The Swarm, Arthur Herzog

Mary Woodbury

July 6, 2014

Then [bee] terror began to spread–terror that was to erupt into a national panic as the strange, seemingly purposeful murderous attacks of a new and vicious species of bees began to mount. Against this background, a band of scientists draw upon their knowledge to fight an enemy they only partly comprehend in a desperate race against time.

Built around one of man’s most haunting fears–that the forces of nature will overrun his defenses and exterminate the human race–“The Swarm” is a vividly imagined masterpiece of chilling adventure.

From Arthur’s widow, Leslie Herzog, some back story:

Arthur found a tiny – maybe a few lines – of a news story he cut out and that I still have about the African Bee being in the USA. It was the reason he wrote The Swarm. When the movie was in production, Arthur sent a telegram to the producer, “ONE BEE AT A TIME” as Arthur felt it would build suspense better than the entire swarm at once. But no one listens to the writer after the rights are sold for a movie. Arthur always had advisors when he wrote a book. One was an expert on bees, Bob Brooks, who currently is using Bee Venom to help MS patients and ALS, and is in clinical trials. Dr Brooks figured out that by having the bees sting through latex, it saved the bee’s life as they normally die after stinging.