Plague Zone

Plague #3

by Jeff Carlson

First Earth was devastated by the machine plague, a runaway nanotechnology that devoured all warm-blooded organisms below altitudes of ten thousand feet. Then the remnants of humankind turned on one another, provoking a brief, furious world war and the invasion of North America. Now Russia and Chinese armies hold California against the battered forces of the U.S.-Canadian Alliance.

Nanotech researcher Ruth Goldman and Cam Najarro - a former Army Ranger who helped her force an end to the war - have finally found some peace in a small, hidden village in the Rockies. But the arms race for weaponized nanotech has continued, and America is struck by a new contagion.

Together with a small band of friends and rivals, Ruth and Cam must discover the source of the new plague - never suspecting that its creator is an old enemy they believe dead...

Genres: Science Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Fiction, Horror, Apocalyptic, Zombies, Dystopia

336 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 13, 2009

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

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love post-apocalyptic fiction, the darker the better. The first two books in Jeff Carlson's trilogy didn't disappoint, both were great reads chronicling the epic struggle of a world in the after math of a machine plague. I was anxious to start Plague Zone but life kept intruding. When I was finally able to open the book, I couldn't put it down. It can easily be enjoyed as a stand-alone story but you'll be missing out if you don't read Plague War and Plague Year.

Three years after a nanotech plague spread across the world killing all those who lived below 10,000 feet altitude, humanity is barely surviving. Cam Najarro and his wife, Allison, who is four months pregnant, are living in a small community in Colorado. A woman breaches their perimeter and they discover she's carrying a new plague that affects the brain, essentially turning people into zombies. It was released by the Chinese and nanotech researcher Ruth Goldman holds the only hope of finding a cure. In the struggle for an antidote, she fears that the end of humanity is all but certain.

Carlson's characterization is excellent and the world building is solid. He provides enough back history to bring readers up to speed. If you've been fortunate enough to read the previous books you'll be happy to note that favorite, familiar characters return. There are new ones as well, and a new threat to humanity's survival. It's a fast paced adventure and the action, suspense - and yes romance provide plenty of thrills. Readers can expect another round of page turning excitement.

Review by Gail Pruszkowski

Article Source: Plague Zone by Jeff Carlson

[Henri Moreaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plague Zone is the third and final book in the plague trilogy by Jeff Carlson, if you enjoyed the first two books then it's safe to say you'll also enjoy this one.

The story continues, this time commencing with Cam, Ruth, Allison & a handful of the others living in a small village/township called Jefferson. It's here they are eking out a living from an unforgiving landscape ravaged by the nanotechnology plague & unrestrained insects who have virtually no predators left. Suddenly a woman lumbers into the outer perimeter of Jefferson carrying a new plague that quickly decimates a number of the survivors and causes the others to flee with what they can carry.

They soon find out that Jefferson is not the only place that has been struck, but rather the surviving remnants of the United States has been struck by China's new nanotechnology weapon and the remaining survivors must band together with the remnants of the Grand Lake military base.

The story is good, on par with the earlier two books, shifting once again to be slightly more survival based than the second's heavily military oriented story line, although such does form a reasonably large part of this, just with the primary focus being more on Ruth/Cam/Deborah and company.

I felt it was a good way to round out the trilogy.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What an excellent ending to an excellent trilogy! Jeff Carlson’s Plague Year books were probably the best I’ve read in the last twelve months, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the final instalment, Plague Zone, was the strongest book in the trilogy. Not only was it as tense and exciting as the others, it also managed to be a satisfying conclusion, which is no mean feat.

In the aftermath of the nanotech plague Ruth Goldman, Cam Navarjo, and their small band of survivors have set up a small peaceful village in the Rockies. As usual, they can’t catch a break. Their attempt at re-establishing society and a semblance of normality in their lives is swiftly ended when a new contagion arrives on their doorstep. Ruth and Cam once again find themselves in a race to discover the source of the plague, while international war between America and China threatens to destroy the last remnants of civilisation around them.

Plague Zone is an excellent ending to the trilogy not only because it takes events to their logical conclusion, but also because the ideas that the other two books dealt with were brought to a head here. Whereas in the first two books the choices made are often morally dubious and doing the right thing is all but impossible, in Plague Zone there is no longer a right or wrong choice left. The impossibility of it all is summed up very well by Cam early on in the novel:

“Had the two of them made a mistake or done something right?
What if the answer was both?”

Maybe it is both. Almost every decision that Ruth, Cam and the rest make has huge repercussions, both positive and negative. All anyone can do anymore in the Plague Year universe is decide who will die and hope that things will get better.

