When you see a book that has two names such as as Michael Crichton and James Patterson on the cover, you can’t help but be curious about what action-packed romp this book has in store for us. Written from notes and research left behind by the late Michael Crichton, and completed by James Patterson, Eruption is one intense book; for better or for worse.
The book centers around the imminent explosion of the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii. Our protagonist, the Chief Volcanologist of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, John MacGregor reassures everyone that everything is under control, and any potential lava flow can be diverted to minimise loss of life. Of course that won’t do at all for an action-thriller, so bring in the military, a rich billionaire, and media personalities. When military secrets from the past come to light, the potential eruption could have consequences for not only the entire island of Hawaii, but the world. Now that’s more like it.
This book will definitely be turned into a movie. A very Michael Bay-esque movie, with all the explosions that take place. That doesn’t mean the book was great. It was alright. There was just so much happening in the build-up that the ending just felt anticlimactic. There were several loose and seemingly unnecessary tangents and threads that didn’t add anything to the main plot of the story other than some filler to start and end the book with. While the build up was pretty fun to read, as shit (lava) hit the fan, everything just fizzled out and I was left feeling underwhelmed.
The main thing I enjoyed about the book was learning about volcanoes. That was nice. Other than that not a great book, but not terrible either. A definite one time read for fans of the authors, more James Patterson than Michael Crichton though.
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