Review of Stanley Johnson’s ‘The Virus’
I occasionally browse conspiracy-related forums and I came across the, now infamous meme, from Instagram:
“Boris Johnson’s dad, Stanley, wrote a novel in 1982 called ‘The Virus’ about the government releasing a deadly Virus into the population as cover for population control through a forced vaccine. I am serious. Clown show.”
This statement intrigued me enough that I decided to look into reading the book myself, after all, the best things in life can be individually verified. So I saw the book was only a few bucks for the Kindle, and I thought, “Hey, why not? If this guy is for real I gotta see this.”
As I got into the book I forgot all about the internet conspiracy claim. What I was reading was a very clearly written thriller about a potential outbreak of the Marburg virus, the most deadly virus known to man.
The novel itself was a delight. I almost never read popular thrillers, so it was a pleasant change of scenery from my usual reads. I can see why a lot of people like to read these kinds of books, because they are very straightforward, contain simple but interesting plots, characters are memorable (and by memorable I mean I don’t forget who so-and-so is three chapters later), and you usually learn a thing or two (I had never heard of the Marburg virus before). You can also finish one of these books in two or three sittings (one sitting can be done, but it’s a bit unnecessary).
I won’t give away the story, but it’s worth reading, especially in the midst of a pandemic. You are more of an expert on this material than you think, but I imagine few were when this novel was released to the public.
SPOILER ALERT! What I will give away, however, is that the viral (no pun intended) Instagram post is misleading. In fact, it’s downright lying through its teeth. Population control doesn’t appear in this novel, but biological warfare, the CIA, and the Cold War do. The vaccine is not forced on anyone, the vaccine is a dud because of a mishap and a little dab of corruption and CIA skulduggery.
And so, our viral meme is hopelessly wrong. And at first, I thought, is this guy just making fun of conspiracy people? Does he believe what he’s saying? Did he even read the book? Is this misinformation or disinformation. And then, it hit me. This was a clever ad. Appeal to a wild conspiracy about population control, a conspiracy that is currently flowing, and then sell a book. Who cares if you are lying, the book is being talked about and maybe even read!
The only people winning internet points after this meme are those who are making money off of the book sales. And I have to admit it, I am kind of tempted to check out another of Stanley Johnson’s thrillers. I honestly would never have heard of Stanley Johnson or any of his books were it not for this meme.
