What would happen if a highly lethal, mutating fungal organism got released from a military repository due to climate change? Cold Storage boldly helps readers find out — whether they’re willing or not. 

Cold Storage is an incredible thriller written by the American screenwriter, David Koepp, in 2019. If his name sounds familiar, you might recognise it from the blockbuster classics: Jurassic Park and Mission: Impossible. We wanted to look at the spine-tingling novel before it is to be adapted into a film later this year.

Cold Storage follows the threat of global extinction after a fatal propagating fungal organism, dormant for decades, is suddenly released.  Surely, this should mean complete annihilation for the small town in which it happens, right? Read and see.

As a novel with such high stakes in its plot, Cold Storage demonstrates how Koepp has mastered making his works gripping and action-packed right from the first page. Readers are humoured and held with suspense through the thriller.

Meet Robert Diaz, our protagonist and ex-government agent with knowledge of the organism. Diaz is pragmatic, resourceful, and haunted by past decisions, especially his initial encounter with the Cordyceps-like fungal pathogen. He will be forced to face his old nightmares as they resurface in his present day. 

Our fellow characters, Teacake and Naomi,  are two unsuspecting storage facility workers caught in the chaos. Whilst Naomi is the responsible, no-nonsense worker who takes her job seriously, Teacake is more laid-back, charming, and prone to making questionable life choices. Despite their differences, both are quick-witted, resourceful, and brave when confronted with the deadly pathogen, all while bringing humour to this rather dark story. Together, they make an unlikely but endearing duo, stepping up to face a world-threatening crisis in ways neither expected.

Balancing the tension of scientific plausibility and dark humour, Koepp’s style of storytelling is recognised from his stints writing movies. It has a cinematic narrative and razor-sharp dialogue. Cold Storage is often compared to Michael Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain and movies such as The Thing (1982). 

Now in the hands of Jonny Campbell as director, Cold Storage is set to have veterans of Hollywood bring it to the silver screen. With Liam Neeson said to be our Robert Diaz, we’re in for a treat. Teacake is rumoured to be played by Joe Kerry — who is no stranger to playing the goofy, lovable hero (in the end) in sci-fi thrillers after playing Steven Harrington in the iconic Stranger Things. Playing his ever-responsible colleague is Georgina Campbell, best known for harrowing performances in Black Mirror and Barbarian. We are excited to see their adaptation of the biological horror this summer. 

Who is David Koepp? 

David Koepp is a celebrated screenwriter and novelist known for writing Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, and Mission: Impossible. A UCLA film school graduate, he has significantly impacted Hollywood with his gripping storytelling. In addition to Cold Storage, he has authored Aurora (2022), a tense sci-fi thriller about a global power outage and its consequences. Koepp’s ability to craft high-stakes narratives translates seamlessly from screen to page, making him a compelling voice in film and fiction – a bit of an all-rounder!

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