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A slight quiz for an epic novel, penned more than 20 years ago by a prolific author whose forte is giving us the creeps. This book, about good vs. evil and a horrific superflu, was so popular that an unabridged version was released years later.

An excerpt: "He was frightened because this was more like a jail cell than a hospital room. He was frightened because Denninger was gone. He hadn't seen Denninger since the whole crazy three-ring circus moved from Atlanta to here. Deitz was gone, too. [He] thought that maybe Denninger and Deitz were sick, perhaps dead already.

Somebody had slipped. Either that, or the disease that Charles D. Campion had brought to Arnette was a lot more communicable than anyone had guessed. Either way, the integrity of the Atlanta Plague Center had been breached, and [he] thought that everyone who had been there was now getting a chance to do a little firsthand research on the virus they had been studying.

They still did tests on him here, but they seemed desultory. The schedule had become slipshod. Results were scrawled down and he had a suspicion that someone looked at them cursorily, shook his head, and dumped them in the nearest shredder."

Additional clue: This novel was made into a television mini-series in 1994 that starred Gary Sinise and Molly Ringwald. The author also has written as Richard Bachman.

To win an information goody, E-mail [email protected] by 3 p.m. EST Thursday with the title, author, and answer to this question: What's the superflu's nickname?

Two respondents will be chosen randomly from correct answers and awarded a prize.

Nov. 19 answer: The Dark Side Of The Game by Tim Green. Third question: Green played eight years with the Atlanta Falcons. Winners: Ron Green and Erin Moorman.