consume (claro...), descubre que la mujer que debería estar muerta se está duchando y sus heridas no son más que cicatrices. Libro inicial (número 0 para el autor) de la saga Plague Wars.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
January 30, 2013
The author seems to intimate that our baser instincts (and our higher instincts) are a function of biological flaws. I have heard this argued by shrinks and counselors of all stripes and think they are all wrong... That seems too black and white to me. Having said that though, the remainder of the book was a very interesting thought experiment that I thoroughly enjoyed.
I was especially happy with the way the author portrayed members of the military. I have read too many authors who seem to think members of the military are blood thirsty murderers, when the reality is that most military personal are general pacifists. David VanDyke appears to understand that and wrote his characters to reflect that.
The pace of the book was just about right, though I would not have complained at all if the author had included a few more pages of the war council's deliberations. :)
I was especially happy with the way the author portrayed members of the military. I have read too many authors who seem to think members of the military are blood thirsty murderers, when the reality is that most military personal are general pacifists. David VanDyke appears to understand that and wrote his characters to reflect that.
The pace of the book was just about right, though I would not have complained at all if the author had included a few more pages of the war council's deliberations. :)
October 11, 2012
As a fellow author of adventure novels, I must say that this one is the best I've read this year and quite possibly one of the best I've ever read! The writing style is concise and engaging, the characters are truly believable and the plot is fresh and new...perhaps even unique. You shouldn't pass this one up!! I can't wait to read the next one in the series!
July 19, 2012
Fast paced, action adventure. I read it for a friend and was surprised by how much I really enjoyed it. I will definitely be recommending The Eden Plague to my dad and brother, because it just the sort of break-neck ride they'll buckle up for and be left wanting more.
October 6, 2017
I've only read the german Version. Therefore I could say nothing about the original. The translation was good. No mistakes and easy written.
The titel in englisch and in german is in my opinion bad chosen. In german a "plague" would be translated with "Plage" or "Seuche". Both words have a negative meaning. The Story of the book #0 is in my opinion more positive than the titel would describe. The "Virus" wich changes the people has in book #0 only positive effects. Putting the great hunger for food away. But healing nearly every illnes, also bringing back missing limps is in the first hand a realy good thing.
Starting with two protagonists van Dyke builds a very logic plot around a dozen companions who in the end should cure the world of all evil.
If they will have a chance to do so, will be shown in part two or three. In the Moment I do not now.
But for part #0, it is readable. A nice short story.
Using a virus to heal all illnesses in the world should be a good solution. Is this possible. I do not know. But it sounds possible and therefore the story sounds possible also.
The Protagonist, starting with Daniel Markis as Sani and World improver, Elise as scientist, and not to forget Spooky and Skull.
I found all of them interesting. There lives before and after. The changes in character and theire habits.
The end was a little frightening. Thinking that one telephone call could do so much harm to humankind is nothing what some expects, but what is more real in the actual times then before.
Three stars from my side, because it was to short, an I would have expected more about the Background of the virus. But it is clear that van Dyke wants the Reader to by also part 2, 3, 4,....
The titel in englisch and in german is in my opinion bad chosen. In german a "plague" would be translated with "Plage" or "Seuche". Both words have a negative meaning. The Story of the book #0 is in my opinion more positive than the titel would describe. The "Virus" wich changes the people has in book #0 only positive effects. Putting the great hunger for food away. But healing nearly every illnes, also bringing back missing limps is in the first hand a realy good thing.
Starting with two protagonists van Dyke builds a very logic plot around a dozen companions who in the end should cure the world of all evil.
If they will have a chance to do so, will be shown in part two or three. In the Moment I do not now.
But for part #0, it is readable. A nice short story.
Using a virus to heal all illnesses in the world should be a good solution. Is this possible. I do not know. But it sounds possible and therefore the story sounds possible also.
The Protagonist, starting with Daniel Markis as Sani and World improver, Elise as scientist, and not to forget Spooky and Skull.
I found all of them interesting. There lives before and after. The changes in character and theire habits.
The end was a little frightening. Thinking that one telephone call could do so much harm to humankind is nothing what some expects, but what is more real in the actual times then before.
Three stars from my side, because it was to short, an I would have expected more about the Background of the virus. But it is clear that van Dyke wants the Reader to by also part 2, 3, 4,....
January 21, 2013
A roller coaster ride from page one - Eden Plague, first installment of the Plague Wars series, introduces a world where scientists have discovered a virus that heals instead of harms, rendering those infected with tremendous healing powers. But there are side effects.
