Plasma

Plague #2

by Jeff Carlson, Birgit Reß-Bohusch (Übersetzer)

Researcher Ruth Goldman has developed a vaccine with the potential to inoculate the world’s survivors against the nanotech plague that devastated humanity. But the fractured U.S. government will stop at nothing to keep it for themselves.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Horror, Apocalyptic, Thriller, Adventure

Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Jeff Carlson is the international bestselling author of "Plague Year," "Long Eyes," "Interrupt" and "The Frozen Sky." To date, his work has been translated into sixteen languages worldwide.

His new novel is "Frozen Sky 3: Blindsided."

Readers can find free fiction, contests, videos and more on his web site at http://www.jverse.com

Reviews

[Grampy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author provided me a free copy of this book for the purpose of Beta-reading. This review was not a condition of our agreement; it is entirely my own idea to share with potential readers the fantastic story within the pages of this volume.

"Plague War" by Jeff Carlson is Book #2 of the "Plague" trilogy. This superbly crafted episode of the saga is best read after first reading "Plague Year", Book #1 of the series. Jeff's writing is so believable you will feel, at times, that you are reading the history of actual events. At other times you will feel as if you are right there in the thick of the action. Jeff has an uncanny ability to blend your own emotions with those of the character, so you feel like you are actually taking part in the story.

"Plague War" begins with three survivors of the action-packed incident in Sacramento, California, wending their way through the lifeless wasteland of a once-great metropolis, heading toward the mountains to share with other survivors the vaccine Ruth has created. Ruth, Cam and the lone military survivor, Mark Newcombe, struggle, argue, disagree, while they depend, rely, and lean upon each other throughout their cursed journey. Still the subjects of an exhaustive aerial search, the three nevertheless manage to evade detection, although not without some close calls.

This epic novel is packed with as much action as could fit on the pages. When they finally reach the mountain top, after much difficulty, they manage to spread the vaccine to a couple other groups of survivors, sending those people out to further spread the vaccine and make it once again safe for people to drop below the 10,000 foot safe zone. They then witness the unthinkable: but I can't tell you here what that might be.

Facing double-crossing, back-stabbing, and outright lying at virtually every turn, our heroes are finally able to reach relative safety, and spread the vaccine to hundreds - maybe thousands - of the remaining survivors. In the meantime, what's left of the USA has been invaded by the remnants of other former "superpowers", and all-out war continues unabated, as if the remaining humans are bent on fully eradicating all human life from the planet.

Having finally had enough of the senseless fighting, Ruth devises a plan whereby she believes she can force peace on the warring factions, risking her very life to implement her plan. As this book comes to an end we are left with a natural segue into Book #3, "Plague Zone".

I am not normally a big fan of multi-volume epic series. This series is so utterly enthralling and captivating, I actually wish it was longer than just the three volumes! I cannot adequately express how much I recommend this series to anybody who is a fan of apocalyptic writing, nanotechnology and its multitudinous possibilities, or a classic example of human behavior... or just people who enjoy a good story! Grab your copies of "Plague Year", "Plague War", and "Plague Zone", and settle in for an excellent reading adventure. Jeff Carlson has once again proved he is a force to be reckoned with in the world of fine fictional story-telling.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plague War is a solid middle episode of the Plague trilogy. It works for the same reason the first book worked - the constant uphill battle of survival keeps those pages turning.

Surviving the plague is not fun business, and at times, reading about it wasn't either. As the characters slowly wandered through the desolation, the monotony did set in a bit. Though big in imagination and scope, I credit Carlson for the realism of his situations. I suppose realism isn't always a key element of entertainment, though, and perhaps there are some other elements which could have been injected into the middle portions to liven things up a bit.

Still, Carlson does keep things moving and the world of the machine plague is a changing one. I'm on the third book now and look forward to seeing how all of this works out. If that's not at least one sign of a successful book, I'm not sure what is.

[H. R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The chips are down in this second of the series (new readers must read 'plague year' before starting this novel). Carlson's writing improved. His section capturing a survival march had a nice prose uplift, with elements that moved toward capturing 'transporting the reader' like the opening section of On the road..

