The Enigma Strain

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

I was craving a bit of SF and The Enigma Strain fulfilled that craving quite well. It reads almost more like a movie because of the large cast, but when you’re focused on a particular person, you are focused. This has a downside because some of the characters don’t make it, a pet peeve of mine, but at the same time, each almost vignette helped build the full picture. As I was reading, I kept being reminded of movies like Outbreak for obvious reasons, but for non-obvious ones as well in that there too we got little pieces of many lives on top of the thread with the main characters.

I’m not a scientist, and most of my knowledge comes from reading layperson articles (though I did index and show more abstract leading medical journals in one of my jobs), but the science read as plausible and connected with other pieces I already knew. While the infection information was often explained in unfamiliar terms (appropriate to the characters’ knowledge), having Ben along allowed for analogies and layperson explanations that made sure I got the gist of everything mentioned without feeling info dumpy.

Other aspects showed skill as well, such as the use of foreshadowing and the way the reader is able to connect with characters known even for only one scene. The pacing, and how we learn the scope and impact of what’s going on, was very effective. The large cast made sure there were enough people to tell all sides of the story without losing me in a sea of meaningless names and faces. It’s clear early on that Ben, and then Julie, are the main characters regardless of the rest, and we never spend too much time away from them.

I read this in an arc provided by the author, but I was surprised at the level of content errors, both typos and continuity. It says a lot for the compelling story that I didn’t give up after the second or so issue. The Enigma Strain is a fast-paced, fun, harrowing action tale with imperfect characters who are easy to identify with, and who have complex lives around and outside of the story that add to their depth. The story itself is a vast conspiracy, some pieces of which I figured out and others are not yet explained, leading me to wonder if there’s more to this story to be seen in a later novel. Also, in case you’re wondering, I asked and the story went through two additional edit passes before the final version was released, so you should not experience the errors I did.

I only review things I enjoyed, and there is no question I was sucked into the story enough so I “created” extra time to read. Interesting story, deep characters, and some time in Yellowstone Park, though one quite different from my last visit. It has the big crisis, serious stakes, and the personal touch in Ben and Julie. Worth the read, and prime for a movie adaptation as well. show less

Non-stop action with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing

My first read of a Nick Thacker book, but definitely not my last.

The Enigma Strain is a thriller that revolves around the discovery of a lethal biological entity which is scientifically altered to turn it into a terrorist weapon. In the early stages of the book, the narrative jumps backwards and forwards in time and among different places and groups of people, which I found a little confusing at times - but not enough to make me want to stop reading.

The protagonist, Harvey Bennett, known as Ben, seems at the outset to be a simple loner. He is a ranger working at Yellowstone National Park - a man who is far more comfortable being around the bears than he is around people. show more As the story progresses you learn more about him and begin to understand what has made him shy away from people. An explosion at the Park, followed by the discovery that a highly contagious unknown disease is spreading out from its epicentre, forces Ben out of his isolation into the company of a CDC scientist. Threats against them and those they know keep mounting until they no longer know who they can trust.

The action is non-stop with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. There was only a couple of spots where I found myself quibbling with the author. The first time, I thought he had overlooked something rather obvious, only to find that it had not been overlooked at all, and it was dealt with in a satisfying way. The second didn't get dealt with - but it was a small thing and maybe I'm being a bit picky.

Tiny quibbles aside, this was a very enjoyable read, and I have already downloaded three more titles by this author onto my Kindle. show less

Not a bad read

This book wasn't bad but it wasn't great. The story line had me asking questions about where other help was. The fact that a park ranger and a CDC worker accomplished all they did alone was too far fetched. The actual writing itself was well done and I did find myself liking the main 2 characters but even in a crisis situation they were joking around and just "ho hum".

Biology or Biowarfare?

A highly contagious, manufactured bioweapon has just been released in Yellowstone National Park. But that's not even the worst problem. Racing a countdown, Harvey Bennett and his friends discover a plot to explode a bomb under Lake Yellowstone that will set off an extinction level event. The Enigma Strain is exciting from page one to the very end. I highly recommend this book!

The author is a USA Today Bestselling author, according to the cover, but I could not find a compelling reason to finish reading this book. The writing is pleasant enough, although dialog tends to fill too much of the story, with extensive dialog-based explanations of why people do what they do and what they know about what’s going on. While elements of the story need to be conveyed in one way or another, the extensive dialog tends to detract from the story.

The author also makes blunders that confound me. Is English his first language? Does he understand that a “battering ram” of tests should be a “battery” of tests and “distain” should be “disdain”? Almost every book has grammatical and spelling errors, but a simple show more read-through reveals such issues and more, including inexplicable situations during the story. A mother dying of an infectious disease, yet the son holds her hand without protection. A woman, who moments ago was sedated, is capable of climbing into a ceiling vent. Moments later, that same woman is angrily shooting people dead.

The story drags. A lot. I know I’m the exception, with many five star reviews for this book but, after reading 65% of the book, I cannot bring myself to finish it, especially as it is book one of many in the series. I will not be reading any more of Nick Thacker. show less

Imagine that terrorists are planning to introduce a deadly virus into the atmosphere and blow up the entire western portion of the United States at the same time. What can accomplish such a feat? Much of the story takes place around Yellowstone National park and since he's involved from the beginning, a park ranger teams up with a CDC agent to stop the catastrophe before it takes place. Both get the virus that is killing people within a day, and yet they continue in their quest to stop the end of the world.

The first 75% of the story was exciting and hard to put the book down, but the last quarter tended to drag on in places, causing me to skim through the remaining pages. I'm also disappointed in the ending and thought it should have show more been expanded some showing the outcome and the after-affect of the event at the end. Noting that this is a series, perhaps the next book will expound on it. Worth a read, but I will not be pursuing the next installment. show less

ABR's original The Enigma Strain audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

In 1704 a Russina mapping team in North America discovers a cave filled with human bones. Within a day the Russian team are all dead.

Present day, a bomb explodes in Yellowstone Park, within days many of the park employes are sick. Harvey “Ben” Bennett is a park ranger at Yellowstone National Park.He is 32 and mostly a loner. He heard the explosion and was in the earth tremor that followed. His partner was killed by the quake.

Julie Richardson from CDC, BTR (Biological Threat Research), is interviewing Ben in the cafeteria when excited personnel rush in with a sick man. Julie and Ben leave by the back door and head to her truck. Julie show more knows the sick man could be contagious. She’s right.

Introverted Ben and extroverted Julie make for an unusual team. I really liked the way they played off each other. Glimpses into Ben’s past explain why he is the way he is. When the chips are down he comes through.

This is one thrilling book. The back stories that give insight into the origin of the virus are right on. It’s not hard to believe Russian explorers were here in the early days or that their remains were found by students and taken by a big Drug Corp. I already knew that Yellowstone was a volcano. I’ve been there and seen it. Not hard to imagine what would happen if a bomb really did explode there.
The tension builds throughout the story until the very end and it is an adrenaline rush. I want more of Ben, but it will be hard to come up with something to beat this novel for suspense, action, and thrills.

Mike Vendetti is the narrator and he did a splendid job of it. His reading was clear and concise, very well done. I could listen to him for hours, in fact I did. Production was perfect. No jumps, skips, or static. A perfect rendition.
The book cover was colorful and well done. Symbolic.

Audiobook provided for review by the author. show less