Dangerous Miracle

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 -- Rachel Clarke * Spectator *
This history of scientific discovery and corporate greed ... chronicles arguably the most significant technological advance of the 20th century ... Shaw’s livelyhistory is a valiant attempt to shine a spotlight on the crisis [of antibiotic resistance] and it's a stark warning of how humanity has squandered a precious resource * Sunday Times *
Excellent - a highly readable account of scientific success in the past and Big Pharma's egregious inability to deal with the growing problem of antibiotic resistance -- Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm
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
A terrific history of antibiotics... Superb. He demonstrates an unusual ability to make science seem not only accessible but also beautiful -- Druin Burch * Literary Review *
In Dangerous Miracle, 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 -- Caroline Sanderson * The Bookseller, **Top 10 Nonfiction Titles Not to Miss in 2025** *
We live in an age when antibiotics are taken for granted and diseases that were once a death sentence are now routinely cured. But they have been around only a few decades and today we face a growing crisis of resistant bacteria due to the indiscriminate use of antibiotics. This book outlines in wonderful detail what it was like before antibiotics, and how complicated and transformative the discovery of each new antibiotic was. It is a thrilling collection of stories which reminds us of how precious they are, and how important it is to develop new antibiotics to prevent the plagues of the future -- Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, author of Why We Die
In this eye-opening and thrilling account of the discovery of antibiotics and the global threat of rising resistance, full of striking examples, Shaw brilliantly shows how science has repeatedly been influenced and corrupted by industrial and financial interests. This is not only an important history you never knew, it is also a vital call to arms to change the way that new drugs are discovered. Essential reading for everybody -- Matthew Cobb, author of The Genetic Age
[Shaw] skilfully blends science and health-writing with history, politics, patent law and more. Crucially, he also shows how antibiotics underpinned the forging of the modern pharmaceutical industry and Big Pharma ... [An] enthralling debut * The Bookseller *
[Dangerous Miracle] is both a fascinating account of the history behind the drugs that changed medicine and also a sobering warning about their future * Mail on Sunday *
Succeeds brilliantly as an engaging and incisive history of antibiotics, capturing paradigm-shattering breakthroughs and political upheavals ... As history, the book is a triumph. As a roadmap, it left me with questions—and perhaps that is the point * Science *