Description:

From Publishers Weekly

The writing team that scared the willies out of readers with Relic returns with a second, equally gripping novel of techno-terror. A genetically engineered mutation of DNA holds the promise of eradicating influenza forever. But there's a devastating catch: every living creature who comes in contact with the flu-killing virus dies horribly. In the eponymous research facility located deep in the Jornada del Muerto desert of New Mexico, young geneticist Guy Carson and his colleagues try to solve the problem, working in an atmosphere of increasing paranoia while the future of their employer, GeneDyne, rests on the actions of brilliant scientists driven by opposing motives. The authors weave together so many topical threads here (virtual reality, lost Spanish treasure, ethnic pride, scientific ethics) that only their tight control prevents this rousing scientific adventure from spinning away into hyperspace. It's a grand and scary story, with just enough grisly detail to stimulate real-life fears and characters full enough to engage the attention. The bleak desert provides another fearsome challenge to the novel's characters, as well as a metaphor for humanity's previous attempts to control nature. With science, outdoor adventure, sympathetic players and a catchy dusting of computer lore, there's something here to attract-and satisfy-a diverse range of readers. Author tour. (Feb.) ~ FYI: A teaser chapter from Mount Dragon will be included in the mass market edition of Relic, due out this month.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Guy Carson feels honored to be one of the few genetic scientists selected to work at Mount Dragon, Gene Dyne's heavily guarded compound in the New Mexican desert. The task: to defeat the influenza virus through permanent alteration of the DNA of the human race. The problem: previous attempts have resulted in the creation of an absolutely deadly form of the virus rather than immunity. Guy's job is to solve this problem. He willingly endures the stress and other discomforts of working in a biohazard unit, until he realizes that Gene Dyne's motives are less than altruistic and that the company will stop at nothing to turn a profit. Reading like a fictionalized rock-'em, sock-'em version of Richard Preston's The Hot Zone (LJ 8/94), this thriller from the coauthors of Relic (LJ 1/95) is sure to satisfy. Highly recommended for popular fiction collections.
- ?Rebecca House Stankowski, Purdue Univ. Calumet Lib., Hammond, Ind.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.