Originally published in the Canberra Weekly on 27 June 2024.
A copy of this column also appeared on the Canberra Daily website.
Make sure to check out my extended reviews for Eruption, Camino Ghosts and You Like it Darker.
Tag: Eruption
Quick Review – Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson
Publisher: Century (Trade Paperback – 4 June 2024)
Series: Standalone
Length: 424 pages
My Rating: 3 out 5 stars
If you’re in the mood for an easy-to-read, fast-paced thriller with cinematic scenes of destruction, then look no further than this year’s big blockbuster novel, Eruption. Eruption was a very interesting 2024 novel that caught my attention early in the year due to the eye-catching superstar writing team of Michael Crichton and James Patterson. Apparently based on the notes of the late, great Crichton and then written by the world’s biggest thriller author, Eruption was a somewhat improbable creation that came to fruition this year in a big, explosive way that fans of crazy, over-the-top reads are bound to love.
Plot Synopsis:
Two of the bestselling storytellers of all time have created an unforgettable thriller.
A once-in-a-century volcanic eruption is about to destroy the Big Island of Hawaii.
But a decades-old military secret could turn the volcano into something even more terrifying…
Now it’s up to a handful of brave individuals to save the island – and the entire world.
Eruption turned out to be a unique and memorable read, although not necessarily for all the right reasons. The overall plot idea is exciting and easy to get into, with a massive volcanic eruption on the Big Island of Hawaii becoming a much more cataclysmic event when the predicted lava flow is expected to destroy a secret government vault containing decades of illegal radioactive waste material. If the vault is breached, the resulting fallout from some of the vault’s more destructive contents would destroy all life on the planet. To prevent this, a team of volcano experts from the observatory overlooking the volcano must work with the army and other skilled individuals to find a way to disrupt the lava flow and save the world.
On paper, this plot idea has a lot of potential, and the combination of Crichton’s vision and Patterson’s ability to create intense and exciting books should ensure that this is a pretty epic read. Indeed, the reader does end up with a highly detailed volcano disaster novel that you could see Crichton imagining, brought to life with the quickfire storytelling and short-burst chapters that readers of Patterson would be familiar with. However, despite all this, Eruption just doesn’t quite work, and a lot of people are going to come away from this book disappointed.
The main reason for this disappointment is that Eruption’sstory, while interesting in places, is very weak and just a little bit stupid. While I don’t want to spend an entire review badmouthing every flaw with the story, there were several plot and writing issues that really bugged me which I must mention (SPOILER ALERT). The first thing I couldn’t get past was the multiple weird and sudden jumps in the timeline that occurred throughout the book, which really throw me off from the story. This was a minor structural issue in itself, but when combined with the other gaps and issues in the storytelling it’s very noticeable, and I hated it. In addition, I felt that most of the characters acted like caricatures, and they routinely made stupid decisions again and again. This includes a group of slightly ridiculous antagonists who, after nearly dying in a helicopter accident halfway through the book, decide to try the exact same thing several chapters later with results you can’t even call ironic, just dumb. Another memorable issue involves the main protagonist’s major love interest dying in another country from an unrelated volcanic eruption (because why not?), only for the protagonist to mostly forget about them by the end of the book and instead start hitting on the other hot girl he works with. To top this all off, they throw in a ridiculous ending which has the veneer of cleverness but literally makes all the protagonist’s actions in the book useless, and which kind reveals that none of the experts you’ve been following know that much about either volcanoes or geology.
Now, while I could completely trash Eruption for all its glaring storytelling issues, I’m a positive man, so I will also highlight bright points which will appeal to some readers. For example, the authors have clearly done some research on volcanoes and volcanic eruptions, and they load up the book with the relevant science and history of volcanic occurrences in Hawaii. Readers get a real crash course in volcanology, which proves highly fascinating at times, especially as the authors emphasise just how unpredictable and dangerous they can be, especially major volcanoes like those on Hawaii. This deep understanding of volcanoes also translates into some amazing and thrilling sequences once the inevitable eruptions occur. Massive and cinematic carnage unfolds before the readers eyes in the second half of the book, and the authors go out of their way to capture the intensity and deadly potential of a volcano, especially through a variety of gruesome deaths. All these destructive scenes are really enhanced by the quickfire chapter changes featured throughout the book, and the authors do an excellent job of consistently building up tension as you count down to the potential destruction of the world. All this ensures that, even with the issues I mentioned above, Eruption proves to be a hard book to put down, and you can really get lost in the insanity.
