The Virility Factor cover

The Virility Factor

by Robert Merle

The time: the 1970s. The place: America. A menacing epidemic, Encephalitis 16, sweeps the nation. Women, boys and men over sixty are mysteriously immune. Too late, the President realizes that the male population is dying. Congressmen appoint their wives to succeed them. The Administration changes hands: the new President, a woman. Government and business are ruled by elite wonder-women. A hand-picked group of scientist and doctors is placed in Blueville, a closely guarded "Protected Zone", and assigned the task of finding a vaccine for E-16. And they must find it fast - men on the outside are choosing to be sterilized - or castrated - rather than face death. Heterosexual relations have been banned, and corporate and political power has been usurped by the "Castratos". The race is on.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?