Virus Clans

By Michael Kanaly

In his first novel, Thoughts of God, Michael Kanaly created a metaphysical saga of murder that moved from the mean streets of modern-day America to the very notebook of God - in which earthly justice... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0441006671
• ISBN13: 9780441006670
• Release Date: September 1999
• Publisher: Ace Books
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

TRULY GOOD

i Think this iS a REAL GOOD BOOK. the book itself is the recording of evolution. and the point is IT IS possible. even now, when i think about it, it is Highly possible that viruses are the ones responsible for the evolution of all the species on earth.

An explosive read!

Kanaly's venture into the world of Big Ideas continues in this follow-up book to his impressive first novel, THOUGHTS OF GOD. In GOD, the author takes you on a journey through the cosmos, into the twisted heart of Man, and the provocative mind of God. In VIRUS CLANS, the journey is reversed, as the story deals with the smallest parts of life, the lowly virus, and its impact on evolution, both on Earth and in the Universe. Kanaly stretches the boundaries of respectable science, and in so doing stretches the boundaries of the reader's imagination. Bring your brain to this one, you'll have to think. But as in THOUGHTS OF GOD, the intensity, the insights, the expansive scope of the story makes it well worthwhile. A startlingly good book.

"This is a genuinely frightening book."

-The Hartford CourantVIRUS CLANS is all of that and more. The really terrifying part of this book comes about halfway through, when you suddenly realize that the author has you believing that this incredible scenario could possibly be true--that viruses, through billions of years of trial and error mutation, are actually fueling evolution on Earth. The book follows what might be the next evolutionary step for humans and the Virus Clans, whose own history is traced back to the first bacterium and beyond, into the cosmos itself. The story is both believable and convincing! Kanaly takes established scientific fact and moves it into the wide open arena of speculative fiction. For example, different insect species do, in fact, communicate using encoded protein molecules--so why not viruses? Recent studies on the human brain indicate an as yet unknown relationship between memory and protein molecules. VIRUS CLANS is a fusion of fact and fiction, of unique story-tellng and introspection. Turn the last page, and you will never look at the world the same way again. Poweful, highly recommended!

Roll over Mr. Darwin.

Compelling, intelligent, thought provoking and highly entertaining. What more can you ask from such a superb piece of speculative fiction? Michael Kanaly has created a well crafted story that takes you from the micoscopic microcosm of a virus, to the galactic scale (and time line) spanning our universe. A fascinating set of speculations on living intelligence, the origins of species, and evolution that will keep you entranced from the opening paragraphs until the final page. A most satisfying read that asks for a minor amount of suspension of belief -- but returns and rewards with a brilliant abundance of ideas. Highly Recommended.