A secret organization wants to control the Eden Plague and anyone who knows about it. They will stop at nothing to make sure only the chosen few are exposed to its power, those who will swear allegiance and be prepared to die for the cause.
Unfortunately for retired combat medic Daniel Markis, neither of those options sounds in the least bit appealing. And they didn't even ask him nicely.
If you like your action gritty, uncompromising and sharply-written, check this out. You won't regret it, and you'll soon be downloading the rest of the series. Highly recommended.
A secret organization wants to control the Eden Plague and anyone who knows about it. They will stop at nothing to make sure only the chosen few are exposed to its power, those who will swear allegiance and be prepared to die for the cause.
Unfortunately for retired combat medic Daniel Markis, neither of those options sounds in the least bit appealing. And they didn't even ask him nicely.
If you like your action gritty, uncompromising and sharply-written, check this out. You won't regret it, and you'll soon be downloading the rest of the series. Highly recommended.
August 10, 2020
A great beginning to this series because it has all the elements of an excellent story - intriguing characters, action, mystery, villains and heroes.
It's also different from other plague stories - well, up to now. I have the first trilogy, as well as the first two free books. I hope that I can read all twelve but I am not sure I can afford it. Anyway, I will enjoy what I have.
Very well written with only minor errors and that strange way American authors have by using 'off of', which isn't even consistent - certainly not good grammar. I am curious why authors add a comma before the 'and' in a list because a comma is for a pause, so why would a pause be needed in that context? However, it was fast-paced and detailed enough without being boring. Some important lessons, too.
Highly recommended.
It's also different from other plague stories - well, up to now. I have the first trilogy, as well as the first two free books. I hope that I can read all twelve but I am not sure I can afford it. Anyway, I will enjoy what I have.
Very well written with only minor errors and that strange way American authors have by using 'off of', which isn't even consistent - certainly not good grammar. I am curious why authors add a comma before the 'and' in a list because a comma is for a pause, so why would a pause be needed in that context? However, it was fast-paced and detailed enough without being boring. Some important lessons, too.
Highly recommended.
October 15, 2014
It's a decent story especially for a self-published author. It's more commando/action versus zombie which is where I picked it up in the Amazon category.
I don't have the time to pinpoint some shortfall since I read the book a while ago and had to skim it to recall the plot for the review. The characters were stereotypical and the book didn't stand out much for me.
I don't have the time to pinpoint some shortfall since I read the book a while ago and had to skim it to recall the plot for the review. The characters were stereotypical and the book didn't stand out much for me.
May 25, 2015
An interesting premise and some good science. This book is well written, fast paced and an easy read. The characters are developed fairly well and are relatable. This book however was a little bit too military for me personally, not sure if I will continue with the series.
December 21, 2017
Die Geschichte beginnt spannend, kann sich dann aber nicht entscheiden, ob sie das Aktiongenre oder Gesellschaftskritik sein will. Die Story wirkt schnell langweilig, aufgrund des Erzählstils. Ich finde er ist so einer guten und spannenden Story nicht angepasst. Dieser ist lieblos und nimmt den Leser nicht mit. Sicherlich Geschmackssache, mich hat es nicht gepackt :)
February 6, 2022
I read this for free in the Google play books.
It's good, but no thrilling when read this book. Maybe the next book when the plague started was the thriller time 🤣
This is the story before the plague wars happened, how they prepare the wars of viruses.
It's good, but no thrilling when read this book. Maybe the next book when the plague started was the thriller time 🤣
This is the story before the plague wars happened, how they prepare the wars of viruses.
September 28, 2015
This book is a bit of a love it or hate it kind of book, with no room in the middle. But I'm finding that I did not love it, and I really didn't hate it. There was aspects of the story that I loved--the science behind the plague (didn't like that it was extraterrestrial, but I liked what the plague did), the characters, and the master plan.
But I did not enjoy the military-speak of it, and I did not like the way in which the story was told. I felt that there were truly only a few key scenes, then the rest was filler--broad synopses without any real specifics or character interaction. And then the few key scenes had so much military jargon in it that I was completely turned off by the "action" scenes.
I finished it, though. And though I did love the characters and the story behind the novel, I will not be continuing the series simply because of the disconnect I felt the entire time I read. When I read a book, I want to be immersed in it, and with this one, I never could quite connect with any of the characters.
