Name: The Genius Plague by David Walton
Item: The Genius Plague
Author: Trenzle Review

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I was eager to read The Genius Plague because David Walton’s past books Superposition and Supersymmetry were genuine page-turners with a dynamite blend of science, action, suspense, and heart. The author’s ability to imagine plausible “disaster on a global scale” scenarios and then provide readers with such relevant and human character viewpoints never ceases to impress me. Walton’s storytelling is not limited to the world of science; he also looks at the larger effects of technological development and the psychology of motivation from the inside out.

This earth is dying because of inefficiency, Paul yelled. I gave a headshake. “Imagination is inefficiency. It involves romantic relationships, singing in the rain, vaudeville performances, building fanciful sandcastles, and wishing for our aspirations to come true. Our inefficiency is our best quality.

His leading character in this film, Neil, is a charming underdog who frequently breaks the law despite having the best of intentions. Neil is a too-smart-for-his-own-good screw-up. His relationships with his father, who has Alzheimer’s, are both touching and upsetting. His respect and admiration for some of the fierce female characters in a male-dominated field is also refreshing.

It is clear that Walton has a gifted ability to convey complex technical and scientific ideas through his characters. My sole complaint, which was absent from prior books, was a slight awkwardness in the prose used to describe amorous interactions. There is a thin line between characters acting awkwardly in these circumstances and how those situations are portrayed. But given that he (and his characters) are a little preoccupied trying to figure out how to save the entire human species, this reader is more than ready to overlook that. Another complex, suspenseful thriller by a sci-fi genre master is The Genius Plague. Never before have fungi been so frightening!

About The Book

Neil Johns’ brother Paul, a mycologist, vanishes while on a mission to gather samples in the Amazon jungle just as Neil begins his dream job as a code breaker for the NSA. Paul returns with a hole in his memory and a fatal fungal infection. But once he’s recovered, he will have improved memory, communication, and pattern recognition. Another person, Paul, has also fallen ill and recovered with powers they didn’t have before. In the meantime, something is happening in South America.

The survivors, which include entire isolated Brazilian tribes and American visitors, also appear to be working toward a shared, deadly objective. While Paul becomes more evasive and unstable, Neil soon learns of a covert and mysterious partnership between nations that have long been adversaries.

Neil is convinced that the fungus is destroying its human hosts, whereas Paul believes it to be the next step in human evolution. The free choice of every human on earth is at stake, and brother must confront brother on a tense worldwide arena. Can humans harness this power for good, or are we doomed to become the tools of an entirely extraterrestrial intelligence?

The Review