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Spiral
In this riveting debut thriller— the winner of Best First Novel at the 2012 Thriller Awards and a nominee for a Nero Award—the race is on to stop the devastating proliferation of the ultimate bioweapon. Spiral is perfect for fans of Michael Crichton, Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, and Richard Preston.
When Nobel laureate Liam Connor is found dead at the bottom of one of Ithaca, New York’s famous gorges, his research collaborator, Cornell professor of nanoscience Jake Sterling, refuses to believe it was suicide. Why would one of the world’s most eminent biologists, a eighty-six-year old man in good health who survived some of the darkest days of the Second World War, have chosen to throw himself off a bridge? And who was the mysterious woman caught on camera at the scene? Soon it becomes clear that a cache of supersophisticated nanorobots—each the size of a spider—has disappeared from the dead man’s laboratory.
Stunned by grief, Jake, Liam’s granddaughter, Maggie, and Maggie’s nine-year-old son, Dylan, try to put the pieces together. They uncover ingeniously coded messages Liam left behind pointing toward a devastating secret he gleaned off the shores of war-ravaged Japan and carried for more than sixty years.
What begins as a quest for answers soon leads to a horrifying series of revelations at the crossroads of biological warfare and nanoscience. At this dangerous intersection, a skilled and sadistic assassin, an infamous Japanese war criminal, and a ruthless U.S. government official are all players in a harrowing game of power, treachery, and intrigue—a game whose winner will hold the world’s fate literally in the palm of his hand.
When Nobel laureate Liam Connor is found dead at the bottom of one of Ithaca, New York’s famous gorges, his research collaborator, Cornell professor of nanoscience Jake Sterling, refuses to believe it was suicide. Why would one of the world’s most eminent biologists, a eighty-six-year old man in good health who survived some of the darkest days of the Second World War, have chosen to throw himself off a bridge? And who was the mysterious woman caught on camera at the scene? Soon it becomes clear that a cache of supersophisticated nanorobots—each the size of a spider—has disappeared from the dead man’s laboratory.
Stunned by grief, Jake, Liam’s granddaughter, Maggie, and Maggie’s nine-year-old son, Dylan, try to put the pieces together. They uncover ingeniously coded messages Liam left behind pointing toward a devastating secret he gleaned off the shores of war-ravaged Japan and carried for more than sixty years.
What begins as a quest for answers soon leads to a horrifying series of revelations at the crossroads of biological warfare and nanoscience. At this dangerous intersection, a skilled and sadistic assassin, an infamous Japanese war criminal, and a ruthless U.S. government official are all players in a harrowing game of power, treachery, and intrigue—a game whose winner will hold the world’s fate literally in the palm of his hand.
312 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
49 people are currently reading
939 people want to read
About the author
Paul McEuen
2 books25 followersPaul McEuen is the Goldwin Smith Professor of physics at Cornell University. He has received numerous awards for his research, including the Agilent Technologies Europhysics Prize, a Packard Fellowship, and a Presidential Young Investigator Award. He lives with his wife and five dogs in Ithaca, New York."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 246 reviews
June 13, 2013
Decent escapist fare in the form of a precautionary tale over biological weapons. McEuen does well in plausibility of the science and in developing engaging characters, so the book is a step above thrillers by Crichton.
The story begins with a bang and some horror. We are presented with an pulse pounding scenario of a last ditch attempt of Japanese imperialists after the close of World War 2 to unleash a deadly epidemic based on a fungus that spreads by airborne or ingested spores. Like ergot fungus, it creates hallucinations in those infected and triggers insane violence before they die. Then we jump forward 60 years. You got it--the threat emerges again.
A fungal biologist who was involved in the military response to the threat in the past, Liam Conner, is now in his 80’s, a beloved emeritus professor and Nobel Prize winning researcher at Cornell. He soon ends up dead from jumping off a bridge. His colleague and nanotech scientist, Jake, and his mycologist daughter, Maggie, can’t convince authorities he would never commit suicide, so they have to become detectives themselves. You got it—they must foil a nefarious plot to unleash the deadly weapon again.
The complacency we all may feel that biological weapons research has stopped is undermined in this story. As in the Cold War, any progress in defense against a particular weapon becomes a danger, as the other side in a scenario of mutually assured destruction will perceive this imbalance as a threat. For example, if one side in develops a vaccine or cure for one biological agent, then that agent becomes a more effective weapon for a faction interested in rising in the world order.
There is an odd fusion of the wonders and potential dangers of miniature robots in the story. That thread adds some interesting science fiction twists to the plot. On the down side, the tale has the usual thriller cast of evil bad guys and the typical twists of kidnapping and threats to the hero’s loved ones. And persistent repetition for the reader of the apocalypse that will happen if the biological weapon gets unleashed. Still, a fair page-turner to catch before it gets turned into a movie.
The story begins with a bang and some horror. We are presented with an pulse pounding scenario of a last ditch attempt of Japanese imperialists after the close of World War 2 to unleash a deadly epidemic based on a fungus that spreads by airborne or ingested spores. Like ergot fungus, it creates hallucinations in those infected and triggers insane violence before they die. Then we jump forward 60 years. You got it--the threat emerges again.
A fungal biologist who was involved in the military response to the threat in the past, Liam Conner, is now in his 80’s, a beloved emeritus professor and Nobel Prize winning researcher at Cornell. He soon ends up dead from jumping off a bridge. His colleague and nanotech scientist, Jake, and his mycologist daughter, Maggie, can’t convince authorities he would never commit suicide, so they have to become detectives themselves. You got it—they must foil a nefarious plot to unleash the deadly weapon again.
The complacency we all may feel that biological weapons research has stopped is undermined in this story. As in the Cold War, any progress in defense against a particular weapon becomes a danger, as the other side in a scenario of mutually assured destruction will perceive this imbalance as a threat. For example, if one side in develops a vaccine or cure for one biological agent, then that agent becomes a more effective weapon for a faction interested in rising in the world order.
There is an odd fusion of the wonders and potential dangers of miniature robots in the story. That thread adds some interesting science fiction twists to the plot. On the down side, the tale has the usual thriller cast of evil bad guys and the typical twists of kidnapping and threats to the hero’s loved ones. And persistent repetition for the reader of the apocalypse that will happen if the biological weapon gets unleashed. Still, a fair page-turner to catch before it gets turned into a movie.
