CHOSEN AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 BY WATERSTONES AND THE TIMES

'The book that might change the world ... This is luxury-class science writing' TELEGRAPH

'One of the best books of any genre that I've read in 2023, this superbly-written book ... will fascinate absolutely everyone.' FORBES

'A delight. To learn more about phages is to discover fascinating details about a hidden world' NATURE

'Outstanding' CLIVE MYRIE

The viruses that do us harm are vastly outnumbered by viruses that can actually save lives. These good viruses are called 'phages', and they are the most abundant life form on Earth.

The Good Virus reveals how these weird and wonderful microbes shape our health, support our ecosystems and could be the future of medicine.

"Most viruses do no harm to humans - and, as this fascinating book explains, a large class of them might even prove our saviours ... [Phages] regulate our gut microbiome, are crucial to marine ecosystems, and inspired the modern Crispr technique of gene-editing ... All this and more is thrillingly recounted in Tom Ireland's superb book. This is real luxury-class science writing, exploring how a "Stalin-tainted" idea from long ago can be rehabilitated, alternating scientist interviews and vivid case studies of miraculous-seeming cures with historical narrative and limpid biotechnological explanations ... He also demonstrates excellent comic timing." - Telegraph

"One of the best books of any genre that I've read in 2023, this superbly-written book relies on exquisite story-telling to interweave science and history and politics into an engaging and readable account that will fascinate absolutely everyone. Whether you are looking for something unique to enthrall your book club friends, something educational to enlighten or inspire ... or insights into the complex and subtle ways that politics, history, medicine, science and individual personalities all feedback on and influence each other, you will find it in this remarkable and extraordinarily readable book. Even scientists and medical doctors will find much in this book to intrigue and delight them, and non-specialists will find this eye-opening book is unlike anything they've ever read before." - Forbes

"This engaging book highlights the brighter side of the viral world ... a delight. To learn more about phages is to discover fascinating details about a hidden world ... Ireland offers riveting accounts ... The Good Virus is timely ... It's an exciting time for a field that has, for too long, been unfairly overlooked." - Nature

"Tom Ireland's compelling and original book makes a strong case for revisiting phage therapy ... richly detailed and absorbing, and well balanced between the biological details and the personalities and scientific politics involved ... The Good Virus is original, eye-opening and grippingly told." - New Scientist

"Absolutely smashing. It's really beautifully written, it's a really, really fascinating account." - BBC 5 Live Science podcast

"Fascinating" - Today programme, BBC Radio 4

"The book that might change the world ... Ireland's superb book introduces us to Covid's friendly little cousin, the phage. It feasts on bacteria, was used to treat soldiers at Stalingrad, and might just be the future of medicine." - Telegraph

"Not all viruses are out to get us ... This read reveals the good guys - phages. These ultra-helpful but microscopic viruses infect and fight bacteria - this book tells the story of their discovery and use in our health, plus what the future might hold for them." - Woman's Weekly

"In the wake of the Covid pandemic, the idea of a virus being beneficial may seem strange, even implausible. But science journalist Tom Ireland is admirably determined to show us just how potent this disease-fighting approach can be and to persuade us of its importance. As engaging as it is expansive, The Good Virus describes the distinctive biology and murky history of bacteriophage (generally shortened to "phage"), a form of life that is remarkably abundant yet obscure enough to have been termed the "dark matter of biology."" - Wall Street Journal

"The Good Virus is a colorful redemption story for the oft-neglected yet incredibly abundant phage, and its potential for quelling the existential threat of antibiotic resistance ... Ireland, an award-winning science journalist, approaches the subject of his first book with curiosity and passion, delivering a deft narrative that is rich and approachable ... Ireland tells the fascinating story of how phages harvested from German corpses helped the Soviets defeat the Nazis when cholera broke out during the siege of Stalingrad." - New York Times

"[An] intriguing history ... incredibly timely" - Science magazine