The novel states that the biological weapon is called “Wuhan-400” because it was developed at RDNA labs outside of Wuhan. No other living creature can carry it,” the novel reads.

It is speculated in the article that the change to the book came in 1989 because it marked the end of the Cold War, so an “American author pointing the fictional finger of blame at Russia would not have gone down well in that climate.” Virus mentioned, differs from COVID-19Ī passage from the novel on page 353 reveals that it is true that the novel includes a fictional virus named 'Wuhan-400' but the fictional virus mentioned in the book possesses different traits from COVID-19.

The South China Morning Post reported that the book “appears to have been rewritten after the collapse of the Soviet Union meant the country was no longer seen as a communist bogeyman.” Koontz did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment. It is not clear why the change took place. In a later version of the book released in 1989, the name of the virus was changed to “Wuhan-400.” The first edition has no mention of “Wuhan-400.” The 1981 edition of “The Eyes of Darkness” that can be viewed on Google Books shows that the virus was originally named “Gorki-400” for being developed outside of “Gorki” by Russians. A meme on Instagram about the novel also gained attention. Other users shared a similar claim, with a slight difference in the details. Another post claims that the prediction can be seen on page 333, not on pages 353 to 354. The user who shared the post did not respond to USA TODAY for comment. “The book written by Dean Koontz in 1981, ‘The Eyes of Darkness,’ wrote on pages 353 to 354 that China has developed a virus known as Corona Virus in a lab in the city of Wuhan, to be used in the future as weapon in future wars or to disturb future economic imbalance amongst the world powers or control its population,” the post reads.

The post shows an image of the cover of the book along with a page from the novel featuring dialogue describing a fictional virus called “Wuhan-400.” prepared for a coronavirus pandemic? The Claim: Dean Koontz predicted the coronavirus outbreak in his 1981 novel 'The Eyes of Darkness'Ī Facebook post that has been widely shared claims a 1981 novel written by Dean Koontz predicted the coronavirus outbreak.

Koontz the eyes of darkness