Listen to a sample
Biological War
- Author
- Annie Jacobsen
- Narrator
- Annie Jacobsen
- Publisher
- Transworld
- Publish Date
- 30 July 2026
- Run Time
- 11 hours 14 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
Not available in your country
We don't have the rights to sell this audiobook where you are. If it's already in your library you can still listen to it in My Books.
What to expect
There is an invisible weapon among us.
By the time you know you are a victim, it has turned you into a killer.
A compelling, fast-paced, ticking clock non-fiction thriller from the author of the bestselling Nuclear War: A Scenario.
A lab accident, a bio-attack, a global pandemic, and the collapse of human society. In this explosive new book, based on dozens of new interviews with experts with high-level political, governmental, medical, and military responsibility, Annie Jacobsen examines this very scenario.
There is no mushroom cloud, no shock wave or blast. Instead, the scenario that could end the world as we know it begins with something so small and malicious, that when used for evil, only evil can result.
This is what could happen; a roadmap to the hours, days, and weeks following the release of a biological agent, that serves as the most essential, forward-looking journalism in preparation for urgent societal upheaval.
'A persuasive and unnerving argument' The New Yorker
'Read this book. It is a better briefing on the problem than the one we recived in Downing Street six years ago.' James Phillips, Spectator
'It's gripping and very, very scary how this scenario plays out.' Transfer Orbit
© Annie Jacobsen 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
Critics Review
-
Very effective . . . you might argue that her books on nuclear and biological warfare establish a new genre we might call New Fear Unlocked . . . all too credible . . . the author's timing is impeccable.
Sunday Times, Book of the Week
-
Read this book. It is a better briefing on the problem than the one we received in Downing Street six years ago.
Spectator
-
Energetic, detailed and disturbing . . . an engrossing, plausible book
The Economist
-
A persuasive and unnerving argument.
New Yorker
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
Graphic and sobering . . . Jacobsen is back with another scenario that promises to be even more ghastly and perversely thrilling than [Nuclear War: A Scenario].
Observer
-
A scrupulously realistic book about the inconceivable…This is important work...Biological War is an indictment of the weapons programs that created our discomfiting reality, and of a leadership that has allowed it to continue.
New Yorker
-
This book moves like a meteor… Biological War is a heavily researched book about contagious and potentially civilization-ending pathogens…That so many were willing to talk to her, and have their names affixed to this book, indicates the esteem in which she is held.
New York Times
-
Intriguing . . . Jacobsen is a first rate researcher
Irish Independent
-
The scenario here is fictional, but the horrors are not only possible but based on real actions, plans, and fears
New York Post
-
A compelling and deeply unsettling examination of how biological warfare could shape the next global catastrophe . . . Biological War is difficult to put down, but it is even harder to stop thinking about once finished.
Literary Review
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Annie Jacobsen
- Narrator
- Annie Jacobsen
- Duration
- 11 hours 14 minutes
- Release Date
- 30 July 2026
- ISBN
- 9781529967944
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Transworld
- Genre
- Chemical and biological weapons, Theory of warfare and military science, Military and defence strategy, War and defence operations, Modern warfare
Synopsis
There is an invisible weapon among us.By the time you know you are a victim, it has turned you into a killer.A compelling, fast-paced, ticking clock non-fiction thriller from the author of the bestselling Nuclear War: A Scenario.A lab accident, a bio-attack, a global pandemic, and the collapse of human society. In this explosive new book, based on dozens of new interviews with experts with high-level political, governmental, medical, and military responsibility, Annie Jacobsen examines this very scenario.There is no mushroom cloud, no shock wave or blast. Instead, the scenario that could end the world as we know it begins with something so small and malicious, that when used for evil, only evil can result.This is what could happen; a roadmap to the hours, days, and weeks following the release of a biological agent, that serves as the most essential, forward-looking journalism in preparation for urgent societal upheaval.'A persuasive and unnerving argument' The New Yorker'Read this book. It is a better briefing on the problem than the one we recived in Downing Street six years ago.' James Phillips, Spectator'It's gripping and very, very scary how this scenario plays out.' Transfer Orbit© Annie Jacobsen 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.