But I did not enjoy the military-speak of it, and I did not like the way in which the story was told. I felt that there were truly only a few key scenes, then the rest was filler--broad synopses without any real specifics or character interaction. And then the few key scenes had so much military jargon in it that I was completely turned off by the "action" scenes.
I finished it, though. And though I did love the characters and the story behind the novel, I will not be continuing the series simply because of the disconnect I felt the entire time I read. When I read a book, I want to be immersed in it, and with this one, I never could quite connect with any of the characters.
dnf
February 6, 2022Stylistically bad
This was really hard for me to get into. Did not like the writing style at all. It was wordy and I couldn't see any reason why that might be necessary. Then there's the crazy inside of the head of the protagonist. It comes together as something I don't want to read.
It seemed like there could be an interesting plot in there but I didn't get beyond the first few chapters. Maybe someday I'll return to it. It gets two stars over one since I didn't finish it.
This was really hard for me to get into. Did not like the writing style at all. It was wordy and I couldn't see any reason why that might be necessary. Then there's the crazy inside of the head of the protagonist. It comes together as something I don't want to read.
It seemed like there could be an interesting plot in there but I didn't get beyond the first few chapters. Maybe someday I'll return to it. It gets two stars over one since I didn't finish it.
October 27, 2012
This is a facinating re-think on the apocalypse...
Cracking story and very cleverly told - wee bit thin on the character developement tho...
But I enjoyed it and am off to read book 2...
Cracking story and very cleverly told - wee bit thin on the character developement tho...
But I enjoyed it and am off to read book 2...
September 24, 2015
An apocalypse plus throw in some black ops action and you have Eden Plague! A thrilling sci/fi that starts out action packed and keeps it going until the end. Excellent read!
March 7, 2020
Review of 'Plague Wars' numbers 0, 1 and 2 combined, which as a series I'd rate with a solid 3 stars (see also below). I had a free copy for ages of "Reaper's Run" and still wound up somehow with a free (I think) copy of the trilogy, so here I go:
I have very mixed feelings about these books. They read easy and fast, where I sliced through the first 2 in a day. Plot-wise they are interesting enough even if the characterizations are clichéd sometimes even to the point of racial insensitivity or just plain head-shaking silliness. The dialogue is not the strongest you'll ever read, but more importantly, sometimes the poorly disguised political and even religious proselytizing gets too old and too thick for comfort. That being said, things could be worse and considering that the box-set was on sale, I'll freely confess that it was not bad for what I paid (now, we wait...). My continuing of the series will depend on whether or not further volumes are available via Kindle Unlimited, otherwise I may stop here, especially as the format from books 1 and 2 - solo-character driven tales or perhaps better said 'asides' - are not all that interesting.
By far the WEAKEST of the series is the first book (2 stars) as even with the EXPECTED suspicion of belief, some of the things that go down in that book are just ludicrous. This was to me in large part because Daniel Markis was by far the least convincing character out of the many we're introduced to. His EXTREME changes due to the virus so outpace anyone else that it seemed to me that we were dealing with separate people and even plagues. No one else seemed to change even a fraction this much and I know, I know the worse off someone was the bigger the effects were supposed to be but come on! The rest of the 'team' introduced in this tome weren't bad - again, just too many clichés for comfort in this day and age - but the lovey dovey stuff and even how people reacted to unbelievable tragedy just happened too quickly and was totally unconvincing.
Books 2 and 3 - featuring Reaper and Skull, respectively - were more my style but the jumping around from location to location via the single-character perspective didn't always hold up. Again, the necessary suspicion of belief - methinks the Eden Plague imparts more impossibly good luck than anything else - just shot a lot of it down. The fact that the 2nd book starts with an identical chapter from Book 0 was annoying - as well as the fact that the author essentially gives away the secret of the plague's origin (cue meme with guy with wild hair) - were major irritants as well. "The Adventures of Skull" wasn't a bad book (#2) but good gods, so much luck for such a shallow and (unconvincingly) deeply flawed character. Sheesh. I found myself wondering how he had enough humanity in him to even rub two brain cells together let alone have these constant inner monologue 'struggles'!