I highly admired Plague Zone for the risks it takes. I was somewhat dubious about the relationship between Ruth and Cam as superfluous romances can be detrimental to an otherwise good plot. However Carlson pulled it off well, the very human bond ensuring that the dangers never became too abstract. I was also worried about the nature of the new plague – I wasn’t sure that introducing zombies at such a late stage was a good idea – but once again Carlson made good on the premise, even bringing some original elements to the mix. It’s nice to see a book that can flirt with clichés and come out all the better for it, so very good job Plague Zone!

It was also great to read a post-apocalyptic novel – heck, just a novel – that had so many kick-ass female characters in it. The whole trilogy is pretty good on the female character front but they really came to the fore here.

I’m happy to say that I’ve found a post-apocalyptic series that just about rivals World War Z. Sure, the characters’ endurance occasionally strains credulity, but just like Max Brook’s universe there is an incredible level of detail and a brilliant group of widely diverse characters that kept me enthralled the entire time. I’m particularly glad that Carlson was able to give the Plague Year trilogy the send off it deserved, and I can’t wait to check out his other works.

[Grampy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

"Plague Zone" by uber-talented Jeff Carlson is a brilliant conclusion to the "Plague" trilogy. These three works of art will make a much more complete story if read in order. In a pinch any of them will work as a stand-alone. However, without knowing who the characters are, or what their history is, you will be short-changing yourself.

In "Plague Zone" our lead characters have embarked on an ambitious program to establish a peaceful community, consisting of many people who have tired of the war and its dire consequences, and just want to get on with living. By scavenging other sites of various tools, equipment, materials and food, the community is actually turning out the way everybody hoped it would. That is, until an older woman approaches the exclusion fencing that surrounds them.

Contact was made, to see what she wanted... perhaps she was a refugee who only wanted to become a part of their joint effort. Sadly, such was not the case. In a world where ANY good news is too good to be true, the community was under siege once again. This time only a handful of survivors escaped, commandeering a jeep which got them 30 miles away before running out of gas.

Jeff Carlson has proven time and time again that he is a legitimate creative author, who can hold his own against "the big boys" in the world of fiction. His "Plague" trilogy is more than adequate to make that obvious to all but the densest of readers. I kept getting a creepy feeling running up my spine, every time the thought crossed my mind that I had somehow gotten hold of a History book from the future.

The plot, the story, the characters, even the xenophobia ring true to life, and the trilogy plays out in an incredibly realistic manner. As in life, good guys die. Sometimes bad guys win. Ethnic and religious hatred are as much a part of our DNA as is hair color and body shape.

"Plague Zone" is frighteningly plausible. It does not rely on aliens from outer space, or demons emerging from an earthquake fault, or even zombies popping up in various cemeteries, to create an aura of fear and horror. "Plague Zone" relies on the greatest monster of all: the evil that resides inside Man.

I most emphatically urge you - ALL of you - to get this trilogy and read it, in order. Even as frightening as it can be, you will find, as I did, that you just cannot set it down and walk away, without a serious effort and a very good reason.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it's safe to say that if you enjoyed the first two books in this series, you'll enjoy this one. Jeff Carlson exercises his completely unique storytelling abilities to good effect in this final volume.

I am left impressed with the scope and detail of the series as a whole. I believe the near future is incredibly difficult to write in a convincing way - particularly when it concerns huge, world-changing events. I've read plenty of apocalyptic stories. And don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed most of them. But most would pale alongside the Plague trilogy when measured for a sense of realism.

Mind you, sometimes the balance of realism and "fun" swings one way or the other. And I have often felt that the Plagues swing away from fun more often than not. So I doubt you'd ever hear them described as a "wild romp" or a "rollicking good time." But the story is good and the characters are three-dimensional. And Carlson keeps the velocity high enough to give the story the kinetic energy to push forward.

In short, I persevered. And along the way, I enjoyed the action, the science, and the all-too-real characters.

[Walter Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are times when this trilogy is hard to read, given the descriptions of what the nanomachine Apocalypse does to our planet, and the hardships that the characters experience as a direct result.
Then again, that is exactly what makes all of the books so worth reading. Carlson has gamed out the post-Plague environmental, political, and scientific elements that the reader is totally caught up in it. Nuclear war erupts in this agonizing future, as the US, Russia, China, and other world powers do what they think must be done in order to preserve their place in whatever future might see their people surviving. And everything about their attempts at survival is ugly.
Cam and Ruth remain at the center of the story, with the reader by times, aghast, forgetting to breath, angry, and appealing to Deities in particular, or the universe in general, to spare them…just one more time.

[Hortensia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un poco menos monótona que la uno y la dos de la serie, pero siempre igual de confusas. Los personajes no tienen claros sus objetivos, tan pronto son aliados como enemigos, tan pronto están "enamorados" como enemistados; llena de traiciones, nunca sabes quiénes son buenos, quiénes son malos, donde las decisiones que se toman están ligadas a lo que digan los demás. Demasiados villanos, los propios, los rusos, los chinos...

Situaciones incongruentes... el mundo devastado, pero no deja de haber combustibles (siempre está escondido en algún lugar) y alimentos enlatados. A las armas nunca se les termina la munición y siempre hay quien juegue a la nanotecnología arrastrando los microscopios nucleares a través del desierto; todo mundo se infecta de la plaga menos los protagonistas y cuando finalmente alguien "enferma" ¡Oh, milagro! encuentran el antídoto.

Y para terminar... mucho racismo, sobre todo en esta última entrega, pero el colmo de todo es que el maldito final ¡es abierto! También lo odié.

En definitiva no me gustó, sufrí enormidades al leer la trilogía... pero el "Sheldon Cooper" que vive en mí me impidió dejar comenzada la serie, incluso desde la mitad del primer libro. Lo bueno es que solo fueron 3.

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

The weakest book of the series. I still enjoyed is a fun read, but the "mind plague" made it feel as if Carlson was trying to capitalize on the zombie zeitgeist of recent times. I love great zombie stories as much as the next person, but it took the machine plague in a direction that disconnected me from the success of the previous books.

[Dirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Third book in this series about the world after a nanomachine plague has wiped out most of the life on earth. I liked the first one and the second was ok, but I just didn’t get into this one too much. Ended up skimming it a lot.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this whole series. First, the main character is a strong female scientist. Awesome. Also, it's got lots of science and is set in a dystopian future. Everything to love. Definitely a must read for sci-fi lovers.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Plague Zone, Jeff Carlson uses the last few pages of the first chapter to revisit what’s happened in the previous two books. Usually, these kind of summaries bother me, but in this case I was glad. It’d been so long since I read Plague War that I’d forgotten exactly what happened. Plague Zone not only filled in the gaps, but delivered where I felt the previous two were lacking. Having stopped the widespread distribution of yet another evolution of the machine plague that first ravaged across the world, Cam, Ruth, Allison, and Eric have set up camp in Jefferson, Colorado (named after the former US President), hidden away from other military forces who would still arrest, at the very least, Cam and Ruth, for their direct involvement betraying and sabotaging US Military efforts to unleash the third machine plague.

Where Plague War was political, Plague Zone is more action-packed with an additional, fear-inducing element. When a lookout from Jefferson spies a lone wanderer edging closer to the city limits, he sends Allison with a small team to investigate. Partly to ease the growing tension between her--now his wife and pregnant with their child--and Ruth, his former object of lust, and partly to delegate, Cam is more preoccupied with an upstart ant invasion that threatens to cause more damage to their already tenuous living conditions. His attention quickly alters course when screams and gunfire alert the citizens of Jefferson that the city is suddenly under some kind of attack. It isn’t Russian or Chinese forces bearing down on Jefferson--it’s an even more pressing and dire threat: the wandering refugee is slack-jawed and white-eyed, shuffling toward the city with an eerie momentum. Suddenly Allison’s small party begins dropping and convulsing, jerking awkwardly against their own bodies. It isn’t until Ruth realizes what’s happening does she try to keep everyone else from saving their crew; a new nanotech plague has been unleashed and it renders its victims into zombies.

Now, before I go on, these aren’t your typical vacant-eyed, gotta-eat-your-brain-but-human-flesh-will-do-just-as-nicely type of zombies. Carlson’s zombies are infected with an airborne plague that wafts from their vitals like an odorous perfume, reaching those downwind faster to infect them first. They don’t have to actually bite anyone to infect new victims. Being in the same general vicinity will do. This new threat makes the book a little more dire and dramatic as our protagonists flee into the hands of the military they’d been hoping to evade. Now it’s up to Ruth and Deborah Reece to develop a vaccine that counters the effects of this new mind plague, but also prevents the Chinese army from further inoculations.

