No one did gripping, science-and-technology based tales like the late author of "Jurassic Park" and "The Andromeda Strain" did. I've missed his stories since his 2008 death. What a lovely surprise, then, to get to read one more. Crichton carved out his own niche in science fiction. His stories are heavily grounded in current technology, give you eye-opening detail into what contemporary science already knows and where it's heading, and then supplies just enough twist to create a fabulous disaster story. You know, like when the dinosaurs recreated from ancient DNA run amok. Kudos all around here: to the late author for dramatizing volcanos and coming up with a way to make an impending eruption of Mauna Loa even more fateful than it otherwise would be. And for getting us into the world of those who study them, including those daring enough to get up close. Kudos to his widow Sherry Crichton, for taking her time to find the right author to finish the job, working from Crichton's notes. And kudos to that author, James Patterson, for telling this story the way Crichton would have told it. I couldn't detect any difference in style. A best-selling author in his own right, Patterson gets out of the way and makes this sound like Crichton. That's real writing skill. It's got all that Crichton deep-science explanation, making it all comprehensible, plus fascinating, to us page-turning lay people. Volcanos are both scary and awe-inspiring, a true reminder of planetary force and scale. Hawaiian volcano experts realize the biggest eruption in years is coming, and fast. Which way will the lava flow? Will it imperil any towns like Hilo on the big island? Matters are made infinitely more complex when . . . well, no spoilers. The story opens with an emergency hushed up years earlier, and we know immediately it will tie in somehow. The brewing disaster becomes utterly plausible. Numerous government entities kick a certain can down the road for years, and suddenly it's a real problem. Crichton and Patterson give us characters to root for, like volcano lab director Mac MacGregor, plus some to root against, like a grandstanding billionaire and two camera-hogging TV presenters who fancy themselves volcano experts.

First off, I typically will decide to order a book based on the total of 5 star and 4 star reviews total combined. If the total number of those 2 ratings is between 75% - 80% favorable, I will typically like the book. Now, that being said, was it a little predictable - Yes; was there a LOT of characters - Yes; Was there some editing errors - YES; but was it a worthwhile read - Yes! Well then, this is your kind of book. At times it was a bit annoying - with all of the issues above, but well worth my time to read it. It is a 'pretty quick' read (if you like this kind of action packed thriller), so worth the 6-8 hours of reading time. Patterson's books (in general) are getting predictable (at least for me), so I expected that. AND, I've only read one of Crichton's books (Andromeda Strain). But I thoroughly how this book 'pulls you in' and doesn't let go. So if those kind of books are your thing, then this book is for you!!!! Although I have read most of the 'low reviews,' and I can relate to some of them, for me it was a worthwhile read. It transported me to another place, with a real problem to try and solve. Isn't that what we want from a book? The descriptions of events made it so real for the reader - ME! I don't agree with some of the reviews, and although I have DNF'd some books, the book has to be really bad for me to not finish. I finished this book, and enjoyed it, and this book was really good, but for me, not 5 stars good. I borrowed the book from my library after waiting more than 1/2 a year for the book, but then they pulled it back before I could finish it, so I had to buy it. So I was more annoyed with the library system than the book. In these sad and sometimes really scary times, this book could be plausible. I plan to read it again when I need a book 'palate' cleanse. Was well worth my time.

I don't usually have much time for reading due to family & career commitments, but I heard about this book on the radio and thought I would enjoy a good summer read. I wasn't wrong! I remember reading Jurassic Park many years ago, and I found the science parts to be dense. The plot was interesting, but the story telling took a lot of time. I haven't re-read it in my adult years, but in my teenage years Crichton's sciencey nerddom really seemed to slow the pace of an otherwise thrilling plot. This is not to say I didn't appreciate his scientific insights or research, but it wasn't the star of the show to me. Eruption flips the script on that style. The science is plentiful, but it lurks just below the surface and is believable enough for the pedestrian reader to easily suspend disbelief, but the science elements are never belabored to the point of detracting from the plot. Of course, this is not a pure Crichton novel, so the difference in style may reflect Patterson's storytelling style. Nonetheless, the plot elements, the brainy research, even some of the tropes are pure Crichton. I am normally skeptical of a posthumous work being published, but Patterson really dug into this one and did his best to do justice to his predecessor and posthumous collaborator. The only places where the melding of styles felt a bit awkward to me were parts that had been obviously updated since Crichton's death in 2008 - references to social media influencer-types, billionaires with space exploration companies, the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea, and so forth. These were clearly necessary efforts by Patterson to modernize the plot, but they too often leaned into simplistic tropes. I suppose they were only distracting to me because I knew Crichton passed away in 2008, and wouldn't have had a hand in crafting those parts of the story. In interviews, both James Patterson and Sherri Crichton were coy about what portion of the book was due credit to Patterson vs. Crichton. I would guess at 60/40, with the larger share being Patterson, but whatever that percentage, it was an enjoyable read. The only reason I would ding this book at all was a pair of comments my wife made a few chapters into her reading. She has a PhD in biology and environmental sciences and I trust her insights on these things. A very minor spoiler alert is required before I share these two comments, though I'm keeping the details general and not spelling out how these two details influence the overall plot. Her first comment was that the mechanism of transmission of an herbicide via a virus, which features prominently in the plot, makes no sense from a biological perspective. Her second comment was that while the military or government could screw up a lot of things, there is no way they would store hazardous material near an active volcano. That said, if you can suspend disbelief on those two points, you will have a very enjoyable read. I finished the entire book in less than a week, which is unheard of given my usual schedule.