January 12, 2015
He still has it
When respected and beloved Nobel laureate Liam Connor is found dead and his death is declared as suicide, search for a virus hidden since World War II is ignited. Soon Liam's collaborator Jake, Liam’s granddaughter Maggie, and Maggie’s nine-year-old son Dylan find themselves in a conspiracy of bio-warfare spread over the world and decades of research. With an assassin, an infamous Japanese criminal and US military also in the same race, the only chance of survival of human live over the world depends on who gets to the virus first.
A fantastic début. Paul McEuen is a nano scientist and has written a sci-fi thriller with an excellent mixture of science and fiction. Fast pace and continuous twists are what make this book worthy of praise. Whenever I felt 'I know what will happen now', the book had something exactly different like it knew what I was thinking! And that really kept me glued to it. I am a science student and all those nanao-science and DNA coding stuffs just fascinated me. But none of those are hard to understand. Actually the book has so much base in real research, it never felt stretching or unbelievable. With just one step crossing the line of real science, Paul McEuen has written a great novel.
The actions and logics looked a bit thin sometimes but otherwise I really loved it. It has some invisible hook that pulled me towards the last page so fast. A well written sci-fi thriller with a healthy dose of science in it.
When respected and beloved Nobel laureate Liam Connor is found dead and his death is declared as suicide, search for a virus hidden since World War II is ignited. Soon Liam's collaborator Jake, Liam’s granddaughter Maggie, and Maggie’s nine-year-old son Dylan find themselves in a conspiracy of bio-warfare spread over the world and decades of research. With an assassin, an infamous Japanese criminal and US military also in the same race, the only chance of survival of human live over the world depends on who gets to the virus first.
A fantastic début. Paul McEuen is a nano scientist and has written a sci-fi thriller with an excellent mixture of science and fiction. Fast pace and continuous twists are what make this book worthy of praise. Whenever I felt 'I know what will happen now', the book had something exactly different like it knew what I was thinking! And that really kept me glued to it. I am a science student and all those nanao-science and DNA coding stuffs just fascinated me. But none of those are hard to understand. Actually the book has so much base in real research, it never felt stretching or unbelievable. With just one step crossing the line of real science, Paul McEuen has written a great novel.
The actions and logics looked a bit thin sometimes but otherwise I really loved it. It has some invisible hook that pulled me towards the last page so fast. A well written sci-fi thriller with a healthy dose of science in it.
January 6, 2023
Βιολογικά όπλα,πόλεμοι, επιστημονικές έρευνες,στρατιωτικές απειλές,φονικές σπείρες, πολιτική και ίντριγκα, εκδίκηση,μίσος και θάνατος, οτιδήποτε χρειάζεται ένα θρίλερ για να είναι ενδιαφέρον, υπάρχει στις σωστές αναλογίες. Διαβάστηκε σχεδόν χωρίς διακοπή.
4, 5/5
4, 5/5
June 8, 2011
I just finished this today, and as soon as I finished reading I had to google a few things to see what was real and what was fiction! I like stories that blur the line, where you end up learning real things while also enjoying an exciting storyline. This book was a great combination of fact and fiction. For instance, did you know that the Japanese were just as ruthless and relentless during WW2 as the Germans were when it came to human experimentation?! Yep - look up Unit 731. Just don't look at the images if you have a weak stomach at all. Yikes! So this story takes the reality of Unit 731 - in specific their search for a potent biological weapon - and creates a modern fiction story about a deadly fungus created during the height of the Japanese experimentation. Part of the reason I had to look up the fact/fiction is because this book is so terrifying! It explores how simple it would be for the right biological weapon to destroy us all, and it makes it sound like that is going to happen - not if, just when. Scary! The story itself centers on Liam Connor, his death, his family and friends, and a madman intent on revenge. That's all I'm going to say. If you like to learn about history while you read, try this. If you like high-level suspense, it's also a good fit there. Just don't read this if you get scared too easily or obsess about all the scary things that could happen in the world because this will add a number of worries to your list!
April 18, 2011
The Japanese develop a deadly disease that cannot be cured and want to unleash it during WWII. The plot picks up the story line 65 years later with the scientist who, at the end of the war, interviewed the nefarious Japanese agent assigned the task to distribute the disease. And so forth. The writing just didn't work for me. Nor did the plot. And I wasn't crazy about the characters. I think it was the obviousness of the plot's forward movement. Subtlety and intrigue were, for me, missing.
May 27, 2014
I have two regrets about this book:
1) That I spent as much time as I did listening to it (That's a good half hour or so I will never get back.)
2) That it's impossible to give a zero star rating.
It started out good. Not great, but good. The prologue held together quite well, and even though there were some pesky point of view changes, they weren't all that bad.
After the prologue...Well, after the prologue things got real ugly real fast. Here are a few of the problems.
Reading a badly written kid character is almost as enjoyable as sitting through a video of someone's kid's second grade recital. (Attention all writers who are considering using a kid as a character--If you aren't Stephen King, don't do it. Don't even attempt to do it.) Thebrat boy in this book has to be one of the most badly written characters I have ever run across. The Pop-Pop scene was bad. The kitchen scene with his mother and her roommate was painful. But the fungus among us episode...All I can say is that I'm lucky to have made it through without any discernable brain damage.
If an author can't be bothered to maintain a consistent point of view, I find it difficult to be bothered to read further. During an important scene in a munitions dump, the point of view shifted between the two characters so quickly and so unnecessarily that it was almost comical. I say almost because the fact that someone actually paid this author for this mess pretty much sucks all humor out of the situation.
OK. I made it through the Pop-Pop bits (both in the fungus room and in the munitions dump). I made it through the kitchen scene. I even made it through fungus among us. But! When the author stooped so low as to wind up a character to deliver a physics lecture--pretty much in its entirety--I lost it. I believe Humphrey Bogart once said that the only way a particularly long-winded monologue would work without putting the audience to sleep was "if two camels were humping in the background."
I don't think a whole troupe of singing, dancing, humping camels could have saved this book.
1) That I spent as much time as I did listening to it (That's a good half hour or so I will never get back.)
2) That it's impossible to give a zero star rating.
It started out good. Not great, but good. The prologue held together quite well, and even though there were some pesky point of view changes, they weren't all that bad.
After the prologue...Well, after the prologue things got real ugly real fast. Here are a few of the problems.
