¿Qué ocurre cuando la peste bubónica, ausente durante tanto tiempo del mundo moderno, reaparece en la sociedad del siglo XXI? La plaga urde con brillantez dos relatos paralelos. En el siglo XIV, el médico Alejandro Canches se salva de ser ejecutado por realizar una autopsia y en su huida recorre la Europa de la Peste Negra. Finalmente es enviado, contra su voluntad, a la corte de Eduardo III de Inglaterra para combatir la epidemia. En dramático contrapunto, la arqueóloga y médica Janie Crowe llega a la Inglaterra del siglo XXI e involuntariamente, provoca la difusión de una mortífera bacteria en un mundo que no está preparado para combatirla. En un futuro en que los antibióticos han perdido toda eficacia y un pasado dominado por el terror, estos dos héroes, muy a su pesar, se ven unidos por la historia.

Not bad, but in the second half of the book there were several things that stretched believability a little too far. Best aspect of the book was the way she wove the two stories, past and future, together. ( )

So here ya go—a book that’s both a fascinating historical novel about a Jewish physician during the plague AND a futuristic medical thriller about a contemporary outbreak of the bubonic plague. You’ll love the characters, and both halves of this story are first rate. ( )

An interesting novel that kept me from focusing on other things. I couldn't wait to get to get back to it and hated putting it down. It's a time slip novel that alternates between 1348 when the plague struck England and 2005, a society that was far too modern in comparison to the real thing. In the future, antibiotics have become useless and an American researcher in England unwittingly digs up a fragment of cloth still infected with plague virus. I thought 2005 was not far enough out for the society Bensen created. It would have been better if she'd chosen 2025 or a date further out since she only wrote the book in 1997. Cited as a novel of bio-terror, I wouldn't go that far but it was exciting. Still, in the end, I was left with several questions unanswered so 3 stars.
SPOILER ALERT FROM THIS POINT ON!
I could not understand why the Marginals owed any obligation to Sarin's mother and why it was important that Caroline be saved. I expected more deaths in the modern day also but it appeared that there weren't. And did Caroline marry the biocop? How the heck did that come about? I also thought that the biocops, who were portrayed mostly as robotic reactionaries, should have been more suspicious of Ben's involvement in the lab break-in. He was clearly innocent of Ted's death since he was away at the time but I didn't understand why that made him clear of using Ted's hand to get into the lab. Since biocops seemed to think everyone is lying, the acceptance of his innocence seemed out of character.

In contrast, the medieval story was better put together and made sense all the way through, with the exception of events centering on the original Sarah. What was up with the strange wind around her house (that was still there in 2005)? How did she manage to travel so easily - did she beam herself from one place to another? And since the Physician's book was left at her house, to whom did she leave it because it never appeared that she had a daughter but in 2005, Sarin says it was always left from mother to daughter. I was, as I always am, appalled at the ignorance and attitudes towards Jews. The King's attitude when he found out was just infuriating but it was represented correctly I'm sure as Edward's own grandfather expelled all Jews from England.

I'm told I have to read the sequel and perhaps answers to these questions will come. ( )

A fast-paced, enjoyable read. Part modern-day thriller/ part historical fiction. ( )