Fifteen years ago today, in 2005, Peter May, a British writer, wrote a thriller about the horrors of an unknown virus, similar to the fears of the current coronavirus. He named it 'Lockdown'.
Imagine, when the present world is stagnant in the coronavirus, when human life is in the hands of this unknown virus, Peter May wrote a thriller about the same thing 15 years ago.
But the sad fact is that at that time no publisher wanted to accept his manuscript. They all had one thing in common - 'Extremely fantasy and unreal story!'
But who knew that this fantasy thriller would come true in 2020 in just 15 years?
Happily, in the end, this thriller by Peter May has recently been released under the name 'Lockdown' and has hit the market.
Entering the book 'Lockdown' and getting acquainted with its flow of events will create confusion! It seems that the thriller is written with the current coronavirus in mind.
The book's main point is that a deadly virus has attacked the whole city of London. The people of the city are infected with this unknown horrible virus. The death toll is rising every day. The people of the city are scared and locked down in the morning and evening for fear of the infection.
Meanwhile, warnings are also coming from the government that everyone should stay at home. The busyness of the doctors engaged in the emergency services of the hospital has increased. The sky, the wind shook with the ambulance's sound. They were running around the city with bodies of dead people.
On the other hand, there is another sad picture! People are slowly moving towards a death march. Fear in their eyes! The whole city is silent. Taking advantage of this silence, a group of snatchers took to the streets.
Meanwhile, there is no food in the human stomach. A group of terrorists is snatching their food. Prisoners in the city are wondering, what is the way to get rid of this terrible virus? According to experts in the country, 25 percent of the country's population will be infected with this unknown virus.
Gradually this number may increase. A nation can be wiped out again. There is no cure for this virus. Therefore, the death toll will rise. There is no other way but to keep people in quarantine in the whole city.
The government saw no other way and imposed martial law. The government is doing it to keep people at home. Meanwhile, the number of patients infected with the virus is increasing day by day. A temporary hospital was built in collaboration with the government. Countless children died in that hospital. Local doctors and specialists began examining the bones of those dead children.
If any neat edges are found about the virus, they brace themselves in that hope. The big detectives of the city are not sitting. An intelligence official named Jake McNeil wants to go deeper into the matter. He wants to see where is the source of this ferocious virus! Doing so also ruined Jake's career. Cracks appear in married life.
And at one point, Jake McNeil's own family also fell victim to this terrible virus. Jake still didn't give up. He has bet that he will leave after seeing the end of it. There is a surprise at the end of the thriller!
Now, who will stop Jake McNeil from doing this problematic research?
Virus? Or a government-appointed killer?
If you read the description of the event, you will understand that this book is written, capturing the misery of the present time.
Author Peter May wrote the thriller Lockdown in 2005, but no publisher agreed to publish it.
Fifteen years ago, a writer drew this horrible picture of the current coronavirus, only using his imagination!
Can you believe this?
The manuscript of the book, which was once returned by the publishers with 'extremely fantasy and unrealistic' comments, was finally published in book form after 15 years.
In his book, Peter May said in an interview with CNN, "When I wrote this book, scientists predicted that bird flu would be the world's biggest problem in the future; A viral disease."
"The virus is a terrible thing and a real phenomenon in human life," he added.
I have written this book with a lot of research information and my thoughts. If London were infected with the virus, what would happen to the city? If a city goes into lockdown, what would that city look like? Although the current coronavirus and the flu in my book are not the same, the picture of lockdown in the whole town is the same. Especially when millions of people are under house arrest for fear of this corona, and they are keeping themselves separate to keep themselves safe. - Peter May
The book was finally published on April 9.
No, this time, the publisher did not return his manuscript. Writer Peter May said, "I informed my publisher about the matter. The publisher got up to fall from his chair! He read the whole manuscript, and the next day he just said to me, Great! We are going to publish this book now."
'Lockdown' has now hit the market. The book is currently being 'pre-ordered'. Kindle and the Amazon already listed it. The paperback and audiobook of the book was released on June 16 this month.
Peter May said, "When I reread this book, I think I understand I am reading this book for the first time. I wonder how this book, written at that time, perfectly fits every film of the present time."
'Lockdown' is published by Caracas Publishers, London.
Peter May: A Scottish illustrator, novelist, and thriller writer. He has won various awards in America and Europe as a thriller writer and worked for the BBC and London-based Independent TV. Peter May was born in Glasgow. Early in life, he was a novelist. He has been involved in writing since the age of nineteen. At the age of 21, he was awarded the Fraser Prize.