PANDORA: Outbreak
by Eric L. Harry
Genre: Science Fiction – pandemic
Pub Date: 1/23/2018
They call it Pandoravirus. It attacks the brain. Anyone infected may
explode in uncontrollable rage. Blind to pain, empty of emotion, the
infected hunt and are hunted. They attack without warning and without
mercy. Their numbers spread unchecked. There is no known cure.
explode in uncontrollable rage. Blind to pain, empty of emotion, the
infected hunt and are hunted. They attack without warning and without
mercy. Their numbers spread unchecked. There is no known cure.
Emma Miller studies diseases for a living—until she catches the virus.
Now she’s the one being studied by the U.S. government and by her
twin sister, neuroscientist Isabel Miller. Rival factions debate
whether to treat the infected like rabid animals to be put down, or
victims deserving compassion. As Isabel fights for her sister's life,
the infected are massing for an epic battle of survival. And it looks
like Emma is leading the way . . .
Now she’s the one being studied by the U.S. government and by her
twin sister, neuroscientist Isabel Miller. Rival factions debate
whether to treat the infected like rabid animals to be put down, or
victims deserving compassion. As Isabel fights for her sister's life,
the infected are massing for an epic battle of survival. And it looks
like Emma is leading the way . . .
In my new Pandora book series, I challenged myself to create
a medically and scientifically plausible “zombie novel.” In it, an airborne
pathogen, Pandoravirus, causes brain damage in its victims. They don’t die and
reanimate, but they are frighteningly dangerous both because they carry the
highly contagious virus (you can catch it from just breathing contaminated air
exhaled by carriers) and because Infecteds will kill you for little or no
reason.
Detecting Pandoravirus carriers
is easy for the first two weeks after infection. Their pupils “pop” – their
irises dilate, like after a visit to the eye doctor – due to mydriasis after
the massive damage done to their brains. After about two weeks, however, the
mydriasis resolves, and they look normal. Thereafter, to detect Infecteds you
need behavioral tests like the Turing test for artificially intelligent
computers (or the Voight-Kampff Empathy Test in Do Androids Dream . . ./Blade
Runner).
Here’s a checklist: Does the
suspected carrier have trouble with first person pronouns? Their sense of
“self” has been destroyed, and they may be confused when someone refers to them
as “you” until they grow more facile with the use of language. Do they exhibit
signs of excessive anxiety like muscle tension and fist clenching? That may
indicate an uncontrolled release of adrenaline, which could suggest an
impending adrenal rage. (Now might be a good time to terminate the interview.)
Does the subject seem paranoid, possibly thinking you to be a dangerous
imposter, not a friend? That delusion severs any emotional ties the two of you
might have had before infection. (Again, remain near an exit.) Does a person you
fear might be an Infected, when shown a forest, seem only to see individual
trees and not the whole? That single-minded focus can lead them to pursue you,
and only you, obsessively, through the chaos and violence until, well . . .
Also, does the suspicious person seem to suffer from a complete absence of
empathy and a total lack of social bonding? Can they, for instance, calmly
answer questions while in the presence of a dead loved one? Mirror neurons help
make us human; their absence can make us remorseless and inhumane. Finally
there’s pain, or more accurately the lack thereof, that is the last tell. No
need to explore the myriad ways that can be utilized to detect Pandoravirus in
its victims.
Oh, and if you happen upon a
large and dense crowd, which appears strangely impassive, silent, stoic, and
patient, and there are no obvious subgroups or signs of demonstration or
demands, and especially if they all face in the same direction – worse yet in your direction – they’re called
“charged” and are awaiting only a trigger. I wouldn’t interview anyone there,
and I wouldn’t stop running until you can’t run any farther.
Raised in a small town in Mississippi, Eric L. Harry graduated from
the Marine Military Academy in Texas and studied Russian and
Economics at Vanderbilt University, where he also got a J.D. and
M.B.A. In addition, he studied in Moscow and Leningrad in the USSR,
and at the University of Virginia Law School. He began his legal
career in private practice in Houston, negotiated complex
multinational mergers and acquisitions around the world, and rose to
be general counsel of a Fortune 500 company. He left to raise a
private equity fund and co-found a successful oil company. His
previous thrillers include Arc Light, Society of the Mind,
Protect and Defend and Invasion.
His books have been published in eight countries. He and his wife have
three children and divide their time between Houston and San Diego.
the Marine Military Academy in Texas and studied Russian and
Economics at Vanderbilt University, where he also got a J.D. and
M.B.A. In addition, he studied in Moscow and Leningrad in the USSR,
and at the University of Virginia Law School. He began his legal
career in private practice in Houston, negotiated complex
multinational mergers and acquisitions around the world, and rose to
be general counsel of a Fortune 500 company. He left to raise a
private equity fund and co-found a successful oil company. His
previous thrillers include Arc Light, Society of the Mind,
Protect and Defend and Invasion.
His books have been published in eight countries. He and his wife have
three children and divide their time between Houston and San Diego.
Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
I hope readers who like plausible, well-researched sci-fi will give the Pandora series a try. Thanks for hosting this blog for the first book in my series.
ReplyDelete- Eric L. Harry
Congrats on the tour and thank you for the book description and giveaway as well.
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