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* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: Pretty far toward the "hard" end of the scale, with realistic depictions of ecological collapse and nanotech that isn't simply "magic" but has defined and somewhat realistic limitations.
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Fix. Not a trope.
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The second main character is a brilliant nanotech researcher named Ruth who was put aboard the International Space Station by the government at the first sign of the plague. She is one of the only remaining scientists with advanced enough knowledge to possibly create a vaccine to the plague, and the ISS is a perfect sanctuary. However, the tattered remains of the government (now set up in Leadville, CO) has [[NewWorldOrder alternate plans]] for how the vaccine [[PresidentEvil will be used.]]
to:
The second main character is a brilliant nanotech researcher named Ruth who was put aboard the International Space Station by the government at the first sign of the plague. She is one of the only remaining scientists with advanced enough knowledge to possibly create a vaccine to the plague, and the ISS is a perfect sanctuary. However, the tattered remains of the government (now set up in Leadville, CO) has [[NewWorldOrder [[OneWorldOrder alternate plans]] for how the vaccine [[PresidentEvil will be used.]]
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* [[UsefulNotes/NuclearWeapons The Deadliest Mushroom]]: After [[spoiler: Leadville]] is nuked in the second book, [[spoiler: along with large chunks of the U.S. as nuclear war breaks out,]] avoiding the clouds of fallout becomes a major concern for the characters. [[spoiler: At least until the HealingFactor nano effectively makes them immune to low amounts of radiation]].
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fixed some typos
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* DividedStatesOfAmerica: [[spoiler:After a vaccinne to the plague is created]] a new American civil war starts between the oppressive new goverment in Leadville, CO ([[spoiler:who wants to keep the vaccine for themselves and use it to rule the world]]) and [[LaResistance The Rebels]] ([[spoiler:who want to spread it to everyone]]).
to:
* DividedStatesOfAmerica: [[spoiler:After a vaccinne vaccine to the plague is created]] created,]] a new American civil war starts between the oppressive new goverment government in Leadville, CO ([[spoiler:who wants to keep the vaccine for themselves and use it to rule the world]]) and [[LaResistance The Rebels]] ([[spoiler:who want to spread it to everyone]]).
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* GaiasLament: Earth's ecosytem is absolutely ruined by the plague; with the absence of any warm-blooded animals, the surviving reptile and insect populations ''explode''. This causes a massive plant die-off as [[TheSwarm the insects feed on anything they can find]]. Without the plants to hold the soil together, [[GaiasVengeance massive erosion from rainstorms changes the landscape, destroying towns and roads]].
to:
* GaiasLament: Earth's ecosytem ecosystem is absolutely ruined by the plague; with the absence of any warm-blooded animals, the surviving reptile and insect populations ''explode''. This causes a massive plant die-off as [[TheSwarm the insects feed on anything they can find]]. Without the plants to hold the soil together, [[GaiasVengeance massive erosion from rainstorms changes the landscape, destroying towns and roads]].
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** A variation occurs later on with the development of weaponized nanotech called "The Snowflake", which disolves creatures in a matter of ''seconds'' but rapidly burns out and won't spread.
to:
** A variation occurs later on with the development of weaponized nanotech called "The Snowflake", which disolves dissolves creatures in a matter of ''seconds'' but rapidly burns out and won't spread.
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* ImMelting: The slow fate of someone afflicted with the plague; if you cannot get to altitude quick enough, you eventually die from your body just breaking down (as the microscopic machines dismantle you, bit by bit). The nanotech disolves pretty much everything, except the bones in some cases (which have cooled, and thus can no longer power the nanotech).
to:
* ImMelting: The slow fate of someone afflicted with the plague; if you cannot get to altitude quick quickly enough, you eventually die from your body just breaking down (as the microscopic machines dismantle you, bit by bit). The nanotech disolves dissolves pretty much everything, except the bones in some cases (which have cooled, and thus can no longer power the nanotech).
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* ScavengerWorld: Surivors manage to eke out a living by briefly dipping below the altitude barrier to scavenge nearby cities for supplies.
to:
* ScavengerWorld: Surivors Survivors manage to eke out a living by briefly dipping below the altitude barrier to scavenge nearby cities for supplies.
