World Virus Appreciation Day!: seanan

World Virus Appreciation Day!

Today is World Virus Appreciation Day, the day when we give our most dearly beloved pathogens just that extra little bit of love that they so richly deserve. In honor of this infectuously awesome holiday, I'm offering my favorite entries in the fields of horrible diseases. Namely, some lists. How I adore lists. Especially lists of ten things.

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Seanan's Ten Favorite Movies About Disease.

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10. 28 Days Later. The epidemiology of the Rage virus is sketchy at best, and the speed of spread is way too fast (isn't that always the way in the really virus-centric zombie movies?), but the view of a post-plague England is awesome. Nothing says 'disease will kick your civilization's ass, yo' like watching your protagonist walking alone through some of the most normally crowded tourist spots in England. Also, they bribed people to stay out of the way with beer. I appreciate that.

9. I Am Legend. Yes, the most recent version, with Will Smith. Why? Because I choose to view the blatant stupidity of their virology as being actually an extremely clever means of masking successful biological terrorism. An odd, utterly insane view, I know, but one which makes me happy. Plus it's just fun to watch them evacuating New York City. Or, y'know, failing to evacuate New York City, as the case may be.

8. Outbreak. As a view of hemorrhagic fever goes, well, it's not a very good one, or a very accurate one. But I can forgive them that, because it's a deeply entertaining one (even if I liked the book better). The actors try so very hard to sell you on the idea that any one of them might melt at any moment, and it's their sincerity that sells it, even as the script pretty much leaves them gasping for a better explanation.

7. Venomous. Ebola snakes. Genetically engineered ebola snakes. I'm not kidding. They made this movie. This movie got made. Clearly, on some deep and fundamental level, I control the entire universe.

6. Alien Cargo. Sometimes the Science Fiction Channel manages to surprise me by featuring movies that are actually intelligent, thoughtful, and nowhere near as sensationalist as most of their kind. Alien Cargo is one of those films. It reminded me strongly of Tiptree's story 'The Only Really Neat Thing To Do,' which is very high praise coming from me. The movie is absolutely worth watching, if you can catch it on one of their 'things from space kill you dead' movie marathons.

5. Cabin Fever. Poor Cabin Fever, so maligned, so put-upon. To be fair, it's maligned and put-upon because dude, people melt. Do not watch this movie if you're ever planning to shave your legs in the bathtub again. That said, it's an excellent film, and we can just ignore the part where it's actually about bacteria, okay?

4. Ultraviolet. Okay, so it wasn't the best movie. And the plot was pretty much made of lame once you got past the pyrotechnics and the fight scenes. But the virology was pretty awesome, and the entire design of the epidemic made me happy. Since I'm currently judging movies based on their viruses, this one makes the cut.

3. Resident Evil. Oh, come on. You knew this was coming. If you've ever met me, you knew this was coming. The T-virus is made of pure awesome, and the first real encounter with it is entirely worth rejoicing in. Alice is hot. Matt is awesome. There's a hallway full of lasers. And their virus isn't instantly infectious, which is a really nice change.

2. Resident Evil 2. This is quite possibly my favorite zombie movie of all time. It's also quite possibly my favorite virus movie of all time, and misses the number one slot just by lacking really detailed virology. Viruses! Zombies! Life is so totally awesome. The number of large guns doesn't hurt. I am a simple soul, I like my zombies.

1. The Stand. Yes, it was a TV mini-series, and no, I don't care, because it was effectively a movie, and more, it was basically the only way you were ever going to present this particular work in a viable cinematic format. This movie rocks. Wiping out the world rocks. I am a happy girl.

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Seanan's Ten Favorite Books About Disease.

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10. Outbreak. Yes, the novelization of the movie. It's better than the movie was. More screen time for the minor characters, and more freedom to play with symptoms. It makes me happy.

9. The Speckled Monster. Nothing says 'love' like smallpox. Actually, lots of things say 'love' like smallpox. You probably don't want to talk to any of them. A fascinating look at historical medicine.

8. Demon in the Freezer. One of my favorite horrible facts came from this book -- the fact that we're currently unsure of the whereabouts of enough smallpox to kill every man, woman, and child on the planet fifty times. Science is neat.

7. Ghost Maps. Epidemiology starts here. With cholera. Fascinating from start to finish.

6. The Barbary Plague. This book explains why Kate and I insist on refering to California's native tree-rats as 'plague squirrels.' PS: bubonic plague loves you.

