It was supposed to be harmless. A beneficial bacteria, genetically engineered to subsist on oil. It could clean up toxic spills or sabotage an enemy's energy reserves. But now THE OMNI STRAIN is loose and nothing will ever be the same ...
Author Cliff Patton, M.D. brings his medical knowledge to bear with some engaging exposition on the rarefied world of lethal disease research, as his CDC characters go through the motions on this strange new bug that's cropped up dead center in their own archive! It seems the Army cut a deal to sit on some ... new strains, guaranteed access in exchange for no questions asked. But that doesn't cut it for Dr. Charlie Prentice, especially when old Sam the night janitor drops dead in the middle of a lab, along with a whole herd of guinea pigs. The Army claimed P-61 was "nonpathogenic" and they'd know, surely?
Meanwhile, the biggest oil tanker in the world, on her maiden voyage, is attacked by a mystery sub! History's largest oil spill! Here's some technothriller intrigue, and Patton manages well without getting bogged down into technical minutia, dated geopolitics, or dull exchanges between military men about nuclear options and so forth. It's a mildly convoluted setup but once the Navy borrows P-61 we just know things are going to spin out. And boy do they ever, just peep that back cover: millions dead! Things get a little rushed towards the end and Patton has to resort to a "Died in Vietnam" style postscript for his characters, doing a little world building in the process as the ravaged Mid-Atlantic states are reorganized into New Columbia. Patton doesn't quite reach the most sublime highs, but these are acceptable thrills and you have to appreciate his professionalism as the plot unfolds. He doesn't skimp on the gross-out factor, either, as the Omni Strain dispatches its victims with some nasty effects.
Zebra Books gave us a beautiful abstract cover for The Omni Strain, with some thematically appropriate obscuration of the title. For delivering the gruesome goods with a modicum of style, The Omni Strain earns three putrid Petri dishes out of four:
Cliff Patton followed up with his second and last novel GHOST RIG, which he co-wrote with Leah Patton; it was published by Zebra Books in 1981. The author hasn’t been heard from since. His novels were excellent.
ReplyDeleteI always feel some sense of loss when good writers don't keep going. I felt The Omni Strain was very "Good" instead of "Great," but also that Patton definitely had the chops.
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