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* GreyGoo: Subverted. The nanotech only destroys warm-blooded creatures (it only functions because it's powered by body heat).
to:
* GreyGoo: GreyGoo:
** Subverted. The nanotech only destroys warm-blooded creatures (it only functions because it's powered by body heat).
** Subverted. The nanotech only destroys warm-blooded creatures (it only functions because it's powered by body heat).
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None
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* DepopulationBomb: The nanotech not only kills off most of humanity, but ''every single warm blooded creature below 10,00 feet''.
to:
* DepopulationBomb: The nanotech not only kills off most of humanity, but ''every single warm blooded creature below 10,00 10,000 feet''.
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None
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* TheDeadliestMushroom: After [[spoiler: Leadville]] is nuked in the second book, [[spoiler: along with large chunks of the U.S. as nuclear war breaks out,]] avoiding the clouds of fallout becomes a major concern for the characters. [[spoiler: At least until the HealingFactor nano effectively makes them immune to low amounts of radiation]].
to:
* TheDeadliestMushroom: [[UsefulNotes/NuclearWeapons The Deadliest Mushroom]]: After [[spoiler: Leadville]] is nuked in the second book, [[spoiler: along with large chunks of the U.S. as nuclear war breaks out,]] avoiding the clouds of fallout becomes a major concern for the characters. [[spoiler: At least until the HealingFactor nano effectively makes them immune to low amounts of radiation]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
rewrote, slimmed down, got rid of a lot of unnecessary potholes
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TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, a group of scientists are working on a nanotech that will cure cancer by [[JustThinkOfThePotential targeting specific cells and dismantling them]]. Predictably, things [[GoneHorriblyWrong Go Horribly Wrong]] and the nanotech starts dismantling ''[[GreyGoo everything]]''. There are two limitations, luckily, that prevent the situation from becoming a full blown GreyGoo apocalypse...first, the nanotech only affects warm-blooded creatures (being powered by their body heat). Two, the nanotech stops functioning in low air pressure. This becomes humanity's only saving grace, as this means that elevations of 10,000 feet above sea level are safe.
Though the nanotech isn't instantaneous (taking several hours to kill a human) it ''is'' airborne, and it spreads rapidly. Mass panic spreads all over the world as everyone attempts to flee to higher elevations to escape. Anyone not able to reach high ground fast enough succumbs to the plague. In the space of days, five billion are dead. It goes FromBadToWorse when the survivors who managed to make it to altitude [[NoPartyLikeADonnerParty find themselves without any food or supplies]]; many more people die of starvation and in-fighting on isolated mountain peaks around the world.
''Plague Year'' primarly follows two characters. The first is [[YoungerThanTheyLook Cam]] Najarro, a young ski rat who happens to be at the local resort when the plague strikes. Cam and the other survivors at the resort quickly find their fortune turn to a bitter struggle for survival as food runs out, with starvation [[IDidWhatIHadToDo eventually leading to cannibalism]]. When a man [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname named Hollywood]] arrives, [[AlmostDeadGuy half-dead from the plague]] but promising better supplies and food if he's followed back to his peak, Cam jumps at the chance to leave the [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone hell of the ski resort]]. [[TheAtoner Along with Sawyer]], a fellow survivor who seems to be [[MadScientist suspiciously knowledgeable]] about the plague, Cam begins a dangerous journey into the nano-infested lower altitudes, with the hope of reaching Hollywood's camp before their insides are liquified by the plague.
The second main character is a [[HotScientist brilliant nanotech researcher]] named Ruth who was put aboard the International Space Station by the U.S. Government at the first sign of the nanotech plague. Ruth is one of the only remaining scientist with advanced enough knowledge to possibly create a vaccine to the plague, and the ISS is perfect sactuary from the plague. The tattered remains of the government (now set up in Leadville, CO) has [[NewWorldOrder alternate plans]] for how the vaccine [[PresidentEvil will be used, though...]]
Though the nanotech isn't instantaneous (taking several hours to kill a human) it ''is'' airborne, and it spreads rapidly. Mass panic spreads all over the world as everyone attempts to flee to higher elevations to escape. Anyone not able to reach high ground fast enough succumbs to the plague. In the space of days, five billion are dead. It goes FromBadToWorse when the survivors who managed to make it to altitude [[NoPartyLikeADonnerParty find themselves without any food or supplies]]; many more people die of starvation and in-fighting on isolated mountain peaks around the world.
