Fourteenth-century physician Alejandro Canches, caught performing a forbidden autopsy in his Spanish homeland, flees through Europe at the time of the Black Death to escape execution for his heretical deed. When he arrives at the Papal city of Avignon, he is conscripted to serve as a Plague Doctor, and sent against his wishes to the court of England's Edward III.
Unfolding in dramatic counterpoint is the story of American medical archaeologist Janie Crowe, in England at the turn of the twenty-first century to recover from the tragic loss of her family. She digs up a medieval artifact as part of her research, and unwittingly releases a deadly plague bacteria on an unprepared world.
In a future where antibiotics are useless and a past where death is an ever-present fear, these two unwilling heroes from two different centuries are linked by history and defined by circumstance. Here are their stories - the plague tales.
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"I happened on this book by accident and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. I liked how the author mixed the future and the past and had the events in the different times play off eachother. I liked this book well enough to put on my "favorites" shelf and I occasionally reread it." — Ashley (4 out of 5 stars)
"I happened on this book by accident and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. I liked how the author mixed the future and the past and had the events in the different times play off eachother. I liked this book well enough to put on my "favorites" shelf and I occasionally reread it."
" Discoverd this book by accident and wow! Great details, alternate history in alternating chapters, medieval and modern day. "
" Parallel tales of 14th century plague ridden London and a futuristic society afflicted with a similar plague. Interesting "
" Entertaining book but nothing spectacular. "
" The vision of an antibiotic resistant future is all too plausible, and the parallels to plagues of the past make that possibility even more horrifying. Compelling. "
" Good Book. I often confuse this one with Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. The sequel not nearly as good. "
" Not too keen on this. Dialogue a bit wonky - especially during the "modern" chapters and too much "I did the research so now you just have to suffer reading about it". "
" This was one of my favorite books - along with the sequel The Burning Road. "
" Nothing fantastic, but a good, solid read if you are a history buff. "
" Overwrought...just seemed like a first novel from start to finish. Plenty of good ideas that were either not brought to fruition or were buried by other, less interesting, plotlines. "
" Ok. I liked the medieval story but wasn't that interested in the modern day. There is a part that really bothered me. Benson uses the word "panties" when Janie is packing for her trip to leeds. Do women actually say that word? "
" Met een review 2,5 jaar na leesdatum, moet ik bekennen dat me er niet veel van is bijgebleven (quasi niets eigenlijk). Ik weet dus enkel nog te zeggen dat het ok was, maar zeker geen hoogvlieger. "
" finished a while ago, awesome story "
" I read this years ago. It was fascinating and a great thriller. "
" I loved this book. I had never read much historical fiction, but this book made me a big fan. Of course the time travel is what got me hooked. "
" I had no idea what the premise of this book was when I began reading it. I was bored and found it in my mother's basement. I'm glad I found it. The story is captivating and enjoyable. "
" A great book. It is a real page turner. The characters are real and the plot is well done and exciting. "
" I'm on page 600 of The Plague Tales, almost finished it. Loving this book! I accidentally discovered this book on the shelf of the library and have devoured it. What a nice surprise! "
" ok, kind of stupid "
" one you can't put down - though perhaps like a movie where you are amazed that they can actually continue to get themselves out of one close scrape after another - amazed, as in - how was that really possible. I loved it anyway, though. The best of plague meets sci-fi/time travel. "
" Basically two stories in one, bouncing back and forth between medieval times and future, though it finally comes together at the end, if somewhat predictably... "
" Good book! Two stories in one: the plague in England in the 1300s and an outbreak in the 21st century. Very interesting. "
" I give this two stars because I made it about halfway through and half of that was very good. The storyline in the middle ages is much more engaging and the writing is better (although still very clumsy). "
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