Panic in Level 4

Cannibals, Killer Viruses, and Other Journeys to the Edge of Science

By: Richard Preston

Narrated by: James Lurie

Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Bizarre illnesses and plagues that kill people in the most unspeakable ways. Obsessive and inspired efforts by scientists to solve mysteries and save lives. From The Hot Zone to The Demon in the Freezer and beyond, Richard Preston's best selling works have mesmerized readers everywhere by showing them strange worlds of nature they never dreamed of.

Panic in Level 4 is a grand tour through the eerie and unforgettable universe of Richard Preston, filled with incredible characters and mysteries that refuse to leave one's mind. Here are dramatic true stories from this acclaimed and award-winning author, including:

The phenomenon of "self-cannibals", who suffer from a rare genetic condition caused by one wrong letter in their DNA that forces them to compulsively chew their own flesh - and why everyone may have a touch of this disease.

The search for the unknown host of Ebola virus, an organism hidden somewhere in African rain forests, where the disease finds its way into the human species, causing outbreaks of unparalleled horror.

The brilliant Russian brothers - "one mathematician divided between two bodies" - who built a supercomputer in their apartment from mail-order parts in an attempt to find hidden order in the number pi (�).

In fascinating, intimate, and exhilarating detail, Richard Preston portrays the frightening forces and constructive discoveries that are currently roiling and reordering our world, once again proving himself a master of the nonfiction narrative and, as noted in The Washington Post, "a science writer with an uncommon gift for turning complex biology into riveting page-turners".

©2008 Richard Preston (P)2008 Random House, Inc.

A decently good synopsis of the unexplained

Not meant to be in the spirit of xfiles but more delving into the unknown for the analytical mind. The stories about those first hand accounts gives a translation of the nuances most people wouldn’t recognize.

The things we don’t know!

Such an eye opener. AND SO MANY LEVELS!!! I am forever intrigued by the mysteries of our world(s). I am forever grateful Richard Preston❤️

Fascinating

Great information. Very interesting. Preston does an amazing job of presenting information on subjects that the general population has little or no knowledge of. Lurie is an exceptional narrator and makes listening easy and fun.

WAIT! Maybe this isn't what you think....

I wanted a book on killer viruses and deadly jungles. I wanted to be scared. When the book switches over to two Russian scientists trying to calculate pi, I waited for this to tie into viruses. Oops. This book is a collection of unrelated essays. One talks about the insects in trees, another about an ancient tapestry, and yet another discusses an odd kind of self-mutilating autism. Oh, and then there's the opening essay about viruses. I really think this book was designed to grab the Hot Zone audience and make us listen to other essays we wouldn't normally seek out. All the same, they were interesting and well written by a skilled journalist. Very interesting, but...eh....there are other books out there.

Interesting in parts

I really like the way Preston writes and researches his material, but there were some parts of this book that I fast forwarded through. He has much better books than this here - please look for them, they are worth a listen over this choice.

Needs more Ebola

Not exactly what I expected, but I cant say I didn't enjoy it. Good luck, Ebola-chan!

Want a book about viruses? This is not it.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

if you are going to give a book a title like "panic in level 4" maybe the content should be more about viruses and less about tree, pi, and orphan diseases. the content was aggressively mediocre and none of it tied together very well. just hopped back and forth, felt disorganized. i was very very disappointed by this book.

Has Panic in Level 4 turned you off from other books in this genre?

its turned me off the author, who seems to be riding the coat tails of his precious story. saying that it turns me off the topic of viruses would be unfair because this book had very very little to do with viruses.

What about James Lurie’s performance did you like?

He did very well.

Do you think Panic in Level 4 needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

as long as its an apology for being misleading.

Any additional comments?

I am currently very bitter

Do you want to know more about Pi?

Looking to learn more about Pi? This is your book. Epidemic, meh. But, I now know more about Pi, super computers and the Unicorn Tapestries than I did before. So there is that. If you’re looking for a book about epidemics, probably not the book for you.

Where's the panic?

If you're looking for a dangerous situation where life threatening things happen, this is not the book for you. I was ready for an adventure into the unknown but feel like I was at a very boring seminar about nothing relevant. When it was over I felt like I deserved a medal for listening, save your credits for something good.

Not what I expected from the title

This book seems like a collection of disjointed topics. Some of the author’s other work was better.