Dangerous Miracle

“Dangerous Miracle succeeds brilliantly as an engaging and incisive history of antibiotics…As history, the book is a triumph. As a roadmap, it left me with questions–and perhaps that is the point.” –Science Magazine

“A sweeping account of the rise and precarious future of a live-saving medicine…Fascinating.” –Undark Magazine

“Riveting…has the essential hallmarks of all good science writing: boundless enthusiasm, ingenious metaphors and the effortless distillation of complex ideas into crisp, clean prose…In combining the passion of Robert MacFarlane with the incisiveness of Patrick Radden Keefe, Shaw has announced himself as a brilliant new voice in science writing.” –The Spectator

“Fascinating, full of adventure.” –U.S. Public Interest Research Group

“This history of scientific discovery and corporate greed…chronicles arguably the most significant technological advance of the 20th century…Shaw’s lively history is a valiant attempt to shine a spotlight on the crisis of antibiotic resistance” –Sunday Times

“Excellent - a highly readable account of scientific success in the past and Big Pharma’s egregious inability to deal the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.” –Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm

“Liam Shaw traces the rise of modern antibiotics and foresees their decline amidst the ongoing war between bacteria and antibiotic drugs. The central theme is critically important, but Shaw’s book is also tremendously entertaining as he describes the origins and development of many of the ‘greatest hit’ antibiotics that together have saved millions of lives. Well worth reading” –Adam Alter, author of Anatomy of a Breakthrough

“This enthralling and wonderfully accessibly debut charts the human history of a drug we all rely on but that we are rapidly burning through like a fossil fuel of medicine.”?The Bookseller

“Everyone needs to know about antibiotics - the good, the bad and the ugly! This is a brilliant history lesson .” ?Tim Spector, author of Food for Life “A fascinating deep-dive into a medical success story that we take for granted at our peril.” ?Sarah Gilbert, author of Vaxxers “An enjoyable and absolutely essential read. The next global pandemic might not be a virus at all - it could be a drug-resistant bacterium, as antibiotics stop working and common infections turn deadly. As Shaw passionately argues in this compelling history, we urgently need a new approach.” ? Kate Bingham, author of The Long Shot

Liam Shaw is a biologist researching the evolution and spread of antibiotic resistance. After completing his PhD at University College London, for the past four years he has worked as a Wellcome-funded research fellow at the University of Oxford. His essays and journalism have appeared in the London Review of Books, Morning Star, and Private Eye.