Reading a badly written kid character is almost as enjoyable as sitting through a video of someone's kid's second grade recital. (Attention all writers who are considering using a kid as a character--If you aren't Stephen King, don't do it. Don't even attempt to do it.) The
If an author can't be bothered to maintain a consistent point of view, I find it difficult to be bothered to read further. During an important scene in a munitions dump, the point of view shifted between the two characters so quickly and so unnecessarily that it was almost comical. I say almost because the fact that someone actually paid this author for this mess pretty much sucks all humor out of the situation.
OK. I made it through the Pop-Pop bits (both in the fungus room and in the munitions dump). I made it through the kitchen scene. I even made it through fungus among us. But! When the author stooped so low as to wind up a character to deliver a physics lecture--pretty much in its entirety--I lost it. I believe Humphrey Bogart once said that the only way a particularly long-winded monologue would work without putting the audience to sleep was "if two camels were humping in the background."
I don't think a whole troupe of singing, dancing, humping camels could have saved this book.
April 27, 2011
Short Version
An enthralling debut thriller whose plot spans almost seventy years, two continents, and the life of a bioterrorism threat.
Long Version
I really hate over-hyped books. They invariably disappoint. As soon as I read a friend’s review of this one, I knew that this was one of those drop-everything-else-on-my-reading-list-and-read-this-now kind of books. It just had me written all over it.
My favorite thrillers are generally those involving international politics and relations. This one combined those aspects with biology and nanotechnology and produces as a result an intellectual adrenaline rush. Crafting a plot for a thriller requires that tricky balance of pacing and credibility-and credibility is often stretched to keep up the pace. Many times a thriller has left me flat because the plot was simply not believable. Not so here. Due to the excellent descriptions of the biological and technological elements involved, this one is downright unsettling. I had no trouble envisioning the events unfolding on today’s world stage.
It has been a long time since a book has drawn me in so completely. I started this one in a waiting room yesterday afternoon, read in fits and starts (think drive-through line and dance class), and until NyQuil had me nodding off at bedtime. Today I read between assisting on math problems, cursive, and reading picture books (we homeschool), finishing during our lunch break. Generally, I do not read during the day, but this book was unputdownable.
This book should appeal to a very large audience. The plot was not at all bogged down despite the hefty dose of science, the characters were well developed and evolved as the plot moved forward, and even the settings were easily visualized. I hope that Paul McEuen’s day job as a physics professor and researcher at Cornell University do not impede the publication of his next novel. He will, I have no doubt, have a number of readers watching his web page in anticipation.
An enthralling debut thriller whose plot spans almost seventy years, two continents, and the life of a bioterrorism threat.
Long Version
I really hate over-hyped books. They invariably disappoint. As soon as I read a friend’s review of this one, I knew that this was one of those drop-everything-else-on-my-reading-list-and-read-this-now kind of books. It just had me written all over it.
My favorite thrillers are generally those involving international politics and relations. This one combined those aspects with biology and nanotechnology and produces as a result an intellectual adrenaline rush. Crafting a plot for a thriller requires that tricky balance of pacing and credibility-and credibility is often stretched to keep up the pace. Many times a thriller has left me flat because the plot was simply not believable. Not so here. Due to the excellent descriptions of the biological and technological elements involved, this one is downright unsettling. I had no trouble envisioning the events unfolding on today’s world stage.
It has been a long time since a book has drawn me in so completely. I started this one in a waiting room yesterday afternoon, read in fits and starts (think drive-through line and dance class), and until NyQuil had me nodding off at bedtime. Today I read between assisting on math problems, cursive, and reading picture books (we homeschool), finishing during our lunch break. Generally, I do not read during the day, but this book was unputdownable.
This book should appeal to a very large audience. The plot was not at all bogged down despite the hefty dose of science, the characters were well developed and evolved as the plot moved forward, and even the settings were easily visualized. I hope that Paul McEuen’s day job as a physics professor and researcher at Cornell University do not impede the publication of his next novel. He will, I have no doubt, have a number of readers watching his web page in anticipation.
January 1, 2018
This is more a sci-fi thriller than a mystery, a bit like a James Bond story but focusing on nanotechnology and biological warfare. It is quite a good yarn, especially for a debut novel by a Cornell physicist and faculty member. I think it is better than some of Critchton's late novels, but of course it isn't comparable to Critchton's best (e.g., Jurassic Park.) Endings of stories that are potentially apocalyptic are usually fanciful, and this one is no exception. Needless to say, the hero (comic book superhero?) is a Cornell physicist.
Dwelling on what we usually call the Holocaust, I was not aware of the extent of Japanese war crimes, especially in Manchuria and China. All one need do is look up "Unit 731" in the wikipedia. (Shirō Ishii was the Japanese Mengele.) The author uses this real history as a springboard for his story, the book cannot be called historical fiction.
Rob Shapiro gives an exceptional narration, which enhances the enjoyment of the audiobook.
At times, the prose sounds more like a lecture than fiction, but I can forgive that in a debut novel. I wouldn't label this just "brain candy" because the book contains some interesting ideas:
In future, will synthetic biology have an even greater impact on technology and society than silicon microelectronics has had?
Will carbon nanotubes and graphene, besides leading to new materials, provide new means of electronic deception and transmission?
Dwelling on what we usually call the Holocaust, I was not aware of the extent of Japanese war crimes, especially in Manchuria and China. All one need do is look up "Unit 731" in the wikipedia. (Shirō Ishii was the Japanese Mengele.) The author uses this real history as a springboard for his story, the book cannot be called historical fiction.
Rob Shapiro gives an exceptional narration, which enhances the enjoyment of the audiobook.
At times, the prose sounds more like a lecture than fiction, but I can forgive that in a debut novel. I wouldn't label this just "brain candy" because the book contains some interesting ideas:
In future, will synthetic biology have an even greater impact on technology and society than silicon microelectronics has had?
Will carbon nanotubes and graphene, besides leading to new materials, provide new means of electronic deception and transmission?
April 7, 2011
This is nothing but pure techno-thriller at its best. It's a great balance of science/fiction, historical tidbits (WW2 Germany wasn't the only country to perform horrible medical experiments), scientific tidbits, briskly paced plot, reality-based action (it can be exciting without being over the top---I'm looking at you Gideon's Sword!), characters with depth that you actually root for (I'm looking at you again Gideon's Sword!), and a satisfying villain.
Though some plot points were easily guessed at, most twists and turns were an exciting surprise. My only But! of the book is about what happens near the end, but not necessarily about the ending. I question the logic of a certain character's actions and it seems the answer lies only in that if it didn't happen that way then the story wouldn't exist (and I hate those kinds of things, especially when everything else in the book is logical and consistent).
