The Genius Plague

About this book

WINNER of the 2018 Campbell Award for Best Novel A WALL STREET JOURNAL Best Science Fiction Book of 2017 In this science fiction thriller brothers are pitted against each other as a pandemic threatens to destabilize world governments by exerting a subtle mind control over survivors. Neil Johns has just started his dream job as a code breaker in the NSA when his brother Paul a mycologist goes missing on a trip to collect samples in the Amazon jungle. Paul returns with a gap in his memory and a fungal infection that almost kills him. But once he recuperates he has enhanced communication memory and pattern recognition. Meanwhile something is happening in South America; others like Paul have also fallen ill and recovered with abilities they didnt have before. But thats not the only pattern--the survivors from entire remote Brazilian tribes to American tourists all seem to be working toward a common and deadly goal. Neil soon uncovers a secret and unexplained alliance between governments that have traditionally been enemies. Meanwhile Paul becomes increasingly secretive and erratic. Paul sees the fungus as the next stage of human evolution while Neil is convinced that it is driving its human hosts to destruction. Brother must oppose brother on an increasingly fraught international stage with the stakes: the free will of every human on earth. Can humanity use this force for good or are we becoming the pawns of an utterly alien intelligence?