/lit/ - Literature

>published in 2008
>story contains pandemic starting out in China in 2019

>>16392423
>Come across as completely ignorant and not painfully oblivious of any nuances of other places.
>Why does this happen every single time?
completely false

The Last Centurion by John Ringo, 2008 mutated bird flu starts spreading from China in 2019, resulting in global pandemic

"Bandit Six", the book's protagonist, discusses his adventures following a withdrawal from the Middle East by U.S. forces in a time of chaos and disease. He commands a Stryker company that is left behind in Iran to guard a U.S. military equipment depot after a worldwide outbreak of mutated bird flu. He and his company repeat the journey of the Ten Thousand to return home, where he assists in agricultural recovery efforts and leads a military operation to regain control of a major American city

>Centurions were the guardians of Rome. At the height of the Roman Republic there were over five thousand qualified Roman Centurions in the Legions. To be a Centurion required that, in a mostly illiterate society, one be able to read and write clearly, to be able to convey and create orders, to be capable of not only performing every skill of a Roman soldier but teach every skill of a Roman soldier.

>Becoming a Centurion required intense physical ability, courage beyond the norm, years of sacrifice and a total devotion to the philosophy which was Rome. When Rome fell to barbarian invaders, there were less than five hundred qualified Centurions. Not because Rome had fewer people but because it had fewer willing to make the sacrifices. And the last Centurions left their shields in the heather and took a barbarian bride . . .

>We are . . . The Last Centurions.

>>16246600
The Last Centurion by John Ringo, published 2008
>"Bandit Six", the book's protagonist, discusses his adventures following a withdrawal from the Middle East by U.S. forces in a time of chaos and disease. He commands a Stryker company that is left behind in Iran to guard a U.S. military equipment depot after a worldwide outbreak of mutated bird flu. He and his company repeat the journey of the Ten Thousand to return home, where he assists in agricultural recovery efforts and leads a military operation to regain control of a major American city.

Its almost prophetic work of fiction

>mutated bird flu breaking out in 2019 in China, goes global pandemic.. causing people to drown in their own fluids.
>international, domestic travel shut down, quarantines.
>social distancing, people trying to use dust filter masks to protect themselves from infection etc..
>talk about problems with pandemic preparedness, vaccines, receptor site mutations, antiviral drugs, prophylactic drugs, protecting the economy vs. stopping the virus..
>riots
>shooting rioters in self-defense against being shot at gets you charged with crimes
>media gets everything wrong, importance of personal responsibility

>>16234152
The Troy Rising book series is a great read and the amount of flying missiles shown is not overselling the content at all. The name Hot Gate is reference to battle of Thermopylae.
>>16234162
I really wish he continued the Legacy of the Aldenata series.. its been 11 years now since last addition.

I also just recently realized one of his books is more relevant now than ever before: The Last Centurion, released 12 years ago now, has
>mutated bird flu breaking out in 2019 in China, going global and crisis continuing to 2020, 2021.. Causing people to drown in their own fluids.
>international, domestic travel shut down or limited
>social distancing mentioned, people trying to use dust filter masks to protect themselves from infection etc..
>lot of talk about vaccines, receptor site mutations, antiviral drugs, prophylactic drugs, protecting the economy vs. stopping the virus..
>names a whole lot of problem with pandemic contingency planning