Review of The Great and Incredible Germophiles

[NetMassimo]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Great and Incredible Germophiles" by Tatiana Hillman.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Great and Incredible Germophiles by Tatiana Hillman is a science fiction novel concerning a severe global biological threat. Drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria start attacking all the world's ecosystems with unprecedented severity. The level of those infections reaches a point that it becomes a danger far worse than any pandemic. A college professor and his assistants seem the only ones on the right path to find some countermeasure to stop the pathogenic bacteria. They need to examine the bacteria's evolutionary background and their metabolism to find a countermeasure that can kill them without being toxic to the organisms they're trying to save. Can they do it in time before a mass extinction is triggered?

When we think about stories centered around global threats to human life and possibly to many other life forms, generally, we imagine a story with a lot of action and the heroes trying to avoid a catastrophe. This type of story was exploited by cinema in stories that often had little or no scientific foundations. Tatiana Hillman chose to write this type of story developing it in the opposite way, with a focus on its scientific part. That's because she's a real scientist who participated in biological research.

The author's scientific background is pretty clear since the beginning of her book because it mostly seems like a scientific essay masked as a novel. It's written mostly in the form of dialogues with a college professor and his assistants discussing the possible way to stop the pathogenic bacteria that are devastating the Earth's ecosystems.

Tatiana Hillman explicitly aims to show how real scientific work is developed through collaboration among scientists. Just like any articles you can find in scientific journals, this book contains references to other works, so at the end, there's a list of them. The fact that the reference list makes up about a quarter of the book says a lot about the depth of the author's research.

Several of the characters' dialogues concern the so-called gut microbiota, the sum of the microorganisms that live in our digestive tracts. Their importance has become the object of a lot of research in recent years, also because those symbiotic microorganisms influence their host's immune system. Their importance in this book is due to the fact that they offer clues to fighting pathogenic microorganisms in any other ecosystem.

I applaud Tatiana Hillman for her bravery in writing a novel that focuses only on the scientific element with the same attention needed to write an article for a scientific journal that has to pass through peer review. It's a treasure trove full of very interesting information about subjects that are very important such as the role of gut microbiota in our health and the problem of drug-resistant bacteria. Many of the articles referenced in this book are available on the Internet, so you can read more about those subjects.

Normally, I'd assess elements such as character and plot development to rate a novel. In this case, Tatiana Hillman made a very specific and unusual choice to focus on the scientific element, so I think it would be unfair to use my usual criteria. The novel's development is consistent with the author's choice, so I see no flaws in it. The editing is good, with only a few errors, so I rate it 4 out of 4 stars.

The Great and Incredible Germophiles is a book for adults despite the lack of sexual references and profanity for the level of knowledge required to read it. That's why I have to be very cautious about recommending it despite my enthusiasm about it. You need a good knowledge of microbiology and genetics to understand and appreciate this novel. In doubt, read the book's free sample to see if you understand the jargon. If you understand the science and you're interested in the roles of microorganisms in the world's ecosystems, this is the book for you.

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The Great and Incredible Germophiles
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[Mildred Echesa]

The title is what has greatly drawn my attention to this book. After reading your review, I am more interested in reading it.

[NetMassimo]

The title is what has greatly drawn my attention to this book. After reading your review, I am more interested in reading it.

The title drew my attention too when I found the book available for review. Have fun with it, and thank you for commenting!

[Ellylion]

I believe the author's approach is quite unique and the topic she chose is worth exploring, but I doubt this book is for me Thank you very much for this insightful review!

[NetMassimo]

I believe the author's approach is quite unique and the topic she chose is worth exploring, but I doubt this book is for me Thank you very much for this insightful review!

The topic the author chose is indeed worth exploring, as it concerns the whole planet's future, but it's not a book for the mass market. Thank you for your appreciation!

[Blessing E]

Superbly written review that explored the core concepts of the novel. I know know whether to read this book or not. Well done

[Amy Luman]

I am very excited about this book. When the current pandemic started I was very interested in what science could do to stop it. Turns out, not much. Now I am intrigued by the give and take and ideas presented by the scientists in this book. It’s bound to happen again at some point.

[Adaeze Joan]

A science fiction novel concerning severe global biological threat is quite intriguing. I feel I would learn a lot from this book since the author is a real scientist who participated in biological research. I am sure she shared a lot of facts in this book. Thanks for your honest review.

[NetMassimo]

Superbly written review that explored the core concepts of the novel. I know know whether to read this book or not. Well done

Thank you very much for your appreciation!

[NetMassimo]

A science fiction novel concerning severe global biological threat is quite intriguing. I feel I would learn a lot from this book since the author is a real scientist who participated in biological research. I am sure she shared a lot of facts in this book. Thanks for your honest review.

The characters' research is based on the real studies referenced and listed in the book. Thank you for commenting!

[OTrain Disene]

I loved the review and the book. But, I am not sure about the timing, though. We just have been impacted by COVID and many people, especially the anti-vaxxers claimed that it was created as a mean of population control and in so doing avoided being vaccined. I think it might exacerbate those people's claims.

[Hyacinth Bella]

Science fiction has never been my favorite genre, I get tired of just by reading one, so I would pass on this one. I would like to know what is the author's approach for it to be mentioned in your review.

Thank you for the well-written review!

[NetMassimo]

I loved the review and the book. But, I am not sure about the timing, though. We just have been impacted by COVID and many people, especially the anti-vaxxers claimed that it was created as a mean of population control and in so doing avoided being vaccined. I think it might exacerbate those people's claims.

Anti-vaxxers are irrational, so they'll see anything connected to science within their conspiracy theories.

[NetMassimo]

Science fiction has never been my favorite genre, I get tired of just by reading one, so I would pass on this one. I would like to know what is the author's approach for it to be mentioned in your review.

Thank you for the well-written review!

The approach is having science as the story's focus. Thank you for your appreciation!

[Waliyat_24]

I love the plot of the book, but it sounds complex to me that I’ll have a difficult time understanding it. Great job though!