Pandemia

by Johnathan Rand, Christopher Knight

The world was warned. The last great flu epidemic kelled millions. Now the bird flu has mutated into the super flu and spreading fast. Four teenagers are caught in a world gone wild. They head north.

Genres: Post Apocalyptic, Young Adult, Fiction, Horror, Dystopia

370 pages, paperback

First published May 28, 2006

About the author

Christopher Wright is the author of dozens of horror fiction books for children and young adults. He writes under the pseudonyms Johnathan Rand and Christopher Knight. Almost all of Wright's books (save American Chillers) take place in his home state of Michigan.

Reviews

[BookNightOwl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read on a virus that breaks out and people start dying. The world starts going crazy so these 4 teens gang up together to survive. I liked how the author always had something going on and the short chapters. I would recommend this to anybody whom likes end of the world books and an easy read.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED this book as a kid. I remember reading it and thinking I was the coolest for reading an 'adult' book by an author that I looked up to.

I still think that it's a really good book, but now that I'm older, I do see its flaws. It's written in a way that can be repetitive, and in some places almost childish. I think this is just the style of the author. He's mainly a children's book writer, so I'm not faulting him for having some of that leak into a book meant for adults and older kids. The chapters are a little too short for my liking. It breaks up the story quite a bit and for me, hinders the immersion.

That being said, his writing doesn't bother me too much because I've read almost all of his books and am used to it by now. I like the descriptions of the setting and little details. Some books hardly focus on the setting at all, so I appreciate it here. I think the story is great and fast paced. It's set in my home state of Michigan, extremely close to my hometown, so it's cool that I know exactly where they are and where they're going. The main characters are all pretty likeable, but I thought they blended together a bit. The villains were kind of cliche, but I don't think I can expect much of a surprise when it comes to dystopian novels about a pandemic.

Overall, I would recommend it. It's a quick, easy read and a good story. It reminds me of something you'd tell around a campfire ;)

[David Quay · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fastest I've completed a book since highschool made it mandatory.

[nora · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

WHILE READING:
We are reading this book in class and it is really good!

FINISHED:
This might be the longest book review I have ever written. First I will start with this:
WHY!?! Thats just a start. This book is cheesy! It started (If I remember right) With it being all normal then WHAM! This whole panic actually started. Then the whole world went crazy in like A DAY TO A WEEK! You'd think that if there was a panic people would stay away from those that were sick?!? Then I mean the ending of WOW! That sucked like NO OTHER! I hate Twilight with a passion and this book almost comes close to how much I hate that book! I'm not sure about this but I think in Venice there was a panic! The world didn't end from that! That panic was horrible what they did was they took the people to an island. It may be a horrible thing to do but the world didn't end! I don't see how this panic could whip out the whole population in like 3 months! It's kinda like I Am Legend. (I didn't like that movie either. Anyway back to the ending. Okay this is what happened the kids made it to the cabin, Kevin read a letter, then OKAY THIS IS THE MOST EXCITING PART! they cried, then slept woke up and then guess what? IT was two year later they had kids, and they still stayed at the cabin sometimes they would talk to other families. Then the last words this book ended with were THE LITTLE THINGS! That was like the topic of the book that the little things are what are important I mean they are but that is such a lame ending. OH YEA I forgot to tell you Walmart and K-Mart are now a gang together not separately. Yea did I forget to mention that K-mart and Walmart are gangs?! Thats just so creative isn't it? This book wouldn't be nearly as bad if they had actually tried to find people that they could band together with! Do you really think that they would stand a chance against a huge gang by themselves? Maybe they have before but I don't think they can do it every time. Do You?

Anyway I think that's enough ranting for now. But anyway if you read this book don't expect and Rockin' ending because you'll be disappointed, kinda like me.

