The Book Club: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe

Richard Preston's 'The Cobra Event' explores the catastrophic consequences of a genetically engineered virus unleashed upon society. The novel depicts a scenario where the virus, designed as a bioweapon, causes rapid brain damage and societal breakdown. As chaos ensues, government agencies and scientists race to identify and contain the deadly pathogen. Preston combines scientific detail with suspenseful storytelling, creating a chilling narrative about the potential dangers of biological warfare and genetic manipulation. 'The Cobra Event' serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of biosecurity and the devastating impact of unchecked scientific advancements.

The Hot Zone tells the dramatic story of the appearance of rare and lethal viruses from the central African rain forest, including Ebola and Marburg viruses. The book is structured around several key events: the discovery of Marburg virus in the 1960s, the 1976 outbreak of Ebola Zaire in Sudan and Zaire, the 1989 outbreak of Reston virus in Northern Virginia, and the author's visit to a sub-Saharan cave suspected to be the natural host of Ebola. Preston's account is a hair-raising narrative that highlights the dangers and mysteries of these highly infectious and deadly viruses.

The novel begins with a military satellite crashing in northern Arizona, leading to the deaths of nearly all the inhabitants of the nearby town of Piedmont. Only two survivors are found: an old man and a baby. A team of scientists, part of Project Wildfire, is dispatched to investigate the cause of the deaths and to contain the threat. They discover an alien organism, the Andromeda Strain, which has lethal effects on humans by clotting their blood. As the scientists delve deeper, they find that the organism mutates into a form that no longer harms humans but begins to eat through rubber and plastic. The story culminates in a race against time to prevent a catastrophic breach of the containment facility and the potential spread of the organism.