Last month I mentioned that I’d be participating in Nanowrimo in the month of November. That whole concept went by the wayside since most of November was spent passing different colds around in the family. Nothing that caused serious health concerns, but it certainly got in the way of writing.
It’s no wonder I’ve been thinking about the virus.
Not the kind that can wreck your computer and leave you eyeing the baseball bat in frustration. Though, if I stop for a moment, I’d have to say that applies here as well.
A virus is an agent that replicates inside host cells. Here’s the interesting part. A virus can change that cell, which can be destructive for the host, or constructive. Using the virus in science ranges from genetics, microbiology, cancer research, and–back to last month’s post–nanotechnology. Future medical applications are astounding to consider. Imagine introducing a virus to combat cancer.
In Science Fiction and Fantasy, we’ve seen the virus used from stories about bio-terrorism/warfare to vampirism to zombies. Yes, zombies. Resident Evil. A successful video game gone viral, in a sense, and taken into the movie realm. Zombies are created by a virus that’s escaped from the lab.
Does it make it more believable to a reader if an author creates a world where the werewolf is infected with a virus, rather than the change coming from magic?
Can a page from real life make this more believable? Even if it sounds so outlandish that it seems to walk right off the horror movie screen? I think so. Take the wasp.
Recent studies suggest that the wasp got its sting from an ancient virus. Basically, the wasp became infected by the virus and survived it, but changed in a way that gave it a tool to survive. From an ABC News article about the virus theory: “Essentially, the ancestral wasp beat up a robber (the virus) invading its home, took his gun, and her descendants now make a living shooting up caterpillars.”
The sting of parasitic wasps paralyzes a host such as a caterpillar before it injects eggs inside. And you guessed it. ewwww. The babies bust their way out.
So next time you’re watching that zombie movie with its widespread viruses and the exploding chest cavities, just think of the wasp.
Now, as a reader I don’t prefer so much gore and wasps make me run the other way, so if you’re in the mood for a good Science Fiction/Futuristic Romance story featuring virus tech, check these out:
- Shielder by Catherine Spangler (featuring brutal rulers who are trying to take out an entire race with a virus)
- The Ultimatum by Susan Kearney (a strange virus is infecting everything in its path and the hero is out to stop it)
- Hidden by Eve Kenin (heroine is exposed to a virus to create the plague)
If you’re interested in reading more SFR, come check out my blog for the SFR Holiday Blitz Dec 6-11th. Lots of books up for grabs. See you there!
Ella Drake is a Dark Paranormal and Science Fiction Romance author published with Cobblestone Press, Liquid Silver Books, and Samhain Publishing. Sometimes she dabbles in Weird SF stories (free read on her website). To learn more about Ella, visit her on her webpage at www.elladrake.com. Ella can also be found on facebook and twitter.