Write on, Jeff Carlson. Write on.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ruth and Cam struggle to find other to give the nanotech vaccine to as Russia invades the U.S.

I love the first book of this series (Plague Year) but only like this one. I think that if you already have such high stakes in the first volume with a nanotech plague wiping out nearly everyone who is lower than 10,000 feet elevation, adding in 'the Russians are invading' doesn't really make an impact. It's still a fun book to read if you like apocalyptic settings.

[Sschallerxx · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably not quite as good as plague year, but it was still fairly fun to read.

[Jim Scriven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid Second Entry for This Trilogy

I enjoyed book 2 here, advancing the story of the Plague Year Trilogy in some very positive ways. The story got broader, more global in some ways, while still remaining very character driven, with Ruth and Cam, key protagonists of book 1, rising as the clear focal characters of the trilogy. I found the nanotech related plot lines, and the military and political elements, to be great reading. The relationship elements of the story felt a little weak, my reason for giving this four stars. But I had no issuing reading this, and moved through pretty quickly. I look forward to finishing the trilogy.

[Hortensia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aburrido y confuso.

Miles de kilómetros andados para nada, para caer donde mismo, para terminar haciendo lo que les pedían en el principio y se pusieron en contra de autoridades, milicia, etc., etc.

Situaciones imposibles... comienzan "bebiendo" el antídoto para "curar" la plaga y resulta que no era necesario, con solo "toser" se podía expandir. Vuelven a recorrer kilómetros y kilómetros, buscando nuevas curas, entre una guerra que parece van perdiendo para luego amenazar y que no pase nada.

Las relaciones interpersonales entre "los protagonistas" están peor que la peor de las telenovelas... un toma y daca que parece no tener fin.

No sé por qué sigo leyendo la serie, al menos ya solo me falta un libro.

[Brad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Second book in this uninteresting sci fit series. Sometimes my strategy of waiting for all the books in a series to come out before I read them backfires when the first book is so bad as I still feel the need to finish the series. Still a dull series.

[Mieczyslaw Kasprzyk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointing! "Plague Year" was a gripping, pessimistic tale of true apocalyptic terror and survival - "Plague War" is bitty, often unfocussed and lacking in the power to keep one's attention.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I rated the first in the Plague Year series as a 4 but this as a 2. This book kept giving an overarching view of the war, which I skimmed because battle strategy is not my cup of tea. It was OK, and it kept me reading, but I feel like it could have been included in the first book by shortening it to few chapters.

Why I gave this rating:
1) the repeated omniscient POV versus the main characters internal processing of what is happening at their level;
2) the first book mixed the present with the near past, slowly revealing the horrors of what had been done unto them and by them to survive the plague (focusing on the male lead). The same was tried with this sequel but it came across as choppy, especially when it started to go way back into unconnected experiences (as in 20 years back into the female lead's love life);
3) you see into the main characters motivation through their thoughts but these thoughts became repetitive, especially when the two main characters began to have the same thoughts despite their vastly different experiences and limited conversation on anything non-plague related.

What I loved:
1) the unconsummated, burning love of the main characters;
2) the main characters individually philosophizing on the impossibility of God and the basic evidence of evolution (though one of these characters is a highly intelligent scientist who should be thinking on the more complex aspects of the evolution theory). It came across as "these idiots--don't they understand that life is too complex to have a creator?" Any religious response would be "these pretentious know-it-alls--why can't they see that the universe is too connected to have just happened?" The focus was on Christianity since they ran into boulders with crosses scratched into them but considering that the character came from an unorthodox Jewish family (but later her step father was practicing), I would think that her thoughts would have moved from Christianity to Judaism.
3) and the misogynistic characterizations made by both male and female characters. Him: she's not pretty but she touches my soul beyond the physical level. Her: of course he would choose the hot, young thang.

These aspects gave life to the main characters because humans are incredibly complex creatures. A desperate fight for survival would likely bring only more intricacies to light. Why would a life-long scientist and atheist clutch a stone carved with crosses, thinking there is some sort of magic in it? How could a young man who has done horrible things to survive, see hope and even redemption in one woman, but still consider choosing another?