Overall, Eruption proves to be a mostly interesting and fun read, that will stick in the mind, especially as you witness the combined work of two legendary authors. While there are a lot of obvious flaws, especially with the narrative, Eruption will still appeal to readers looking for a ton of action and over-the-top excitement. I can honestly see Eruption being turned into a very cinematic action blockbuster at some point in the future, and if that appeals to you, you will have fun reading this cool book. However, I do hope they fix up the storytelling holes in any eventual adaptation of Eruption.
WWW Wednesday – 19 June 2024
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
So, let’s get to it.
What are you currently reading:
You Like It Darker by Stephen King (Trade Paperback)
I have started reading the new Stephen King book, You Like It Darker, this week and it is proving to be particularly epic. Featuring a collection of short stories and novellas, You Like It Darker is pretty damn addictive, especially as most of the stories are very dark and have sinister endings to them. I am hoping to get through this book in the next few days and I feel that You Like It Darker is going to be one of my favourite books of the year.
Star Trek: Pliable Truths by Dayton Ward (Audiobook)
It has been a little while since I got the opportunity to read a piece of Star Trek extended fiction, but one of the latest releases, Pliable Truths, sounded too interesting to pass up. Written by one of the most prolific authors of Star Trek fiction, Dayton Ward, Pliable Truths serves as a bridging novel between The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine television series and will force the Enterprise crew to engage in important negotiations. I am having a good time listening to Pliable Truths and I cannot wait to see how it turns out.
What did you recently finish reading?
Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson (Trade Paperback)
I manage to finish off the epic thriller Eruption by the surprising team of the late Michael Crichton and bestselling author James Patterson this week. A fast-paced and very exciting novel, Eruption proved to be a compelling read with a fun story behind it.
Point Nemo by Jeremy Robinson (Audiobook)
I also finally finished off the audiobook version of Point Nemo by Jeremy Robinson I was listening to. An awesome and unique novel that sees a small group journey to an alien landscape that forms in the middle of the most remote ocean, Point Nemo is a captivating and electrifying adventure that proves hard to put down. An outstanding read I am hoping to review soon, Point Nemo comes very highly recommended, especially in its audiobook format.
Camino Ghosts by John Grisham (Trade Paperback)
Finally, I managed to quickly get through the new legal thriller from John Grisham, Camino Ghosts. A highly comfy and addictive novel, Camino Ghosts is a very interesting book and I’m glad I checked it out.
What do you think you’ll read next?
The Mercy Chair by M. W. Craven
I’ve got quite a few interesting books that I need to get through at the moment, but I think I will probably try to read The Mercy Chair by M. W. Craven next. A unique sounding thriller from a particularly epic author, The Mercy Chair looks set to be an excellent novel and I have heard some amazing things about it.
That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.
WWW Wednesday – 12 June 2024
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
So, let’s get to it.
What are you currently reading:
Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson (Trade Paperback)
I just started reading the epic thriller Eruption. Written by the surprising team of the late Michael Crichton and bestselling author James Patterson, Eruption follows a massive volcanic event that threatens Hawaii with destruction. I’ve made a good start on Eruption, and I am enjoying its fast-paced story. I look forward to seeing how this intriguing novel unfolds, and this will probably end up being one of the most entertaining and exciting books of 2024.
Point Nemo by Jeremy Robinson (Audiobook)
I didn’t get as much audiobook listening time this week as I’d hoped so I’m still going with the compelling science fiction thriller Point Nemo by Jeremy Robinson. An awesome and unique novel that sees a small group journey to an alien landscape that forms in the middle of the most remote ocean, Point Nemo is a captivating and electrifying adventure that proves hard to put down. I am hoping to finish off Point Nemo in the next couple of days and I am very curious to see how Robinson brings everything together.
What did you recently finish reading?
Mrs Hopkins by Shirley Barrett (Trade Paperback)
A unique and memorable piece of Australian fiction.
What do you think you’ll read next?
Camino Ghosts by John Grisham
The next book I will probably read is the new legal thriller from John Grisham, Camino Ghosts. A sequel to several of Grisham’s previous novels, Camino Ghosts will follow a desperate legal battle to claim an abandoned island, which will no doubt turn nasty. I have had a lot of fun with Grisham’s books the last couple of years and I look forward to seeing what happens here.
That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.
