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2.9 AVERAGE
2.9 AVERAGE
I came across with this book last year, we were already experiencing our pandemic, and I thought, why not?
The protagonist of this story is the coroner who performs the autopsy of the first victim of the alleged pandemic. USA and China are the countries involved in this issue and we follow the development of the case during 4 days, which culminates in an ethical dilemma.
The language used is very scientific (and sometimes repetitive) which can be boring for some people but I found it interesting and somewhat familiar, because of my previous job.
Taking into account what is said on the cover:
A deadly virus? Yes it's true, really fulminating, those affected don't even notice it. A global terror? Not really, 4 days is a short time for a huge expansion, so this one is a bit misleading.
The protagonist of this story is the coroner who performs the autopsy of the first victim of the alleged pandemic. USA and China are the countries involved in this issue and we follow the development of the case during 4 days, which culminates in an ethical dilemma.
The language used is very scientific (and sometimes repetitive) which can be boring for some people but I found it interesting and somewhat familiar, because of my previous job.
Taking into account what is said on the cover:
A deadly virus? Yes it's true, really fulminating, those affected don't even notice it. A global terror? Not really, 4 days is a short time for a huge expansion, so this one is a bit misleading.
I couldn’t finish because the writing was very stilted and the plot was slow.
Not what i was expected, but i pretty much knew how it was going to turn out once i started reading it... Im a bit conflicted, I'd say read it if it sounds good, but i wouldn't recommend it passionately.
It's a shame that Robin Cook has such great stories in his head; he lacks the talent needed to write them. This story focuses on a medical examiner by the name of Jack as he discovers a highly contagious viral disease and chases it down before everyone in New York falls fatally ill. In theory, it sounds thrilling - in reality, we read hundreds of pages before anything actually happens. The first dozen or so chapters include one death, which Jack deduces may be due to a highly contagious virus. Then he spends page after page investigating like a crazy person, even though nobody else dies and nothing else indicates he is correct on his theory. The author attempts to make sense of Jack's obsessive behavior by blaming stress at home - the character had a rather convoluted backstory involving a family killed in a plane crash, a child kidnapped and presumably returned home safely, the same child dealing with a brain tumor, and another child being diagnosed with autism....It's a bit much, honestly. Cook's characters all speak in rather formal, stilted English, avoiding contractions and using odd turns of phrase that would make more sense if their native language wasn't English. They also react oddly - a new employee swears in front of Jack, and he absolutely flips out on the poor man, who obviously had no way of knowing Jack won't tolerate swearing. It's an odd response, as most people would simply explain to a newbie that they can't speak that way around you. Jack's response is more like someone who had already explained a dozen times that they don't appreciate swearing - it's over the top and makes Jack seem even more unlikable and... well, odd. Cook doesn't write people like the people you know. He writes odd characters that don't react normally, or speak normally, or behave in an understandable fashion. Of course, Jack eventually finds evidence for his beliefs and of course he's right (the book is called Pandemic, after all), but honestly, this is not a fun or thrilling ride. I had forgotten why I quit reading Cook years ago, but now I remember.
✨Jack, nuestro protagonista, se enfrenta a uno de los casos más importantes de su carrera y esto es justo lo que necesitaba para evadirse de sus problemas domésticos. A medida que avanza, la trama se va enredando y no sabíamos como iba a terminar todo, pero la resolución nos ha encantado.
✨Este ha sido el primer contacto con el autor y seguro que repetimos, nos ha gustado mucho su forma de narrar y cómo ha construido los personajes. Además, el protagonista nos parece un personaje bastante particular y eso nos ha gustado mucho.
✨Desde que leímos la sinopsis, sabíamos que teníamos que leer este libro y no nos equivocamos, lo hemos disfrutado mucho: nos ha enganchado desde la primera página.
✨Este ha sido el primer contacto con el autor y seguro que repetimos, nos ha gustado mucho su forma de narrar y cómo ha construido los personajes. Además, el protagonista nos parece un personaje bastante particular y eso nos ha gustado mucho.
✨Desde que leímos la sinopsis, sabíamos que teníamos que leer este libro y no nos equivocamos, lo hemos disfrutado mucho: nos ha enganchado desde la primera página.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a stinker. Much of it was pedantic. When I think of a pandemic, I expect there would be more than one dead by the middle of the book. By the end of the book, the main characters were calling it a mini-pandemic. I finished it, but I wish I hadn’t even started it.
Hmmm... the first Robin Cook book, I didn't really enjoy. 🤔