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to Jeff Carlson’s debut novel, Plague Year, follows the journey of Newcombe, Ruth, and Cam, three survivors of the devastating plague that has been ravaging the planet for the past year. In Plague Year we learned about the machine plague--heralded as a cure for cancer, the drug was accidentally released, making people sick and killing thousands upon millions. The cure turned out to be a deadly virus and people began to flee affected areas. Curiously, at higher elevations, people were unaffected. With the Sierras so close by, California became a safe haven. People flocked to the relative safety of the mountainous California-Nevada border, eager to leave behind the flatlands of the midwest where the plague spread like wildfire.

At the end of Plague Year (the events are foggy, the flashbacks helped jog my memory), Ruth, with the help of two other scientists, hastily built a vaccine for the virus under pressure of conflicting parties. The United States government wants the vaccine for themselves, Ruth and her small band of supporters want to spread the vaccine to the entire population and end the politicking and wars brewing across countries as surviving power houses vie for ultimate authority. But the waiting game was taking too long and innocents were left dying.

Driven by her own sense of morality and humanity, Ruth escapes with Cam and Newcombe, each inoculated with the vaccine, to spread the cure the old-fashioned way. In this post-apocalyptic thriller, our trio is on the run, braving lower elevations to evade US Air Force hunting parties and find other survivors living in the mountainsides to recruit for their cause. But the United States isn’t the only one aware of the vaccine--Russia is in on the game as well and with China rushing to bombard the weakened country, they’ll do anything to insure their own survival.

The war kind of takes a back seat in both novels in the way the Reavers were there in the background of “Firefly” and “Serenity”--we know they’re there causing the fear factor and driving our heroes to Do What’s Right and Escape What’s Wrong, but we never really see more than a glimpse and little hints here and there. Carlson really had to work on building tension between characters in opposition to each others sentiments. He didn’t write an action thriller filled with chase scenes, bullet barrages, and dramatic death scenes or heroic capers. Plague War is very subtle in featuring reactions and repercussions to the war rather than the actual war itself. Constructed shakily out of the political fears of surviving countries, the war churns in the background as more of a looming threat than any actual tangible thing. The closest our protagonists get is a mountainside-view of a small pseudo-nuclear blast pounding out one of the remaining US government bases in Leadville, Colorado. The war happens around the events and characters of Plague War, influencing their decisions, but never directly going past political maneuvering.

I was pretty disappointed in both books with the subdued presentation of war only because I was never really convinced there was anything to fear except plots on top of plots to out-maneuver opposing political powers. And if the war came to anti-climactic end (sure, all wars should be like that, but come on--it’s SF, entertain me a little), the budding romance between Cam and Ruth got its cue from that as well. Bundled in jackets, layers of clothing, and goggles to protect them from bug bites which leaves them horrifically exposed to the machine plague (albeit they have an imperfect inoculation), Cam and Ruth sort of mull around the idea of having a physical relationship but never really do anything other than a few pecks on the check, perhaps one on the lips, and a little unsatisfying lusting after each other. There’s a lot of thinking involved: will Ruth get pregnant and endanger her already ruined ability to keep up with Newcombe and Cam with injured arm and body weakened by having lived in the International Space Station for too long? But she secretly nabs a box of condoms at an abandoned mini mart, holding on to them just in case only to lament their loss when they get stolen upon entering a rebel safehouse.

It’s not just sex she’s after--Ruth is attracted to Cam despite his disfigurement and thinks nothing of Newcombe, and Cam is obviously soft for her, lingering on her well-being far longer than he would on Newcombe, but it seems she’s not even after a relationship. Her confusion, borne out of circumstances, is present even until the very last page of the novel. She’s jealous when Cam, put aside twice during the novel in favor of her lab work on the vaccine, finds comfort in Allison, a woman who not only knows what she wants, but acts on her feelings to give Cam a solid, real relationship. But if Cam can easily dissolve ties with Allison after the first time he’s “put on hold”, it’s not so easy the second. Any fans of a Cam/Ruth pairing are left with an unresolved “if only things happened differently” scenario that doesn’t exactly leave me weeping or cheering in any one direction. It was just unsatisfying and uninteresting. The tension between Cam and Ruth was barely there--Carlson a romance writer, is not.