Top Ten Tuesday – Books on my Winter 2024 To-Be-Read (TBR) List
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. The official Top Ten Tuesday topic for this week requires participants to talk about books that they had very strong emotions about. While this is an interesting topic, and one that I may come back to in the future, I am instead going to look at some upcoming books. That is because today is the first Tuesday of June, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to do my quarterly post about the best upcoming books to read in Winter (Summer for folks in the Northern Hemisphere). This is a regular post I do at the start of each season, and I always love to highlight some of the most impressive sounding novels coming out in the next three months.
For this list, I have come up with ten books coming out between 1 June 2024 and 31 August 2024 that I am most excited for. There are quite a few amazing novels set for release in the next few months, so it took me a while to finalise my final top ten list, including my usual honourable mentions section. I have primarily used the Australian publication dates to reflect when I will be able to get these awesome novels, and these might be somewhat different to the rest of the world. I have previously discussed a number of these books before in prior Waiting on Wednesday articles and I think all of them will turn out to be incredible reads. I am extremely excited for these next three months and I feel that quite a few of these upcoming reads have the potential to be some of my favourite books of 2024.
Honourable Mentions:
Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson – 3 June 2024
An explosive thriller from two of the world’s most recognisable authors, I’m sure this is going to be awesome.
Assassins Anonymous by Rob Hart – 11 June 2024
Assassins trying to quit the killing game getting into all manner of trouble, what’s not to love?
Saturation Point by Adrian Tchaikovsky – 30 July 2024
An intriguing and exciting science fiction read from a particularly talented author.
The First Murder on Mars by Sam Wilson – 13 August 2024
The title says it all, with readers in for a fun science fiction murder mystery.
Top Ten List:
Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky – 4 June 2024
After wowing me last year with books like City of Last Chances and House of Open Wounds, acclaimed author Adrian Tchaikovsky is on a real roll, delivering several intriguing novels in 2024. The one I’m most excited for in the next three months is Service Model, which sees a robot gain murderous sentience and escape into a world were humans are dying out after relying on the robot underclass for too-long. This book sounds both funny and clever and I cannot wait to check it out.
Sentinel by Mark Greaney – 25 June 2024
Thriller author Mark Greaney follows up his action-packed thriller Armored with the intriguing read Sentinel. This time the bodyguard protagonist finds himself, his wife and his protectees caught up in a deadly coup and must escape a warring country and the Chinese hit squad instigating events.
The Wrong Man by Tim Ayliffe – 3 July 2024
One of my favourite Australian crime fiction series continues this year with The Wrong Man by Tim Ayliffe. Following on from previous John Bailey novels, The Greater Good, State of Fear, The Enemy Within and Killer Traitor Spy, The Wrong Man sees the journalist protagonist investigate two murders separated by 10 years, which might point to the innocence of a convicted serial killer. I have a lot of love for this series, and I cannot wait to see how Ayliffe continues it.
The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons – 9 July 2024
An intriguing fantasy novel that sees a girl and her dragon recruited into a heist gang that looks to loot a dangerous dragon city. This should be a pretty epic read and I love the concept behind it.
Deep Black by Miles Cameron – 1 August 2024
A complex and intense science fiction novel that will serve as a sequel to Cameron’s previous novel, Artifact Space, one of my favourite books of 2021. This sequel will see the massive Greatship attempt to escape a plot to destroy humanity’s trade with a mysterious alien species.
The Mercy of Gods by James S. A. Corey – 6 August 2024
From the exceptional team that brought you The Expanse series comes a complex new novel in The Mercy of Gods. This compelling new novel will see the best of humanity kidnapped by an ancient alien species to participate in a deadly game of intrigue and manipulation against an array of other captive races. The Mercy of Gods sounds so damn epic and I have no doubt it is going to be one of the very best science fiction novels of 2024.
Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh – 13 August 2024
Steve Cavanagh continues his deeply entertaining Eddie Flynn legal thriller series with Witness 8. I really enjoyed the last few entries in this series, including The Devil’s Advocate and The Accomplice, and this upcoming book will see the former con-man protagonist attempt to save an innocent man from a deranged witness with a murderous plan.
The Last Shield by Cameron Johnston – 13 August 2024
A female led, Die Hard inspired dark fantasy series from the author who brought me The Traitor God, God of Broken Things and The Maleficent Seven, this is a must read for me and I know it is going to be one of the most exciting fantasy books of the year.
