Review of The Anti-Vaxxer

[Jorge Leon Salazar]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Anti-Vaxxer" by Andrew Toth.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The Anti-Vaxxer by Andrew Toth tells the story of Marty Coleman, an Australian soldier, who participated in military operations in Syria and the Middle East. When he returns to his country, instead of being praised for defending his homeland, he is a victim of unseemly treatment for not wanting to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The story poses an authoritarian and biased society around the issue of vaccination in which the "anti-vaxxers" are persecuted and even are not considered to be humans. In this fictional Australian society, a Committee has to ensure everyone gets vaccinated and receives all their boosters. Plus, they have to capture those who refuse to be vaccinated and force them to do so. Otherwise, they could disappear without a trace. In addition to dealing with all the traumas left by the war, Marty has to manage to reintegrate himself into civilian life and not get caught by the Committee.

The book is undivided into parts or chapters but has titles that indicate whether the story is recounted from Marty's point of view or not. When Marty narrates, he does in the first-person perspective while in the other cases the narrative is in the third person, for instance, regarding the actions of the Committee. The writing style is simple and descriptive, which is suitable for a story that combines calm moments with action-packed ones.

What I liked the most is the polemical nature of the story that makes you ponder a lot. Although the blurb states that this novel is not an anti-vaccine spiel, I think it has some criticisms against the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. Moreover, it has satirical overtones that some could interpret as a call for attention to something that might happen in real life. But the story also focuses on the figure of the hero or anti-hero who is a military expert, and it will not be so easy to catch him. Somehow readers support him and want him to get away with it. I equally found some proposed fighting strategies interesting, as well as the references to strategy books, for instance, The Art of War by Sun Tzu.

I think the plot is well defined and has its limits established. I really didn't encounter anything I disliked that is worth mentioning. My only complaint is that the story raises expectations that are not within the story's scope. For example, what will happen to the Central Committee? Are some officers overreacting or just following the guidelines? What is the situation in the other countries?

I found this book entertaining and thought-provoking. I think the combination of the controversial topic of COVID-19 vaccines and the action scenes around Marty worked well in this novel. As for the editing, I noticed many punctuation and spelling details, most of them are minor errors that do not affect the enjoyment of reading. However, there were more than ten. Therefore, I consider it's fair to deduct a star for this reason. I believe an additional round of proofreading would easily bring this work to zero errors. For all of the above reasons, I award The Anti-Vaxxer a rating of three out of four stars.

I recommend this book to those who are interested in the subject of vaccination against COVID-19. Also, those who like action scenes around the figure of a Rambo-style hero-antihero would enjoy this story. The book contains graphic violence and profanity, so those who are sensitive to them should look elsewhere.

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The Anti-Vaxxer
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[Essy Nma]

I like how the covid 19 vaccination was merged with the aftermath of a warrior fighter. Thanks for the review.

[Amy Luman]

I find it difficult to see how people who want the vaccine for their own peace of mind can’t just leave the others alone. It works the other way, too. Why can’t people who don’t want it let those who do alone? No one should be able to make a decision for someone else!

[Patty Allread]

The current scene with COVID-19 and vaccination is certainly rife with controversy and conspiracy theories. I think the author picked his storyline well by making his main character a military war hero who now has to protect his rights against this Committee. Good review!

[Precious_Nzeakor]

An entire book on COVID-19 vaccination?. That's an exaggeration. Unless the issue is a bigger deal than it seems in my reality. Regardless, I'm sure I'll appreciate the extras the book has to offer.

[Wasp Vigilante]

Lmao. There is a book about a dystopian world where anti-vaxx are persecuted and killed?

[Aisha Yakub]

I like the satirical undertone. This is definitely a call to attention. Great review.

[Debra Morgan 1]

I know that no matter what anyone says about the vaccine good or bad this is the first time in history that the effectiveness of a medication depends upon the people who doesn't take it. That is something to cause concern and I definitely can relate with the author for feeling as if his God given dominion is being compromised.

[Hyacinth Bella]

I have no issues with people who don't want to get the vaccine, as long as they aren't the ones that go around unmasked like they rule the world. The issue for me when it comes to unvaccinated people is most of the time they are the self-entitled people who go around spreading the virus, like Karens.

Thank you so much for the review!