The other problem I had with this book, and Plague Year, is the habit Carlson has of using flashbacks to fill a confused reader in on apparently random scenes that are unexplainable otherwise. He spans large sequences of time by skipping details and jumping potential scenarios, which is great for scenes that, like The Two Towers include a lot of boring walking and hiking, but confusing to explain the actual events and cataclysms of war that would have solidified the international tensions for me. The political machinations of this book were a little too subtle for me and I found myself losing interest as I lost my place in the plot of events, but I kind of liked it otherwise.

I really wish there could have been more perspective from the Chinese or Russian military, or even how other countries and populations were being affected by the machine plague. For a book that supposedly weighs worldly events, Plague War was dismally American-centric with little to no opposing points of view other than within their own borders among their own citizens.

Plague War never really hit its mark for me, but I did like reading it, even if I was left wishing I’d gotten something more fulfilling out of it. The writing was lovely: succinct, at times incredibly insightful and humanistic, intuitive, engaging. I think I kept reading hoping the rest of the book would do the writing more justice, but the build up was slow and the pay-off unrewarding. If you like SF thrillers, post-apocalyptic reads, and political maneuvering, this is the book for you! But make sure you read Plague Year first. You’ll be very, very confused otherwise.

[Henri Moreaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plague War continues on from Plague Year, in this episode we see Cam & Ruth continue to rally against the leadership of Leadville whilst fighting to their fellow North Americans from the plague.

What began as a post apocalypse survival series has turned into somewhat of a military thriller with both Russia & China invading the United States after word spreads of a vaccine to the nanotechnology plague having been discovered.

There's plenty of action as the story unfolds however I found the narrative a little choppy at times with it running smoothly for a few chapters then suddenly taking a leap forward to the next plot point. You kind of get used to it, but each time it is a little jarring and I found myself flipping back to make sure I hadn't just accidentally moved more than one page forward.

Overall, it moves the story line in a new welcome direction and the characters interactions with those on both sides of the Leadville divide is interesting, as was the Russian subterfuge.

[Placeholder · Rating 2 out of 5]

A novel that should be thrilling and full of tension, but actually lacks any semblance of it at all. Any threats that the characters face are only empty threats, and nothing more than a minor inconvenience actually ever happens to them. The B-plots are unmemorable and don't lead to anything, except for the one where Colorado ends up being nuked. On the plus side, the extensive research conducted to make the scenario as realistic as possible does show.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up as a used paperback so at somewhat of a disadvantage having not read #1; nevertheless, I enjoyed this different approach in the dystopian genre. Some very complicated relationships in the midst of the conflicts gave more depth to this story than is usually the case. Will be on the lookout for #3 and maybe even go back to #1.

[Ron Steranko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting follow up to 1st novel

Twenty years ago this would have been a single, long SF book, and a good one.
Now everybody has a trilogy.
I hope book 3 wraps this up and doesn't ask me for another $4 for book 4.

[Moises Flores · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es una historia muy interesante, pero por ratos se me hizo pesado de leer algunos segmentos de la historia son aburridos. Trata de ser un triller político post apocaliptico y también una historia de ciencia ficción pero no sé define y en ese intento la narración pierde fuerza.

[Ugene Mcelwee · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book a must read

[Frederick Gault · Rating 3 out of 5]

The continuation of a very dark fictional future.

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even boring than the first one... boring and mawkish, corny, sentimental... Come on! This is a Dystopia or "days of our lives"?

[Steve Aldridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read as the story develops but not quite as good as book one. Some repetitive parts but overall worth continuing with the trilogy.

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

The action is good, kept me reading. In the end the solution is a bit of a stretch.

[Dirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75

[Bob Crowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this trilogy.

