![]() First edition | |
Author | Paul G. Tremblay |
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Audio read by | Erin Bennett |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | Horror |
Publisher | William Morrow |
Publication date | 2020 |
Media type | Print (hardback), ebook, audiobook |
Pages | 320 pages |
ISBN | 0062679163 First edition hardback |
Preceded by | The Cabin at the End of the World |
Survivor Song is a 2020 horror novel by American author Paul G. Tremblay. It was first published on July 7, 2020, through William Morrow and centers upon people struggling to survive while a highly infectious virus decimates Massachusetts. [1]
Two characters from Tremblay's 2017 novel Disappearance at Devil's Rock , Josh and Luis, appear in the novel. [2]
The state of Massachusetts is under quarantine and curfew by the government due to a new virus that resembles rabies and is extremely infectious. These measures are only a stopgap, as hospitals are ill-equipped to deal with both virus victims and their regular capacity. People are terrified and it is only a matter of time before the emergency protocols become inadequate. The novel follows Natalie, a pregnant woman, and her friend Ramola "Rams" Sherman, a pediatrician, as they try to fight their way to the hospital to obtain the rabies vaccine. Natalie has been bitten by an infected neighbor while unsuccessfully trying to defend her husband, who was suddenly attacked.
Tremblay began writing Survivor Song in 2018 and completed his final edits by fall 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. His inspiration for the book was to "take on a trope of horror, tweak it and ground it in reality" and has noted that he believes that "humanity's struggles with rabies through the centuries have led to most of the human monsters we've created in folklore and myth". While writing Tremblay was initially concerned that some portions of the book would not seem realistic, specifically the conspiracy theories held by a group of right-wing militiamen. After the spread of COVID-19 and conspiracy theories surrounding the virus, he stated that "If anything, I probably should have given them more outlandish beliefs, based on some of the reactions to the coronavirus." [2]
Survivor Song was first released in the United States in hardback and ebook format on July 7, 2020, through William Morrow. [3] An audiobook adaptation, narrated by Erin Bennett, was simultaneously released through HarperAudio. [3] It was also published in the United Kingdom through Titan Books, also on July 7, 2020. [4]
Multiple reviewers have drawn comparisons between the rabies-esque virus in Survivor Song and the COVID-19 pandemic, [5] [6] with the New York Times and Tor.com stating that it was a timely read. [7] [8] Writing for the New York Times, Justin Cronin stated that "City shutdowns, overrun hospitals, a bungled government response, public disorder, roving wing-nut militias, conspiracy theories — it's all here, right down to long lines at Star Market. Before this winter, the whole thing might've looked like escapist fancy. Now it looks like your Twitter feed." [7] Jason Sheehan of NPR praised the book, as he felt that "Survivor Song is a small horror story. A personal one. A fast and terrible one that is committed beautifully to the page." [9]
I Am Legend is a 1954 post-apocalyptic horror novel by American writer Richard Matheson that was influential in the modern development of zombie and vampire literature and in popularizing the concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease. The novel was a success and was adapted into the films The Last Man on Earth (1964), The Omega Man (1971), and I Am Legend (2007). It was also an inspiration for George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968).
28 Days Later is a 2002 British post-apocalyptic horror film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. It stars Cillian Murphy as a bicycle courier who awakens from a coma to discover the accidental release of a highly contagious, aggression-inducing virus has caused the breakdown of society. Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Megan Burns, and Brendan Gleeson appear in supporting roles.
EcoHealth Alliance is an US-based non-governmental organization with a stated mission of protecting people, animals, and the environment from emerging infectious diseases. The nonprofit focuses on research aimed at preventing pandemics and promoting conservation in hotspot regions worldwide.
Paul Gaetan Tremblay is an American author and editor of horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction. His most widely known novels include A Head Full of Ghosts, The Cabin at the End of the World, and Survivor Song. He has won multiple Bram Stoker Awards and is a juror for the Shirley Jackson Awards.
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Allison Joan McGeer is a Canadian infectious disease specialist in the Sinai Health System, and a professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto. She also appointed at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and a Senior Clinician Scientist at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, and is a partner of the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases. McGeer has led investigations into the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in Toronto and worked alongside Donald Low. During the COVID-19 pandemic, McGeer has studied how SARS-CoV-2 survives in the air and has served on several provincial committees advising aspects of the Government of Ontario's pandemic response.
Colleen S. Kraft is an infectious disease physician, associate professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and the director of the Clinical Virology Research Laboratory at Emory University School of Medicine. In 2014, she led Emory University Hospital's effort to treat and care for Ebola virus disease patients and is currently working to address the COVID-19 pandemic in Georgia. She currently serves on Georgia's COVID-19 task force.
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This timeline includes entries on the spread of COVID-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. This includes investigations into the origin of COVID-19, and the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 which is caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. Social media apps and platforms, including Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, and YouTube, have contributed to the spread of misinformation. The Canadian Anti-Hate Network (CAHN) reported that conspiracy theories related to COVID-19 began on "day one". CAHN reported on March 16, 2020, that far-right groups in Canada were taking advantage of the climate of anxiety and fear surrounding COVID, to recycle variations of conspiracies from the 1990s, that people had shared over shortwave radio. COVID-19 disinformation is intentional and seeks to create uncertainty and confusion. But most of the misinformation is shared online unintentionally by enthusiastic participants who are politically active.