This is great sci-fi, constantly pushing new facts and new thoughts at you, and—most important—weaving them into a plot as well.... Walton keeps the ideas, sensations and plot twists coming. Twenty pages from the end, you still don’t know who will win—or who deserves to. With this book and his earlier “quantum” stories, Walton has brought hard sci-fi roaring back to life.”
—WALL STREET JOURNAL
“David Walton, who wrote the stellar Superposition and Supersymmetry, deserves to be a lot better known than he is. The tightly plotted and smoothly written The Genius Plague proves that …. In Walton’s hands, what could be a straightforward ‘‘we must save humanity with science’’ thriller (not that there’s anything wrong with that), becomes, at times, a meditation on what makes us human and why that alone is a survival advantage…. A winner.”
—LOCUS
“Paired with relentless pacing, an action-packed narrative, and a cast of interesting characters, Walton's fluid writing style and tightly constructed plot produce a virtually un-put-down-able read. Tonally the love child of Crichton's The Andromeda Strain and Aldiss' SF classic Hothouse, this is a page-turner of the highest order.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Fast-paced and engaging, this had me rapt from beginning to end. A surprisingly vicious, timely look at the line between humanity and its environment. Beautifully done. I am eating a mushroom omelet as revenge.”
—Mira Grant, New York Times–bestselling author of Feed
“David Walton is one of our very best writers of science-fiction thrillers, and The Genius Plague is a triumph from first page to last. This one will stick with you.”
—Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author of Quantum Night
“Riveting. David Walton gives us a wild ride through new territory.”
—Jack McDevitt, Nebula Award–winning author of the Alex Benedict and Priscilla Hutchins novels
"Once areader picks up Walton’s latest whirlwind sf thriller, she will not be able to put it down."
—Booklist
Walton infuses his latest novel with adventure, spycraft, humor, and shudders…. The Genius Plague freshens up the nature-versus-man archetype with an unusual “critter” and contemporary global politics, resulting in a page-turning read that is also thought-provoking. We may never look at mushrooms the same way again.”
—ForeWord Reviews
“This original and frightening ecological response to human activity dances tantalizingly on the edge of believability. Adding to questions of species survival are chewy concepts that touch on individual choice and free will.”
—Publishers Weekly
PRAISE FOR SUPERPOSITION:
"This is the way sci-fi ought to be."
--WALL STREET JOURNAL
"An expanding universe of delight."
--WASHINGTON POST
"Gripping, suspenseful and original, this is a page-turning novel that readers are sure to devour. ”
--RT BOOK REVIEWS
"Walton delivers fast-paced action, suspense and riveting mystery--all of it spinning about a core of vivid, speculative science. Enjoy some tense, imaginative fun."
--David Brin, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of Existence
PRAISE FOR SUPERSYMMETRY:
“Thrills and spills and sheer excitement on full-throttle overdrive.”
--KIRKUS REVIEWS
“This sequel to Superposition is just as excellent as the first. Fast-paced, mind-bending, super-scientific yet fully accessible. . . . Full of new possibilities and probabilities, Supersymmetry gives readers a peek into what the future may hold and the cost that comes with it. This is a science fiction novel full of humanity and all its inherent beauty and ugliness.
--RT BOOK REVIEWS
2017-07-17
When mycologist Paul Johns returns home to Maryland from the Amazon rain forest in Walton's (Supersymmetry, 2015, etc.) latest, he is a changed man.After recovering from a severe case of fungal pneumonia, the 21-year old fungi expert is markedly more intelligent; he suddenly has an eidetic memory and radically enhanced communication abilities—but something is off. The spores he breathed in while traveling have taken root in the linings of his lungs and spread throughout his body, and the same thing is happening to thousands of other people who've come in contact with the fungus; they are now connected together in a vast organic neural network. But the seemingly symbiotic relationship between fungi and human may not be the next evolutionary step in human development, as Johns thinks. Those infected by the spores have masterminded assassinations of the political leaders of Colombia, Peru, and Brazil, and the number of people afflicted by the mind-altering infection is growing exponentially by the day. Paul's brother, Neil, following in their father's cryptologist footsteps, recently landed a job with the National Security Agency. Charged with decoding encrypted messages originating from the Amazon area, he begins putting together the pieces of a mind-blowing conspiracy that could wipe humankind off the face of the Earth. Paired with relentless pacing, an action-packed narrative, and a cast of interesting characters, Walton's fluid writing style and tightly constructed plot produce a virtually un-put-down-able read. The only minor criticisms are a few implausible sequences (like Neil getting hired by the NSA with no college degree) and a conclusion that seems a bit rushed. Tonally the love child of Crichton's The Andromeda Strain and Aldiss' SF classic Hothouse, this is a page-turner of the highest order.