One of the things I had trouble with in the last book was the lack of enemy perspective. Luckily, Carlson introduced Colonel Jia of the People’s Liberation Army, which, while helpful, brought its own set of narrative problems. Jia refers to his homosexuality as a “deviancy” and a “curse” (p. 283)--something I hope is given for cultural context since I sympathized with him for feeling he had to hide his true self. As derogatory as I felt the terms were, I was convinced Jia truly felt trapped. At least until his lover meets a violent end and Jia comes across the only other homosexual character in the book. A character who just so happens to flirt with Jia and who Jia just as easily latches on to. I realize the world has gotten quite small, thanks to the machine plague, but pairing off the only gay characters left in a book is just as insulting as pairing off the only female to the first male she comes across. I don’t think Carlson is a particularly strong romance writer and this attempt is, in my opinion, weak, albeit fueled by political survival. In that sense their behavior is understandable, if not entirely believable, but I suppose I’m still trying to work out my frustration with this situation.

Adding to that is Jia’s frenzied imagining of a “cabal” (p. 283)--a secret homosexual group keeping an eye out for each other and rising through the Chinese military ranks--is a bit ridiculous. Contextually, he’d just done something worth execution and it’s this fear that drives his imagination to this point, but I’m confused why his fear leads him to grasp at survival, wherein his sexuality would save him where before it’d been, to him and his fellows, a shameful, damning thing. It’s true that fear can make us do and think differently, but in the context of the story, I think this line of thinking was unwarranted, albeit understandable: if Jia’s entire career hinged on his superiors finding out about his sexuality, of course it’d be the first thing come to mind when he felt in danger. I think the reason I see it as unwarranted is tied directly to the romantic (or even physical attraction) undertones Carlson wrote into the scene. Bu had just died and already Jia is quite ready to jump into the affections of another partner.

The same could be said of Cam and Ruth, but the difference is the history they have built over the past two books. Ruth and Cam frequently danced around each other, clearly attracted to one another, but never quite consummating either the emotional or physical side of their relationship. In Plague Zone the two finally confront their hesitations. As much as I felt rewarded by this, I also felt a little put off with Cam’s abrasive behavior. One particular scene has him (a Hispanic soldier) justifying the use of racial slurs against the Chinese forces in California to incite anger and “channel those emotions” (p. 229) to give his American fellows the momentum necessary to act. It seems even in our future, we are reduced to race-based justifications.

There were many things I did love about Plague Zone. Apart from finally getting an enemy point of view, there was a lot more narrative involvement over the war; as a reader, I felt directly involved where before I felt left out. To be fair, it isn’t until the end of the previous book that the protagonists, our narrative guides, become involved either so it makes sense for the final book for there to be more focus on that area. I just happen to be more comfortable with it now than before.

One aspect of Carlson’s style is approaching a scene with one character and one character only. When he switches point of view, he doesn’t always revisit the same scenario from the new character’s perspective. Instead, he picks up where the other character left off. For the most part, this is refreshing and a unique way to approach the text. It definitely helps to propel the story forward and adds a sense of urgency, but at times--and I hate to admit this--it can be a little unsettling. For instance, you never quite know if a character has died or gotten injured until afterward because of how quickly a perspective can change, moving forward in the timeline of events. Overall, though, I like this approach.

Since I was on cold medication while I reading Plague Zone (and while writing this review), it’s hard to say if I enjoyed this more or less because of that. I’d like to think I enjoyed it anyway, but there are a couple of allusions I’d like to point out that I can’t quite figure out what to do with. For one, Kendra Freedman, the creator of the first machine plague, is referred to as the “destroyer of worlds” (p.272), in much the same way J. Robert Oppenheimer quoted the Bhagavad Gita after unleashing the first atomic bomb, “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” The similarity is uncanny and I salute Carlson for sneaking this in. The other allusion I picked up on is the one I’m not sure even exists or if it’s just a product of my over active, medicine-fueled imagination. When our heroes arrive over San Bernadino in a helicopter in search of Kendra, it’s a woman reduced to skin and bones with wild, scraggly hair they find instead of the plump one they’d been expecting, waving her hands and arms erratically above her head. The appearance is immediately summed in the label, “witch” (p. 256) and later “ugly witch.” I couldn’t understand why that appearance would make anyone think of a witch--an unkempt skinny woman waving her arms around means witch? Then I remembered Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and the witch figure who, like Kendra, is also dark-skinned and, if I remember correctly, behaves similarly when viewed from the safety of the boat Marlow journeys with his entourage in search of Kurtz through the wild jungles of the African Congo. Of course, I could remember this entirely wrong. Please correct me if I do. I’d hate to think I’d learned something poorly.

In any event, Plague Zone appealed to me in a way its predecessors did not. Carlson kept the tension and suspense well until the end. I think it’s because I found out Plague Year was optioned for a movie that I couldn’t help imagining Plague Zone as very cinematic--and how well certain scenes would translate to that medium--but overall it was a good trilogy and I’d recommend them all to Science Fiction thriller fans. This is also one of those rare books where women take a vital role in the story!

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cam and Ruth try to survive as a new nanotech plague turns people into the equivalent of zombies.

This book was disappointing. I absolutely love the first book - nanotech plague kills everyone below a certain altitude- and liked the second book but thought the author tried to shoehorn in too much (another, different plague, the Russians and Chinese fly over to attack the U.S., a nuclear strike). In all reality that first nanotech plague alone would have been enough for a series where you could have followed the devastation and hopefully rebuilding. The author double downs in the third one by sweeping them with another plague, this one destroying the mind, and more nuclear strikes because hey - things aren't hard enough? It made the book become a cartoon for me. Add on that the 'romance' between Cam and Ruth was badly handled and I ended up having to skim the last third or so.

But that first book is great!

[Jackie Jameson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I blush with giving the ending of this trilogy 5 stars. I’m so not like that; science fiction? Me? But I read the whole trilogy and my heart did a funny little jump at the ending. I read them all from first book to last, and if you can, I’d encourage you to do it too. You don’t have to stretch your imagination to imagine the nano technology that the trilogy is based on. These books are not going to comfort you about the state of the world today. They are going to scare the piddle (piss) out of you because that technology exists today in the THE REAL WORLD and it’s usage is not beyond the realm of possibility. These novels will make you think the next time you’re lining up for a vaccine.
This trilogy deserves my 5 star rating.

[Tommi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read all three books in two weeks. Great story, interesting characters.
The writing is not fabulous, but I read for the plot. Why did I give them all just three stars, instead of 4 or 5? They were a little too rushed, and there was a little too much focus on relationships. Maybe that's realistic, I don't know- since I've never been fighting for my life at the end of the world. I did like the comradery and sense of mutual trust among the the various groups as they worked together.
So- compelling, and quite scary.

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh my god! This saga ends as it started, demostrating that the creativity of this author ends in the half of book one... So disappointing... Esta saga termino siendo repetitiva y falta de giros nuevos. Nos infectamos y re-infectamos y destruimos y redestruimos...Si el primer libro iba bien encaminado, los otros dos, definitivamente fueron una demostración de que no había hacia donde apuntar la creatividad... mal por el resto de la humanidad...

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great conclusion to a very well crafted story

One of the best dystopian stories I've read, very well written, human, fallible characters, a great plot and scarily believable

Well done!

[Bob Crowley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this series.

[Gregoire · Rating 2 out of 5]

j'ai lu avec intérêt le t1 trouvant la psychologie des personnages et la description du monde ravagé très prenante et plutôt crédible Il n'est pas impossible qu'une catastrophe planétaire due à une manipulation de virus ou de nouvelle technologie nous guette ..Malheureusement, les deux séquelles ( Plague War /Plague Zone) ne m'ont pas convaincu Je n'ai pas adhéré à cette guerre des états survivants (US versus Russie Versus Chine) alors justement que la survie en tant qu'espèce même est en danger ni à la réapparition de Docteur Maboule Kendra (pardon !) de la chercheuse à l'origine de ces apocalyptiques nanovirus est comme un lapin sorti du chapeau pour pouvoir finir l'histoire ... Malgré tout, j'ai lu jusqu'au bout Conclusion je suis un optimiste qui préfère croire que nous ne sommes pas tous des psychopathes en puissance !

I read with interest the t 1 finding the psychology of the characters and the description of the ravaged world very compelling and believable It is not impossible that a global catastrophe due to manipulation of viruses or new technology threatens us .Both sequelae( Plague War /Plague ZONE) have not convinced me I did not believe in this war between the survivors states (US versus Russia versus China) precisely at the time when survival as a species is in danger Idem, the reappearance of Doctor Maboule Kendra (sorry !) of the researcher behind these apocalyptic nanovirus was a little to much ... Nevertheless, I read through until the end
Conclusion I am an optimist who prefer to believe that we're not all psychopaths in the making!

[Felicia A Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third installment in this series....another win. The writing is excellent, the plot is fantastic, and the characters are well drawn and real. I don't know if the nanotech science is real (not saying it isn't, I just don't enough about nanotech to know if it is), but it's totally believeable, and the author has done some amazing research.