All in all a top notch thriller with brains, this first-time novel by an expert in the field (in this case nanotechnology, though it's even more about fungus) shows how it should (and can) be properly executed (unlike you, Robopocalypse!).
Though some plot points were easily guessed at, most twists and turns were an exciting surprise. My only But! of the book is about what happens near the end, but not necessarily about the ending. I question the logic of a certain character's actions and it seems the answer lies only in that if it didn't happen that way then the story wouldn't exist (and I hate those kinds of things, especially when everything else in the book is logical and consistent).
All in all a top notch thriller with brains, this first-time novel by an expert in the field (in this case nanotechnology, though it's even more about fungus) shows how it should (and can) be properly executed (unlike you, Robopocalypse!).
January 17, 2016
Spiral by Paul by Paul McEuen
5 Stars and a heart
"Humanity has but three great enemies: fever, famine, and war; of these by far the greatest, by far the most terrible, is fever." William Osler
Quote from the book - “A biological threat tore apart a society. War, for all its horror, galvanized a nation, pulled it together against a common opponent. But fever was a different kind of enemy." Think a few years back.....Bird flu....when members of both political parties were warning people to stay home and off public transportation. We can pull together to support a cause, but when my personal discomfort or health can be directly related to the person sitting next to me....that's a different story.
The book opens at the close of WWII when the Japanese are making a desparate attempt to turn the tide of the war through a last ditch effort of the secret Unit 731 to execute a bio-terrorism plot. Liam Connor has retained a sample from that failed attempt. Fast forward 60+ years later...Connor is a prestigious, Nobel Peace Prize Winner teaching at Cornell University where he has tried to use the lessons from the past to make a better future.
“You create a cure, you create a weapon” – For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Now, someone wants the body of Connor's work and they will stop at nothing. Connor, after being tortured, ends up dead at the bottom of the gorge on campus. But, he leaves clues behind for his colleague, Jake Sterling and grandaughter, Maggie to what he's been hiding and working on.
Admittedly, this is not my typical genre. On the one hand, I think it takes tremendous talent to successfully pull off a story in this vein. Often, the stories are so predictable and filled with implausible scenarios that they are just down right irritating. Of course, I just may not know enough about the subject to know if the story is plausible or not. On the other hand, it sure was engaging. Once you pick it up it is hard to put down. We had a big party at our house Friday night. About 35 people came over. When I have a big event like that, I'm focused like a laser on the cooking, the cleaning, and the planning. I had to carve out 2 hours in the middle of the preparation to get a little reading. in. I found this to be increidlby well written, full of tension, and just down right smart. In fact, I regretted reading this while getting a manicure because I had the strong desire to bite my nails the entire time.
I learned a couple of things. First, was the amazing history of Cornell University to admit minorities (women and African-Americans) well before it was considered by other institutions. Secondly, as a lover of history, I think it is important to recognize your own country's flaws. At one point, Maggie asks, “ But we are the good guys aren’t we?” To which, Vlad responds, “We are supposed to be. Not everyone is”. There is some interesting history about the US action in the first Gulf War related to burying Iraqi soldiers in the sand. Here is an interesting article for anyone wanting to compare notes. http://community.seattletimes.nwsourc.... Whether it was necessary or not is for each individual to decide. I just think we owe it to ourselves to critically look at our own actions as well as others. It was also interesting to learn about Nixon's actions against bio-terrorism. McEuen points to 1972, but Nixon actually came out in opposition in 1969.
For all my gushing, I do have a couple of criticisms. First, I did find the characters, with the exception of Connor and Hitoshi Kitano to be simplistic and archetypal in nature. I was particularly frustrated with Maggie, who served as the damsel in distress figure, the cute kid, Dylan, and the good soldier portrayal of Jake Sterling. I also felt Orchid could have been much more fully developed. A grandaughter as a product of the Rape of Nanking....what material! On the other hand, I absolutely adored Liam Connor, although he dies early in the book. I loved the way they portrayed him in his obituary, “In an interview three years ago, Connor was asked to name his biggest breakthrough. He replied, ‘I am still hoping to make it.’ After the reference to the Green Cross, I couldn't help but feel Kitano was loosely based on Kitano Masaji. Finally, I was frustrated with the assertion that the Salem Witch Trials and the French Revolution were a product of infected rye. I know that theory has been out there for a while, but it was stated more as a fact than a theory here and those issues are incredibly complex.
A couple of other favorite quotes:
“So every three seconds, your computer is like the entire population of Manhattan living a lifetime. And people wonder why it takes so long to boot up.” (pg 53)
“Never blame conspiracies when mischief or happenstance would suffice
“The era of tanks and fighter jets battling on land and in the sky was drawing to a close. The wars of the future would be fought on small battlefields by tiny weapons striking from a thousand directions at once. The fight would take place inside computer networks, inside human bodies. Cyber-warfare. Swarms of semi-autonomous robots, such as the Crawlers. Biological weapons.”
“The war had left its mark on America. Given America the swagger, the confidence to rule the world for more than half a century. Japan had experienced the other side, what if felt like to be conquered”
I felt the intellectual aspects of this book far outweighed the literary aspects. In my opinion, one of the reasons this works so well is the absolute horror of something like this happening and how unprepared and unaware we, as a collective whole, are of the dangers. After 9/11 there was a lot of discussion about what was next. This could very well be what is next.
5 Stars and a heart
"Humanity has but three great enemies: fever, famine, and war; of these by far the greatest, by far the most terrible, is fever." William Osler
Quote from the book - “A biological threat tore apart a society. War, for all its horror, galvanized a nation, pulled it together against a common opponent. But fever was a different kind of enemy." Think a few years back.....Bird flu....when members of both political parties were warning people to stay home and off public transportation. We can pull together to support a cause, but when my personal discomfort or health can be directly related to the person sitting next to me....that's a different story.
The book opens at the close of WWII when the Japanese are making a desparate attempt to turn the tide of the war through a last ditch effort of the secret Unit 731 to execute a bio-terrorism plot. Liam Connor has retained a sample from that failed attempt. Fast forward 60+ years later...Connor is a prestigious, Nobel Peace Prize Winner teaching at Cornell University where he has tried to use the lessons from the past to make a better future.
“You create a cure, you create a weapon” – For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Now, someone wants the body of Connor's work and they will stop at nothing. Connor, after being tortured, ends up dead at the bottom of the gorge on campus. But, he leaves clues behind for his colleague, Jake Sterling and grandaughter, Maggie to what he's been hiding and working on.
Admittedly, this is not my typical genre. On the one hand, I think it takes tremendous talent to successfully pull off a story in this vein. Often, the stories are so predictable and filled with implausible scenarios that they are just down right irritating. Of course, I just may not know enough about the subject to know if the story is plausible or not. On the other hand, it sure was engaging. Once you pick it up it is hard to put down. We had a big party at our house Friday night. About 35 people came over. When I have a big event like that, I'm focused like a laser on the cooking, the cleaning, and the planning. I had to carve out 2 hours in the middle of the preparation to get a little reading. in. I found this to be increidlby well written, full of tension, and just down right smart. In fact, I regretted reading this while getting a manicure because I had the strong desire to bite my nails the entire time.
I learned a couple of things. First, was the amazing history of Cornell University to admit minorities (women and African-Americans) well before it was considered by other institutions. Secondly, as a lover of history, I think it is important to recognize your own country's flaws. At one point, Maggie asks, “ But we are the good guys aren’t we?” To which, Vlad responds, “We are supposed to be. Not everyone is”. There is some interesting history about the US action in the first Gulf War related to burying Iraqi soldiers in the sand. Here is an interesting article for anyone wanting to compare notes. http://community.seattletimes.nwsourc.... Whether it was necessary or not is for each individual to decide. I just think we owe it to ourselves to critically look at our own actions as well as others. It was also interesting to learn about Nixon's actions against bio-terrorism. McEuen points to 1972, but Nixon actually came out in opposition in 1969.
For all my gushing, I do have a couple of criticisms. First, I did find the characters, with the exception of Connor and Hitoshi Kitano to be simplistic and archetypal in nature. I was particularly frustrated with Maggie, who served as the damsel in distress figure, the cute kid, Dylan, and the good soldier portrayal of Jake Sterling. I also felt Orchid could have been much more fully developed. A grandaughter as a product of the Rape of Nanking....what material! On the other hand, I absolutely adored Liam Connor, although he dies early in the book. I loved the way they portrayed him in his obituary, “In an interview three years ago, Connor was asked to name his biggest breakthrough. He replied, ‘I am still hoping to make it.’ After the reference to the Green Cross, I couldn't help but feel Kitano was loosely based on Kitano Masaji. Finally, I was frustrated with the assertion that the Salem Witch Trials and the French Revolution were a product of infected rye. I know that theory has been out there for a while, but it was stated more as a fact than a theory here and those issues are incredibly complex.
A couple of other favorite quotes:
“So every three seconds, your computer is like the entire population of Manhattan living a lifetime. And people wonder why it takes so long to boot up.” (pg 53)
“Never blame conspiracies when mischief or happenstance would suffice
“The era of tanks and fighter jets battling on land and in the sky was drawing to a close. The wars of the future would be fought on small battlefields by tiny weapons striking from a thousand directions at once. The fight would take place inside computer networks, inside human bodies. Cyber-warfare. Swarms of semi-autonomous robots, such as the Crawlers. Biological weapons.”
“The war had left its mark on America. Given America the swagger, the confidence to rule the world for more than half a century. Japan had experienced the other side, what if felt like to be conquered”
I felt the intellectual aspects of this book far outweighed the literary aspects. In my opinion, one of the reasons this works so well is the absolute horror of something like this happening and how unprepared and unaware we, as a collective whole, are of the dangers. After 9/11 there was a lot of discussion about what was next. This could very well be what is next.
August 6, 2018
This book was just okay as an author he makes a great scientist. I really shouldn't complain however. I picked this book up because on a recent trip to Seattle there were perhaps two hundred copies of it displayed thus out Ikea. (in Swedish). It made me curious as to why they were so proud of it. After reading it, I can only assume it was because the got it cheap.
July 31, 2023
Very The Poppy War, I expected better from a Cornell prof hmph
Idk, if the way you introduce the granddaughter is by talking about her romantic relationship, then I really got no hope for this book
The introduction of the great grandson is hilarious...it went from elephants-blueberries to "boy-girl relationships" (author's own words) to MicroCrawlers then back to "boy-girl relationships"...and all of a sudden we get a dirge for one of the little Crawlers, and then we're back to..."boy-girl relationships." What a mood whiplash 🙃
Tbh I was really looking forward to this mycology thriller (it sounded like it would feature legit science too) but I became doubtful the moment I started reading to find it was wwii. The depiction of the Japanese people was uh, "We are not afraid to die...You must understand that, if you are to understand us"..."the entire nation of Japan worshipped death" (juxtaposed with mentions of the atomic bomb dropping in the background, thank you)... 😵 I guess author never heard of Yosano Akiko's "Kimi shinitamau koto nakare" (Thou Shalt Not Die)
If I really wanna read about "uzumaki," I'd go check out Junji Ito's Uzumaki instead (I wonder if Spiral author knows about the manga...🤔
Idk, if the way you introduce the granddaughter is by talking about her romantic relationship, then I really got no hope for this book
The introduction of the great grandson is hilarious...it went from elephants-blueberries to "boy-girl relationships" (author's own words) to MicroCrawlers then back to "boy-girl relationships"...and all of a sudden we get a dirge for one of the little Crawlers, and then we're back to..."boy-girl relationships." What a mood whiplash 🙃
Tbh I was really looking forward to this mycology thriller (it sounded like it would feature legit science too) but I became doubtful the moment I started reading to find it was wwii. The depiction of the Japanese people was uh, "We are not afraid to die...You must understand that, if you are to understand us"..."the entire nation of Japan worshipped death" (juxtaposed with mentions of the atomic bomb dropping in the background, thank you)... 😵 I guess author never heard of Yosano Akiko's "Kimi shinitamau koto nakare" (Thou Shalt Not Die)
If I really wanna read about "uzumaki," I'd go check out Junji Ito's Uzumaki instead (I wonder if Spiral author knows about the manga...🤔
May 26, 2025
Proud to be able to say I learned about fungi from the same professor that taught this author
Go big red 😌
Go big red 😌
July 26, 2020
Ok it’s just creepy that z book about a crazy pandemic written in 2011 is so relevant now. Not that covid is a bio terror weapon, but it could be!
