292 pages
English language
Published July 31, 2007 by Ace.
“One of the best debut novels in years.” —New York Times bestselling author David Brin The nanotechnology was designed to fight cancer. Instead, it evolved into the Machine Plague, killing nearly five billion people and changing life on Earth forever. The nanotech has one weakness: it self-destructs at altitudes above ten thousand feet. Those few who've managed to escape the plague struggle to stay alive on the highest mountains, but time is running out-there is famine and war, and the environment is crashing worldwide. Humanity's last hope lies with a top nanotech researcher aboard the International Space Station-and with a small group of survivors in California who risk a daring journey below the death line...
I had a mad desperation to finish this book. Carlson does an excellent job of mixing high tech with base human emotion, and reminds us that even in dire situations humans are willing to turn on each other to get what they want. The scenario is refreshingly different from the usual end-of-the-world riff. An excellent first novel.
Very good, light read for the plane. An excellent apocalyptic setting, that held together well throughout the book.
In Plague Year, a "nanotech" virus got loose and reduces all warm-blooded creatures to mush. The catch? There is a governor that says it can't survive if at the standard air pressure at 10,000 feet. So everyone made a run for the mountains and small pockets of humanity survive, barely, with the occasional foray below the magic line, at a terrible physical cost. Cam and Sawyer lead one faction in California.
A capital of sorts is established in Leadville, Colorado, "the highest incorporated city", while the space station is still in orbit and Ruth is a leading nanotech engineer who pines to get back to Earth to help out. Finally, she finagles a landing and finds out all too much. She and Cam end up leading a party to recover important information …
Very good, light read for the plane. An excellent apocalyptic setting, that held together well throughout the book.
In Plague Year, a "nanotech" virus got loose and reduces all warm-blooded creatures to mush. The catch? There is a governor that says it can't survive if at the standard air pressure at 10,000 feet. So everyone made a run for the mountains and small pockets of humanity survive, barely, with the occasional foray below the magic line, at a terrible physical cost. Cam and Sawyer lead one faction in California.
A capital of sorts is established in Leadville, Colorado, "the highest incorporated city", while the space station is still in orbit and Ruth is a leading nanotech engineer who pines to get back to Earth to help out. Finally, she finagles a landing and finds out all too much. She and Cam end up leading a party to recover important information from the creation lab.
This was a fun read and the premise held together remarkably well. The main characters were well drawn, if slightly wooden, as was much of the dialog. And some of the frictions that happened didn't always make sense, but the story went along so smoothly you hardly cared. If you like your apocalyptic novels to be hard sci-fi, then this is your book. See his [b:Plague War|2286329|Plague War|Jeff Carlson|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Bxg4EvxCL.SL75.jpg|4087764] for the sequel.
