Eruption

Title: Eruption

Score: 4/5

Published in: 2024

Author: Michael Crichton

Date read: 27th July 2025

Genre: Science fiction, Thriller

Comments:
Started by the legend that is Michael Crichton and finished posthumously by prolific writerJames Patterson. A once-in-a-century volcanic eruption is imminent on Hawaii's Big Island. Dr. John "Mac" MacGregor, the head of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, is the first to recognize the signs of Mauna Loa's impending eruption. As he prepares the public for the natural disaster, he is pulled into a top-secret military operation with catastrophic implications.

Mac learns that the U.S. military has been secretly storing a cache of dangerous chemical weapons, including a deadly defoliant known as "Agent Black," within a lava tube deep inside the volcano. These canisters, which are old and deteriorating, are a ticking time bomb. If the eruption's lava flow reaches them, it could release the toxic agents into the atmosphere, causing a global ecological catastrophe that would wipe out all plant life on Earth.

With time running out, Mac and his team of scientists, support a mammoth military operation led by the chairman of the joint chiefs to safeguard both the Hawaiian islands and, potentially, all life on Earth.

As the volcano erupts, the team races against time, facing incredible dangers and mounting losses. In a climactic race to save the world, they must use all their knowledge and courage to outsmart nature's fury and prevent a man-made disaster of epic proportions. I am particularly pleased with the level of research done in this book, as a scientist, I am often disappointed with the errors put into sci-fi books and they upset my OCD. Here, I was worried at some of the observations made about a shield volcano, being much more like a more viscous/acidic one but the story covers everything nicely. Bravo!