December 4, 2010
"Verdammt!", schrie er, und seine Stimme hallte durch den verschlossenen Bunker. Er kannte das Prinzip: Es gab einen Sicherheitsmechanismus, der verhinderte, dass der Timer entschärft wurde, nachdem der Countdown gestartet war.
Pazifischer Ozean im März 1946. 6 Monate nach Kriegsende muss Liam Connor, ein junger britischer Offizier und ein großer Spezialist für saporphytische Pilze an Bord der USS North Dakota mit ansehen, wie die Hilfesuchenden von der USS Vanguard beschossen und schließlich versenkt werden.
Die Japaner haben eine biologische Waffe entwickelt, einen Pilz, den sie Uzumaki nennen und den sie jetzt an Bord der USS North Dakota freisetzen wollen. An Bord der USS Vanguard hatten sie dies bereits mit Erfolg getan, glücklicherweise kann Liam es an Bord der USS North Dakota gerade noch verhindern und die gefährliche Waffe an sich nehmen.
Mehr als 60 Jahre später lebt Liam Connor in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika und ist Professor an der Cornell University. Er ist weltweit der Fachmann für Pilze, Nobelpreisträger und hat in seinen „Gärten der Fäulnis“ die größte Sammlung von Pilzen. Plötzlich taucht eine Frau auf, die von ihm den Uzumaki will, eben jenen Pilz, den er 1946 dem Attentäter auf dem Schiff abgenommen hat.
So beginnt der Roman, der vor allem durch den silberfarbenen Titel, das Cover und den grünen Buchschnitt auffällt. Als positiv aufgefallen sind mir an diesem Buch vor allem die wissenschaftlichen Passagen zu dem weitgehenden unbekannten Fachbereich der Pilze und der Nanotechnik. Ebenso der geschichtliche Hintergrund wird interessant dargestellt. Es gibt nette Passagen, wie beispielsweise die Atemzüge aller Menschen, die sich miteinander vermischen und dass Jahre später verstorbene Menschen ausgeatmet werden und so nicht komplett verschwinden.
Leider konnte ich es nicht wirklich nachvollziehen woher die Motivation kommt nach 60 Jahren den Uzumaki besitzen zu wollen. Und die Erklärungen dafür werden von einer der handelnden Personen im Drogenwahn abgegeben und sind daher nicht wirklich glaubenswürdig.
Allerdings gibt es eine Passage, die mir einen kalten Schauer über den Rücken gejagt hat und dies ist die folgende:
Er würde nicht dabei sein, wenn es jemand gelingt die erste lebende Zelle zu booten. Wenn die Kids ihre Lieblings-Genom auf MySpace veröffentlichen. Wenn der Zellkern den Computerchip als Symbol der technischen Vollendung ersetzte. Wenn Dylan sein erstes Bakterium baute.
Das Ende ist romantisch und etwas kitschig, allerdings auch ein netter Abschluss für das Buch. Mir persönlich hat es wirklich gut gefallen, deshalb erhält es 5 Sterne und eine Leseempfehlung an alle, die Thriller und Zukunftsvisionen mögen, auch wenn sie einem die Haare zu Berge stehen lassen.
Pazifischer Ozean im März 1946. 6 Monate nach Kriegsende muss Liam Connor, ein junger britischer Offizier und ein großer Spezialist für saporphytische Pilze an Bord der USS North Dakota mit ansehen, wie die Hilfesuchenden von der USS Vanguard beschossen und schließlich versenkt werden.
Die Japaner haben eine biologische Waffe entwickelt, einen Pilz, den sie Uzumaki nennen und den sie jetzt an Bord der USS North Dakota freisetzen wollen. An Bord der USS Vanguard hatten sie dies bereits mit Erfolg getan, glücklicherweise kann Liam es an Bord der USS North Dakota gerade noch verhindern und die gefährliche Waffe an sich nehmen.
Mehr als 60 Jahre später lebt Liam Connor in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika und ist Professor an der Cornell University. Er ist weltweit der Fachmann für Pilze, Nobelpreisträger und hat in seinen „Gärten der Fäulnis“ die größte Sammlung von Pilzen. Plötzlich taucht eine Frau auf, die von ihm den Uzumaki will, eben jenen Pilz, den er 1946 dem Attentäter auf dem Schiff abgenommen hat.
So beginnt der Roman, der vor allem durch den silberfarbenen Titel, das Cover und den grünen Buchschnitt auffällt. Als positiv aufgefallen sind mir an diesem Buch vor allem die wissenschaftlichen Passagen zu dem weitgehenden unbekannten Fachbereich der Pilze und der Nanotechnik. Ebenso der geschichtliche Hintergrund wird interessant dargestellt. Es gibt nette Passagen, wie beispielsweise die Atemzüge aller Menschen, die sich miteinander vermischen und dass Jahre später verstorbene Menschen ausgeatmet werden und so nicht komplett verschwinden.
Leider konnte ich es nicht wirklich nachvollziehen woher die Motivation kommt nach 60 Jahren den Uzumaki besitzen zu wollen. Und die Erklärungen dafür werden von einer der handelnden Personen im Drogenwahn abgegeben und sind daher nicht wirklich glaubenswürdig.
Allerdings gibt es eine Passage, die mir einen kalten Schauer über den Rücken gejagt hat und dies ist die folgende:
Er würde nicht dabei sein, wenn es jemand gelingt die erste lebende Zelle zu booten. Wenn die Kids ihre Lieblings-Genom auf MySpace veröffentlichen. Wenn der Zellkern den Computerchip als Symbol der technischen Vollendung ersetzte. Wenn Dylan sein erstes Bakterium baute.
Das Ende ist romantisch und etwas kitschig, allerdings auch ein netter Abschluss für das Buch. Mir persönlich hat es wirklich gut gefallen, deshalb erhält es 5 Sterne und eine Leseempfehlung an alle, die Thriller und Zukunftsvisionen mögen, auch wenn sie einem die Haare zu Berge stehen lassen.
January 24, 2012
Its hard to rate this book any higher than OK...On the one hand it was a good concept and i enjoyed reading through and finding out the ending, but i have a few drawbacks as well. Clearly this author is a professor at Cornell, and if you didnt know by reading his bio or the back of book, the first few chapters should be good enough. At times the amount of detail was just mind boggling, in a bogged-down-the-story way. I have no desire to go to Ithaca and therefore could care less about the big suspension bridge. If i want to see what it looks like i will google, i dont need 2 pages on its location/history/aesthetic value.
