UCLA graduate student Christina Gonzalez wanted to use biotechnology to free America from its dependence on Middle Eastern oil. Instead, an act of eco-terrorism unleashes her genetically-modified bacteria into the fuel supply of Los Angeles, making petroleum useless. With the city paralyzed and slipping toward anarchy, Christina must find a way to rein in the microscopic monster she created. But not everyone wants to cure the petroplague—and some will do whatever it takes to spread it. From the La Brea Tar Pits to university laboratories to the wilds of the Angeles National Forest, Christina and her cousin River struggle against enemies seen and unseen to stop the infection before it’s too late.

An environmental disaster leads to global chaos in this science fiction thriller by the authors of Assemblers of Infinity. It is the largest oil spill in history: a supertanker crashes into the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco Bay. Desperate to avert environmental damage (as well as a PR disaster), the multinational oil company releases an untested designer oil-eating microbe to break up the spill. What the company didn’t realize is that their microbe propagates through the air…and it mutates to consumer anything made of polycarbons: oil, gasoline, synthetic fabrics, plastics of all kinds. And when every piece of plastic begins to dissolve, it’s too late . . . Praise for Ill Wind “A high-action, best-seller-caliber disaster novel grounded in unsettlingly accurate science. . . . Using the standard disaster novel format of multiple characters and plot lines, Beason and Anderson maintain a suspenseful, breakneck pace that carries us to a thrilling finish.” —Booklist “A big, near-future disaster novel straddling the border between science fiction and technothriller, likely to appeal to fans of both.” —Kirkus Reviews “A real winner . . . [the authors’] grasp of the science, the technology, and the political scene is unique.” —Dr. D. Allan Bromley, former assistant to the president for science and technology

This book analyses how narrative fictions can be used by faculty and staff in the teaching of professionals in higher education. As professional life becomes ever more demanding, this book draws together the work of researchers and practitioners who have explored the tremendous impact that narrative fictions – novels, short stories, drama and poetry – can have on development. The editors and contributors posit that fiction can help professionals imagine new ways of being, reinvent their roles and tackle problems without a road map. Using fiction can also provide a safe place for the exploration of ethics and decision making, as well as furnishing tools for the development of empathy and engagement by offering vicarious experiences of drastically different lives and situations. A medium that by its very nature contains a multiplicity of interpretations, using fiction in professional education can enhance the education of professionals working in a range of disciplines, including health, education, social care, law and science.

The concept of 'peak oil' - the moment when global oil production peaks and a train of economic, social and political catastrophes accompany its subsequent decline - has captured the imagination of a large number of Americans and created a quiet, yet intense underground movement. This book delves deep inside the world of 'peakists', showing how their hopes and fears about the postcarbon future led them to prepare for the social breakdown they foresee. By exploring their worldview, and the unexpected way that these fears transformed many members of this left-leaning group into survivalists, it builds a larger analysis of the rise of libertarianism, the role of oil in modern life, the political impact of digital technologies, racial and gender dynamics of post-apocalyptic fantasies and the social organisation of environmental denial.

What if bacteria turned all the gasoline in Los Angeles into vinegar? Carmageddon doesn't begin to describe it. PETROPLAGUE does. Christina Gonzalez expected her research to change the world. But not like this. The UCLA graduate student wanted to use biotechnology to free America from its dependence on Middle Eastern oil. Instead, an act of eco-terrorism unleashes her genetically-modified bacteria into the fuel supply of Los Angeles, turning gasoline into vinegar. With the city paralyzed and slipping toward anarchy, Christina must find a way to rein in the microscopic monster she created. But not everyone wants to cure the petroplague-and some will do whatever it takes to spread it. From the La Brea Tar Pits to university laboratories to the wilds of the Angeles National Forest, Christina and her cousin River struggle against enemies seen and unseen to stop the infection before it's too late. ______ Amy Rogers is the crisp, haunting new voice of science thrillers. If you think global warming is scary, wait till you read PETROPLAGUE. Norb Vonnegut, author of The Gods of Greenwich PETROPLAGUE is a terrific thriller debut and Amy Rogers really knows her science. From a killer premise--scientists create a bacterium that stops the industrial world in its tracks--PETROPLAGUE ratchets up the tension and danger with every chapter. The tense, tight plot and interesting characters kept me reading late into the night...Amy Rogers is one to watch--I can't wait for her next book. Paul McEuen, author of international bestselling science thriller SPIRAL PETROPLAGUE has earned a spot in the top five on my best of 2011 list. Amy uses her extensive science background and research connections to create an intense thriller that balances technology with well-defined, likeable, and believable characters. ThrillersRockTwitter book review Compellingly written, technically literate...an author who knows her way around hydrocarbons--from the lightest methane to the heaviest La Brea tar sands--and who also treats her readers to freshly-drawn characters... L. A. Starks, amazon reviewer and author of 13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy