Richard Preston on the first ascent of Hyperion, world's tallest tree.
  1. Panic in Level 4, Richard Preston's new book, will be published on May 27, 2008. Advance order now from Amazon or Barnes&Noble
  2. Watch Richard Preston talk with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show about The Wild Trees.
  3. Watch Preston torque with Stephen Colbert.
  4. The Wild Trees has been a New York Times bestseller. Buy it now from Amazon and Barnes&Noble.
  5. Listen to Richard Preston read from The Wild Trees audiobook CD. Listen to Richard Preston on climbing in the world's tallest forests.
  6. View stunning images.
  7. Speaking requests for Richard Preston.
 
“		  
It’s hard to think of anyone alive who does a better job of combining great reporting, great storytelling, and great prose.”
—Jonathan Weiner
Panic in Level 4

Panic in Level 4 is a grand tour through the eerie and unforgettable universe of Richard Preston, filled with incredible characters and mysteries that refuse to leave one’s mind.

Praise for Panic in Level 4

"Compelling . . . stories of high scientific adventure" -Seattle Times

"[Preston’s] stories sparkle with images of stark beauty and darkness; mature reflections about the complex worlds we all occupy." - Denver Post

"With his 1994 sensation The Hot Zone, science writer Richard Preston terrified millions. . . . In his new book, Panic in Level 4, he continues to probe nature’s stranger side" - USA Today

Here are dramatic true stories from this acclaimed and award-winning author, including:

  • The phenomenon of “self-cannibals,” who suffer from a rare genetic condition caused by one wrong letter in their DNA that forces them to compulsively chew their own flesh and bite off their extremities—and why the self-cannibalism disease may lurk in all of us.
  • The search for the unknown host of Ebola virus, an organism hidden somewhere in African rain forests, where the disease finds its way into the human species, causing outbreaks of unparalleled horror.
  • The brilliant Russian brothers—“one mathematician divided between two bodies”—who built a supercomputer in their apartment from mail-order parts in an attempt to find hidden order in the number pi.
Richard Preston portrays the frightening forces and haunting discoveries that are roiling and reordering our world, once again proving himself a master of nonfiction narrative.

 
Panic in Level 4