This is a truly frightening book. Mr. Preston details the Anthrax-in-the-mail event, but much more than that, he leads us into the scary world of biological warfare. As readable as an action thriller, the horrific thing is that this book is all true.
From the horrors of smallpox, to the heroism of the doctors who worked so hard to eradicate it, and back to the ghastly possibilities of genetically engineered smallpox used as a weapon, you won’t be able to put it down.
The small number of people affected by the anthrax attack is a testament to the effectiveness of the efforts to prevent it’s spread. However, the attack is also a warning. Anthrax is not passed from person to person – smallpox is. An equally small amount of smallpox could have done exponentially more damage – more deaths – and been potentially unstoppable. Politics and science, heroes and seemingly demonic leaders combine to make this a tension filled planet on the verge of disaster even as most of us go contently along with our daily lives in ignorance.
Read this in combination with something more uplifting (like “New Mexico; Past and Future”).