''Plague Year'' primarly follows two characters. The first is [[YoungerThanTheyLook Cam]] Najarro, a young ski rat who happens to be at the local resort when the plague strikes. Cam and the other survivors at the resort quickly find their fortune turn to a bitter struggle for survival as food runs out, with starvation [[IDidWhatIHadToDo eventually leading to cannibalism]]. When a man [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname named Hollywood]] arrives, [[AlmostDeadGuy half-dead from the plague]] but promising better supplies and food if he's followed back to his peak, Cam jumps at the chance to leave the [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone hell of the ski resort]]. [[TheAtoner Along with Sawyer]], a fellow survivor who seems to be [[MadScientist suspiciously knowledgeable]] about the plague, Cam begins a dangerous journey into the nano-infested lower altitudes, with the hope of reaching Hollywood's camp before their insides are liquified by the plague.
The second main character is a [[HotScientist brilliant nanotech researcher]] named Ruth who was put aboard the International Space Station by the U.S. Government at the first sign of the nanotech plague. Ruth is one of the only remaining scientist with advanced enough knowledge to possibly create a vaccine to the plague, and the ISS is perfect sactuary from the plague. The tattered remains of the government (now set up in Leadville, CO) has [[NewWorldOrder alternate plans]] for how the vaccine [[PresidentEvil will be used, though...]]
to:
TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, a group of scientists are working on a nanotech nanotechnology that will cure cancer by [[JustThinkOfThePotential targeting specific cells and dismantling them]]. them. Predictably, things [[GoneHorriblyWrong Go Horribly Wrong]] go horribly wrong]] and the nanotech starts dismantling ''[[GreyGoo everything]]''. There goes haywire. [[AfterTheEnd Apocalypse ensues]].
Luckily, there are twolimitations, luckily, limitations that prevent the situation from becoming a full blown GreyGoo apocalypse...apocalypse: first, the nanotech only affects warm-blooded creatures (being powered by their body heat). Two, heat)and two, the nanotech stops functioning in low air pressure. This becomes humanity's only saving grace, as this means that elevations of 10,000 feet above sea level are safe.
Though the nanotech isn't instantaneous (taking several hours to kill a human) it ''is'' airborne, and it spreads rapidly. Mass panic spreads all over the world as everyone attempts to flee to higher elevations to escape. Anyone not able to reach high ground fast enough succumbs to the plague. In the space of days, five billion are dead. It goes FromBadToWorse when the survivors who managed to make it to altitude [[NoPartyLikeADonnerParty find themselves without any food or supplies]]; many more people die of starvation and in-fighting on isolated mountain peaks around the world.
The first novel, ''Plague Year'' primarly Year'', mostly follows two main characters. The first is [[YoungerThanTheyLook Cam]] Najarro, a young ski rat skier who happens happened to be at the local a resort when the plague strikes. struck. Cam and the other survivors at the resort quickly find their fortune turn to a bitter struggle for survival as food runs out, survival, with starvation [[IDidWhatIHadToDo eventually leading to cannibalism]]. When a man named [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname named Hollywood]] arrives, [[AlmostDeadGuy half-dead from the plague]] plague but promising better supplies and food if he's followed back to his camp on another peak, Cam jumps at the chance to leave the [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone hell of the ski resort]]. [[TheAtoner Along with Sawyer]], Sawyer, a fellow survivor who seems to be [[MadScientist [[TheAtoner suspiciously knowledgeable]] about the plague, Cam begins a dangerous journey into the nano-infested lower altitudes, altitudes with the hope of reaching Hollywood's camp before their insides are liquified liquefied by the plague.
The second main character is a[[HotScientist brilliant nanotech researcher]] researcher named Ruth who was put aboard the International Space Station by the U.S. Government government at the first sign of the nanotech plague. Ruth She is one of the only remaining scientist scientists with advanced enough knowledge to possibly create a vaccine to the plague, and the ISS is a perfect sactuary from sanctuary. However, the plague. The tattered remains of the government (now set up in Leadville, CO) has [[NewWorldOrder alternate plans]] for how the vaccine [[PresidentEvil will be used, though...]]
used.]]
