The Viral Storm

The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age

By: Nathan Wolfe

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

In The Viral Storm, award-winning biologist Nathan Wolfe tells the story of how viruses and human beings have evolved side by side through history; how deadly viruses like HIV, swine flu, and bird flu almost wiped us out in the past; and why modern life has made our species vulnerable to the threat of a global pandemic.

Wolfe's research missions to the jungles of Africa and the rain forests of Borneo have earned him the nickname "the Indiana Jones of virus hunters," and here Wolfe takes listeners along on his groundbreaking and often dangerous research trips - to reveal the surprising origins of the most deadly diseases and to explain the role that viruses have played in human evolution. In a world where each new outbreak seems worse than the one before, Wolfe points the way forward, as new technologies are brought to bear in the most remote areas of the world to neutralize these viruses and even harness their power for the good of humanity. His provocative vision of the future will change the way we think about viruses, and perhaps remove a potential threat to humanity's survival.

©2011 Nathan Wolfe (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"By turns terrifying and comforting, The Viral Storm is a clear, riveting account of the threat of undiscovered viruses." (Mary Roach, author of Stiff)

great story but very bad narator, very monotone

What did you like best about The Viral Storm? What did you like least?

I like all the story.
The narator's monotone made it hard to listen.

What other book might you compare The Viral Storm to and why?

Incognito, similar science book

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Robertson Dean?

Gregory Itzin, great narator even in a memoir

Any additional comments?

If this had been my first audio book experience, I would have really been a bad experience and might not listen to another book.

Fascinating, but missing key info

This book was fascinating and I learned a lot. However, Mr. Wolf never even mentioned the 2 major “pandemics” I was hoping to learn about: the Black Plague and the Spanish Flu. I don’t understand why he would leave them out.

I would really love to hear what he has to say about the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Fascinating and engrossing.

A delightful and thorough exploration of the world of the things that make us sick. Dr. Wolfe's work provides an accessible explanation to the past, present and future of pandemics. Highly recommended.

Great Book, Very Informative, Good Narration.

Covers briefly many viruses and the illnesses that they do or may cause. Many of the Recent potential pandemics or epidemics such as Aids, Ebola, Bird Flu, H1N1,SARS, Rabies. Briefly covers the history of older outbreaks and how they are treated or cured or eradicated. The author tells of his personal experiences with these diseases, and the story of how he began to study them. Some human evolution is covered as well as information about apes, monkeys and other mammals. How we battle disease and viruses and what the future holds and how doctors and scientists are using modern technology to help control and prevent outbreaks or spreading of viruses.
Pretty basic stuff but still informative and sometimes a bit hard to follow if you get distracted while listening. but not overly complex. very enjoyable. I learned quite a bit.

a bio-geek's wet dream

What did you love best about The Viral Storm?

I'm a nutcase biology nerd, specializing in insect life. I was worried the book would read as a fearful, sensationalized, bid for a sanitized existence. I was wrong. The book is totally fascinating; it's filled with gritty details of outbreaks, epidemics and hypotheticals that inspire daydreams (nightmares?). Viruses are described in enough detail to excite the interests of biologists, but not so complicated as to alienate that the layman epidemic enthusiast.
Nathan Wolf's description of his career evolution from a primate specialist to an authority on epidemiology was unexpected and inspiring. As a young entomologist, I am now wondering if I'm in the wrong field! Wolf brings to light the incredible microscopic world of microbes into focus and shows insane complexity. My enthusiasm, writing this review, echoes Wolf's obvious enthusiasm for the world of viruses, prions and other bugs.

Well Researched and Explained by a True Expert

Where does The Viral Storm rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

You can tell that The Viral Storm is the culmination of a lifetime of study. And although Nathan Wolfe clearly has the ability to talk over your head, he rarely uses it. The book is obviously well researched and I felt it was entertaining without talking down to the audience. Although I would have liked to hear more about fringe viruses and possible disaster scenarios, he does a very good job explaining a couple of possible pandemic agents (with great information on HIV, Influenza, and a number of viruses you may never have heard of) and outlining how they might spread throughout the populous.

I have to say that this book is not a thrill ride though. It's more like watching a documentary than seeing a blockbuster. You will come away with a better understanding of diseases, how they spread, and possible systems to prevent pandemics (one part I though he devoted maybe too much time on). But it will not leave you on the edge of your seat.

Don't get me wrong though. I really enjoyed this audio book. If you are genuinely interested in viruses and their prevention I could not recommend this book more. But if you are looking more for

Not as fascinating as I expected

What did you like best about The Viral Storm? What did you like least?

Maybe the second time around will be better.

Did The Viral Storm inspire you to do anything?

To head warnings about animal to human virus transmission.

So you want to be a Viralogist

The author gives a fairly good look at how Virologist think and see the world. He'll explain in general terms how they see the world and what kind of work they do. I would strongly recommend this book for anyone who thinks they might want to enter the field or for those who have not read any other books on similar topics.

It's obvious to me that the author knows a whole lot more about the subject, but in order to keep the book interesting for the widest possible audience he usually only explains the field in the most general terms.

For me, I wish the author would have written a more detailed book and my expectations weren't met.

Interesting, Thoughtful, A Little Scary

Book is well-presented and easy to follow, even for non-scientist readers, while still providing valuable information for more informed readers. The many vivid examples given support the conclusions being presented.

This is a very worthwhile book

Dry at parts, but worth the read/listen overall.

For the topic, it reads quite well. Don't expect an anecdotal "Outbreak"-type book; it's more focused on information than story. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in virology.