[Walter Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruth and Cam are two of the most enigmatic, and at the same time, two of the most realistic characters in modern science fiction. Plague War smoothly picks up where Plague Year left off. The characters continue to be ground down by this unforgiving future, but somehow they continue to let their actions live out their faith more through inner strength than physical prowess. With the kind of conceptualization I marvelled at when I first read Larry Niven's Ringworld, Carlson's fictional world that has been permanently altered by nanotechnology used in a truly evil way is a continuing revelation that will make eyes widen and jaws drop as the implications of how things will continue to change are brought out.
Read Plague Year first.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plague War is the second novel in Jeff Carlson’s excellent Plague Year trilogy. The Plague Year trilogy takes place in the aftermath of a man-made Nanotech virus which has decimated the world’s population and forced all survivors to seek shelter at altitudes above ten thousand feet, the only place where the virus cannot spread. The world is thrown into chaos as animal and plant populations also succumb to the virus and humans fight amongst themselves for resources, land, and life itself. Carlson’s second novel brutally captures the sense of horror and suffering taking place on both an individual and global level, as well as creating a world of gripping espionage and ingenuity.

Plague War takes off where Plague Year ended. A tiny band of adventurers, including the protagonists scientist Ruth Goldman and veteran survivor Cam Najarro, have discovered a vaccine for the Nanotech virus and have set off across Colorado in an attempt to share the vaccine with as many of the infected as possible. Their mission is complicated, however, by military conflict from both United States and international factions, all of which are intent on procuring the vaccine for their own purposes.

Plague War’s real strength lies in its furthering of themes set up in
Plague Year. In the first book, Carlson established that those who endure the plague are often those who sacrifice others for their own survival. In this world there is no such thing as a hero, at least not in the conventional sense. In Plague War, Ruth, Cam and the other protagonists are faced with even more complex decisions. As allegiances constantly shift, and despot replaces despot, it becomes increasingly difficult for Ruth to know with whom to trust the vaccine. Heroics are impossible in such a climate of fear and betrayal. Carlson deftly encourages us to empathise with his characters while allowing us to disagree with their choices.

A minor criticism would be that Carlson’s action sequences are sometimes difficult to decipher. Occasionally there is not enough emphasis placed on that fact that things have quickly gone from calm to chaotic, and so the actions of the characters can momentarily seem out of proportion to what is going on. However, as I say this is really a minor criticism and Carlson’s writing has generally improved since Plague Year.

All in all, I would very much recommend Plague War to anyone who enjoyed Plague Year, and I would recommend the trilogy to anyone with an interest in post-apocalyptic or sci-fi literature. Plague War has a taut, thought-provoking narrative and engaging characters which kept me interested. I very much look forward to reading the third and final novel of Carlson’s trilogy, Plague Zone.

[Jenni V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty typical for the middle book of a trilogy. Stuff happened but there were no resolutions and everything was building for the next book. It ended in the perfect place with a great cliffhanger and I'm ready for book 3.

The plague is such an interesting concept but it seemed like this book was full of new problems instead of solving any of the original ones. As with the first book, there were so many angles and different sides that I wasn't always sure what was going on.

I also felt that too much of the action happened "off camera". For example, one chapter left off with a terse standoff between characters and then the next chapter was someone else's POV a few days later explaining how it resolved...not the same thing as seeing it play out ourselves.

A Few Quotes from the Book
"In some ways their wounds and exhaustion had left them childlike. Their vision was becoming more and more immediate, limited to the moment. Maybe that was good. No one's sanity could endure pain without end. It was a survival mechanism. But it was also dangerous."

"Her transformation was complete. Ruth had always been tough but now she was a warrior in every aspect, lean and hard and too sensitive all at the same time. To say that she was twitchy would not be incorrect. And yet the twitch was a cool, distant feeling, insulated by experience."

"He had seen all kinds of bravery and evil. Sometimes they were one and the same. The only difference was in where you stood..."

"Their lives depended on it. More importantly, her work would shape the outcome of the war. Mankind would rebuild on North America. There was no question of that, but the color of the natives' skin and the languages they spoke would depend on Ruth's success or failure."

Find all my reviews at: http://readingatrandom.blogspot.com/

[AudioBookReviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

ABR's full Plague War: The Author's Cut audiobook review can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

A mixture of military and post-apocalyptic thriller set in the not too distant future, Plague War captivates it’s audience with several gut wrenching ideas (not necessary new ones) that are communicated clearly and concisely thus making them very real!

