When asked how Lawrence Wright managed to predict what was coming our way at this time, he simply said that after speaking to many experts on viruses, he learned we were totally due for such a pandemic. Really, we are due for an outbreak like 1918, while ours appears to be far less deadly. It is obvious that Wright did a great deal of research for this novel, and you will learn much more about viruses, bio-weapons, and more than you want to know about the multitude of dangers nature possesses. As a novel, The End of October works very well, too. Just like nature, harm and loss are copious and indiscriminate. There is no justice in nature’s choice of victims. Sad to say, human nature is true to the depths to which it often sinks. Self preservation and fear always seem to come first, generosity and kindness are present once threat retreats.

Our novel’s hero is Henry Parsons, a scientist with the CDC, and a man who possesses several significant secrets in his past. I won’t spoil your discovery of these, as they explain much of what motivates his choices. He specializes in deadly viruses, and often goes to areas of outbreak to identify the virus, so his lab staff can work on mitigation and vaccine development to protect our country. Henry lives in Atlanta with his wife Jill, an elementary school teacher, and their children Helen and Teddy. While on a trip to pick up samples from an outbreak of unknown origin in a refugee camp in Indonesia, Henry discovers that the virus is possibly novel, deadly, and highly contagious. Wright dreams up a terrific worst case scenario, when the driver who brings Henry to the camp and helps him gain access, abruptly leaves to make his flight for Mecca, Saudi Arabia, a pilgrim at the annual Islamic Hajj. Pilgrims from around the globe go to the Hajj each year, a religious obligation (2.5 million Muslims attended in 2019.) A perfect catastrophe, as the driver, carrying the novel, deadly virus, makes contact with many people from around the world. As the virus is spread during the event, Henry runs off to Mecca, and manages to shut the city down, all to prevent a global catastrophe.

All for naught, Henry is caught up in his battle against the spread of the disease, a failing effort. His family, meanwhile is dealing with the spread of the virus through the U.S., as Jill struggles with bank runs, grocery stores sold out, desperation and widespread contagion everywhere. In the midst of the pandemic, war breaks out between Saudi Arabia and Iran, as their proxies, the United States and Russia, begin to up the ante. Could this be the collapse of civilization? The scary thing is, it is all very plausible, and could much too easily happen. Wright delivers his research to the reader, but also manages to create a fast-paced, highly suspenseful plot. Who will live or die, how will it all end—you will be turning pages quickly with this one. It’s quite realistic, which is what makes it more scary. This is the thriller of the summer of 2020. Highly recommended.