The Darwin Strain

From the authors of The Himalayan Codex: “Fantastical adventure grounded in real history and authentic science . . . [a] page-turner.” —James Morrow, Nebula Award-winning author of The Philosopher’s Apprentice

Though the fighting has stopped and Hitler is vanquished, a dangerous new war between America and the Soviet Union has begun. Invaluable in defeating the Nazis, accidental cryptozoologist R.J. MacCready and Yanni Thorne, an indigenous Brazilian and expert in animal behavior, are working for the Pentagon once again. Sent to a mysterious island in a remote corner of the Mediterranean, they’re investigating rumors of a volcanic spring with “miraculous” healing properties that the locals say is guarded by sea monsters from ancient legends.

The islanders believe that, like Fatima, the spring is a gift from God. To the Greek Orthodox Church, it is a sign of a deadly evil foretold in apocalyptic texts. Alongside French and Chinese researchers—men who share their strange, bloodstained past—Mac and Yanni discover that the spring’s undersea plumes release an exotic microbe that can transform life with astonishing speed.

To find the source of the volcanic spring, Mac and Yanni must find a way to neutralize “the Dragons of Revelation”—a fearsome aquatic species also known as Kraken—which are preventing the scientists from exploring deep beneath the sea’s surface. Mutating at a stunning pace, the Kraken have evolved into a chillingly high alien intelligence. As the race to possess the microbe heats up, tensions between geopolitics, religion, and ordinary scientists confronted with the unknown escalate into chaos. Mac and Yanni know all too well that one wrong choice can easily set in motion a biological chain reaction that will reach across the decades to enhance—or destroy—everything that lives. . . .

“Excellent . . . Schutt and Finch are worthy successors of Michael Crichton.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)