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The Vector
"A gripping, scary viruscore tale" - io9.com
It's the age of the home-made virus, and humanity is dying. It just doesn't know it yet.
In Prague, a young woman named Eva returns home to escape the plagues, only to find her mother missing and the police blaming her for the worst outbreaks in recent memory. Events are complicated by the appearance of a Healer - a merciless Chinese agent - sent to neutralize a new strain that may bring Prague to its knees.
With only days until the launch of a super-virus, Eva must navigate a hostile city and escape to safety before she becomes another faceless victim in this global, slow apocalypse.
"MCM is one of the most unique voices working in SciFi today." - Martin Gero, Producer, Stargate: Atlantis
It's the age of the home-made virus, and humanity is dying. It just doesn't know it yet.
In Prague, a young woman named Eva returns home to escape the plagues, only to find her mother missing and the police blaming her for the worst outbreaks in recent memory. Events are complicated by the appearance of a Healer - a merciless Chinese agent - sent to neutralize a new strain that may bring Prague to its knees.
With only days until the launch of a super-virus, Eva must navigate a hostile city and escape to safety before she becomes another faceless victim in this global, slow apocalypse.
"MCM is one of the most unique voices working in SciFi today." - Martin Gero, Producer, Stargate: Atlantis
374 pages, Paperback
First published July 18, 2009
2 people are currently reading
187 people want to read
About the author
MCM
52 books32 followersMCM is the author of books like "The Vector", "The App", "Fission Chips" and the livewritten novels "Typhoon", "The New Real", and "Arkady and Kain". He also wrote and illustrated the anti-DRM fable “The Pig and the Box”, which has been translated into 18 languages and read over one million times by people across the globe. In his spare time, he creates TV series like "RollBots", playing all over the world RIGHT NOW. He lives in Ottawa and Victoria, Canada, because timezones are awesome!
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 6, 2009
[I've been reading this as an online serial, not in paperback form, so what follows are my thoughts of the online form:]
There’s very little I can say about The Vector that hasn’t been said before.
It’s action-packed, fast-paced, thrilling and occasionally stomach-turning. Definitely not for the squeamish; being a little iffy about viruses myself, there were several moments where I felt faintly sick. The story’s so good, though, that I ploughed on.
The story follows three plot lines: Eva, who is searching for her mother in Prague; Carey, an office worker reluctantly involved in the politics behind vaccines for viruses; and the mysterious Healer who is hunting down the original hosts of the viruses, called the ‘vectors’.
Having these three different plot lines really helps the reader sink into this post-apocalyptic world and understand the situation from all perspectives. Eva is on the streets, at risk of being infected herself, and sees the gritty reality of death. Carey is involved in the office politics, giving a sense that these epidemics are much more calculated and sinister than expected. And the Healer sees everything from an outsider perspective, an objective executioner of sorts.
The setting is well-planned, and incredibly realistic.
As for the writing style of the narrative, MCM is a professional author and it shows, even in the little details. I particularly like how he uses dialogue and lexical choices to subtly convey character accents.
If I had to complain about anything, I’d say the prologue is the weakest part of the story. The staccato sentences struck me as odd, as did the use of ‘it’ to refer to the Healer.
Overall, an exciting and thrilling read. If you’re an adrenaline-junkie with a fondness for sci-fi, this is the story for you.
There’s very little I can say about The Vector that hasn’t been said before.
It’s action-packed, fast-paced, thrilling and occasionally stomach-turning. Definitely not for the squeamish; being a little iffy about viruses myself, there were several moments where I felt faintly sick. The story’s so good, though, that I ploughed on.
The story follows three plot lines: Eva, who is searching for her mother in Prague; Carey, an office worker reluctantly involved in the politics behind vaccines for viruses; and the mysterious Healer who is hunting down the original hosts of the viruses, called the ‘vectors’.
Having these three different plot lines really helps the reader sink into this post-apocalyptic world and understand the situation from all perspectives. Eva is on the streets, at risk of being infected herself, and sees the gritty reality of death. Carey is involved in the office politics, giving a sense that these epidemics are much more calculated and sinister than expected. And the Healer sees everything from an outsider perspective, an objective executioner of sorts.
The setting is well-planned, and incredibly realistic.
As for the writing style of the narrative, MCM is a professional author and it shows, even in the little details. I particularly like how he uses dialogue and lexical choices to subtly convey character accents.
If I had to complain about anything, I’d say the prologue is the weakest part of the story. The staccato sentences struck me as odd, as did the use of ‘it’ to refer to the Healer.
Overall, an exciting and thrilling read. If you’re an adrenaline-junkie with a fondness for sci-fi, this is the story for you.
December 21, 2012
Overall this is a good book that could just use a little work. The plot specifically is basically good but I found the set up lacking. Important details aren't given early enough, especially concerning the "Healers". Most of the details do eventually come up, but I spent a substantial portion of the book trying to piece things together and figure out what was going on. Perhaps that was the author's goal, but it detracted from the story.
The editing for grammar and spelling was fine but the formatting needs work. Approximately the last 17% of the book was repeat chapters that need to be deleted.
The editing for grammar and spelling was fine but the formatting needs work. Approximately the last 17% of the book was repeat chapters that need to be deleted.
November 11, 2009
A really gripping suspense, and the subject matter is close enough to really hit home. Definitely worth your time.
March 25, 2012
Not what I expected.
It was an O.K. book. But it left to many unanswered questions for my taste.
It was an O.K. book. But it left to many unanswered questions for my taste.
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September 29, 2012Boring. Boring. Boring. Zzzzzzz.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews