Indeed, novelists have been imagining scenarios like this for centuries. Best fiction books about diseases or viruses 153 books. Nearly 20 years ago, dean koontz wrote a science fiction thriller about the biolab near wuhan. A dean koontz book from 1981 predicted coronavirus in bizarre. As a reader i knew my book had to have an unexpected and rewarding ending. Plagues in science fiction and fantasy dan koboldt. As a fan of science fiction and techno fiction, i am glad ive cut in my line of toread books and read minerva virus. Martins greyscale to rowlings somewhat amusinglynamed spattergroit. A fair way into the book it is revealed that these things were influenza viruses. Claudia gray is the new york times bestselling author of many science fiction and paranormal fantasy books for young adults, including defy. The virus described in the science fiction novel differs dramatically from the real coronaviruscovid19 outbreak. Later on in the story, there are people doing research on a space station where theyre trying to find the answer to some virus or plague that has hit the earth.
Plagues in science fiction and fantasy plagues are a common sff plot trope, either as a main source of tension and plot or as backdrop. Feb 28, 2020 the coronavirus outbreak feels like something out of a science fiction or horror novel. Nealpha parasite resident evil series the nealpha, or nemesis alpha, parasite has an immunity to the t virus, and is used to protect the higher brain functions of b. Aug 01, 2018 abbey mei otis is an exciting voice in contemporary science fiction. In high school in the 70s, we read a science fiction book that, in many of the opening chapters, the characters recounted a history of things, referred to only by unintelligible strings of letters and numbers, that were killing people. Virus is a 1999 american science fiction horror film directed by visual effects artist john bruno and starring jamie lee curtis, william baldwin and donald sutherland. In the great change of 1971 a virus infects humanity that causes everyone to grow fur all over their bodies. Are you looking for a new science fiction book to read. The 60 best scifi books all science fiction fans must read. Science fiction novels for 6th grade and middle school. Best science fiction best science fiction of the 21st century best science fiction of the 20th century. Few nonfiction books can impress upon a reader the sheer horror of what a deadly virus can do like the demon in the freezer. I recently watched a friend play a popular video game. Doubleeagleeyed readers found early editions of the book that referred to the virus as gorki400, a bioweapon developed by the russians in gorki.
However there are pretty good fantasy specific lists that should be used instead. The big book of science fiction book cover picture. See more ideas about novels, fiction and books to read. Science fiction and fantasy novels provide us with allegory, cautionary tales, and the human condition told through the lens of the fantastical and the cuttingedge. Her new book alien virus love disaster small beer is a shortstory collection that explores those left behind in. A book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. The thriller fiction, published in 1981, had referred to the virus wuhan400. The fictional novel tells the story of a chinese military lab that creates a new virus to potentially use as a biological weapon during wartime. I know there are some heartless, greedy, selfish criminals who call themselves politicians, pastors, prophets or business people, who will steal money that is suppose to help in this corona virus. Three decades later, the reaper virus violently resurfaces in a major city.
From wuhan400, the deadly virus invented by dean koontz in 1981, to the plague unleashed in margaret atwoods. Feb 28, 2020 coronavirus may have been predicted more than 40 years ago in a science fiction book referring to a new biological weapon created by a chinese scientist to wipe out a city or country. Mar 17, 2018 that was a major turning point in my writing career. Pandemic fiction is more popular than ever but what these books and. The book, published in 1666, reflects enlightenmentera theoretical science, with cavendish imagining submarines. Rachel cummings, the young chair of a university biology department is confronted with a problem that modern science says cant exist. So, before you succumb to h7n9, here are 20 books, both fictional and non fiction, about disease and death. Beckerman is an accomplished science writer, teacher, speaker and author. Science fiction is the most discussed and argued over genre in literature but it actually goes way beyond books and into film, tv, video games and even toys. John mandel, the stand by stephen king, the great influenza. In fact, it almost seems like the publisher did a findreplace of gorkiwuhan after the cold war ended because thats about the time the change appeared.
The terrifying true story of the origins of the ebola virus by richard preston, the passage by justin cronin, the s. Apr 30, 2015 plagues in science fiction and fantasy. Most of druunas adventures revolve around a postapocalyptic future, and the plot is often a vehicle for varied scenes of hardcore pornography and softcore sexual imagery. Plague fiction why authors love to write about pandemics. It was their listening, reading and critiquing my writing that honed my skills as a writer of fiction.
One hundred stories written around and about the time of the black death in italy during the 14. Best science fiction and fantasy books of august the. Druuna is an erotic science fiction and fantasy comic book character created by italian cartoonist paolo eleuteri serpieri. A nonfiction book, but drawing on thriller techniques and hence a defoelike hybrid. His novel the eyes of darkness made reference to a killer virus called wuhan400 eerily predicting the chinese city where covid19 would emerge. Science fiction books top 10 endoftheworld novels from ballard to pratchett fresh from writing his own first scifi thriller, physicist and broadcaster jim alkhalili chooses favourite. The best nonfiction books about pandemics, flus, and illnesses. A dean koontz book from 1981 predicted coronavirus in. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Published in 1994, the hot zone is a nonfiction thriller that chronicles the emergence of the ebola virus, which, like covid19, was a highly contagious. Snow crash is a science fiction novel by american writer neal stephenson, published in 1992. Feb, 2020 nearly 20 years ago, dean koontz wrote a science fiction thriller about the biolab near wuhan. Mtamashiro66 virus often shortened to mta66 as depicted in the halo book series is a virus that affects the nervous system of several species of canine.
Officially relegated to two freezers in russia and the united states. Top 10 pandemic films to watch according to imdb screenrant. Scifi and fantasy books to read when you want to escape reality. An early work of feminist utopian fiction and proto science fiction, the blazing world tells the story of a woman from our earth who travels to another world via a portal at the north pole, where she becomes empress of a society made up of fantastical halfanimal halfhuman species. The most fatal virus known to science, rabiesa disease that spreads avidly from animals to. Apocalyptic fiction helps us deal with the anxiety of the coronavirus. Im constantly occupied reading or writing about brain science.
When this list was originally created it was expected to have both fantasy and science fiction. This is a list of apocalyptic and postapocalyptic fiction works as portrayed in literature, film, television, and, comics apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity. Small groups of surviving women, driven to warmweather states, live on the run from roving bands of invaders riding armored vehicles with machine guns at the ready. List of apocalyptic and postapocalyptic fiction wikipedia. I wanted to write a story that would incorporate my training in science and my love for fiction. He foresaw a virus outbreak created by the chinese government. The primary focus of his professional life is brain science. Books that deal with the spread of a virus or deadly illness that affects the world in a big way score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Postapocalyptic science fiction and pandemic kindle edition by newman, aj, newman, patsy. Celebrate this chilly friday the th in december with one of these seven books, which stand with the most terrifying scifi novels ever written. A book called the eyes of darkness, released in 1981, was associated with the corona virus. Like many of stephensons other novels, it covers history, linguistics, anthropology, archaeology, religion, computer science, politics, cryptography, memetics and philosophy. The subject of his book tells of a private laboratory of the chinese army in the war and a weapon developed in this laboratory, prompting conspiracy theorists. Feb 26, 2020 theorists are drawing comparisons to koontzs fictional tale that the virus was developed as the perfect weapon to wipe out populations on earth.
How a book written in 1981 predicts the corona virus. Dean koontz book had wuhan400 virus in 1981 youtube. Jean trimble from walnut springs middle school in westerville posted the inquiry. Mar 11, 2014 based on a inquiry posted to the oelma listerv for a science fiction novel for an advanced 6th grader. Ive found there are few situations in life where books cant offer some solace. A lethal virus spreads throughout the british isles,infecting millions and killing hundreds of thousands. Good nonfiction books about viruses, bacteria and diseases they cause. His character was an assassin, and one of his missions involved stealing a virus from a laba relatively a common trope, right. Whether you are someone who finds comfort in information, your curiosity has been piqued by all of the buzz, or you just like being the expert in the room, here are five nonfiction books about pandemics, viruses, and. Dean koontz did not predict the coronavirus in a 1981 novel cnn. Not even during the cold war were science fiction books about the apocalypse and life afterward so popular.
Sections of the book have been widely shared in the past week, alleging eerie similarities between the covid19 virus. The best science fiction books to read in 2019 a scifi. This book allows one historical characters tale to tell us a little bit more about the social and ethical dimensions of science and the scrutiny that most achievements deserve. The 20 best pandemic books to read during coronavirus vulture. The fictional novel tells the story of a chinese military lab that creates a new virus to. So, here are my top 10 endoftheworld science fiction books. Covid19 outbreak originated inside the city of wuhan, and conspiracy theories. The corona virus, which emerged in wuhan, china and caused 1,384 deaths. My book 5,000 writing prompts has 100 more science fiction writing prompts in addition to the ones on this list, plus hundreds of other master plots by genre, dialogue and character prompts, and much more.