Luckily, there are two
The second main character is a
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!! This series provides examples of:
to:
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None
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TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, a group of scientists are working on a nanotech that will cure cancer by [[JustThinkOfThePotential targeting specific cells and dismantling them]]. Predictably, things GoHorriblyWrong and the nanotech starts dismantling ''[[GreyGoo everything]]''. There are two limitations, luckily, that prevent the situation from becoming a full blown GreyGoo apocalypse...first, the nanotech only affects warm-blooded creatures (being powered by their body heat). Two, the nanotech stops functioning in low air pressure. This becomes humanity's only saving grace, as this means that elevations of 10,000 feet above sea level are safe.
to:
TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, a group of scientists are working on a nanotech that will cure cancer by [[JustThinkOfThePotential targeting specific cells and dismantling them]]. Predictably, things GoHorriblyWrong [[GoneHorriblyWrong Go Horribly Wrong]] and the nanotech starts dismantling ''[[GreyGoo everything]]''. There are two limitations, luckily, that prevent the situation from becoming a full blown GreyGoo apocalypse...first, the nanotech only affects warm-blooded creatures (being powered by their body heat). Two, the nanotech stops functioning in low air pressure. This becomes humanity's only saving grace, as this means that elevations of 10,000 feet above sea level are safe.
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* InferredHolocaust: Completely averted with regards to the Earth's ecosystem. The author goes to great pains to describe what the realistic consequences of nearly all warm-blooded animals being wiped out would be.
* ThePlague: Although not a plague in the tradtional biological sense, since simply going above 10,000 feet gets rid of it.
* ThePlague: Although not a plague in the tradtional biological sense, since simply going above 10,000 feet gets rid of it.
Added DiffLines:
* ThePlague: Although not a plague in the traditional biological sense, since simply going above 10,000 feet gets rid of it.
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moved to namespace
Added DiffLines:
The Plague Year Series is a trilogy of apocalyptic science fiction novels by Jeff Carlson, starting with ''Plague Year'' (2007), continuing with ''Plague War'' (2008) and ending with ''Plague Zone'' (2009). The series shows the aftermath of a nanotech disaster that destroys nearly all warm-blooded life on the planet.
TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, a group of scientists are working on a nanotech that will cure cancer by [[JustThinkOfThePotential targeting specific cells and dismantling them]]. Predictably, things GoHorriblyWrong and the nanotech starts dismantling ''[[GreyGoo everything]]''. There are two limitations, luckily, that prevent the situation from becoming a full blown GreyGoo apocalypse...first, the nanotech only affects warm-blooded creatures (being powered by their body heat). Two, the nanotech stops functioning in low air pressure. This becomes humanity's only saving grace, as this means that elevations of 10,000 feet above sea level are safe.
Though the nanotech isn't instantaneous (taking several hours to kill a human) it ''is'' airborne, and it spreads rapidly. Mass panic spreads all over the world as everyone attempts to flee to higher elevations to escape. Anyone not able to reach high ground fast enough succumbs to the plague. In the space of days, five billion are dead. It goes FromBadToWorse when the survivors who managed to make it to altitude [[NoPartyLikeADonnerParty find themselves without any food or supplies]]; many more people die of starvation and in-fighting on isolated mountain peaks around the world.
''Plague Year'' primarly follows two characters. The first is [[YoungerThanTheyLook Cam]] Najarro, a young ski rat who happens to be at the local resort when the plague strikes. Cam and the other survivors at the resort quickly find their fortune turn to a bitter struggle for survival as food runs out, with starvation [[IDidWhatIHadToDo eventually leading to cannibalism]]. When a man [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname named Hollywood]] arrives, [[AlmostDeadGuy half-dead from the plague]] but promising better supplies and food if he's followed back to his peak, Cam jumps at the chance to leave the [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone hell of the ski resort]]. [[TheAtoner Along with Sawyer]], a fellow survivor who seems to be [[MadScientist suspiciously knowledgeable]] about the plague, Cam begins a dangerous journey into the nano-infested lower altitudes, with the hope of reaching Hollywood's camp before their insides are liquified by the plague.
