The Gray Zone

A medical sci-fi thriller. An ancient cosmic encounter between a peaceful, highly evolved planet and a huge comet begins the tale that goes through both time and space to bring life to characters and plots that are eerily similar to current events. In The Gray Zone, author William Russo introduces his readers to his fictional account of the death of the dinosaurs, a crisis in the Middle East, and the stability of the human body. Using the vastness of space to begin the tale, Russo conjures images of an idyllic planet inhabited by a superior species. Upon destruction of the planet by the comet, debris is scattered in every conceivable direction. A small amount of this pulverized matter is changed into an intelligent gray substance with unique and special powers. This material becomes, in many ways, the central figure in his story. Russo blends his fictional account flawlessly with well-known historical events. From the meteor that struck the Yucatán Peninsula during the reign of the dinosaurs, to the massive 1812 earthquake that formed Reelfoot Lake in Northwest Tennessee, and to the recent crisis in the Middle East, Russo is able to perfectly merge the familiar and the mysterious. Russo, who has practiced medicine in Memphis, Tennessee for twenty-five years, uses his knowledge of the human body to introduce the reader to his sickly protagonist. The mysterious matter, its power, and its effects on the tale’s protagonist come to a volatile climax, surrounded by a violent encounter in the Middle East that will leave the reader breathlessly turning the pages to find out what happens next.