War through biological weapons
In a suspenseful espionage thriller that combines geopolitical intrigue with a full-blown international medical crisis, an American virologist must work with his Russian colleagues to stop the spread of a global pandemic.
When Chinese-backed forces kick off a war through biological weapons, including a genetically modified ancient Mongolian super-virus, doctors from all over the world must work together to find a way to stop it.
In a race against a secret political group using the virus as a means to establish a new world order, old enemies from America and Russia work to contain the virus. If they’re unable to succeed, countless numbers will die, and the geopolitical landscape will be changed forever.
Inspired by real-life events and packed with suspense, K-666: BRUTUS features an unlikely pairing of forces tasked with finding the cure for a killer virus that is bringing the world to its knees. This extraordinary thriller will leave readers breathless until the very end.
Assessment:
Plot: This sophisticated and timely thriller concerns a global pandemic, similar to COVID, involving America, Russia (Mongolia), and China, in particular. The author explores political tensions, international crisis, and the frightening topic of biological weaponry, in this case, used to position China as the first world power.
Prose/Style: The prose is smooth and consistent. Definitions and footnotes are helpfully used to clarify medically or politically complex concepts or ideas.
Originality: This novel is original in concept, though books concerning the topic of global pandemics are increasingly familiar within the COVID era.
Character Development/Execution: The work, on a whole, is more action than character driven, and individuals may be made to feel more organic or relatable. Nevertheless, the novel's masterminds, powerbrokers, and tycoons in a conference room and in the lab, effectively serve and carry the plot-based story.
Date Submitted: April 05, 2021
Boccaletti considers himself a “science novelist,” and K-666 is certainly more attentive to the proteins and molecular structure of its titular virus than it is to the hearts and minds of its characters. The mode here is that of speculative, invented reportage, with briefings and accounts of strategic plotting taking the place of conventional scenecraft. Boccaletti is fascinated by global systems, by planning and logistics. Expect pages of slide-show presentations rather than two-fisted heroics or scheming stereotypes.
That means the novel reads more like a report of a thought experiment than a suspense novel. Still, the implications of a Chinese conspiracy, one suggestive of real-world conspiracy theorizing, will alienate many potential readers. Boccaletti’s villains, like the American and Russian leaders who counter them, are presented as actors in a game, their actions reported in the detached style of an official report. “Dr. Li and General Lou were duly informed,” he simply notes, after a brief summary of the kidnapping, questioning, and killing of some researchers, events most thrillers would milk for pages. Rather than linger on individuals, Boccaletti focuses on the big picture: How might this war game and far-fetched conspiracy actually play out?
Takeaway: This speculative novel imagines, from the perspective of science and systems, an engineered pandemic.
Great for fans of: Adam Kucharski’s The Rules of Contagion, A.G. Riddle’s Pandemic.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: B+
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A-
K-666 could only have been created by an intelligent mind as it contains an interesting and thought-provoking collection of themes: power, greed, espionage, manipulation, bribery and corruption, biotechnology, art, and more. The book would certainly enrich readers intellectually...
“K-666: BRUTUS is a powerful novel addressing the potential scenario of a country’s power abuse through biological weapon manipulation. The author does an excellent job exploring in detail the possibility of this happening, through the lens of politics, science, and social control.” — Elite Authors Reviews
The thrilling story about the spread of the global pandemic is expected to be published on Amazon in March 2021.
From the Back Cover:
When a group of Chinese military and business leaders plots to unleash a genetically modified version of an ancient Mongolian virus, the plan threatens to evolve into the greatest pandemic the world has ever faced.
As scientists from former rival nations join forces to stop the plague, Dario Casa, a Miami-based virologist, finds himself working with the United States government and his Russian counterparts to develop a treatment. But the virus is only the tip of the spear for the Chinese military and corrupt BRUTUS Corporation. Now, Casa and company must find a way to destroy the masterminds behind the deadly epidemic and evil plan for a new world order…and time is running out.
Alessandro Boccaletti is a researcher and writer. Previously, he investigated the Silk Road Project for the Italian government. He has published many political and philosophical texts. Also, he is an avid scuba diver and past participant in the Russian cosmonaut test flights.