The Dragon in Winter by Jonathan Maberry – 20 August 2024
One of my favourite authors returns with the third and final book in his Kagen the Damned series, The Dragon in Winter. Following on from his dark and brutal novels, Kagen the Damned (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022) and Son of the Poison Rose (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023). The Dragon in Winter will see the damaged protagonist finally face of against the deranged Witch-King who destroyed everything he loved. I cannot wait to see how this series comes to an end.
A Darkness Returns by Raymond E. Feist – 20 August 2024
The final upcoming book that I want to highlight is A Darkness Returns by Raymond E. Feist. A book that brings together Feist’s iconic Riftwar Saga with his more recent Firemane books (King of Ashes, Queen of Storms and Master of Furies). I look forward to seeing this new series from one of my favourite fantasy authors and I know I’m going to love it.
Well, that is the end of my Top Ten list. I think it turned out pretty well and it does a good job of capturing all my most anticipated books for the next three months. Each of the above should be extremely epic, and I cannot wait to read each of them soon. Let me know which of the above you are most excited for and stay tuned for reviews of them in the next few months. In the meantime, it looks like I have quite a few books to get through soon and they should all be awesome.
Book Haul – 20 May 2024
I have been having another excellent couple of weeks for books, and I was lucky enough to receive several incredible and amazing new novels from local publishers and Netgalley. These novels include some truly awesome new releases, including books that have the potential to be some of my top reads of the year. I cannot wait to dive into them, and I so excited to see how they all turn out.
The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence
The first recently received book I want to highlight is The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence. The sequel to The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, one of my favourite novels of 2023, The Book That Broke the World was an epic and complex fantasy novel that followed several complex protagonists in an impossible library. I have already read The Book That Broke the World, and it proved to be an exceptional novel that draws you in with its complicated and elaborate narrative.
Crucible of Chaos by Sebastien De Castell
The next book that I want to highlight is the audiobook version of Crucible of Chaos by Sebastien De Castell. I picked up this audiobook recently due to it being a prequel to De Castell’s other 2024 novel, A Play of Shadows. Set in the same series but featuring a different protagonist, Crucible of Chaos features a dark and addictive mystery as a travelling magistrate attempts to determine the source of a strange cult that has taken root in an isolated monastery. I just started reading Crucible of Chaos today and I am loving it’s outstanding and highly entertaining story.
Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson
I was very happy to receive a copy of the upcoming epic thriller Eruption. Written by the superstar team of the late Michael Crichton and the master of thriller fiction James Patterson, Eruption promises to be one of the hottest thrillers of 2024 and I cannot wait to dive into it.
Camino Ghosts by John Grisham
Another excellent thriller I recently got my hands on was the new John Grisham novel, Camino Ghosts. An intriguing legal thriller that serves as a sequel to some of Grisham most entertaining reads, Camino Ghosts promises to be a great novel that I cannot wait to dive into.
The Youngest Son by John Byrnes
I was also very happy to receive a copy of the Australian historical fiction novel, The Youngest Son by John Byrnes. Starting in the 1920’s, The Youngest Son will follow the lives of three different children as they attempt to survive Sydney’s seedy underbelly. I am very excited to check this novel out, especially after enjoying Byrne’s debut novel, Headland, last year.
Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu
An exciting fantasy novel set around a rebelling prince who steals a dragon egg, Dragon Rider sounds like an excellent novel, and I cannot wait to check it out. A shoutout as well to the awesome cover, it looks very cool
Death in the Air by Ram Murali
I was very interested by one of the most recent books I received, Death in the Air. A fun and whimsical Indian murder mystery with colonial overtones, Death in the Air sounds like an amazing book and I look forward to reading author Ram Murali’s debut.
Seeker by Samuel Griffin
A captivating fantasy debut, Seeker will follow a young slave who is forcibly recruited into an order dedicated to sensing and defeating ancient leviathans. A very cool book that I hope I get to read soon.
Song of the Samurai by C. A. Parker
The final book I recently received was the compelling and complex historical fiction novel, Song of the Samurai. An intriguing novel that will follow a disgraced samurai and musician as he is forced to embark on a dangerous pilgrimage. I love the sound of this unique debut and I cannot wait to dive into it.
Well, that’s the end of this latest Book Haul post. As you can see I have quite a bit of reading to do at the moment thanks to all these awesome books that have come in. Let me know which of the above you are most interested in and make sure to check back in a few weeks to see my reviews of them.
The Unseen Library 