Nanotechnology that was designed to create cures for diseases takes an unexpected turn – it is released and begins to eat at all living organisms – plant, animal and human alike – destroying them. Only those that escape and live in the mountains – 10,000 feet above survive.

Staged in the war torn U.S., Dr. Ruth Goldman, Cam, and Nemocheck struggle to reach a military base in Colorado, escape from Leadville and deliver the vaccine to the good guys. Amidst an invasion by China and Russia, our heroes must deliver the vaccine while dodging nuclear bombs, invading forces and their own people!

This book also focuses on the power struggle of nations as well as survival of humankind – we are our own worst enemy. Communications break-down, bombs are no longer a threat but a reality. As if this is not enough, Ruth must find the origin of a ghost nanotech that has taken up residency in the vaccine while navigating a romance.

Well written with high levels of anxiety inducing moments, Carlson achieves a well-developed, very real like plot with twists that leave one wondering what he has in store for them next. An excellent read for those who love military thrillers and those who love relationship themed reads.

Audiobook provided for review by the narrator.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm just less than half way through this book but I wanted to start my review early to capture my copious thoughts.

This book is... a train wreck. Let me explain:

a) I read the first book in this series in a week and then went straight on to the second. And yet when the main characters are debating whether to do Option X, Option Y or Option Z I have NFI what the motivations for those characters are. I also only have a vague idea what the options themselves are. There is very, very little explanation of what's driving Ruth, Cam and Soldier Guy (Newcombe?).

b) The way this book shows how women think and how men think about women is just appalling. I'm preeeeeety sure the Scout Troop leader is not considering breeding is daughter with all the remaining members of the troop. I'm pretty sure the daughter is wearing shorts not to show off her "coltish legs" to the boys, but because that's what she was wearing when the fucking apocalypse happened. I'm pretty sure a woman wouldn't sneak a pack of condoms if she thought a male companion might force himself on her. That's when you sneak a knife. Or four.

c) The main characters, upon finding fellow survivors, say they refuse to share the nanite vaccine unless the survivors do exactly what the main characters want. Which was the pseudo-US Government's approach to the vaccine, which made the main characters become rebels. The hypocrisy makes my eye twitch.

d) Russians. They're evil. Of course they are.

That said, the plot was good back when it was explained properly (like, in the first book). The character mix is interesting. The writing itself is not awful.

[Andy Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in a trilogy (the first being 'Plague Year' and the third 'Plague Zone'). If you haven't read 'Plague Year' yet then I strongly recommend that you start there. It's a more exciting story and this one won't make anywhere near as much sense without the background information it provides.

The story picks up pretty much where the first book finished. The survivors of the nanotech machine plague are trying to spread the competing nanotech vaccine to other people who are stranded above an altitude of 10,000 feet. A large part of the novel is just that - Cam, Ruth and Newcombe from the first story struggling across a ravaged USA to try and reach other survivors. This is more interesting than it sounds as the author has thought about what would happen to the environment if all warm blooded animals are rapidly killed off, and the various hazards they encounter kept me turning the pages.

The second strand of the story describes what's happening on a global scale as nations go to war over the limited amount of real estate that is habitable. On top of that, a civil war breaks out in the USA as two factions try to find Ruth and her vaccine.

This book isn't as good as the first instalment in the series, but I would recommend it if you want to find out what happens next. I was a bit disappointed with the ending, as it's clearly setting up the third (and I believe final) novel. So, if you do read this book, don't expect all the answers and expect to have to read the third part to get any satisfaction.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok lets see if my review of this will take this time since i lost the last one.
this book feels more like a complete novel more than the first one - it certainly drew a good enough conclusion that i cannot see what will happen in the third and final book and so much so that i have regained my interest in reading them to find out what happens.
The book carries on more or less right after the ending of the first so the action is pretty linear however it does take a major redirection half way through - no spoilers - so that the pace suddenly shifts enough to keep you interested to see where it will all go. a in all i enjoyed this book and now will start then next one.