Isabel Miller is trying to help the US government contain the Pandora virus. She is travelling from location to location helping the local governments or hospitals with containment of Pandora victims. Emma Miller is on the run and trying to find a safe place. Noah Miller is living in Virginia trying to keep his family safe from both non-infected and infected people.

The novel switches between POV from Isabel to Emma to Noah and back again. Emma was kind of creepy as she has no morals or inhibitions. She kills or sleeps with people as she feels without any regard for this long term health or welfare. Emma reads like a murderer or a psychopath. In some ways the reader can dislike her because of this but in other ways the reader cannot help but feel bad for her as she is a victim as much as anyone else.

Isabel Miller was okay to read about but I didn’t really like her. I found her childish in a strange way. I also didn’t find her budding romance with a fellow soldier well written or compelling. It felt too much like a high school romance. Noah Miller was too sexist in the beginning as there was too much of gender identity and roles within his household. This starts to change as the novel progresses and Noah needs his daughter’s help with defending the fence. As such by the end of the novel I could tolerate Noah but I still didn't like him as a character, his daughter and son were awesome though.

The plot was incredible with tons of action and suspense. There was some surprises but not the ones I was expecting. I saw the President’s fate after taking the vaccine but I didn’t foresee the fate of the Virginia town. I like the way the novel was progressing with the people infected by Pandora wanting to create a settlement for themselves and the non-infected fighting against it. The novel wasn’t a typical us versus them and instead had lots of depth as the reader was forced to see everything in shades of grey.

In summary this was a great dystopian novel about a viral outbreak that started off in the USA but is slowly infecting the world. The characters are good, the plot is excellent and I cannot wait for the next novel in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

"Pandora: Contagion" eBook was published in 2019 and was written by Eric L. Harry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_L._Harry). Mr. Harry has published six novels. This is the second in his "Pandora Thriller" series. 

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in the contemporary US. The primary characters are neuroscientist Isabel Miller, her twin sister Emma and their brother Noah.

The Pandoravirus outbreak has spread around the world. Emma Miller is a carrier but has past the point of being highly contagious. Isabel Miller is still working for the President evaluating the spread of the virus. She is escorted by Marine Captain Rick Townsend her bodyguard and lover. Noah Miller has taken his family to a prepared homesite in rural Virginia to try to avoid the virus and the violence it had been bringing. 

Emma makes her way toward her brothers new home. She is still as smart as she was before catching the virus, but has little feelings left. She lets few get in her way and thinks nothing of taking a life. Noah's plans to set out the onslaught of the virus soon begins to unravel. 

I enjoyed the 8.5 hours I spent reading this 300-page thriller. While this isn't a 'zombie uprising' story, it is very similar. I have read a few other of Mr. Harry's novels and enjoyed them. While it would have helped to have read the first novel in the series before this one, this novel reads well on its own. The story isn't over so there will no doubt be at least one more novel in the series. I like the chosen artwork for the cover. I give this novel a 4 out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/. 

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Is the world as we know it coming to an end?

If you haven't read the first book in this series PANDORA: CONTAGION, you definitely should. This book starts where book one left off.

There is an all-out war going on between the Uninfected and the Infected of the Pandoravirus horribilis - the pandemic that has decimated the world's population. If you contract the virus, it is 100% effective - 50% of the Infected die and 50% live and have brain damage.

Professor Isabel Miller travels around the U.S. with a small military contingent, reporting back to the President and keeping people informed of what she knows about the virus.

Her twin sister, Emma, who is Infected makes her way to the family compound in Virginia where their brother and his family have holed up. She is high functioning and has her own plans for what the future will look like, biased towards the Infected.

Again, as in the first book, this isn't just a thriller story. There is a lot of discussion about the ramifications of the virus, and, while interesting, the story bogged down for me in this book and it was kind of a chore slogging through it and actually finishing it.

Yes, there is action and there are new developments but a lot of the book seemed like filler and was repetitious. There will be a third book in the series, it seems - PANDORA: RESISTANCE - and I'm not sure I will actually read it. Depends on my mood when it comes out because I usually don't like to leave things unfinished that I've invested time in.

I received this book from Kensington Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

What a family! Emma, Isabel, and Noah are all affected by the Pandoravirus. Emma survived it, Isabel is trying to stop it, and Noah is just trying to keep his family alive. I did not read the first book but this one has a propulsive plot and a wild tint to it. I admit to being a sucker for this sort of book- it's perfect when you need something pro driven and a little nuts. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. If you like sci-fi apocalyptic fiction, this might be for you.

Second book in the Pandora Thriller series - and yes, I feel you should read them in order so you get the history of what is happening. This is a grisly, gritty story of a virus that affects the human brain. It is highly contagious and seems to be infecting anyone it comes near.

As far as the characters go, I really like both the twin sisters, Isabel and Emma. They are representing both sides of this story and are a good contrast. The plot moves fast, but jumps between characters quite a bit. This is a very violent story, so if you are averse it might not be for you.

Thanks to Eric L. Harry and Kensington Books through Netgalley for an advance copy.

