A Topical New Book By Indica Author Pranay Lal
New Delhi, 12 October 2021: The word ‘virus’ can bring the most comforted soul to the edge. Penguin Random House India announces the acquisition of bestselling author Pranay Lal’s new book on viruses, titled Invisible Empires: The Natural History of Viruses. This myth-busting, factual and never-before-told story addresses the origin, evolution and everything in between of viruses. It will be published under the Viking imprint and will release in October. Currently, it is available on pre-order on all major e-commerce websites.
The global pandemic, misinformation and lack of awareness have given viruses a bad reputation, but this eye-opening book will reveal a whole new world. Biochemist Pranay Lal shows us the importance of viruses in our ecosystem and for our bodies and provides an intellectually stimulating perspective of the microscopic world. This book will unravel the mysterious ways in which viruses serve specific ecological functions and offer immeasurable benefits in nature. Readers will be astonished by the story of viruses, starting from deep time to how they shaped the natural world and human history and culture, and what the future of their co-existence with us will look like.
‘Viruses are amazing and ubiquitous entities that are neither dead nor completely alive, yet they are critical drivers of evolution. They influence every lifeform and regulate every ecosystem, including the ones in our bodies, says Pranay Lal. ‘I will take the reader on an unexpected journey into the lives of these microscopic creatures, without whom life itself would not be possible.’
Even before its official launch, Invisible Empires has garnered rave reviews from some of the most significant personalities of the scientific and medical community. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Siddhartha Mukherjee comments, ‘Viruses have shaped human civilisation and life on Earth in ways we are only beginning to understand. Pranay Lal’s Invisible Empire shows us tantalising glimpses of powerful hidden forces that affect each and every one of us. Fascinating and illuminating.’ 2009 Nobel Prize-winner in Chemistry, Venki Ramakrishnan shares that, ‘In this engaging and beautifully illustrated account, Pranay Lal takes us on a grand tour of the world of viruses, revealing their history and the amazing and varied roles they play in nature. Anyone interested in the natural world including young readers will greatly enjoy this book.’
Commenting on the book, Meru Gokhale, Publisher, Penguin Press, Penguin Random House India, says, ‘From Pranay Lal’s brilliant book, I learnt to look at viruses in a whole new light. He offers a fascinating and nuanced take on their role in our ecology and society. We could not be more delighted to publish this unique and marvellously inquisitive book about a subject that has haunted and obsessed us for nearly a year, by a writer who is perfectly positioned for this task.’
About the Author:
Pranay Lal is a biochemist by training and works on public health focussing on lung health issues in India. He is the author of Indica — A deep natural history of the Indian subcontinent (Penguin, December 2016).