~Bookworm~

[Ben Foltz]

The book I have read and am reviewing is “Pandemia” by Johnathan Rand and Christopher Knight. The book Pandemia is a fictional book. The book's genre falls under YA, or possibly fantasy as well. This book is not a part of a series, although I think it would be a great series to make. This book was released in May, 2006 by Johnathan Rand

The book Pandemia is about a group of teenagers who are in a situation with a deadly virus spreading around the world fastly. The Group of teenagers have to try to stay alive and not get infected. If they get infected by the deadly disease, It will not end very well. The group makes a plan to try to move north to get away from big cities that are full of the virus, but they run into some major problems along the way. The meaning of this book is to tell the character to never take life for granted, because everything could be normal, until you get put into a situation like this and your life's on the line.

I think the authors did a good job of setting up and creating this book. The authors made the book very suspenseful and interesting at the ends of chapters. What went through my mind while reading this book was a lot of questions, like wondering if the virus would ever end, what they would do about it, and how the story would end. In a good or bad way. This novel is narrated by the main character, Sierra's point of view. I think the author did a great job of showing the main character's thoughts and feelings about this problem. The author also did a good job of explaining what the main character can see from her friends, but in her point of view

In conclusion, I think this was a very intense, suspenseful, and interesting book. With the way that the story is written and all of the intense events in this book, and even with the idea of all of the amazing and great group of friends, I would recommend it to any reader. I would especially recommend this book to teenage boys who can’t find a book they like to read. But overall, I think this book is a great read for anybody.

[Max Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a little kid in 1987, I told another kid in my classroom to put all the fingers down except his middle one. The dumbass complied and I immediately yelled "Teacher! Teacher! He's flipping me off! Get him in trouble!"

The teacher came up to us. The other kid looked confused for a moment before bursting into tears. The teacher turned to me. "I don't think he knows what he did. Sometimes people have to learn the difference between what is right and wrong but that doesn't mean they need to be punished." Those words stuck with me.

But we continued to fuck with each other all throughout grade school, and in high school and college to. I shit in the sink and tried to pin it on him as a practical joke but I got caught halfway through the shitting and the janitor walked in. I looked at him and said "IT'S better to shit in the sink than it is to sink in the shit, am I right?"

A week ago I ran into that kid. He grew up to be a good boy! He had a job as a lawyer at a big law firm, was married, and had two kids. It made me think about my own life, cheating on my fourth wife with a Chillers book and constantly rereading Chillers books because I'm too scared to move on to Rand's big boy book, Pandemia.

I did it, though. I had already been put on diapers but they weren't working. I realized I was gonna have to read PANDEMIA and try to force myself not to shit. I bought a stale old copy and began reading.

I shit myself two pages in.

I had to keep going though. Big boy words weren't going to stop me. I even went to Big Boy to eat as I read. They asked if I wanted crayons and a kid's menu but I said "No! I'm trying to become a big boy!" So I ordered big boy food like a martini and low fat granny yogurt and read the book.

I shit myself three more times while reading, each time feeling more shame and yet also more determination to get through. Finally though, I did it. I finally made it through the first chapter.

[Max Natzke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book name is Pandemia by Johnathan Rand and Christopher Knight it was published on May 28th, 2006. the type of book is realistic fiction and the genres are Horror, Dystopic, Post-Apocalyptic, and Young Adult.

The book Pandemia is about a group of teenagers who are in a world where a deadly flu virus has spread across the world and killed most people. Their group plans to go up north to find a safe place from the virus to escape the city. They run into some major problems along the way. The end was not the best in my opinion

The writers of the book made it feel like I was there and they had a lot of suspenseful moments. When I was reading I thought about the book like would they find a cure like any other book or movie? Or they try to fend for themselves. The book is in first person from Sierra’s point of view I think the authors did well on the thoughts and feelings of Sierra and the authors did well to see what her friends are like in her point of view.

In conclusion, I think the book was kinda interesting and intense. The way the story is written is good because it makes you feel like you are in there. For the part of the book where someone breaks into the house and raids the place they hide downstairs behind the couch and that person goes downstairs to find something. In that part, I thought that they would've been caught. I think the book is good for anyone who likes suspense and horror.

