Helpful Score: 1
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, both when it first came out in 1996, and now, 10 years later. Partly because a lot of it takes place here in the east bay (east san francisco bay area), and i recognize most of the locals. While there are many elements of science fiction in this book, eg., pretty much everything we consider high tech goes away, you don't need to be a sci-fi fan to enjoy the story.
Helpful Score: 1
One heck of a future catastrophe yarn. All the oil in the world is destroyed by a 'super bug' accidentally released on a monumental oil spill in San Francisco Bay. Gotta read the rest to see what happens.
I thought, "Ho hum, another eco-disaster, but Kevin Anderson usually tells a good story... I'll try it."
ILL WIND is anything but ho hum! Now I'm going to see if Anderson, has teamed up with Beason on anything else; they make a good team.
Fast-moving plot, fascinating characters, good science, and the possibility of a hopeful outcome.
From back cover: It's the largest oil spill in history: a crashed supertanker in San Francisco Bay. Desperate to avert environment damage--a PR disaster--the multinational oil company releases an untested 'designer microbe' to break up the spill. An 'oil-eating' microbe,' designed to consume anything made of petrocarbons: oil, gasoline, synthetic fabrics, and of course plastic.
What the company didn't realize is that their microbe propagates through the air. But when every car in the Bay Area turns up with an empty gas tank, they begin to suspect something is terribly wrong.
And when, in just a few days, eveery piece of plastic in the world has dissolved, it's too late...
ILL WIND is anything but ho hum! Now I'm going to see if Anderson, has teamed up with Beason on anything else; they make a good team.
Fast-moving plot, fascinating characters, good science, and the possibility of a hopeful outcome.
From back cover: It's the largest oil spill in history: a crashed supertanker in San Francisco Bay. Desperate to avert environment damage--a PR disaster--the multinational oil company releases an untested 'designer microbe' to break up the spill. An 'oil-eating' microbe,' designed to consume anything made of petrocarbons: oil, gasoline, synthetic fabrics, and of course plastic.
What the company didn't realize is that their microbe propagates through the air. But when every car in the Bay Area turns up with an empty gas tank, they begin to suspect something is terribly wrong.
And when, in just a few days, eveery piece of plastic in the world has dissolved, it's too late...
This was a quick & fun read, I enjoy post-apocalyptic science fiction and this one was pretty good.
I really enjoyed this book. It had a great hook from the beginning and kept me interested the whole way through.
A book about new techology that goes out of control. A believable scarey book.
Interesting look at the fall of civilization, caused by petroleum eating microbes. It boggles the mind to think what that would entail.
Great read! The author made me think about our dependence as a nation on oil. And the story was interesting as well!
Terrific read. A great concept and exciting delivery. Especially good beginning.
Excellent end of the world novel. Oil spill, nanotechnology,oops, the microbe ate all the plastic!
I don't read much sci-fi, but I LOVED this book! I never read a book twice and I have read it three times. I always thought it would be a great movie.
I like SciFi and if it is set in the SF Bay Area I'll tend to read it even more. This book is totally plausible. Just in 2007 the Costco Busan hit the Bay Bridge and well...plastic is still around but all the factors to make this book real are here today. So maybe it isn't so scifi after all...except the rail gun!
I read this a while ago, when I actually could finish a book, and I didn't take science fiction so seriously. It has kind of a weird ending SPOILER ALERT: LIFE GOES ON, the lesson seems to be that even though all petroleum and all plastics have disappeared overnight, you can still have an awesome rock 'n' roll concert at Altamont Pass, just like the good old days.
this book has alot of action and great tech.
never read this one... my husband bought it somewhere because he's a kevin j. anderson fan. it's got a little shelf wear and the corners of the cover are bent, but overall it's in good condition, definately readable.
The largest oil spill in history!!!!
