Book Log 2006 #27: The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston

The man who made Ebola a household name in The Hot Zone brings dire warnings about a possible return of smallpox in The Demon in the Freezer, melding bioterror and the "eradiction" of smallpox into a pretty worrisome look as to what could be coming down the pike if we're not both careful and lucky.

The book uses the anthrax by mail attacks just after 9/11 as a jumping off point to discuss smallpox, which makes a certain kind of sense, but seemed a little forced to me. It's not the smoothest transition, at any rate.

If you've read The Hot Zone then you'll find this book pretty familiar, as it uses the same mix of past outbreaks and current research to paint its deadly picture.

I will admit that I was a little disappointed at the start that the book wasn't going to be about the research that went into trying to track down the anthrax mailers, but the story that did unfold was certainly interesting enough. It's probably not for the squeamish (which shouldn't be surprising if you know anything about how the disease progresses), and if you went out and bought six months worth of Cipro during the anthrax thing you may want to steer clear, as the book might put you back over the edge. Otherwise, I'd recommend it.