[Dominic Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was easily one of the most interesting books I have ever read. I recommend this book to ages 12 and up. The world was torn apart by a simple bird flu. This wasn't just an ordinary bird flu though. It mutated until it was too late to stop. So now, its survival of the fittest. Four teenagers must survive in this destroyed world. Their plan? Head north. My favorite thing about this book is how exciting it is. One minute everything is finally alright, then the next minute they are fighting for their lives. It is the type of book that makes you want to read more. It was hard for me to put it down because I had to know what happened next. Overall it was a great book.

[Skylar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book over four times and I still absolutely love it. It’s a type of dystopian/romance with four young teens trying to survive a pandemic. These teens go through hardships and victories all along the way to their final destination. If I had to criticize this book then I would say that the ending just leaves me wanting a second book. I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone but I think anyone could enjoy this. It is a very easy book to want to read with short chapters and lots of cliffhangers. I first read this book when I was younger but it is probably better for teenagers and older.

[Lane Martinek · Rating 5 out of 5]

A group of friends is brought together by a bird flu outbreak, with the world ending around them as they know it, they have to decide what to do to survive. I feel in love with this book from the first page! This is by far my favorite book. It's an action-packed thriller which keeps me wanting to turn the page. I Especially enjoyed how each of the characters turned out and how they all fell in love with one another. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes post-apocalyptic books with action-packed page flipper.

[S. Willett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great flu spread through the world. Most died. The ones that were left fought to survive the burning and looting. They had to horde food and learn to live without the everyday things they had taken for granted only days before. Four young people stuck together and made their way north skirting gangs and dead bodies.

This is not the book to read when you have the flu or even a cold. The pages come alive. Short chapters and action on every page make this almost 400 page book a very fast read.

[Evan Livingston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pandemia by Johnathan Rand is a great book its a great action packed/thrilled book. If you like young/adult, horror/post apocalyptic this is a great book. It was released in July 2006. There are 4 teens that have no choice but to survive on their own and fight for their lives after the bird flu broke out. I love the short chapters and I can really picture myself doing what the 4 teenagers are doing. I don't like reading but this book was great it made me want to just keep flipping the page. I would recommend this book to a lot of people especially to someone who likes thriller books.

[Nini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book multiple times both before the pandemic and after. I stand by my original review of the book (it was never made on here) as it is a well written book, a dystopian novel that hits a little closer to home especially if you live in Michigan. It is made all the more real after experiencing our own pandemic here and realizing just how close to home this book hit when it came to how we dealt with a deadly virus.

[London Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.6/5)
This is a great apocalypse novel. While it is a bit cheesy, overall it is a good thriller and easy to read. Adult content/violence/sex/language is minimum so young teenagers (13-14+) could read.

Not much to say on this one. It isn’t exceptional but it is far from terrible. A good read.

[Asher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember absolutely adoring this book as a kid. I had outgrown the Michigan/American chillers series and wanted something a little different, but from the same author. I've reread it and I gotta say, my fifth grade review still holds up. It's a solid read, a little corny, but it's to be expected. I really enjoyed it the second time around!

[sarah cavallaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

i'm going to say 4.5 stars but put it as a 5 as it deserved it. i LOVED this book when i was younger and i thought it was so cool, and i read it within 5 hours which i've never done, so it was super fast paced and action packed. i even teared up at the end :,)

[Alexis Snow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this in middle school and I can’t wait to re read this after actually living through a pandemic. If you like apocalyptic, suspenseful quick read this is it! Same author as American chiller books. One of the first books I read completely through.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bird flu has mutated, crossed the line to humans and within days millions are dead. As people die around them, four teens band together to try and survive.

Not quite a 4 star book but close enough that I rounded up.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love stories set in Michigan and apocalyptic survival, so overall a great book.

[Karlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to read with COVID still being very real, but ended up being a cute little adventure story.

[John Blum · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the area and picked up this book at the store in Indian River. Enjoyed it and can't wait to give it to my step son

[Suzan L VanDeWiele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is hitting home. Due to the current situation, could be what is in the future 🙏🙏🙏

[Jaclyn Witte · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this thinking it would heal my inner child because I read it as a teen. Much more enjoyable as a teen. Poor writing but an engaging read for adolescents.

[Kasey Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an easy read but I pretty entertaining one! I know it’s an older book but the similarities of how it starts and what was happening in 2020 just added to the experience overall!

