The Fifth Horseman
A Novel of Biological Disaster
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
During the worst drought in memory, a ruthless international conspiracy unleashes Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) as weapons of mass destruction. This deadly poison contaminates the vital waters of the Euphrates River, killing thousands and threatening the lives of millions more. Breeding out of control, the mysterious organism spreads rapidly, endangering the water supply of entire nations and raising the horrific prospect of an all-out Mid-East War. But the world itself is in danger as well, for the lethal organism possesses terrifying capabilities that even its murderous creators didn't anticipate . . . .
In desperation, the White House summons an expert who patrols the dirtiest, most toxic beat on earth: environmental detective Dr. Michael Zammit. Head of the cutting-edge International Environmental Response Team, Zammit has faced both radioactive waste and hired thugs in his tumultuous career, but can he -- even with his hand-picked team of scientific masterminds -- find a way to save the planet from the greatest threat humanity has ever known?
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PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Woefully overwritten, this slipshod debut by ecology expert Sherbaniuk is the first in a planned series featuring Dr. Mike Zammit, a freelance world-class environmental guru who dashes around the globe trying to save the earth from disaster. The fledgling author introduces gripping elements of impending environmental doom and a menacing megalomaniac terrorist villain in the first three chapters, then struggles through the remaining first third of the book trying to bring individual identity and credibility to a veritable army of stereotypical, comic-opera characters engaged in state-of-the-art (however trite) science against a backdrop of current (mainly Russian and Mideastern) geopolitical unrest before the hero becomes aware of the main problem. Called to Turkey to deal with a mysterious, highly toxic green scum growing in the reservoir behind the strategic Ataturk Dam the sole water source for Turkey's uneasy neighbors, Iran and Syria Zammit is confronted with a genetically modified organism that is lethal to humans and animals of the region and threatens to spread around the globe. Unfortunately, almost every time the plot seems about to heat up, the forward movement is sabotaged by gratuitous explication of geographic, historical or political trivia. The makings of a crackerjack thriller are squandered, crowded by superfluous subplots cluttered with long and frequently inane passages of description and exposition, like a James Bond novel crossed with an environmental science textbook. Forecast: Despite this novel's many problems, its up-to-the-minute premise lends itself to reader interest, which will be spurred by national advertising, plus enthusiastic blurbs from Clive Cussler and Tess Gerritsen. Sherbaniuk will have to improve as a storyteller, though, if this series is to take off.