The second main character is a [[HotScientist brilliant nanotech researcher]] named Ruth who was put aboard the International Space Station by the U.S. Government at the first sign of the nanotech plague. Ruth is one of the only remaining scientist with advanced enough knowledge to possibly create a vaccine to the plague, and the ISS is perfect sactuary from the plague. The tattered remains of the government (now set up in Leadville, CO) has [[NewWorldOrder alternate plans]] for how the vaccine [[PresidentEvil will be used, though...]]
----
!! This series provides examples of:
* AfterTheEnd: The series occurs after the nanotech plague has already killed the majority of the population. In ''Plague Zone'' it is briefly mentioned that the remainder of the human race numbers no more than 500 million.
* ButWhatAboutTheAstronauts?: Slightly subverted with Ruth, in that she's sent to the ISS specifically to avoid the nanotech plague.
* TheDeadliestMushroom: After [[spoiler: Leadville]] is nuked in the second book, [[spoiler: along with large chunks of the U.S. as nuclear war breaks out,]] avoiding the clouds of fallout becomes a major concern for the characters. [[spoiler: At least until the HealingFactor nano effectively makes them immune to low amounts of radiation]].
* DepopulationBomb: The nanotech not only kills off most of humanity, but ''every single warm blooded creature below 10,00 feet''.
* DividedStatesOfAmerica: [[spoiler:After a vaccinne to the plague is created]] a new American civil war starts between the oppressive new goverment in Leadville, CO ([[spoiler:who wants to keep the vaccine for themselves and use it to rule the world]]) and [[LaResistance The Rebels]] ([[spoiler:who want to spread it to everyone]]).
* FreakLabAccident: The nanotech was originally meant to be a cure for cancer. By the time they realized what it ''actually'' did, it had spread beyond anyone's ability to contain it.
* GaiasLament: Earth's ecosytem is absolutely ruined by the plague; with the absence of any warm-blooded animals, the surviving reptile and insect populations ''explode''. This causes a massive plant die-off as [[TheSwarm the insects feed on anything they can find]]. Without the plants to hold the soil together, [[GaiasVengeance massive erosion from rainstorms changes the landscape, destroying towns and roads]].
* GreyGoo: Subverted. The nanotech only destroys warm-blooded creatures (it only functions because it's powered by body heat).
** A variation occurs later on with the development of weaponized nanotech called "The Snowflake", which disolves creatures in a matter of ''seconds'' but rapidly burns out and won't spread.
* HealingFactor: Though intended at first as a cancer cure, the nanotech was hoped to eventually become this. [[spoiler: After successfully creating the vaccine in the first book, Ruth creates a nano that "reinforces" its host DNA, leading to a limited version of HealingFactor]].
* ImMelting: The slow fate of someone afflicted with the plague; if you cannot get to altitude quick enough, you eventually die from your body just breaking down (as the microscopic machines dismantle you, bit by bit). The nanotech disolves pretty much everything, except the bones in some cases (which have cooled, and thus can no longer power the nanotech).
* InferredHolocaust: Completely averted with regards to the Earth's ecosystem. The author goes to great pains to describe what the realistic consequences of nearly all warm-blooded animals being wiped out would be.
* ThePlague: Although not a plague in the tradtional biological sense, since simply going above 10,000 feet gets rid of it.
* MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds: The various nanotechs in the series were all created by scientists who were trying to do good things (cure cancer, reverse the nano plague, etc).
* MindVirus: Explored in the third novel, with a nano-virus that renders its victims similar to mindless zombies (but still very much alive).
* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: Pretty far toward the "hard" end of the scale, with realistic depictions of ecological collapse and nanotech that isn't simply "magic" but has defined and somewhat realistic limitations.
* {{Nanomachines}}
* NoPartyLikeADonnerParty: Cam's group on the ski resort. Also implied what happens to most the other survivors of the plague, when they run out of food on whatever mountaintop they managed to get to.
* PhlebotinumDependence: Since the nanotech will never go away (it only become inert), the ''vaccine'' to the nanotech becomes this.
