Do You like book Plague Zone (2009)?
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?
—Gendou
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.
—Andrew
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 (view spoiler)[– I wasn’t sure that introducing zombies at such a late stage was a good idea – (hide spoiler)]
—Sarah