Published in 1994, the hot zone is a nonfiction thriller that chronicles the emergence of the ebola virus, which, like covid19, was a highly contagious neverbeforeseen disease that decimated. Great news we have compiled the best scifi books that all fans should read, everything from scifi classics to up and coming indie authors. Mar, 2020 in the book, the virus is a manmade weapon in the screenshot page from the novel, a character named dombey narrates a story about a chinese scientist who brought a biological weapon called wuhan. Its all up to a team of scientists to investigate the outbreak of this deadly.
Dystopic science fiction provides a reference points for our anxieties during a time. Coronavirus may have been predicted more than 40 years ago in a sciencefiction book referring to a new biological weapon created by a chinese scientist to wipe out a city or country. May 22, 2019 here are some of the best science fiction books space. Plagues are a common sff plot trope, either as a main source of tension and plot or as backdrop. Following the evolution of these ideas, wald shows how they were affected byor reflected inthe advent of virology, cold war ideas about alien infiltration, sciencefiction stories of brainwashing and body snatchers, and the hivaids pandemic. Bestselling suspense writer dean koontzs 1981 novel, the eyes of darkness, tells the story of a military lab in wuhan, china, that creates a virus named wuhan400 as part of a biological.
Most popular imdb top, scifi feature films released 2000 to 2020. Heres a chart of the top postapocalyptic science fiction books, and when. The coronavirus outbreak feels like something out of a science fiction or horror novel. The primary focus of my professional life is brain science. Put together a list of 50 mustread science fiction books and dont make anyone angry. If youve been following the developments surrounding the covid19 virus, chances are you might have come across someone mentioning dean koontzs book the eyes of darkness is being mentioned on peoples social media feeds because apparently it predicted the novel virus originating from wuhan. The novel uses a widespread outbreak of a constantly mutating virus to. Theres a political urgency to much of spinrads science fiction, and. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. Virus literally day of resurrection is a 1964 postapocalyptic science fiction novel written by sakyo komatsu. But, our natural fear of deadly viruses is rooted firmly in history and set ablaze by our imagination. Publisher pete spurrier, who runs hong kong publishing house blacksmith books, muses that for a fiction writer mapping out a thriller about a virus outbreak set in china, wuhan is a good choice.
Coronavirus feels like something out of a scifi novel. All of that came together in my seventh manuscript of virus. Books plague fiction why authors love to write about pandemics from michael crichton and dan brown to shelley and boccaccio, the theme of infectious disease is not a new affliction. The best scifi books of all time penguin random house. Ideas from science fiction rarely make it into the public consciousness, but 1984 was referenced in supreme court cases, and big brother has a spot in the oxford english dictionary 1984 is the rare book that is both commonly assigned to students and still a pleasure to read. The 2011 movie contagion looks at the spread of a deadly virus. Heres a selection of seven deadly novels about virus outbreaks. Author dean koontz eerily predicted the coronavirus outbreak in his 1981 thriller the eyes of darkness. May 08, 2019 but i enjoyed writing sunfall because its precisely the sort of book i enjoy reading, even though lacking zombies. People are claiming that this novel predicted coronavirus. Dean koontz predicted wuhan virus in 1981 thriller or did. Sep 14, 2014 the second book in the brilliance series, a better world mixes science fiction with slambang crime fiction suspense. Hes been an avid reader of fiction and nonfiction all his life, and thats what led to virus.
The mars virus begins four years after a shadowy group unleashes the deadly mars virus on u. Smashwords virus, a science fiction thriller a book by. Did a 1981 science fiction book predict coronavirus. A human expedition to the planet jeep is nearly wiped out by a virus that kills all the men and most of the. To contain the threat, acting authorities brutally quarantine the country as it succumbs to fear and chaos. Aug 01, 2014 plague fiction why authors love to write about pandemics. Coronavirus predicted by 1981 book about a deadly bug. Based on the comic book of the same name by chuck pfarrer, it tells the story of a ship beset by a malevolent extraterrestrial entity that seeks to turn humanity into cyborg slaves.