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.

Not what I was expecting

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I love Richard Preston's full length books, but I didn't realize that this was several different short-stories.

Boring, with wrong title

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The real world of Viruses is immense and awesome, much wider selection, and less

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Boring

Any additional comments?

Would have loved a way to exchange this book for anything else

Expected much more

A better tag line would have been: " Some guys look for Pi and, Oh yea there's some viruses and stuff out there"

I love nonfiction books, and have always been a Richard Preston fan, but...

When I was still using Apples version of audio books I purchased The Hot Zone, and Demon in the Freezer; both were amazing, They were the reason I purchased this book. I was very disappointed with the little amount of time that Preston dedicated to the actual "Level 4" stuff, which was the reason I was interested in the book to begin with as well as the way this book is marketed. Preston spends more time on the guys who were working on solving Pi than he does anything else. I'm sure it's an interesting topic to some but even though its tied in nicely, doesn't really belong in a book tagged "Cannibals, Killer Viruses, and Other Journeys in the Edge of Science".

Narration was great, though!

not my cup.

not my cup wish i could exchange for a better listen. but i guess im stuck with it now.

Miss titled and poorly executed

between the random restarts throughout the book and the fact that this seems to be a very scatter-brained and unorganized collection of short stories I really disliked the experience of this book

A book about how he wrote a book, but boring.

In the first half of this pretty bad book the author tells stories about how he actually wrote a good book, The Hot Zone. It is like one of those "The Making Of ______" movies where all the actors tell you how they knew right away the movie would be a huge success. Those movies about making movies are boring. Imagine how much more boring it would be in book form. The title is misleading because the majority of the book has nothing to do with what is in the title. The author is obviously in a slump or in need of money as the quality here is way below what he has done in the past.

Boring

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

By deleting the long introduction where the author tells you for 2 hours what he is going to tell you later in the book or what he has already told you in other books or articles.

What could Richard Preston have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Just present the interesting science, don't tell the audience how you gather information and how you will tell us all about it in upcoming chapters. Also multiple chapters on Pi is way too many

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment

Any additional comments?

Yes, I felt used by buying this book.

too much Pi talk

There was a long section of this book, at least 10 chapters, where the book discussed in great detail two mathematician brothers trying to make a super computer that could calculate Pi to the billionth number. I think I heard the word Pi two hundred times and felt like I was in a recruiting effort for a new religion of God being found in Pi. no joke. they frequently said as much.

I came here for disease and biology and it wasn't what I bought the book for

good read

interesting but liked hot zone better

Not what I expected!

Not what I expected! My bad, I judged a book by its cover. The first and last chapter were ok but, wow. I didn't want to hear another word about Pi! This was more about math and other sciences and less about bio-safety level 4. Read the full description before you buy!