Biological War | Annie Jacobsen

Biological War: A Scenario

Accolades & Recognition

• From Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen, author of the national bestseller Nuclear War: A Scenario.
• Based on dozens of exclusive interviews with high-level political, governmental, medical, and military personnel.
• Widespread critical acclaim for Jacobsen's rigorous investigative journalism and gripping ticking-clock narrative style.

Extended Synopsis

There is an invisible weapon among us. By the time you realize you are a victim, it has already transformed you into a vector. In Biological War: A Scenario, investigative journalist Annie Jacobsen delivers a chilling, minute-by-minute examination of how a biological release—whether from a lab accident, a state-sponsored bioweapon, or a bio-terror attack—could trigger global annihilation and the total collapse of modern human society.

Unlike nuclear war, there is no mushroom cloud, shock wave, or sudden flash of thermal light. Instead, the end of the world begins with something microscopic, silent, and malicious. Drawing on unprecedented access to top-tier defense officials, epidemiologists, military strategists, and emergency response commanders, Jacobsen maps out the precise sequence of events unfolding in the hours, days, and weeks following exposure.

Fast-paced, deeply researched, and intensely alarming, Biological War serves as vital, forward-looking investigative journalism. It provides a sobering roadmap of containment failures, systemic breakdown, and the urgent necessity of rethinking global biosafety protocols before disaster strikes.

About the Author

Annie Jacobsen is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and the bestselling author of Nuclear War: A Scenario, Area 51, Operation Paperclip, Phenomena, and Surprise, Kill, Vanish. Her investigative work explores national security, covert operations, advanced military technologies, and government secrecy, earning widespread acclaim from historians, defense analysts, and readers worldwide.

Reader Targeting

• Readers of military history, national security, geopolitical thrillers, and non-fiction science narratives.
• Followers of Annie Jacobsen, Richard Preston, Laurie Garrett, and David Quammen.
• Anyone interested in biosecurity, emergency response planning, and global threat assessment.

Bibliographic & Physical Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Biological War: A Scenario about?
The book presents a minute-by-minute investigation into how a biological attack or laboratory release could lead to societal collapse and global catastrophe.

Is this book a work of fiction?
No, it is a non-fiction work based on extensive interviews with government officials, military leaders, medical experts, and national security personnel.

Who wrote Biological War?
It was written by Annie Jacobsen, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and bestselling author of Nuclear War: A Scenario and Area 51.