Helpful Score: 1
This is an okay entry in the post-apocalyptic genre, but not really outstanding. The premise, of course, is that a supervolcano erupts from Yellowstone. We watch as the event unfolds and then follow the fate of California cop Colin and various members of his family, now scattered across the continent, as they go about their lives.
And that's the gripe. We can't get emotionally invested in these folks because they're not challenged. Except for Colin and Kelly, they're not particularly likeable folks either. They just kinda go about their lives with not too much inconvenience. Vanessa is in a refugee camp, which sucks, but the others are not doing so bad. Now, I know that major disasters in one part of the country (or world) don't always affect folks in other parts, so I might buy some of this. On the other hand, holy cow, Turtledove has just blown up about 4 states and scattered the population of a couple more, global winter is upon them, agriculture in the US has to be at least three-fourths gone - you'd think there would be some problems other than higher gas prices and a shortage of potatoes.
So it's readable - I finished it in a day - it's at least plausible, there are some interesting subplots to be continued, but not that engaging. I probably won't look for the sequel.
And that's the gripe. We can't get emotionally invested in these folks because they're not challenged. Except for Colin and Kelly, they're not particularly likeable folks either. They just kinda go about their lives with not too much inconvenience. Vanessa is in a refugee camp, which sucks, but the others are not doing so bad. Now, I know that major disasters in one part of the country (or world) don't always affect folks in other parts, so I might buy some of this. On the other hand, holy cow, Turtledove has just blown up about 4 states and scattered the population of a couple more, global winter is upon them, agriculture in the US has to be at least three-fourths gone - you'd think there would be some problems other than higher gas prices and a shortage of potatoes.
So it's readable - I finished it in a day - it's at least plausible, there are some interesting subplots to be continued, but not that engaging. I probably won't look for the sequel.
Anyone familiar with Turtledove's novels knows that sometimes he takes a while to get to the meat of the conflicts and the way the conflicts affect the main characters. This novel is no different. I felt as if the whole purpose of the book was to set up the second two in the series. I, personally, have no problem with that sequence of events as I am a big fan of the author. Having family that live in the Yellowstone area and having just watched a Nat Geo show on the super-volcano that lies under Yellowstone made the reading a lot more enjoyable.
The eruption happened. Then, nothing much of any consequence happened. People were still getting married, having kids, cop business as usual, a band still touring, completeing dissertations. It didn't feel very real. I was very disapointed. At the end of the book, a page advertised the sequel, not putting it on my wishlist.
By page 91, I was so tired of the endless jibber-jabber of the characters, that I quit reading the book. Nothing of any importance had happened yet. I kept waiting for a volcano to erupt, but every time I turned a page, I was disappointed. The main character, Colin, is okay, but his kids are useless. It was like reading a very bad soap opera, where you keep waiting for something to happen.
When Jimmy Buffett sang âI don't know where I'm a gonna go / When the volcano blowâ, he was talking about the mountain in Montserrat. Small (relatively) and contained (ditto). The biggest volcano in North America isn't in the Caribbean, nor along the Pacific Coast â it's underneath Yellowstone National Park. What if IT blew?
Author Harry Turtledove provides one possible scenario to answer that question in âSupervolcano: Eruptionâ. Colin Ferguson is a cop in southern California. On a trip to Yellowstone, he meets and gets involved with a geologist, Kelly Birnbaum. Kelly and her fellow geologists are warning of a potential disaster, but of course, politicians aren't listening â there's too many tourist dollars riding on it not happening, and people not worrying about it possibly occurring. Harry's daughter has just moved to Denver; that's way too close to Ground Zero for his tastes. His son is touring New England in a just-barely-making-it rock band; that's far enough to avoid any eruption affecting him, isn't it?
Of course, as the book's title reveals from the outset, Yellowstone DOES explode. The immediate death and destruction is documented (on a limited scale, it would take volumes to tell EVERYONE's story!). The aftermath, however, takes up a good portion of the book. What will all of that ash do to the surrounding land? To the atmosphere? To the animals and plants â especially the crops â surrounding Yellowstone. And just how far way does constitute âsurroundingâ?
An interesting book, and one that kept my interest throughout my reading. A perfect book? No, not really. Colin stereotypically reflects a white cop's supposed prejudices against minorities. His ex-wife works for a Japanese import business, and Asian stereotyping can be found there, as well. (In fairness, I listened to this on audio; the narrator may have exaggerated this particular aspect of the book in voicing her boss; he did not, however, change Colin's words and thoughts.)
Still, I enjoyed book number one, and am looking forward to obtaining and reading the other two books in this series.
RATING: 4 stars.
