You know you鈥檝e got some juice in the publishing world when you get top billing on a book nearly 16 years after your death. 鈥淓ruption鈥� is the completion of a partial manuscript found by the late wife, Sherri, and finished by
That pedigree is sure to make it a summer bestseller, and fans of both authors will read it with relish. The short chapters 鈥� there are 109 of them in 419 pages 鈥� propel the plot at a furious pace.
The plot itself revolves around the imminent eruption of the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii. Dr. John MacGregor (鈥淐all me Mac鈥�) is the scientist in charge at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), and when he calls a press conference to announce that the largest active volcano on Earth is going to erupt soon, that furiously paced plot, pardon the pun, explodes.
This being a Crichton/Patterson story, there鈥檚 much more at stake than the life of Pacific islanders during a natural disaster. Turns out the U.S. military has a secret buried at Mauna Loa and let鈥檚 just say that when it comes to the fate of civilization it makes lava look like a hot, runny creamsicle.
The book鈥檚 characters are straight out of central casting. In addition to Mac, there鈥檚 Jenny Kimura, the lead lab scientist at the HVO, 鈥�32鈥� Ph.D in earth and planetary sciences from Yale, well-spoken, very attractive.鈥� And Col. James Briggs, 鈥�60s, white-haired, trim, and fit.鈥� Throw in a couple more volcanologists practiced at gallows humor and a smart teen who Mac has taught how to surf, and you have all the elements of a summer blockbuster coming in a couple years to a theater near you.
But is the book any good? That鈥檚 a tougher question. It鈥檚 formulaic, sure, and the writing won鈥檛 win any prizes, but it鈥檚 a thrill and the pages practically turn themselves. There are real character casualties, giving the story some emotional weight, but there are also a lot of scenes seemingly written with a movie in mind. So while some may quibble over whether there are more productive ways to spend a few hours, when Jenny turns to Mac and says, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to die,鈥� readers everywhere will cheer when Mac replies, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not going to. Not on my watch.鈥�
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AP book reviews:
Rob Merrill, The Associated Press