I was also preparing for a different ending...thinking the whole time, wow this author has the balls to do it like this, should be a great ending. And then all of a sudden with approx 4 pages left spun it completely back on itself and ended it so that a 5 year old wouldnt get offended. Oh well...
There are some complaints with regards to character development and how the story appears to fade in and out around them and i finished the book unsure how i was supposed to feel: Was i supposed to like/connect/sympathize/hate etc with Lawrence Dunne? Who knows by the end of it all?
Overall though, it is an interesting aspect to think of worldwide infection caused by a bacteria outbreak vs the normal virus scenario, and i wouldnt not recommend it. If you are interested in science-esque novels, with a lot of erroneous detail, and boreline OCD with how important the First Gulf War was (you would think Desert Shield/Storm was a full blown world event reading from Sterlings POV; and i am not taking away from what was sacrificed and accomplished there. Hell my dad was active duty during that time and was deployed during Iraqi Freedom, but enough is enough).
This book suffers a bit from Die Hard 4 syndrome...these characters are not trained military operatives. They are ordinary people, yet somehow they get transformed into a bunch of Jack Bauers as the situation is needed.
I was also preparing for a different ending...thinking the whole time, wow this author has the balls to do it like this, should be a great ending. And then all of a sudden with approx 4 pages left spun it completely back on itself and ended it so that a 5 year old wouldnt get offended. Oh well...
There are some complaints with regards to character development and how the story appears to fade in and out around them and i finished the book unsure how i was supposed to feel: Was i supposed to like/connect/sympathize/hate etc with Lawrence Dunne? Who knows by the end of it all?
Overall though, it is an interesting aspect to think of worldwide infection caused by a bacteria outbreak vs the normal virus scenario, and i wouldnt not recommend it. If you are interested in science-esque novels, with a lot of erroneous detail, and boreline OCD with how important the First Gulf War was (you would think Desert Shield/Storm was a full blown world event reading from Sterlings POV; and i am not taking away from what was sacrificed and accomplished there. Hell my dad was active duty during that time and was deployed during Iraqi Freedom, but enough is enough).
This book suffers a bit from Die Hard 4 syndrome...these characters are not trained military operatives. They are ordinary people, yet somehow they get transformed into a bunch of Jack Bauers as the situation is needed.
February 17, 2013
The author of “Spiral”, Dr. Paul McEuen, is an eminent physicist at Cornell. He specializes in nanoscience and nanotechnology, and the list of his achievements is much longer than this review. He is the absolute tops in his area, one of the world’s best, a candidate for the Nobel Prize.
The first hundred or so pages of the novel are extremely interesting. The initial premise is fascinating. I remember thinking that this might have been the best thriller I had read in years. But then, somehow, inexplicably, the plot fizzles. The farther I read, the less interesting it got. The twists and turns became contrived and belabored. I have struggled to finish reading the book. Normally, I read about 200 pages a day. With this clunker I had to spend five days for the last 100 pages.
I could barely get past the delusional, imperial ramblings of old Kitano in Chapter 47. The whole era is past and gone, along with the Tokko soldiers and Bushido code. It is hard to believe in anything based on that. But even if we omit this stuff, the denouement is one of the most ridiculous I have ever seen in my long reading career.
Maybe people should limit themselves to do what they do best? Dr. McEuen has shown he is one of the top minds in the world. He is a genius. Writing thrillers is not what he is good at. Take, for instance, Karin Fossum of Norway. From a nano-sized seed in the plot, she is able to create a treatise on human condition. Dr. McEuen devolves a huge premise to a nano-sized payoff.
Two stars (just for the initial premise).
The first hundred or so pages of the novel are extremely interesting. The initial premise is fascinating. I remember thinking that this might have been the best thriller I had read in years. But then, somehow, inexplicably, the plot fizzles. The farther I read, the less interesting it got. The twists and turns became contrived and belabored. I have struggled to finish reading the book. Normally, I read about 200 pages a day. With this clunker I had to spend five days for the last 100 pages.
I could barely get past the delusional, imperial ramblings of old Kitano in Chapter 47. The whole era is past and gone, along with the Tokko soldiers and Bushido code. It is hard to believe in anything based on that. But even if we omit this stuff, the denouement is one of the most ridiculous I have ever seen in my long reading career.
Maybe people should limit themselves to do what they do best? Dr. McEuen has shown he is one of the top minds in the world. He is a genius. Writing thrillers is not what he is good at. Take, for instance, Karin Fossum of Norway. From a nano-sized seed in the plot, she is able to create a treatise on human condition. Dr. McEuen devolves a huge premise to a nano-sized payoff.
Two stars (just for the initial premise).
August 3, 2011
A highly enjoyable thriller about a deadly fungus that the Japanese developed during WWII, and the scientist who is trying to stop it from ever being used as a biological weapon. The idea is totally compelling/terrifying, and the symptoms of the disease -- makes you go crazy! someone bites off his own tongue in the first four pages of the book! -- are just as brilliant as the symptoms in The Stand.
(Tiny complaint: The writing clunked around sometimes, and the super-tough ex-Army scientist guy who becomes the book's protagonist was not at all believable. But really, this book is plot plot plot the whole way through, so who cares.)
I went to a lecture McEuen gave a few weeks ago and was really impressed by him, particularly with the accessible and fascinating way he presented the concept of big vs. small in science. A lot of those ideas are in the book as well. Plus, most of the action also takes place in Ithaca and at Cornell, and the local stuff is undeniably fun.
(Tiny complaint: The writing clunked around sometimes, and the super-tough ex-Army scientist guy who becomes the book's protagonist was not at all believable. But really, this book is plot plot plot the whole way through, so who cares.)
I went to a lecture McEuen gave a few weeks ago and was really impressed by him, particularly with the accessible and fascinating way he presented the concept of big vs. small in science. A lot of those ideas are in the book as well. Plus, most of the action also takes place in Ithaca and at Cornell, and the local stuff is undeniably fun.
April 10, 2011
It is an interesting book, but other than some of the science, nothing out of the ordinary. The world needs saving from a bilogical catastrophy and the good guys are there to do their best. I wish the author would have left out the excessive amount of science and developed more depth as to what made the bad guys tick. They seemed like cartoon characters.
