The pacing felt right for a screenplay, and the melodrama, but it doesn't translate quite as well to the novel form.Ī good book to take on an airplane, I think. I do actually think, though, that this would be a stronger piece if it were adapted for the screen.

Several typos spoil what's meant to be emotional moments, and everything is thunderous: coughing, trucks, whatever. And as the plot builds, you'll find yourself rooting for the flu. You'll get to know the hairstyle of each character. I suppose it plays along with the sense of civil disorder that the story tries to build, but is shockingly contrasted by references to 'the New Jerusalem' and a book section titled 'The Walls of Jericho.' FBI partners holed up in an LA hotel have a 'the world is ending' sexual encounter - which is frankly so out if place that it's laughable. It becomes a fight against what is morally right or wrong in an increasingly difficult battle to stay healthy and alive until the flu has run its course.Īt times a bit overdone, I thought: stilted dialogue and a contrived plot finds a sensitive biker Mick (also the chief of police and something of a 24-esque hero) slowly falling in love and saving a small town.along with intrepid doctor Lars (also a romance novelist and aid worker). are 'flu-free' In the wake of the reality that they are spared, the spirit and strength of Lodi is tested. In a world blackened with plague, a glimmer of light exists in the small town of Lodi, Ohio. Mutated and with a vengeance, the Spanish Flu returns. Though mankind has anticipated its resurfacing for some time, mankind is ill prepared. It appeared out of nowhere, and just as quickly as it surfaced, the Spanish Flu vanished. In 1918 forty-million people succumbed to a particular strain of swine flu. Without a second thought, you'll take a double dose of green liquid, go to bed, and swear you'll feel better in the morning. You will cough, sneeze, and your body will ache.

Chances are, this year, you will catch one of those strains. Throughout history there have been several thousand different strains of influenza.

The Flu by Jacqueline Druga