Book Review: "Eminent Plague"

I had some difficulty deciding on how I would review Don Lowell's "The Eminent Plague." Lowell offered readers a great concept regarding the devolution of civilization by means of a deadly plague and the trials that follow; his execution, however, was flawed.

Lowell weaves a great tale of a group of plague survivors and the problems they face in their attempts at rebuilding some form of civilization. It was interesting to see how the different survivors reacted to their new and changing surroundings. There were a significant number of post apocalyptic obstacles/situations discussed, and Lowell offered great insight into how real people might react to them. I find that most books focusing on the end of the world forget to investigate the human mind; Lowell took a great risk and explored this frontier to much success. However, his execution could have been much more engaging.

For most of this book, I felt that I had no idea who any of the characters were. There seemed to be no development whatsoever, and even the narrator felt like a stranger to me even though I was listing to his story for a significant amount of time. I did not feel as though I were in this world watching the events unfold, but rather overhearing bits and pieces of information from a stranger on a city bus. I had troubling sympathizing with the characters, and when they faced death and destruction, I could not be moved.

Lowell's look into the human mind following the destruction of over 98% of the world's population would have been much more enjoyable and effective had some scenes been lengthened, and others cut. I would have loved to been part of this world, but I did not find Lowell to be engaging enough.

That being said, I would give this book 3 of 5 stars. As I mentioned earlier, the story was great, but there remains much room for improvement when it comes to Lowell's writing style.

This book was published by Dorrance Publishing. Please note that I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a complete and honest review as a member of the Dorrance Publishing Book Review Team. Visit dorrancebookstore.com to learn how you can become a member of the Review Team.

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