Perhaps I was looking for something along the lines of Marcus Sakey's "Brilliance Saga" which evolved along a not-so-distantly similar theme - particularly considering the development and extreme reactions of the governments of the world's reaction to "sickos" (as well as the requisite trumpian hitler gangs that arise when all goes to sh*t) - or even ANY of the action thrillers by Nicholas Sansbury Smith, but these books fall short of that kind of lofty quality. Still, I'm not ruling out continuing these books as I said way back at the beginning - after all, there's what? 11 or 12 in all? - particularly as we may eventually get to some more sci-fi settings. But we'll see. Not today, not tomorrow, but maybe.
I have very mixed feelings about these books. They read easy and fast, where I sliced through the first 2 in a day. Plot-wise they are interesting enough even if the characterizations are clichéd sometimes even to the point of racial insensitivity or just plain head-shaking silliness. The dialogue is not the strongest you'll ever read, but more importantly, sometimes the poorly disguised political and even religious proselytizing gets too old and too thick for comfort. That being said, things could be worse and considering that the box-set was on sale, I'll freely confess that it was not bad for what I paid (now, we wait...). My continuing of the series will depend on whether or not further volumes are available via Kindle Unlimited, otherwise I may stop here, especially as the format from books 1 and 2 - solo-character driven tales or perhaps better said 'asides' - are not all that interesting.
By far the WEAKEST of the series is the first book (2 stars) as even with the EXPECTED suspicion of belief, some of the things that go down in that book are just ludicrous. This was to me in large part because Daniel Markis was by far the least convincing character out of the many we're introduced to. His EXTREME changes due to the virus so outpace anyone else that it seemed to me that we were dealing with separate people and even plagues. No one else seemed to change even a fraction this much and I know, I know the worse off someone was the bigger the effects were supposed to be but come on! The rest of the 'team' introduced in this tome weren't bad - again, just too many clichés for comfort in this day and age - but the lovey dovey stuff and even how people reacted to unbelievable tragedy just happened too quickly and was totally unconvincing.
Books 2 and 3 - featuring Reaper and Skull, respectively - were more my style but the jumping around from location to location via the single-character perspective didn't always hold up. Again, the necessary suspicion of belief - methinks the Eden Plague imparts more impossibly good luck than anything else - just shot a lot of it down. The fact that the 2nd book starts with an identical chapter from Book 0 was annoying - as well as the fact that the author essentially gives away the secret of the plague's origin (cue meme with guy with wild hair) - were major irritants as well. "The Adventures of Skull" wasn't a bad book (#2) but good gods, so much luck for such a shallow and (unconvincingly) deeply flawed character. Sheesh. I found myself wondering how he had enough humanity in him to even rub two brain cells together let alone have these constant inner monologue 'struggles'!
Perhaps I was looking for something along the lines of Marcus Sakey's "Brilliance Saga" which evolved along a not-so-distantly similar theme - particularly considering the development and extreme reactions of the governments of the world's reaction to "sickos" (as well as the requisite trumpian hitler gangs that arise when all goes to sh*t) - or even ANY of the action thrillers by Nicholas Sansbury Smith, but these books fall short of that kind of lofty quality. Still, I'm not ruling out continuing these books as I said way back at the beginning - after all, there's what? 11 or 12 in all? - particularly as we may eventually get to some more sci-fi settings. But we'll see. Not today, not tomorrow, but maybe.
June 16, 2017
The author is obviously familiar with military special forces action - the main character was in the Army Rangers and Air Force just like the author.
Why is there evil in the world? What can save us from ourselves? These are two BIG questions posited in the telling of the tale. They are not posited quite so blatantly as I just did, nevertheless they are still there.
The partial answer to the first is perhaps it is a virus - a virus which does not necessarily attack and destroy our bodies, but one that infects us in other ways. These attacks are upon our morals and our consciences - allowing us to be cruel and evil to one another. The result is wars, murder, crime, torture, rape, pornography, torture and a myriad of other maladies. And just like lung cancer - not everyone who smokes gets cancer - not everyone is equally affected by this plague.
Someone has found a way to modify that virus, or it mutated so that those infected have a different attitude towards these evil activities. It also has the side benefit that it heals physical illness or wounds (sort of like Wolverine of the X-Men). Now, if this virus could be spread around the world, peace would reign - theoretically. We would return to the 'Garden of Eden', hence the name.
Of course there are bad guys, including agencies of the US government that do not want this virus spread.
Where did the original virus originate? Naturally, or space aliens? The story doesn't quite get around to blaming evil solely on the virus, but it also doesn't hold out much credence to the possibility that there is a God. On the other hand, the main character kind od believes in God and prayer - i.e., he prays, but he attributes his change in moral attitudes to the virus, not God.
The author does a pretty good job of wrapping up the story so the cliff hanger ending does not make you go, "Oh, crap" in the next to last chapter. The last chapter takes us into the rest of the series, and takes the story in a totally different direction. Hmmmmmmm. The action scenes are well described, but some of the dialogue suffers. That's why I couldn't give it a higher rating. I would give the second book a shot to see if the author can keep the story going.
Why is there evil in the world? What can save us from ourselves? These are two BIG questions posited in the telling of the tale. They are not posited quite so blatantly as I just did, nevertheless they are still there.
The partial answer to the first is perhaps it is a virus - a virus which does not necessarily attack and destroy our bodies, but one that infects us in other ways. These attacks are upon our morals and our consciences - allowing us to be cruel and evil to one another. The result is wars, murder, crime, torture, rape, pornography, torture and a myriad of other maladies. And just like lung cancer - not everyone who smokes gets cancer - not everyone is equally affected by this plague.
Someone has found a way to modify that virus, or it mutated so that those infected have a different attitude towards these evil activities. It also has the side benefit that it heals physical illness or wounds (sort of like Wolverine of the X-Men). Now, if this virus could be spread around the world, peace would reign - theoretically. We would return to the 'Garden of Eden', hence the name.
Of course there are bad guys, including agencies of the US government that do not want this virus spread.
Where did the original virus originate? Naturally, or space aliens? The story doesn't quite get around to blaming evil solely on the virus, but it also doesn't hold out much credence to the possibility that there is a God. On the other hand, the main character kind od believes in God and prayer - i.e., he prays, but he attributes his change in moral attitudes to the virus, not God.
The author does a pretty good job of wrapping up the story so the cliff hanger ending does not make you go, "Oh, crap" in the next to last chapter. The last chapter takes us into the rest of the series, and takes the story in a totally different direction. Hmmmmmmm. The action scenes are well described, but some of the dialogue suffers. That's why I couldn't give it a higher rating. I would give the second book a shot to see if the author can keep the story going.
August 25, 2018
A great introduction for a new type of plague story. Instead of it being a rash outbreak from an experiment gone wrong, this one has been tested on a single person to test its effects and also for that person and her team to work on resolving the issues that the plague brings with it.
While a plague may ordinarily seem like a really bad thing, this one heals the body and as long as you don't suffer brain death or a serious injury to the brain, then it can pretty much repair any damage, whether pre-existing or recent.
There is a catch though, after a period of time, the disease will change you, causing you to be less aggressive, angry, etc. Creating a virtuous individual instead.
After a recruiting process goes horribly wrong, one man is drawn into the problems of the organisation that tried to approach him and while he doesn't know what instigated it all, he quickly becomes aware of the curing powers and its side effects and with the person first cured by the plague, starts on a mission to try and introduce it to the world.
The world however, isn't as ready for it as you would think. Plus there's the secret organisation that is trying to control it themselves but are able to make use of the government to try and control things as they spiral out of control.
Definitely worth a read
While a plague may ordinarily seem like a really bad thing, this one heals the body and as long as you don't suffer brain death or a serious injury to the brain, then it can pretty much repair any damage, whether pre-existing or recent.
There is a catch though, after a period of time, the disease will change you, causing you to be less aggressive, angry, etc. Creating a virtuous individual instead.
After a recruiting process goes horribly wrong, one man is drawn into the problems of the organisation that tried to approach him and while he doesn't know what instigated it all, he quickly becomes aware of the curing powers and its side effects and with the person first cured by the plague, starts on a mission to try and introduce it to the world.
The world however, isn't as ready for it as you would think. Plus there's the secret organisation that is trying to control it themselves but are able to make use of the government to try and control things as they spiral out of control.
Definitely worth a read
July 12, 2020
I read this a while ago, I think when it first came out, or at least around the time I bought my first paperwhite kindle. I did remember a lot of the main details in the story. It was well written, even with the insta-romance trope playing strong throughout. I'm not used to military type stories, but this one kept my interest. Though some of the "technical" information about like weapons and things went over my head I liked the overall story.
Daniel Markis is a former military ops man dealing with PTSD from his time fighting terrorist and gets infected with a virus known formally as The Eden plague...he then finds it his responsibility to help humanity end it's pain and suffering by spreading the virus across the globe. But there are people (mostly rich politician type men) that find the "plague" a disaster and want to stop him. It's a race to see if Daniel and his assembled team can successfully spread this amazing cure to those who need it most, before the government tries to stop them.