* PhlebotinumInducedStupidity: In ''Plague Zone'', where [[spoiler:a new nanotech called "The Mind Plague" attacks its victims higher brain functions, leaving them mindless]].
* ScavengerWorld: Surivors manage to eke out a living by briefly dipping below the altitude barrier to scavenge nearby cities for supplies.
* TheSwarm: Insects are largely unaffected by the plague. With the death of all warm-blooded animals below 10,000 feet, the insect population explodes. This leads to countless dramatic moments where our heroes have to avoid, lead enemies into, and/or run away from horrific swarms of ants, yellow jackets, etc.
* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: The dates are unclear, but the setting is ostensibly "modern day", with the advanced nanotechnology being the only futuristic part of the setting.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Since reptiles are one of the only major animal groups to survive (along with insects), they end up having a population explosion. The characters are thus frequently running into "nests" filled with thousands of snakes.
* WorldWarIII: Pretty much what happens in the sequels, ''Plague War'' and ''Plague Zone'', as the remaining governments of the world fight over the limited "islands" of safety. [[spoiler:Later the war moves to being a race to see who can develop the nano-vaccine first, as the nation that does this will thus have control over who has ''access'' to the vaccine and can essentially rule the world with it.]]
----
TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, a group of scientists are working on a nanotech that will cure cancer by [[JustThinkOfThePotential targeting specific cells and dismantling them]]. Predictably, things GoHorriblyWrong and the nanotech starts dismantling ''[[GreyGoo everything]]''. There are two limitations, luckily, that prevent the situation from becoming a full blown GreyGoo apocalypse...first, the nanotech only affects warm-blooded creatures (being powered by their body heat). Two, the nanotech stops functioning in low air pressure. This becomes humanity's only saving grace, as this means that elevations of 10,000 feet above sea level are safe.
Though the nanotech isn't instantaneous (taking several hours to kill a human) it ''is'' airborne, and it spreads rapidly. Mass panic spreads all over the world as everyone attempts to flee to higher elevations to escape. Anyone not able to reach high ground fast enough succumbs to the plague. In the space of days, five billion are dead. It goes FromBadToWorse when the survivors who managed to make it to altitude [[NoPartyLikeADonnerParty find themselves without any food or supplies]]; many more people die of starvation and in-fighting on isolated mountain peaks around the world.
''Plague Year'' primarly follows two characters. The first is [[YoungerThanTheyLook Cam]] Najarro, a young ski rat who happens to be at the local resort when the plague strikes. Cam and the other survivors at the resort quickly find their fortune turn to a bitter struggle for survival as food runs out, with starvation [[IDidWhatIHadToDo eventually leading to cannibalism]]. When a man [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname named Hollywood]] arrives, [[AlmostDeadGuy half-dead from the plague]] but promising better supplies and food if he's followed back to his peak, Cam jumps at the chance to leave the [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone hell of the ski resort]]. [[TheAtoner Along with Sawyer]], a fellow survivor who seems to be [[MadScientist suspiciously knowledgeable]] about the plague, Cam begins a dangerous journey into the nano-infested lower altitudes, with the hope of reaching Hollywood's camp before their insides are liquified by the plague.
The second main character is a [[HotScientist brilliant nanotech researcher]] named Ruth who was put aboard the International Space Station by the U.S. Government at the first sign of the nanotech plague. Ruth is one of the only remaining scientist with advanced enough knowledge to possibly create a vaccine to the plague, and the ISS is perfect sactuary from the plague. The tattered remains of the government (now set up in Leadville, CO) has [[NewWorldOrder alternate plans]] for how the vaccine [[PresidentEvil will be used, though...]]
----
!! This series provides examples of:
* AfterTheEnd: The series occurs after the nanotech plague has already killed the majority of the population. In ''Plague Zone'' it is briefly mentioned that the remainder of the human race numbers no more than 500 million.
* ButWhatAboutTheAstronauts?: Slightly subverted with Ruth, in that she's sent to the ISS specifically to avoid the nanotech plague.
* TheDeadliestMushroom: After [[spoiler: Leadville]] is nuked in the second book, [[spoiler: along with large chunks of the U.S. as nuclear war breaks out,]] avoiding the clouds of fallout becomes a major concern for the characters. [[spoiler: At least until the HealingFactor nano effectively makes them immune to low amounts of radiation]].
