Eruption by Chrichton and Patterson

 When I saw this book under new titles in the library, my first thought was "Hasn't Chrichton been dead for a few years? Or, do I misremember?". When I read the blurb I found out that he had done a lot of research and had lots of notes on planning this new book that his wife found. After considering many other collaborators she picked Patterson who completed the book based on Chrichton's notes.

Both authors do not need an introduction to readers of their genre or even to those who do not read them. Most of their books have been best sellers and some have been made into blockbuster movies. I don't believe that this book will see similar success. It could become a B-grade disaster movie but unlikely.

In the beginning of the book you feel like you are learning at least some geoplgy of volcanoes, but soon you start to wonder how much is science and how much is made-up hooey. Well, it does not purport to be a book about volcano science, so gloss over the technical sounding jargon and just follow the action. 

The book is set in a Hawai'ian island where a volcano is about to erupt. Apparently, the volcanologists and their super-IT guys have developed a very accurate method to predict the time of the impending major eruption accurate to within hours, and that too, many weeks ahead of when it is predicted to occur. Complicating the potential to burn up a town, the lava is expected to overrun a secret US Army storage facility of Agent Black.  Agent Black is some kind of chemical that kills all vegetation and if overrun by the lava, is expected to cause a devastating explosion that will put the agent in the atmosphere that will  eventually spread over the globe and kill the entire civilization and life on the planet. Needless to say, the stakes are high and the volcano scientist better deliver a plan to divert the lava, since obviously the eruption cannot be stopped. Army, that created the problem of Agent Black, then failed to destroy it when it should have and then stored it in the unstable storage facility, is ready to help. Complicating this, there is also anegotistical billionaire (like the one in Jurassic Park) who wants to bring in his own help with his own agenda. Everything gets complicated, the volcanologist is about to become the hero that saved Earth, people do stupid things, people die, .... and well, you just have to read it. 

It's a summertime beach read. What can I say. Chrichton has had better books.