Some of the science was a little too deep for me and I think less and simpler would have been better. I also felt that some of the action was a little far fetched. On the other hand it is not a bad book for the author's first try. The plot is unusual and it does remind you in a way of Crichton's mysteries. It was also interesting for me since the plot takes place in Ithaca, NY, where I have spent some time and it brought good memories.
Some of the science was a little too deep for me and I think less and simpler would have been better. I also felt that some of the action was a little far fetched. On the other hand it is not a bad book for the author's first try. The plot is unusual and it does remind you in a way of Crichton's mysteries. It was also interesting for me since the plot takes place in Ithaca, NY, where I have spent some time and it brought good memories.
July 26, 2011
I don't think of myself as being a big sci-fi/thriller fan - but "Spiral" is thrilling sci fi and I really got into it. It's a first novel w/o some of the pitfalls - Count on well developed characters and excellent research. Paul McEuen is a Cornell Physics Professor and it shows. Cornell and Ithaca and the Finger Lakes make up much of the setting in a cozy way that is flattering to this lovely region of NYS. So, back to the plot - far fetched? who knows? It sure had me squirming! And it went fast - two days for me during a time when I am not exactly at the beach! Thanks to John Hutchison at The Open Door Bookstore for recommending Spiral to Wes who is in for a real treat - this one will be fun to discuss.
July 27, 2015
This beat-the-clock thriller had me up late, not wanting to stop reading! A Japanese businessman and former kamikaze harbors much remorse and frustration after he fails at his wartime mission to infect Americans with a deadly virus. A cylinder of the virus is intercepted by an Irish scientist who studies funguses with the help of nanotechnology. Fast-forward 64 years after the war, and something is afoot that may have deadly consequences. Someone is out to unleash bioterrorism using nano-technology. Who is to blame? Can it be stopped? Fans of Michael Chrichton will love this. Wish there was an epilogue that sorted out current science & tech from possible future developments from pure fiction. Recommend.
October 6, 2012
Well, it's pretty good.
I like the techo-thriller genre and this definately fits into that. But, with so many GREAT thrillers out there, this one just doesn't head to the top of my list.
It was a fun read and overall the story was good. I mean, a potential global infection and flashbacks to WWII; also the introduction of micro robots. Some good stuff here.
But, the characters were only so so in their development and lacked a little background history to ground them into following their actions in the story.
I think the author has potential and hope that his further works will continue to improve.
I like the techo-thriller genre and this definately fits into that. But, with so many GREAT thrillers out there, this one just doesn't head to the top of my list.
It was a fun read and overall the story was good. I mean, a potential global infection and flashbacks to WWII; also the introduction of micro robots. Some good stuff here.
But, the characters were only so so in their development and lacked a little background history to ground them into following their actions in the story.
I think the author has potential and hope that his further works will continue to improve.
July 27, 2012
This is a technothriller with WWII bad guys, nanotechnology and a killer fungal plague that combines hardcore science with a fast paced plot that definitely kept me reading. It also managed what so many thrillers fail on - it kept me guessing until the very last few pages as to how it would end. The author is a scientist but it's not dry. I actually found mycology fascinating! A recommended read for fans of Michael Crichton. It also won an award at International Thriller Writers.
January 2, 2013
Meh... I found this thriller just OK, ultimately. It was a page-turner in the middle of the book, but then I found it just got slower and a bit more tedious as it got closer to the end It has some cool ideas though about nano-bots, and the plot revolves around a deadly virus, so for those really into scientific thrillers it might be more exciting. I did find some of those plot points interesting. I thought the characters were weak though, and the book generally formulaic.
April 2, 2011
This was a pretty good book. Sort of a cross between Crichton and Dan Brown. Crichton for the epidemiology and Brown for the flat characters and lame attempt at a love story in the middle of a good scientific emergency.
I do recommend it, however. If you enjoyed the Dan Brown books and like a good pandemic, check it out!
I do recommend it, however. If you enjoyed the Dan Brown books and like a good pandemic, check it out!
June 7, 2013
Ridiculous. Implausible plot, weak characters, there was an especially aggravating child character. After reading this I never want to visit Ithaca (not that it was on my bucket list). The author should stick to academic writing.
September 29, 2013
Some have compared this book and author with Michael Crichton. Not a chance other than an interesting premise and a couple of very cool technical concepts like the little drone-spiders. Mediocre writing and really shallow characters made for a pretty boring book.
February 11, 2016
This is a wonderful science-based thriller about what might happen if man created a killer fungus.
July 14, 2013
Hmmm, yes. When you comment appreciatively that a thirty-three year old woman "has still got it" you say a great deal about yourself.
January 16, 2024
In 1946, Liam Conner is on a ship with a Japanese detainee, Hitoshi, and is tasked to find the secrets this man is hiding. He soon extracts the terrible secrets and sets things in motion to protect his country. The Japanese vessel is obliterated by an atomic bomb to kill the infected crew and keep the infection from spreading.
When Liam conner is working alone in his lab sixty-four years later, a woman named Orchid wants to have a chat with him. She takes Liam prisoner and tortures him to find the truth of what happened in 1946. Using his own nano robots she kills him when he refuses to talk.
The search starts to find what Liam Conner had been hiding for years. Before his death he has left clues to his daughter and grandson. They need to find the answers to the questions and riddles to discover that the Japanese soldier carried a small container with a deadly fungus, the Uzumaki, in it. When Liam obtained this fungus in 1946, he decides that the United States cannot be left vulnerable in biological warfare. In secrecy he works to discover its traits and find a method to protect people from infection.
Orchid manages to obtain the Uzumaki and it is released into a nearby river. Only the immediate release of the antidote Liam Conner had been working on keeps the Uzumaki from infecting people and causing a pandemic.
When Liam conner is working alone in his lab sixty-four years later, a woman named Orchid wants to have a chat with him. She takes Liam prisoner and tortures him to find the truth of what happened in 1946. Using his own nano robots she kills him when he refuses to talk.
The search starts to find what Liam Conner had been hiding for years. Before his death he has left clues to his daughter and grandson. They need to find the answers to the questions and riddles to discover that the Japanese soldier carried a small container with a deadly fungus, the Uzumaki, in it. When Liam obtained this fungus in 1946, he decides that the United States cannot be left vulnerable in biological warfare. In secrecy he works to discover its traits and find a method to protect people from infection.
Orchid manages to obtain the Uzumaki and it is released into a nearby river. Only the immediate release of the antidote Liam Conner had been working on keeps the Uzumaki from infecting people and causing a pandemic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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