5. The Coming Plague. Did you ever wonder what's going to kill you tomorrow? This book is happy to help with that, and any other questions you might have.

4. Doomsday Book. We need some fiction, even on this list, and this book is a beautiful view of what happens when everybody dies. (Even if the Black Death wasn't bubonic plague, dammit.)

3. The Hot Zone. I think my love affair with horrible real-world diseases probably started with this book. Yes, it's fluff science, but it's fluff science that sent me digging for the real thing. Plus, ebola? Will just mess you up.

2. The Stand. It's my second-favorite book of all time, and my second-favorite book about disease. The flu kills everyone. Film at eleven.

1. Return of the Black Death: The World's Greatest Serial Killer. Kate will forever regret introducing me to this book. Also, the Black Death was not bubonic plague. Just as a memo.

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Seanan's Ten Favorite Diseases.

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10. Rabies. Neurological damage for everybody!

9. Mad Cow. The stealth bomber of the virus world.

8. Smallpox. That shit is scary.

7. Flu. People don't respect the flu the way they should. Someday, flu will fix that.

6. Lassa Fever. My personal candidate for the Black Death.

5. Ebola. Everybody knows it, everybody fears it, but it's just too efficient.

4. Marburg. Ebola's nastier older sister is coming for a visit.

3. Bubonic plague. Good ol' yersinia pestis. Which wasn't the Black Death. Just FYI.

2. Tuberculosis. Ah, consumption. How I fail to miss you.

1. Kellis-Amberlee. I don't care if it's fictional. It's mine, and I love it.

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Happy World Virus Appreciation Day! What's your favorite virus?

copperwise

October 3 2008, 17:39:42 UTC 8 years ago

New comment

Definitely Marburg.

seanan_mcguire

October 4 2008, 06:11:19 UTC 8 years ago

Marburg really doesn't get the love that it deserves, dammit.

8 years ago

ayoub

October 3 2008, 17:44:02 UTC 8 years ago

The Hot Zone is a fantastic book, for fluff science :D

October 4 2008, 06:12:30 UTC 8 years ago

Oh, absolutely. What I find funny is the way it's made everyone OH GOD NO NO NOT THE EBOLA NO afraid of Ebola, while leaving them unaware of the much nastier, more virulent, and more likely to kill us all pathogens that are wandering around out there. It's like 'ooo ooo look, terrorists exist, so don't be scared of the guy who's been stabbing people in your neighborhood!'

sdelmonte

October 3 2008, 17:46:20 UTC 8 years ago

Can we fairly include Mad Cow on this list? I am of course open to correction from experts, but last I heard it was caused by something called a prion. Which doesn't make it any less scary or dangerous - it probably makes it moreso - but would perhaps clear the way for that one virus that is really annoyed you left it #11 and wants to move up.

October 3 2008, 17:50:17 UTC 8 years ago

I'm allowing prions, bacteria, and parasitic infections which mimic the effects of disease. Because I can, and because Ghost Maps is also disqualified if I start knocking out the more outre classes of infection.

mariadkins

gaaneden

October 3 2008, 17:46:25 UTC 8 years ago

I'm stuck between Ebola and a Super Flu. Can I have two favorites?

October 3 2008, 18:42:08 UTC 8 years ago

Captain Tripps all the way!

I swear any time I'm in public any more, especially a small space, and hear someone coughing, I shudder. LOL

rrie_selavy

October 3 2008, 18:32:07 UTC 8 years ago

Paradox Press lied to me--The Big Book of Death said the only remaining live smallpox virii were in a lab, safely under lock and key.

October 3 2008, 18:42:42 UTC 8 years ago

Most people like to think that...It IS frightening.

erinlin

October 3 2008, 18:43:01 UTC 8 years ago

I *loved* The Ghost Map.

October 4 2008, 06:15:27 UTC 8 years ago

Wasn't that just fabulous? The whole accidental elegance of it all, and the way it birthed a science...

Sigh. Dr. Snow is my hero.

October 3 2008, 18:44:01 UTC 8 years ago

Hey Seanan, I googled "world virus appreciation day", and your blog comes up first. :)

October 4 2008, 06:16:08 UTC 8 years ago

Awesome!

Unsure

amberley

October 3 2008, 18:56:17 UTC 8 years ago

... we're currently unsure of the whereabouts of enough smallpox to kill every man, woman, and child on the planet fifty times.

I checked my freezer. Not there.

