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The End of October

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The End of October

By: Lawrence Wright
Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

A DEADLY VIRUS. QUARANTINE. A WORLD IN LOCKDOWN. THE THRILLER THAT PREDICTED IT ALL.

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A race-against-time thriller, as one man must find the origin and cure for a new killer virus that has brought the world to its knees.

At an internment camp in Indonesia, forty-seven people are pronounced dead with a mysterious fever. When Dr Henry Parsons - microbiologist and epidemiologist - travels there on behalf of the World Health Organization to investigate, what he finds will soon have staggering repercussions across the globe: an infected man is on his way to join the millions of worshippers in the annual Hajj to Mecca.

As international tensions rise and governments enforce unprecedented measures, Henry finds himself in a race against time to track the source and find a cure – before it’s too late . . .

©2020 Lawrence Wright (P)2020 Penguin Audio Action & Adventure Fiction Genre Fiction Political Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Technothrillers Thriller Thriller & Suspense Exciting Technology Adventure Suspense Middle East

Critic Reviews

"An eerily prescient novel about a devastating virus that begins in Asia before going global.... A page-turner that has the earmarks of an instant best seller." (New York Post)

"Eerily prescient. Too bad our leaders lack his foresight." (The New York Times)

"A compelling read up to the last sentence. Wright has come up with a story worthy of Michael Crichton. In an eerily calm, matter-of-fact way, and backed by meticulous research, he imagines what the world would actually be like in the grip of a devastating new virus." (Richard Preston, author of The Hot Zone)

All stars
Most relevant  
This novel is absolutely brilliant, if chilling given the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Wright’s meticulous research and explanations of the science behind nature’s most lethal killers is matched with superb characters and story telling.
Highly recommended. Also, great performance by the narrator.

Perfectly timed with chilling research.

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You would think that reading about a virus that kills so many people would be a depressing read given the current Covid situation but really, this made me feel like we’re getting off lightly at the moment!

I liked listening to this guy’s voice

Should be depressing but it had the opposite effect

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Written before the real life covid19 pandemic, with many uncanny parallels. Includes interesting epidemiological background in layman's terms such as a history of influenza and previous pandemics. I binge-listened in anticipation of how the problem would be resolved.

Crystal ball

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Written before the 2020 pandemic, it virtually mirrors what is happening to the world at the moment (October 2020). It devolves into a much deeper crisis, however, but shows clearly what can happen when the social structure collapses. With some very interesting historical facts about pandemics, it is the complete book - although, I must say, the personal side was a bit dreary. I enjoyed it that much that I'll give it a week or two and then listen to it again. The narration was also first-rate.

A Frightening Reality

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I'm not sure what is have thought listening to this a year ago but in the current climate it's so believable and makes me think that things could be worse! good medical info and political. main characters interesting but felt a little incomplete.

well researched and too believable in parts

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