Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson
Michael Crichton, best remembered as the author behind Jurassic Park and Westworld – properties that continue to generate interest and inspire awe – died in 2008. But not before developing a profound interest in volcanoes and a deep love for Hawaii. Though he spent years researching it and fleshing out the storyline, Crichton sadly never finished the manuscript that has recently become this book. He left behind 25 years’ worth of notes, interviews and field study. But fortunately an author of equal stature was willing to have a go at finishing it. To Crichton’s robust research and knack for dystopic speculation Patterson added his legendary flare for breakneck pacing and his direct style… and thus Eruption was at last born.
Not only is Eruption one of the most significant meetings of authorial minds in some time, it’s also bound to be the subject of an enormous Hollywood bidding war – because you, and everyone else, are going to want to see the movie this book spawns.
John MacGregor, head geologist at The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has devoted himself to understanding Hawaii’s Big Island. Mauna Loa. An active volcano of fearsome power. Many people hear the ominous rumblings. But only he truly understands what must follow. And it falls to him to announce to the world that in less than five days Hawaii will see the most catastrophic eruption of the last century. Could Mauna Loa’s eruption set off the other volcanoes in the oceanic chain? Perhaps. This would be far worse than expected. But worse still than the millions of tonnes of lava the event will inevitably produce is the secrets it will unearth. There are threats beneath the Earth far more deadly than the magma coursing under the island… threats that have been carefully long-hidden.
MacGregor soon receives a phone call far more fearsome than the thundering of the world’s largest active volcano… a single peace of intelligence that will have him racing not merely to save the inhabitants of the island but the entire world.
Geothermal force, subterranean conspiracy and biological inevitability collide in an unusually memorable disaster thriller… one whose blend of adrenalin, realistic roots, cataclysmic compulsion and immediacy makes for the most riveting read of the year. It’s absolutely as irresistible as an exploding mountain. Don’t miss it!