More seriously, probably just sloppy Russian bookkeeping. Probably.

--
"My mom has never stopped feeling awe at watching the polio wards
disappear in the space of about 1 year." -- Greg Dougherty

Re: Unsure

October 4 2008, 06:15:56 UTC 8 years ago

I am incredibly glad to know that it isn't in your freezer. Not in mine, either. So hey, that's two down!

Flu kit

October 3 2008, 19:10:01 UTC 8 years ago

Perhaps a little late to mention it, but Making Light has a nice link to How to make a Flu Kit, including a link to a flu virus activity slideshow, and the use of the phrase "fever denaturing the proteins in your brain" which somehow seems just the sort of phrase you'd enjoy (now that you're over your own cytokine slideshow).

Everyone should remember "5cc of salt plus 40cc of sugar to one liter of clean drinking water" the same way they remember the formula for black powder (15:3:2 saltpeter to charcoal to sulfur).

The "How to make a Kellis-Amberlee Kit" probably includes a lot more ammo, I'd imagine. And comfy running shoes.

Re: Flu kit

October 4 2008, 06:17:13 UTC 8 years ago

I should so do the 'how to make a Kellis-Amberlee kit' as part of my celebration when Newsflesh sells. I think it's practically a moral imperative.

lovefromgirl

October 3 2008, 21:32:10 UTC 8 years ago

My favorite virus? Hm. I do have a soft spot for smallpox, I'll admit.

October 4 2008, 06:17:28 UTC 8 years ago

It's a good one. It makes you suffer whether or not it kills you.

Deleted comment

lady_ravenlocke

October 4 2008, 00:04:15 UTC 8 years ago

There's a new one? Only one I ever knew about was the one with Molly Ringwald.

genre_savvy

October 4 2008, 00:03:54 UTC 8 years ago

My favorite virus? T-Virus and all the off-shoots thereof. Unfortunately, the movie never touched on them the way the games (and the novelizations of said games) did, but c'mon, a virus that can infect or mutate practically everything it touches? Priceless.

October 6 2008, 19:50:10 UTC 8 years ago

The T-virus makes me a happy, happy girl. Also, the RE novels are awesome.

notalwaysweak

October 4 2008, 00:14:21 UTC 8 years ago

Superflu's my favourite. I'm going to go read up on Lassa Fever now since the story idea I think I'm doing for NaNoWriMo includes a character who lived through the Black Death.

October 6 2008, 19:50:18 UTC 8 years ago

talithakalago

October 4 2008, 00:54:20 UTC 8 years ago

I need to have seen less of those movies. Particularly the snake one.

Also, can I have a bactiera instead of a virus? Because then it would have to be syphilis. Unless I can have a parasite, but that does seem to be getting a little off track.

dormouse_in_tea

October 4 2008, 01:31:46 UTC 8 years ago

I love syphilis!

amanda_nye

October 4 2008, 01:40:24 UTC 8 years ago

Really? They made a day just for you?

October 6 2008, 22:29:00 UTC 8 years ago

They did!

snowcoma

October 4 2008, 02:50:35 UTC 8 years ago

<3 Marburg

And the thing about the missing smallpox makes me want to be immunized now now ohgodrightnow. Just so you know.

October 7 2008, 21:49:31 UTC 8 years ago

I find smallpox academically fascinating and personally terrifying. It's one of the few diseases where you get it and then you wish it would kill you.

nyxalinth

October 4 2008, 05:28:38 UTC 8 years ago

i tried reading a book called The Cobra Event. Amazon.com played it up to be a really horrific disease thriller, where the disease causes people to eat themselves. Being a horror fan, my mind conjured up some pretty morbid stuff.

So I got it from the library. The disease turned out to have cold like symptoms and attacked the brain, and the so-called 'eating themselves' was the victims having seizures and chewing off their own lips and tongue on occasion and accidentally swallowing it. Laaaaaaaaame.

Hey, if I am promised auto-cannibalism in a book or movie, I'd damned well better be seeing people chowing down on themselves. I'm sick, I know.

October 7 2008, 21:50:44 UTC 8 years ago

Yeah, I encountered a rather nasty example of that same 'this book promised me disaster and did not put out' syndrome -- a book called Cold Plague, which said it was going to be all about super-fast prehistoric prions, but turned out to be all about corporate espionage and 'feelings.'

I might have enjoyed the book if I hadn't picked it up expecting violent plague. As it was, yes, I felt rather cheated.

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