If you like Military Fantasy, this is a great story for you. I haven't read any of the other books in the series yet. Though I do own them, I just have a lot on my reading lists. I don't know when I'll open Reaper's Run.
Daniel Markis is a former military ops man dealing with PTSD from his time fighting terrorist and gets infected with a virus known formally as The Eden plague...he then finds it his responsibility to help humanity end it's pain and suffering by spreading the virus across the globe. But there are people (mostly rich politician type men) that find the "plague" a disaster and want to stop him. It's a race to see if Daniel and his assembled team can successfully spread this amazing cure to those who need it most, before the government tries to stop them.
If you like Military Fantasy, this is a great story for you. I haven't read any of the other books in the series yet. Though I do own them, I just have a lot on my reading lists. I don't know when I'll open Reaper's Run.
April 27, 2018
A refreshing twist on the disease-driven apocalypse!
David VanDyke explores the cost of a virus that does more good than harm, but at a price not typically considered in my opinion. How would our mortal bodies react to the introduction of genetic material that encouraged a heightened morality as well as immortality?
What I liked!
I enjoyed the fast-paced action, military jargon and operational details, and the exploration into the human psyche upon the introduction of a pathogen designed to "make" people better.. I also liked how the author uses our bodies natural function and turns it against itself regarding what the virus does to the characters both mentally and physically. I won't spoil it, but as a former Pre-med student, it's an aspect of immuno-biology not typically considered in SciFi.
What I didn't like!
One of my favorite characters (that I thought would last throughout the series) died early on. Not cool, Dave. Not cool!
Overall, I gave The Eden Plague a solid 4 stars and continued with the series into volume #2: Reapers Run. Keep an eye out for my review of that installment next week.
David VanDyke explores the cost of a virus that does more good than harm, but at a price not typically considered in my opinion. How would our mortal bodies react to the introduction of genetic material that encouraged a heightened morality as well as immortality?
What I liked!
I enjoyed the fast-paced action, military jargon and operational details, and the exploration into the human psyche upon the introduction of a pathogen designed to "make" people better.. I also liked how the author uses our bodies natural function and turns it against itself regarding what the virus does to the characters both mentally and physically. I won't spoil it, but as a former Pre-med student, it's an aspect of immuno-biology not typically considered in SciFi.
What I didn't like!
One of my favorite characters (that I thought would last throughout the series) died early on. Not cool, Dave. Not cool!
Overall, I gave The Eden Plague a solid 4 stars and continued with the series into volume #2: Reapers Run. Keep an eye out for my review of that installment next week.
November 30, 2024
Lots of fiction/action but little science. A good example of writing about what you know and the author doesn't know much about science. He sure knows about guns, though, and you get lots of details when they're used. I can overlook that, but so many things happen that demonstrate a lack of knowledge. For example, a character wants to infect another character, so she bites him. It is damn hard for human teeth to break human skin. Why not just kiss the guy? Spit in his mouth or eye? What really broke the mood for me was how they decided the best way to meet their potential new recruit was to break into his house, hide in the bathroom, wait until you're discovered, then blast holes through the wall that will cause the guy to shoot back and then he'll be all amazed when you recover.
The science, though. It hurts. This pathogen enables rapid healing. Okay, I'm good with that. It heals major wounds. Whoa, that difficult to do, but I'll go with it. It heals major wounds in a few minutes; like gunshot wounds. What? And fixes broken bones. Oh, come on! And cures alzhiemers. GTFOH! It makes people less aggressive, too. That's it, I'm done.
The science, though. It hurts. This pathogen enables rapid healing. Okay, I'm good with that. It heals major wounds. Whoa, that difficult to do, but I'll go with it. It heals major wounds in a few minutes; like gunshot wounds. What? And fixes broken bones. Oh, come on! And cures alzhiemers. GTFOH! It makes people less aggressive, too. That's it, I'm done.
July 31, 2017
Well I was looking for another series to start and The Plague Wars kept popping up. I tend to associate science fiction with the future and kept reading end expecting there to be some sort of time shift to the distant future. There was no shift to the future, so this book and most of the series takes place in today's current timeline. This does not mean that there are no space ships or aliens etc... This series is kind of an X-files episode mixed with Jason Bourne. As far as introduction books go, this one is fine; however the series and character development get much better in the other books. I like the humor and the fact that David VanDyke is a prior service Army and Air Force veteran shows in his knowledge and detail of the military.