This series is depressing. The world Mr. Carlson has created through the three books is appallingly dismal. The entire world is in an upheaval, people have died by the millions and yet the "governments" of the world continue to fight each other relentlessly.

I often find that men cannot write with a female "voice" very well, but the female characters in this novel are alive and very well done.

Definitely read Plague Year and Plague War before this one so that you can get the full and complete effect of the saga that Mr. Carlson has created.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok I found it! And now finished it. This was the last in the trilogy and to be honest the easiest and quickest to read. The book is really one long scene played over many of the remaining characters you are introduced to in earlier books. Where as the first two volumes had long treks and journeys where characters were introduced, developed and set in place for some further storyline (which appears to have been all focused on this book), this volume really is one long final confrontation. I could see this book being 300+ pages of story dictated in one long breath it really does not feel like it lets up. Now as much as i enjoyed this book and i did read it at a pace - i feel that the pace is totally different to the two earlier books - if they could have been set at this pace then i think who series would have benefited more. However that said I think they needed some sort of conclusion to it all and this certainly gave it well gave it without giving too much away.

[Gendou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overly violent, like the second book, but also rich in creative use and description of nanotechnology. By now, the main characters are pretty clear, and this reader was very invested in them. What I appreciate most in Carlson's writing is that technology isn't a substitute for magic, but instead, has practical limitations, while still being of central importance to the plot.

Though I'm not sure about the speed at which the Plague nanotechnology acts on its hosts... Wouldn't it take hours to multiply from minute to macroscopic quantities, even if it replicates 100 times as fast as biological life?

[L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

In some ways "Plague Zone" is less of a third book in a trilogy and more of a stand-alone from the first two books. We find all of the same characters carrying on as you'd expect after "Plague War" but the real plot comes from a new direction. It grows naturally from the situation developed in the first two books but Carlson introduces enough new characters and scenarios that "Plague Zone" has a unique feel. This book feels bigger than the others and in fact it's longer. The mix of favorite characters and fresh danger was great fun and "Plague Zone" is almost my favorite of the three. As the original I think "Plague Year" remains the best and "Plague Zone" takes second place.

[Santiago Granados · Rating 2 out of 5]

Esta tercera entrega de la saga a todas luces sobra. No solo aporta poco a la historia global, partiendo de que la segunda entrega ya nos brinda un final coherente y suficiente, sino que además presenta incoherencias sustanciales con el resto de la historia. Por poner un ejemplo, la plaga de nanobots, que en las dos primeras entregas, causa consecuencias por igual en todos los seres humanos que entran en contacto con la misma, en esta nueva entrega la plaga parece haberse vuelto selectiva y su contagio derivado del azar.

[N.V. Cefalo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this 2.5/5.

I really enjoyed the first book, and thought the second book was OK enough for me to want to finish the series. I was really disappointed with the 3rd book. Not only did I feel like this could have been shortened by a lot and stuck onto the end of the second book, but I also despise the ending. I felt like that a majority of this book was a rehash of the first two books to give it bulk. I wish this book was so much more - it had really great potential!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was as exciting and good as the other two. However, I was really disappointed with the ending. It didn't feel like it ended. I have no idea what even happened at the end. It didn't seem that anything was resolved with the nanotech or between Ruth and Cam. Still a good book, just would have been better if the ending made sense and closed up some stuff.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent finale to the Plague trilogy. Faster paced than the previous two, this wraps up the series very well. The characters stay true to form, and there are a few surprises on the way. The Chinese as the 'baddies' make believable reading and the final fight scene is very well done. Great book, great series.

[Jenni V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more of a placeholder review to show I read it...I don't have much to say at all.

It did wrap up loose ends of the trilogy and the ending was satisfactory but overall, just meh.

No quotes from the book.

Find all my reviews (I usually have more to say, promise) at: http://readingatrandom.blogspot.com/

[Brad]

Unlikeable characters, false emotions. Just not very good or interesting. It get's two stars for at least being in the post apocaluptic genre and for being fast paced. Otherwise, you can skip this series.

[Greg Collver · Rating 2 out of 5]

The review I read made it sound better than it actually was. It was not so bad that I didn't finish it. Short on science, long on fiction, lots of monkey talk, it got tiresome. Maybe this, maybe that, maybe this other thing, it got really tiresome.

[Kenzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent finish to the trilogy. I didn't care much for how it ended but I don't know how else it could have gone.