Author Harry Turtledove provides one possible scenario to answer that question in âSupervolcano: Eruptionâ. Colin Ferguson is a cop in southern California. On a trip to Yellowstone, he meets and gets involved with a geologist, Kelly Birnbaum. Kelly and her fellow geologists are warning of a potential disaster, but of course, politicians aren't listening â there's too many tourist dollars riding on it not happening, and people not worrying about it possibly occurring. Harry's daughter has just moved to Denver; that's way too close to Ground Zero for his tastes. His son is touring New England in a just-barely-making-it rock band; that's far enough to avoid any eruption affecting him, isn't it?
Of course, as the book's title reveals from the outset, Yellowstone DOES explode. The immediate death and destruction is documented (on a limited scale, it would take volumes to tell EVERYONE's story!). The aftermath, however, takes up a good portion of the book. What will all of that ash do to the surrounding land? To the atmosphere? To the animals and plants â especially the crops â surrounding Yellowstone. And just how far way does constitute âsurroundingâ?
An interesting book, and one that kept my interest throughout my reading. A perfect book? No, not really. Colin stereotypically reflects a white cop's supposed prejudices against minorities. His ex-wife works for a Japanese import business, and Asian stereotyping can be found there, as well. (In fairness, I listened to this on audio; the narrator may have exaggerated this particular aspect of the book in voicing her boss; he did not, however, change Colin's words and thoughts.)
Still, I enjoyed book number one, and am looking forward to obtaining and reading the other two books in this series.
RATING: 4 stars.
So so
When Jimmy Buffett sang âI don't know where I'm a gonna go / When the volcano blowâ, he was talking about the mountain in Montserrat. Small (relatively) and contained (ditto). The biggest volcano in North America isn't in the Caribbean, nor along the Pacific Coast â it's underneath Yellowstone National Park. What if IT blew?
Author Harry Turtledove provides one possible scenario to answer that question in âSupervolcano: Eruptionâ. Colin Ferguson is a cop in southern California. On a trip to Yellowstone, he meets and gets involved with a geologist, Kelly Birnbaum. Kelly and her fellow geologists are warning of a potential disaster, but of course, politicians aren't listening â there's too many tourist dollars riding on it not happening, and people not worrying about it possibly occurring. Harry's daughter has just moved to Denver; that's way too close to Ground Zero for his tastes. His son is touring New England in a just-barely-making-it rock band; that's far enough to avoid any eruption affecting him, isn't it?
Of course, as the book's title reveals from the outset, Yellowstone DOES explode. The immediate death and destruction is documented (on a limited scale, it would take volumes to tell EVERYONE's story!). The aftermath, however, takes up a good portion of the book. What will all of that ash do to the surrounding land? To the atmosphere? To the animals and plants â especially the crops â surrounding Yellowstone. And just how far way does constitute âsurroundingâ?
An interesting book, and one that kept my interest throughout my reading. A perfect book? No, not really. Colin stereotypically reflects a white cop's supposed prejudices against minorities. His ex-wife works for a Japanese import business, and Asian stereotyping can be found there, as well. (In fairness, I listened to this on audio; the narrator may have exaggerated this particular aspect of the book in voicing her boss; he did not, however, change Colin's words and thoughts.)
Still, I enjoyed book number one, and am looking forward to obtaining and reading the other two books in this series.
RATING: 4 stars.
Author Harry Turtledove provides one possible scenario to answer that question in âSupervolcano: Eruptionâ. Colin Ferguson is a cop in southern California. On a trip to Yellowstone, he meets and gets involved with a geologist, Kelly Birnbaum. Kelly and her fellow geologists are warning of a potential disaster, but of course, politicians aren't listening â there's too many tourist dollars riding on it not happening, and people not worrying about it possibly occurring. Harry's daughter has just moved to Denver; that's way too close to Ground Zero for his tastes. His son is touring New England in a just-barely-making-it rock band; that's far enough to avoid any eruption affecting him, isn't it?
Of course, as the book's title reveals from the outset, Yellowstone DOES explode. The immediate death and destruction is documented (on a limited scale, it would take volumes to tell EVERYONE's story!). The aftermath, however, takes up a good portion of the book. What will all of that ash do to the surrounding land? To the atmosphere? To the animals and plants â especially the crops â surrounding Yellowstone. And just how far way does constitute âsurroundingâ?
An interesting book, and one that kept my interest throughout my reading. A perfect book? No, not really. Colin stereotypically reflects a white cop's supposed prejudices against minorities. His ex-wife works for a Japanese import business, and Asian stereotyping can be found there, as well. (In fairness, I listened to this on audio; the narrator may have exaggerated this particular aspect of the book in voicing her boss; he did not, however, change Colin's words and thoughts.)
Still, I enjoyed book number one, and am looking forward to obtaining and reading the other two books in this series.
RATING: 4 stars.
