To begin with, the virus in the book is not the sort of virus we have all been forced to deal with this past year; it is a biologically engineered contraceptive virus. As the back cover says, “For computer scientist Rob Clarke, the days are becoming increasingly uneasy at the Embudo Population Institute as its recently hired director pushes forward on a new contraceptive virus designed to limit human reproduction.” Our book distributor, SCB, calls the story “a scientific thriller of dark magic and deceit.” It is not, however, entirely a science-oriented story. Half of the chapters are told from the viewpoint of Rob’s wife Lena, whose experiences and perspectives are quite different from his.
The book is labeled as speculative fiction because of its scientific theme, and because it doesn’t stay within the bounds of ordinary reality. However, it also explores the psychologies of fidelity and fertility, as well as their opposites, and how little control scientists have over the powers created by their discoveries. It is set in New Mexico, mostly in and around Albuquerque. The opening pages are posted on Terra Nova’s website, at https://www.terranovabooks.com/the-embudo-virus.html.