By David Koepp

HarperCollins, out now

Humanity faces extinction – because of a fungus…

David Koepp’s name should be familiar to SFB readers from the multiple screenplays that he’s written over the years – from the terrific (Jurassic Park) to the less memorable (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull). It’s the sense of the first of these that comes across in this fun thriller – the sense that nature is inexorable, and when it’s annoyed at you, it’s not going to be stoppable. If that makes you think of the work of Michael Crichton, it’s totally intentional.

There’s a great deal of fun to be had from this book, particularly if you’re into gory descriptions of body horror (at times it reads like an unfettered version of Eric Saward’s time as script editor of Doctor Who, and in deference to the late Terrance Dicks, the gunk that is produced is green). Koepp also has a neat turn of phrase – one character is described as having “a reputation so thoroughly unearned that it defied reason” – and builds his characters more than simply through how they react to the unnatural events around them.

Verdict: A fast paced, Crichton-esque thriller that will keep you hooked. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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