Overview

Calgary, 1892. The first symptom was a fever. The second was a riot. When a deadly smallpox outbreak is traced to a Chinese laundry, the burgeoning frontier town of Calgary does not respond with medicine, but with a torch. The authorities burn the infected homes and imprison the entire Chinese enclave behind a quarantine wall-a cage where disease and despair are left to fester. But within the walls is Li Wei, a laundry worker whose mind operates with the cold, precise logic of a strategist. While his community relies on tradition and prayer, Wei sees their predicament as a single, brutal equation: to survive the mob outside, they must first conquer the virus within. He turns a root cellar into a covert hospital and begins a silent war. Using a network of invisible child spies, forged documents, and carefully planted rumors, Wei systematically dismantles the mob from the inside, manipulating friend and foe alike. But each calculated move draws him deeper into a moral darkness, distancing him from the very people he fights to save. As the town's fear ignites into a violent fury led by a charismatic agitator, Wei must step from the shadows for a final, bloody confrontation. He is the only thing standing between his people and eradication. But in mastering the calculus of survival, he risks becoming a monster more cold and calculating than the disease itself. Variola: Calgary 1892 is a gripping and unflinching novel that exposes a dark chapter in history, exploring the viruses that infect the body, the mind, and the soul of a city.

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Bungen Lee (pen name) has always had a passion for writing. As a child, he would spend countless hours scribbling stories in his notebook, often to the neglect of his schoolwork. However, it wasn't until later in life that Bungen realized that writing was his true calling. Despite his love for writing, Bungen pursued a career in engineering, where he worked tirelessly as an engineer for many years. However, his desire to write never waned, and he spent every free moment honing his craft. He attended writing workshops, read every book on the craft of writing, and even took a course on creative writing online. As an Asian Canadian writer, Bungen has always been interested in exploring the complexities of identity and culture in his writing. His stories often delve into the experiences of immigrants and their families, as well as the challenges of navigating life in a multicultural society.

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