I first became familiar with VanDyke with his collaborations with one of my favorite authors, B. V. Larson. I would really like some more Star Force Books by the way... Anyway, I enjoyed the series and plowed through it in short order.
I first became familiar with VanDyke with his collaborations with one of my favorite authors, B. V. Larson. I would really like some more Star Force Books by the way... Anyway, I enjoyed the series and plowed through it in short order.
September 20, 2017
I'm not really sure how to classify this novel: post-apocalyptic, thriller, or science fiction as it has elements of all three genres. The author does a good job of getting you into the heads of his characters and describes the scenes and events well and make you feel as if you are right there in the middle of the action. You also have some Walter Mitty type moments where you think "what if" you had some radically different potion (or is it a plague?) that could cure all diseases and what might have been - or could be - if such a thing were possible.
The author sets the stage for a sequel and I am ready to start book #2 in the series. I originally picked this up for free vs. its normal Kindle price of 99 cents - I certainly received a lot more than 99 cents worth of entertainment value out of this one. If you enjoy a good thriller with a little bit of a science fiction twist, I'd recommend it.
The author sets the stage for a sequel and I am ready to start book #2 in the series. I originally picked this up for free vs. its normal Kindle price of 99 cents - I certainly received a lot more than 99 cents worth of entertainment value out of this one. If you enjoy a good thriller with a little bit of a science fiction twist, I'd recommend it.
September 22, 2020
"When people feared something, they hated it or destroyed it."
Daniel Markis is a half disabled, half mad, Special Ops turned Pararescue veteran. Stalked by his severe PTSD and what he calls his "Serpent", he is a bomb waiting to go off.
Approached to be recruited by a black cover organization, everything goes wildly awry and he is introduced, intimately, to The Eden Plague.
Helped by one of the scientists who is working on the project, Elise Wallis. David and a long list of his contacts from combat set out to find out the implications of this virus.
I literally could not put this down, through bloody battles, ethical dilemmas and love and loss. The future of Human development hangs in the hands of a select few who have to decide the moral future.
Although lives are lost and most changed forever, I can't wait for the next book in the series to see where Author David VanDyke leads us.
Daniel Markis is a half disabled, half mad, Special Ops turned Pararescue veteran. Stalked by his severe PTSD and what he calls his "Serpent", he is a bomb waiting to go off.
Approached to be recruited by a black cover organization, everything goes wildly awry and he is introduced, intimately, to The Eden Plague.
Helped by one of the scientists who is working on the project, Elise Wallis. David and a long list of his contacts from combat set out to find out the implications of this virus.
I literally could not put this down, through bloody battles, ethical dilemmas and love and loss. The future of Human development hangs in the hands of a select few who have to decide the moral future.
Although lives are lost and most changed forever, I can't wait for the next book in the series to see where Author David VanDyke leads us.
January 7, 2019
Not an average prequel
I've found many prequels to be "just" novellas, maybe 80-90 pages. Just enough to introduce the main characters and get the story out of 1st gear. This does much better than that, it's a full length book and is a pretty good story all by itself.
I really like that the author doesn't spend multiple paragraphs describing each item of guns and gear being used. Also, the main character is flawed, he's not a "Wesley Crusher" type that's the best of the best Mr. perfect who's plans always go as expected. Instead he reminds me of a couple of guys I know.
Given that this book was free, and so is book 1 of the series, I'll give it a whirl.
I've found many prequels to be "just" novellas, maybe 80-90 pages. Just enough to introduce the main characters and get the story out of 1st gear. This does much better than that, it's a full length book and is a pretty good story all by itself.
I really like that the author doesn't spend multiple paragraphs describing each item of guns and gear being used. Also, the main character is flawed, he's not a "Wesley Crusher" type that's the best of the best Mr. perfect who's plans always go as expected. Instead he reminds me of a couple of guys I know.
Given that this book was free, and so is book 1 of the series, I'll give it a whirl.
March 16, 2018
Read the trilogy compilation. Didn’t enjoy. Super lackluster romance, non-consensual body modification (for the entire world!!) that not one character has an issue with (wth someone needs to call the FDA or CDC on this guy, whoever deals with dubious virus-based genetic modification). CONSENT and BODILY AUTONOMY are concepts that SOMEONE should speak up about. But no, the main character knows all and so everyone should just sit and listen to him preach.
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