The Good Virus: The Untold Story of Phages: The Most Abundant Life Forms on Earth and What They Can Do For Us

Compelling and original ... richly detailed and absorbing ... The Good Virus is original, eye-opening and grippingly told. - New Scientist

Outstanding. The Good Virus is a fascinating, original and timely work.

The Good Virus is a colorful redemption story for the oft-neglected yet incredibly abundant phage, and its potential for quelling the existential threat of antibiotic resistance ... [Ireland] approaches the subject of his first book with curiosity and passion, delivering a deft narrative that is rich and approachable ... fascinating - New York Times

The book that might change the world ... Ireland's superb book introduces us to Covid's friendly little cousin, the phage. It feasts on bacteria, was used to treat soldiers at Stalingrad, and might just be the future of medicine. - Daily Telegraph

This engaging book highlights the brighter side of the viral world ... a delight. To learn more about phages is to discover fascinating details about a hidden world ... riveting - Nature

Most viruses do no harm to humans - and, as this fascinating book explains, a large class of them might even prove our saviours ... All this and more is thrillingly recounted in Tom Ireland's superb book. This is real luxury-class science writing - Telegraph

One of the best books of any genre that I've read in 2023, this superbly-written book relies on exquisite story-telling to interweave science and history and politics into an engaging and readable account that will fascinate absolutely everyone ... Even scientists and medical doctors will find much in this book to intrigue and delight them, and non-specialists will find this eye-opening book is unlike anything they've ever read before. - Forbes

In the wake of the Covid pandemic, the idea of a virus being beneficial may seem strange, even implausible. But science journalist Tom Ireland is admirably determined to show us just how potent this disease-fighting approach can be and to persuade us of its importance. As engaging as it is expansive, The Good Virus describes the distinctive biology and murky history of bacteriophage - Wall Street Journal