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khaleesimod93's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
All I've got to say is this story is utterly terrifying!! There are so many ups and downs and twists and turns. I could feel my heart racing while they are trying to catch the person behind this, and that race at the end, just ugh!! Edge of my seat. I needed a complete switch in genre because I could feel myself going into a reading slump. This book was exactly what I needed! It starts off with a terrifying sickness and ends with heart stopping action.
sciencekoala's review against another edition
5.0
The Cobra Event is a whirlwind of intense fiction based in just enough reality to make it truly disconcerting. The events described and the virus featured in the book are fiction, but the science concepts behind biological weapons, genetic engineering, and epidemiology are based in fact. The fact that this book was published a couple decades ago is especially unsettling, given that the current international environment is not as peaceful as one would hope - and world powers’ capacity for producing weapons of all kinds has grown exponentially.
Preston does a fantastic job of explaining the science in such a way to make it accessible to readers with varying levels of scientific experience. The pacing is fast enough to keep building excitement, to such an extent that I found it impossible to put the book down. It was gripping in its plausibility and horror. Some of the events that take place during the final pages of the book seem a little improbable (perhaps even forced), but I suppose real secret ops could be this wild without us ever knowing. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in realistic science-fiction, epidemiology, biological warfare, and/or infectious disease.
Preston does a fantastic job of explaining the science in such a way to make it accessible to readers with varying levels of scientific experience. The pacing is fast enough to keep building excitement, to such an extent that I found it impossible to put the book down. It was gripping in its plausibility and horror. Some of the events that take place during the final pages of the book seem a little improbable (perhaps even forced), but I suppose real secret ops could be this wild without us ever knowing. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in realistic science-fiction, epidemiology, biological warfare, and/or infectious disease.
hoyalawya's review against another edition
2.0
It was OK. I enjoyed his other book, the Hot Zone, much more. This one felt a little too poorly written as it was his 1st fiction attempt that I know of. Still very interesting reading and worthy of discussion just poorly written at times.
donnaadouglas's review against another edition
3.0
I found this to be an interesting read, and clearly well-researched - he has a tendency to go into non-fiction mode at points in the novel with several asides. I did find this quite sensationalist though, as I do with some thrillers, and the plot was at times contrived. I'm going to read more of Preston's non-fiction though, as I think the non-fiction author in him shone through in this novel.
bethfalenski's review against another edition
3.0
I couldn't make it all the way through this book. It hit too close to home. The world is a scary place.
kellerko's review against another edition
3.0
I’m pretty sure I’ve read this before. It was interesting, hopefully a bit far-fetched, exciting, and terrifying to think about the possibility of biological warfare.
elodie2711's review against another edition
5.0
Just like The Hot Zone, this book is absolutely fascinating and terrifying. I love the way it is written, with fiction and nonfiction woven together to create a chilling and engaging story. I couldn't put down that book!