Long

I reviewed Pandora: Outbreak, the first book of the two book series, saying that the writing gave me nightmares. Unfortunately, this second book is not as vivid. Partially it is the strict 3 POV format that does not sustain suspense. Partially it is the alikeness of these pandemic books and films, be they about zombies or other Infected. Good guys barricade and bad guys push. There can't be anything new in the mechanics of the story. What's different here is that some of these Infected are living and that they are poised to become productive members of an emerging new society. Unfortunately for me that isn't enough to overcome the handicap of sameness that any pandemic book faces.

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Pandora: Contagion by Eric L. Harry is the second book in his Pandora series. Though this is second in the series and I haven’t read the first, Pandora: Outbreak, it works fairly well as a standalone. However, I do recommend reading the first book in the series to get the full background. This sci-fi novel follows the three Miller siblings during an apocalyptic disaster.

Scientist, Emma Miller, the first American victim of SED—Severe Encephalopathic Disease caused by Pandoravirus horribilis, has recently been released from the National Institutes of Health after being studied in their Bethesda laboratory.

Neuroscientist, Isabel Miller, Emma’s twin, has been sent by the Pentagon to observe and report on which containment policies worked and which did not. She, along with her nine-person “detail”, travels from town to town briefing troops, cops and relief workers and debriefing first responders, special forces and refugees.

Noah Miller, the twins’ brother, has created a safe haven for his family in the mountains of Virginia. Noah has prepped for the apocalypse, but is not prepared for the chaos soon to be visited upon his Shenandoah Valley hideaway.

I really loved the characterization in this novel. Noah and the twins are thoroughly realistic. The secondary characters give conflict and contrast that enhance the plot. In Pandora: Contagion Eric L. Harry approaches the “zombie” apocalypse from a unique viewpoint. Anyone who likes apocalyptic sci-fi will enjoy this novel. There is some violence, so if you’re squeamish this may not be the book for you. I rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

My thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.

Pandora: Contagion by Eric L. Harry is the second book of the apocalyptic science fiction fantasy Pandora series. This thrilling story began in the first book of the series and has picked up right where the action left off so it’s definitely one that needs to be read in order.

The story started with Dr. Emma Miller being called in to investigate the outbreak of a new virus but when she contracted the virus herself she became the one being studied. After Emma survived the Pandoravirus which kills roughly fifty percent of those that contract the virus it became clear that those that survived are changed.

Dr. Isabel Miller, who is a neuroscientist, was called in to help study the virus and her twin sister Emma when it became clear that the survivors had parts of their brains damaged and were now impervious to pain and lacked all emotion. After Isabel saw what was going on she couldn’t help but warn their brother, Noah, and let him know to get his family to safety.

The story has switched the point of view between the siblings giving readers a look at all sides of the outbreak. Isabel has the inside look at how the government is handling the outbreak, Noah and his family show what it’s like out in the world.. And then there’s Emma, such a suitably creepy and chilling point of view seeing that she is one of the infected.

Now, in a very rare occurrence I actually think this series got a little better than the first book which is rare for a second. Both are actually pretty compelling with an intense and action packed story. The first book though seemed to get a little overly scientific which could make it drag a bit and I didn’t find that in the second. I think fans of apocalyptic stories will find this one quite thrilling but I would warn of rape being mentioned and of course violence in the story but neither are graphic or drawn out.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Isabel Miller works for the CDC and is helping to spread word of the Pandoravirus. Along with Rick, who is assigned to be her protector, she goes from city to city trying to educate law enforcement on what to do when (not if) the virus arrives in their city. Unfortunately, it's getting harder and harder to stay ahead of it.

Isabel's brother, Noah, has taken his family to their backwoods retreat in hopes of surviving the apocalypse. Isabel's sister is also on her way to the family homestead but with very different intentions.

Even though this is book two, and I haven't read book one, I loved this book. Which is a bit strange considering I'm not a fan of zombie books. I found this book to be a refreshing take on the whole "zombie thing". Definitely worth the read! I will be looking for more books by Eric L. Harry.

I did not realize this was book two in a series, therefore I have put this book on hold until I get access to book one from my local library!

This book still sounds right up my wheelhouse, it just sounded like a stand alone by the synopsis.

I've enjoyed Eric Harry's work since I first read "Arc Light." I consider his book, "Society of the Mind," to be one of the best artificial intelligence novels that I've ever read. Then, after "Invasion" was published in 2000 there was nothing but silence. For the first few years, I checked his webpage every few months to see if something new was coming. After a few years, I gave up.

Then, after eighteen years of silence, I read that a new Eric Harry book was available. I was so excited!

Then I found out it was about zombies...

I want nothing to do with "zombie" books, movies, or comics. The publishing and entertainment industry seem as obsessed with zombies as they were with vampires a decade ago. The concept is so overdone (and frankly wasn't that interesting to begin with).

But this was Eric Harry. I waited eighteen years for a new Eric Harry book! Shouldn't I at least give it a try?

I purchased and then devoured "Pandora: Outbreak." All of the elements that I appreciate about Eric Harry's writing were there: great characterization, plausible storyline, believable science, and suspense. Best of all, the book really isn't about "zombies" at all (at least not in the traditional sense). The "Pandora" novels force us to consider the larger questions of consciousness and what makes us human.

"Pandora: Contagion" continues the great storytelling that started in "Pandora: Epidemic". There's a lot of action, and a few twists, but the emphasis continues to be on characters. Each character's reaction to being thrust into a new and unthinkable world seems completely believable. Ultimately, that's what good storytelling is all about.

Even if it is about zombies....