Eruption

Wow! I love a disaster type novel that includes science, and this was a thrill ride of epic proportions.

This type of story always screams blockbuster movie to me, and I would love to see it on the big screen. I read it in a single sitting as I simply couldn’t put it down.

The plot -- scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on the rim of the Kilauea caldera are predicting a huge eruption of Mauna Loa volcano on the big island of Hawaii. It seems they have some methods to prevent a huge loss of life and property put in place. That is, until it's discovered that a secret cache of seriously dangerous radioactive biologic material is stored inside a lava tube.

A race against time, dangerous feats of courage and bravery, love, and show more loss combine to make this a riveting thriller that I enjoyed immensely. My engagement was amplified by listening to the audiobook narrated by the amazing Scott Brick, while reading along with the e-book. It is definitely an experience I highly recommend. A fun beach read and certain to be a bestseller.

In the acknowledgements, Michael Crichton's widow explains how he conceived and extensively researched the topic and how she decided to collaborate with James Patterson to bring this book to market. show less

Eruption, Michael Crichton and James Patterson, authors; Scott Brick, narrator
John MacGregor is in charge of HVO, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Moana Loa, the largest volcano in the world is sending signals, with a growing number of earthquakes, that it is about to erupt. Mac is addressing an audience about the coming eruption. He knows about how large the eruption will be, and he thinks it will be record-breaking; he knows exactly when it will occur, as well. He does not want to cause a panic, so he doesn’t tell them the whole story. He simply tells them that it will be a large eruption, but not how large, he informs them of an approximate date, but not the exact date, even though he knows it. He does tell them that the lava flow show more will not travel to Hilo. It is expected to travel away from inhabited areas. It should flow toward a military training ground, so it will not threaten civilization. Soon he would learn he was wrong. He would be summoned to a meeting by the military. There, he would be told about an additional problem, besides the coming eruption. Agent Black was on the loose.
The army had stored dangerous waste material in that uninhabited area. and the canisters were beginning to leak. They had to be contained before the eruption made the situation worse. The material in them was unknown, but very dangerous. It had begun to morph into a contagious “virus” with the power to cause a pandemic that would destroy all plant life on the planet, and then all human life. MacGregor now had the weight of the entire world on his shoulders, He was sworn to secrecy. His job was to figure out a way to prevent the volcano from exposing the world to this danger.
The military, the media, ordinary citizens, headline hunters and others all battled for the spotlight. They interfered in his effort as they inserted themselves into the equation. Even though he explained how to stay safe, many headline hunters ignored the rules. Several people died unnecessarily in their effort to get the best photograph, to expose more information, and/or to be in charge or to be the first to cover the news. Film crews flew dangerously close to the volcano, others incited the public. People grew concerned. They did not feel they were being told the whole story, and indeed, it was top secret, so they were not told the whole story at all. They were very much in danger, so was the entire world.
Although the book seemed well-researched, and Patterson created a great deal of excitement in the novel, the scientific explanations and the descriptions of the growing number of catastrophes often flew over my head. The use of foul language was way over the top and crude. The dialogue often went on unnecessarily, seemingly to fill the pages. Many of the ideas were repetitive.
It was a valiant effort, but the writing style of both authors was at odds with each other, so that a plausible science fiction novel became a made for TV thriller, ripe for a great pyrotechnic display to excite an audience, but not something to ignite much thought. It was difficult to stay engaged with the narrative because there was simply way too much death and destruction. It took too long to get to the main point which was that the canisters of material stored in the “ice tube” by the military were never properly monitored and now posed a threat to the entire world. The volcano was the catalyst, but not the greatest danger. What was stored under the ground, waiting to be unleashed, was the monster waiting to be freed. A pandemic of monstrous proportions was at the door. The material stored in the canisters had morphed into something unknown and deadly. The struggle to find a solution was key. That in a nutshell covered the plot that went on for too long.
This book was never completed by Michael Crichton who died unexpectedly before he finished the manuscript. James Patterson collaborated with Crichton’s widow. She provided the incomplete novel to him. He completed it. Sometimes, it would be better if certain professionals stayed in their own lane. Crichton wrote great science fiction. Patterson writes great mysteries. Each could be described as a master in his own field. This “joint” effort, however, did not work for me. Crichton’s books, though science fiction, were a cut above that and were in the realm of the possible, just not yet in our time. Patterson’s books are quite different, often featuring characters that fly under the radar creating mayhem, world catastrophes and crime, but they are always in the realm of the current real world of the possible. The two different styles did not merge seamlessly for me. show less

This just wasn't the fun disaster movie style of book I was looking for. It was so bland that I found myself rooting for the volcano which was the most interesting character in the book. I didn't make connections with any of the human characters so it was hard to care what happened to them.

The volcano stuff seems well researched, but I'm not a volcano guy. The plot was exciting and I listened with anticipation. However, some other stuff was not well put together. The county emergency coordinator was completely disenfranchised and marginalized. The chairman (of the JCS) would not fly seven time zones away to tactically control an operation--that's not his statutory function and we don't want him to be doing that. Where's FEMA? The idea of HAZMAT in a volcano is ludicrous. The characters were always emoting all over themselves. Stick a volcanologist in the back seat of an F-15E and expect him to hit a precise target with a highly technical weapon--not gonna happen. Fun book, two stars is generous.

I enjoyed the volcanology and Hawaii backdrop, but the plot is so pulpy and all over the place, enjoyment does not extend much beyond this. There is a lot of action to keep things moving, it is largely baseless, with strange pacing at times. 100+ chapters is also an achievement in inanity. Dialogue is clichéd. Some of these shortcomings are oddly endearing, but not enough to compensate.

Eruption is everything you want in a summer book.
I will be absolutely shocked if this isn’t made into a movie.
Non stop action
Characters that are easy to cheer for
Characters you can’t wait to see perish.
Mother Nature at her most pissed off
Military decisions that were bad when they were made decades ago but are now going to be catastrophic.
This was a fantastically fun book, that I did not want to end!

You can feel the soild bones that Crichton had worked out before his passing and the science and general plot trajectory was enjoyable at least till the ending. You can, however, also feel Patterson a man with a story to tell but nothing to say each chapter (more than 100 of them, some less than a page) going nowhere doing g nothing. Despite insisting that it deeply respects Hawaii and it's residents they are treated like idiots that just get in the way, dumb natives that don't know what good for them. I only regret wasting money on a Patterson book just because they put Crichton's name on it.