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itsdanbooks's review
5.0
One of the golden rules about books is that "you should never judge a book by its' cover" (I actually really like it), but I think there should be companion rule -- Don't judge a book by its' page count.
I really think Zimmer has truly done something wonderful with this book and has done it in only 132 pages.
Zimmer opens the book by talking about the Tobacco Mosaic Virus -- this was a virus that was discovered since the crops of farmers were being killed, but was not the result of pests or bacterial infections. This effectively served as the birth of virology when a "contagious living fluid" was isolated.
He also goes into details about the viruses such as rhinoviruses (the common cold), human papillomavirus, retroviruses, HIV, smallpox and West Nile virus -- but also discussing what separates the harmful viruses from the harmless viruses, the dangerous and the deadly.
The history of viruses is also discussed as Zimmer discusses the "everywhereness" (term made up by me, not Zimmer) of viruses -- how viruses have existed longer than humans have, exist in environments that should be inhospitable and environments that will be inaccessible to humans, such as marine phages and the importance of bacteriophages.
This was all done in a way that was easily approachable for readers; you don't need to remember a thing from your high school biology class to appreciate the lessons that you'll learn in "A Planet of Viruses"
Don't let the size of this book fool you, despite it's small size and short page count, it's dense with information. I can safely say without question that this was one of my favorite books that I read in 2021 -- I liked it so much, that I finished it in less than 24 hours!
I really think Zimmer has truly done something wonderful with this book and has done it in only 132 pages.
Zimmer opens the book by talking about the Tobacco Mosaic Virus -- this was a virus that was discovered since the crops of farmers were being killed, but was not the result of pests or bacterial infections. This effectively served as the birth of virology when a "contagious living fluid" was isolated.
He also goes into details about the viruses such as rhinoviruses (the common cold), human papillomavirus, retroviruses, HIV, smallpox and West Nile virus -- but also discussing what separates the harmful viruses from the harmless viruses, the dangerous and the deadly.
The history of viruses is also discussed as Zimmer discusses the "everywhereness" (term made up by me, not Zimmer) of viruses -- how viruses have existed longer than humans have, exist in environments that should be inhospitable and environments that will be inaccessible to humans, such as marine phages and the importance of bacteriophages.
This was all done in a way that was easily approachable for readers; you don't need to remember a thing from your high school biology class to appreciate the lessons that you'll learn in "A Planet of Viruses"
Don't let the size of this book fool you, despite it's small size and short page count, it's dense with information. I can safely say without question that this was one of my favorite books that I read in 2021 -- I liked it so much, that I finished it in less than 24 hours!
anishaaa's review against another edition
3.0
A nice, informative, short read! I like the short little essays, they make this easy to digest for a layperson. It has a good balance of information on biology and epidemiology, which makes most of the essays engaging. I work with some of these viruses everyday, and it was nice to get a big picture of their histories and symptoms.
The essay on WNV had many typos and grammatical errors, like it had not been edited--this one was a little difficult to read. Minus one star for this.
The essay on WNV had many typos and grammatical errors, like it had not been edited--this one was a little difficult to read. Minus one star for this.
andy_acid's review
informative
fast-paced
3.25
This is decent as a pop-sci book but it's not a very good book as an introductory virology piece. Most of the viruses introduced here are pretty well known for anyone who had biology in their higher secondary school. The most interesting factors like gene reshuffling, how oceanic viruses contributed to abiogenesis, or the cross transfer of zoonosis viruses among species were not clearly discussed here which made it rather dull.
All these aside it's pretty good for anyone who has very limited knowledge of viruses and I also like the chapters where he discussed SARS-Covid and smallpox viruses.
3.25/5
All these aside it's pretty good for anyone who has very limited knowledge of viruses and I also like the chapters where he discussed SARS-Covid and smallpox viruses.
3.25/5
hello123hello1234's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0