by Kaylie Seed
Content warning: graphically depicts symptoms of infectious diseases
Nonfiction, especially when backed with science, can be difficult to review, so it is not the content that this review will focus on but rather how it was delivered. As long as there have been humans roaming earth there has been disease. The two seem to go hand in hand and have been at war with each other since the beginning of our existence. Charles Kenny began writing The Plague Cycle years before the novel coronavirus plagued humanity, but its release in January of 2021 was nothing but timely. The time and effort that Kenny put into researching The Plague Cycle is evident all throughout the novel and it’s clear that Kenny was passionate about this topic.
Kenny has written a very accessible piece of nonfiction about the history of plagues. The Plague Cycle not only gets to the point, but manages to weave humour into its writing, which acts as comic relief that balances the scientific and historic jargon dominating most of the novel. Readers who enjoy history and science will find great joy reading The Plague Cycle, and at the same time readers who may be new to the nonfiction scene will find this an easy one to begin with. It’s crucial to learn from our collective history and The Plague Cycle shows the reader that we have been, to an extent. There will always be a newer, deadlier infectious disease that will threaten to end humanity, and it’s up to us to ensure that we are ready to take it on.
*Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!