* DepopulationBomb: The nanotech not only kills off most of humanity, but ''every single warm blooded creature below 10,00 feet''.
* DividedStatesOfAmerica: [[spoiler:After a vaccinne to the plague is created]] a new American civil war starts between the oppressive new goverment in Leadville, CO ([[spoiler:who wants to keep the vaccine for themselves and use it to rule the world]]) and [[LaResistance The Rebels]] ([[spoiler:who want to spread it to everyone]]).
* FreakLabAccident: The nanotech was originally meant to be a cure for cancer. By the time they realized what it ''actually'' did, it had spread beyond anyone's ability to contain it.
* GaiasLament: Earth's ecosytem is absolutely ruined by the plague; with the absence of any warm-blooded animals, the surviving reptile and insect populations ''explode''. This causes a massive plant die-off as [[TheSwarm the insects feed on anything they can find]]. Without the plants to hold the soil together, [[GaiasVengeance massive erosion from rainstorms changes the landscape, destroying towns and roads]].
* GreyGoo: Subverted. The nanotech only destroys warm-blooded creatures (it only functions because it's powered by body heat).
** A variation occurs later on with the development of weaponized nanotech called "The Snowflake", which disolves creatures in a matter of ''seconds'' but rapidly burns out and won't spread.
* HealingFactor: Though intended at first as a cancer cure, the nanotech was hoped to eventually become this. [[spoiler: After successfully creating the vaccine in the first book, Ruth creates a nano that "reinforces" its host DNA, leading to a limited version of HealingFactor]].
* ImMelting: The slow fate of someone afflicted with the plague; if you cannot get to altitude quick enough, you eventually die from your body just breaking down (as the microscopic machines dismantle you, bit by bit). The nanotech disolves pretty much everything, except the bones in some cases (which have cooled, and thus can no longer power the nanotech).
* InferredHolocaust: Completely averted with regards to the Earth's ecosystem. The author goes to great pains to describe what the realistic consequences of nearly all warm-blooded animals being wiped out would be.
* ThePlague: Although not a plague in the tradtional biological sense, since simply going above 10,000 feet gets rid of it.
* MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds: The various nanotechs in the series were all created by scientists who were trying to do good things (cure cancer, reverse the nano plague, etc).
* MindVirus: Explored in the third novel, with a nano-virus that renders its victims similar to mindless zombies (but still very much alive).
* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: Pretty far toward the "hard" end of the scale, with realistic depictions of ecological collapse and nanotech that isn't simply "magic" but has defined and somewhat realistic limitations.
* {{Nanomachines}}
* NoPartyLikeADonnerParty: Cam's group on the ski resort. Also implied what happens to most the other survivors of the plague, when they run out of food on whatever mountaintop they managed to get to.
* PhlebotinumDependence: Since the nanotech will never go away (it only become inert), the ''vaccine'' to the nanotech becomes this.
* PhlebotinumInducedStupidity: In ''Plague Zone'', where [[spoiler:a new nanotech called "The Mind Plague" attacks its victims higher brain functions, leaving them mindless]].
* ScavengerWorld: Surivors manage to eke out a living by briefly dipping below the altitude barrier to scavenge nearby cities for supplies.
* TheSwarm: Insects are largely unaffected by the plague. With the death of all warm-blooded animals below 10,000 feet, the insect population explodes. This leads to countless dramatic moments where our heroes have to avoid, lead enemies into, and/or run away from horrific swarms of ants, yellow jackets, etc.
* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: The dates are unclear, but the setting is ostensibly "modern day", with the advanced nanotechnology being the only futuristic part of the setting.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Since reptiles are one of the only major animal groups to survive (along with insects), they end up having a population explosion. The characters are thus frequently running into "nests" filled with thousands of snakes.
* WorldWarIII: Pretty much what happens in the sequels, ''Plague War'' and ''Plague Zone'', as the remaining governments of the world fight over the limited "islands" of safety. [[spoiler:Later the war moves to being a race to see who can develop the nano-vaccine first, as the nation that does this will thus have control over who has ''access'' to the vaccine and can essentially rule the world with it.]]
----
