The Hot ZoneThe Hot Zone
Score Modern
What it's about
In 1989 a deadly relative of the Ebola virus turned up in a building full of laboratory monkeys in Reston, Virginia, just outside Washington. Richard Preston tells how Army scientists in biohazard suits moved in to contain it, alongside the stories of earlier outbreaks of Ebola and its cousin Marburg in Africa and of the scientists who study them.
Why it's worth reading
It spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times list and is one of the most gripping science books ever written. It reads like a horror thriller, and it's true.
You'll love it if you liked
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Jurassic ParkGood to know
The descriptions of symptoms are graphic. Some scientists feel Preston overdramatizes how the virus kills. It was adapted as a TV series in 2019.
By the numbers
- Readers73 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller72 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #34 of the 119 science and ideas books we rank
- #274 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #545 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Thought-provoking
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Science and ideas booksTop 25 · 119 ranked
Modern booksTop 25 · 1,573 ranked
Books of the 1990sTop 25 · 273 ranked
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 459 ranked
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 309 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 313 rankedQuick answers
Is The Hot Zone worth reading?
Yes. It spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times list and is one of the most gripping science books ever written. It ranks #545 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 77.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Hot Zone about?
In 1989 a deadly relative of the Ebola virus turned up in a building full of laboratory monkeys in Reston, Virginia, just outside Washington. Richard Preston tells how Army scientists in biohazard suits moved in to contain it, alongside the stories of earlier outbreaks of Ebola and its cousin Marburg in Africa and of the scientists who study them.
How long does it take to read The Hot Zone?
About 11 hours (450 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Hot Zone?
If you liked it, try The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot or Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton.