The White Plague
A 1982 novel about a gendercidal plague engineered by a grieving father.
The White Plague is a 1982 science fiction novel by American author Frank Herbert. The story concerns an engineered disease that kills only women, created as an act of gendercidal revenge by a molecular biologist whose family is killed by an IRA car bomb. The novel was nominated for a Locus Award for best science fiction novel in 1983.
- author
- Frank Herbert
- published
- 1982
- genre
- Science fiction
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Novel about a plague that kills only women
- award_nomination
- Locus Award for best science fiction novel (1983)
Quick Facts
- Author
- Frank Herbert
- Cover Artist
- Abe Echevarria
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Publisher
- G.P. Putnam's Sons
- Pub Date
- 1982
- Media Type
- Print (Hardcover and Paperback)
- Pages
- 445 pp
- Isbn
- 978-0-399-12721-2
- Dewey
- 813/.54 19
- Congress
- PS3558.E63 W55 1982
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The plot begins on May 20, 1982, when an IRA car bomb kills the wife and children of American molecular biologist John Roe O'Neill while he is visiting London. Driven halfway insane, his mind fragments into different personalities who carry out his plan: he creates a plague that kills only women, with men as carriers. He releases it in Ireland, England, and Libya, demanding that governments send all citizens of those countries back and quarantine them, or he will release more plagues. O'Neill then hides in Ireland, planning to sabotage any cure research. He is forced to travel with a priest, a silent boy whose mother died from the plague, and Joseph Herity, the IRA bomber who killed his family, as they attempt to confirm his identity. Meanwhile, law and order break down in England and Ireland, with IRA thugs appointing themselves 'kings of old' and others reviving ancient Celtic religions centered on the rowan tree. The governments consider wiping out the three targeted countries to end the threat.
Reader's Guide
The White Plague is notable as a science fiction novel that explores themes of revenge, grief, and the consequences of biological warfare. Frank Herbert, best known for the Dune series, here crafts a thriller centered on a plague that targets only women, a premise that generated both suspense and controversy. The novel was nominated for the Locus Award in 1983, losing to Isaac Asimov's Foundation's Edge. Dave Langford, reviewing for White Dwarf #41, praised its 'edge-of-the-seat suspense' and 'good thumping melodrama.' The book remains a distinctive entry in Herbert's body of work, reflecting Cold War anxieties about terrorism and engineered diseases. Its legacy is as a cautionary tale about the intersection of personal trauma and global catastrophe.
Did You Know?
- The White Plague was nominated for a Locus Award for best science fiction novel in 1983.
- The plague in the novel kills only women, with men as carriers.
- The protagonist, John Roe O'Neill, is an American molecular biologist whose family is killed by an IRA car bomb.
- The novel was reviewed by Dave Langford in White Dwarf #41.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The White Plague?
The White Plague is a 1982 science fiction novel by American author Frank Herbert. It tells the story of a bioengineered pathogen designed to kill exclusively women.
What is the central premise of The White Plague?
A molecular biologist, driven to madness after his family is killed in an IRA car bombing, develops a virus that targets only the female population. The novel explores the catastrophic consequences of his gendercidal act of revenge.
Who is the main character in The White Plague?
The story centers on a grieving father and molecular biologist who creates the deadly pathogen as retribution for the terrorist attack that destroyed his family.
How does The White Plague relate to Frank Herbert's Dune series?
It is a completely standalone work with no connection to the Dune universe, published in 1982 as a separate exploration of bioengineering ethics and extreme moral consequences.
Did The White Plague receive any award recognition?
The novel was nominated for the Locus Award for best science fiction novel in 1983, acknowledging it within the broader science fiction community.
More in Novels by Frank Herbert 1-22
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