[Justice Kinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and am very interested in finding similar books to read. Definitely my favorite book I've read in the last 5 years.

[Carole Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't typically a genre I read, but this was picked for the October book in my Book Club, so onward I go.

Honestly, it wasn't too bad for a dystopia. The beginning skipped around a little bit and I didn't like it, but the timeline does smooth out after a few chapters. Which...brings me to my next point...I disliked how short the chapters were. Each chapter was only about 3 pages long. I understand why the authors did this, but it just made the story seem choppy sometimes.

Besides for all of the that the story was a fun ride. I especially loved the fact that it was set in Michigan and I knew all the places they were talking about. It made the story more personal for me. However, I do question how long it took to get to Otter Lake from Saline. I don't think the authors did their research before writing the book. Otter Lake is only 2 hours away from Saline and is not by Gaylord...unless there is another Otter Lake, but I doubt it. Hmmmm *shrugs* But Boyfriend is from Otter Lake, so it was kind of cool to imagine the town being completely empty.

Anyways...the characters were interesting. A little predictable, but I'm glad there were only four main characters. It allowed for the reader to get connected with the characters, but not get bored with them. There is a lot of time and "slow" parts where nothing happens, so having a few characters helped, but there wasn't too many characters that it was overwhelming. I am glad they included an epilogue, but I didn't really like what happened. It seemed to HEA and "simple".

In the end, this wasn't at all bad for a dystopia. I don't usually care for that genre, but I liked this book. It wasn't over-the-top and it seemed like if the bird flu where to conquer the world that would be how it is. I didn't really care for the short chapters and the beginning, but the rest was fun. I'm not sure if there is another Otter Lake up north (I was trying to look it up and found nothing), so I am left to assume they either were mistaken or they made it up or it exists but isn't on the map. *shrugs* Oh well. I am pretending they went to the Otter Lake I know. haha. I would recommend this to people who like dystopia type books or who are looking for something different on their reading shelf. Out of five stars, I stamp this with 4 stars. It is more like 3.5, but I rounded.

Favorite Character(s): Sierra and Eddie
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Kevin (he bugged me)

[Emily Romanowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved reading this book, from the moment I opened it to the moment I closed the pages and set it on my shelf. Lets just run past a few things first, shall we?

The idea of the end of the world ACTUALLY ending is what makes this book send shivers down my spine. Some of the situations are hard to put myself in, because I'm pretty sure I would have a panic attack and die. Living without my family would suck, and being on my own with only a sibling and some friends. I guess it could be worse.

Second, I love that the book never gets boring. There is always a new setting, new problem, new chemistry, and new conversations happening every time you flip the page. I love that the chapters are so short because it makes me feel like I am reading the book way faster than normal. And is why I read this book in one day...

Needless to say, I have re-read this book 3 times now, and every time I go back through it, I observe something different that makes me want to share this book with everybody that I know that loves books. IS A MUST READ!!!!!!!!

[Lanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it was a good, fast read with a decent plot and average writing, there just wasn't anything particularly great about it. A good one time science fiction read, but not very memorable. The world actually goes to pieces much to quickly for my tastes. The characters are all pretty bland to, and the ending is much to happy and convient. It's young adult here! I know that "young adult" is technically teens, which is technically still children, but teens can take a lot more blood and guts and heart ache than "pandemia" wants to give them credit for. :/ kill some main bloody characters! Sure it's dark and sad, but we can take it! Apocalyptic novels just NEED to be brutal, comes with the territory. This was much to tame,

[Cole P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonathan Rand has written yet another Michigan thriller that scares all Michiganian's. As a new epidemic called "H5N1" or "The Bird Flu" begins to spread throughout the state of Michigan. "Pandemia" follows the the perspective of a girl and three other teenagers.

As the epidemic quickly spread the 4 teenagers hurried to collect all the resources they could and weapons to defend themselves. As the teenagers made their way to a cabin in northern Michigan they face many obstacles and gangs on the way.

I liked this book because of the constant action and that the story was set in Michigan. I think anyone who lives in Michigan and enjoys a thriller will like this book.