Extinction Event

Book Title:  Extinction Event

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ISBN  9781466163317

Part of Series:  First of two-book series – See Chain Reaction

Author:  Nicole Stuart

Available at:  Smashwords , Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple, Diesel, Baker-Taylor, Sony

Price:  $5.99

Number of words (approximately):  214 109

Star Rating (of five):  Five

Summary:  Helen Lindstrom, a volcanologist, is studying the massive super-volcano under Yellowstone.  Her latest set of measurements indicate an imminent explosion.  She discusses her findings with a new friend, John Carter, and he realizes that the impending catastrophe will probably bring an end to the world they know.  Their warnings to the Government fall on deaf ears, so they set out to establish a place where they will be able to survive, gathering a group of people to form the basis of a ‘colony’ of civilization.

Extract: 

- “Yellowstone sits right over a hot spot in the Earth’s crust, a spot where there is an upwelling of magma to a point closer to the surface of the Earth than normal.  Hawaii is another hot spot, where the lava breaks through and causes the volcanoes.  Hawaii’s tectonic plate is moving to the east, so the hot spot appears to travel to the West, causing new islands to be formed over the upwelling.”  She paused, looking at John to see whether he was following her.  “Now, look here.  This is the profile of the land around the lake four years ago.”  She traced her forefinger around the graphic display of the lake, then pointed to the table below.  The column was headed ‘N-S’, then she pointed to the column labeled ‘E-W’.  Her finger moved down to the two lines on the graph below, each one labeled in the same way as the columns.  “I’ve taken readings every four months since then.”  She touched the keyboard, and a new set of lines was superimposed on the original ones.  “These are four months later.  You can see how the land has lifted to the south side, and dropped on the north.” She tapped the keyboard again.  A new set of lines appeared.  “These profiles show a small but significant increase on an exponential, cumulative basis.  Each new set of lines has moved at an increasing rate.”  She tapped again, and again.  “Look at the trend.”  She pointed to the small graphs below the profile lines.  It showed a smooth but rapidly rising trend.  “The trend is clear.  The rate of growth is increasing.  Now look at this.”  She tapped repeatedly on the keyboard, and the lines denoting N-S lifted ominously on the south end, and dropped slowly on the north end.  Then suddenly both sides heaved upwards at a rapidly increasing rate.  The E-W lines, which had been relatively stable, suddenly moved upwards.  “This shows that the whole cauldron is lifting, not just displacing laterally.  The upward movement has covered several miles in each direction from the lake.  The cauldron is growing laterally as well as vertically.  The cauldron is expanding, and new magma is flowing into it.  Yellowstone is getting ready to blow!”

John stared at the screen, digesting the implications of what Helen was saying.  His mind raced as he considered the effects of what he saw, effects that would extend far beyond the physical effects of the explosion, and his face paled.

“What will you do now?”

“I have to slot these values into my thesis, and consider what changes they make to the prognosis.  It is clear that the process is speeding up, and I have to try to figure out what the time line is likely to be.  Then I have to get the findings to the university, so that the authorities can be notified.  We have to warn people about what is coming.” -

Reviewer’s Comments:

Structure:  The book is well-written, with good grammar and syntax, a sensitive use of words and a comfortable format.

Content:  The story tells of the development of the couple’s relationship in a pressure-cooker situation, with the threat of a collapse of the world economy likely at any time.  It explores the elements that go to make up our present world, and ways the characters find to meet and overcome the challenges of a situation that could come about at any time.

Reviewer’s Comments:  I loved this book!  The characters are real, the places credible, the events possible.  It raised so many questions that one will never consider until the time comes, when it will be too late!  The threat that is central to this story exists in reality.  The volcano under Yellowstone exists now.  It has exploded in the past, an event that caused one of the major species-exterminations of the world, and the signs are that it could happen again.  As one scientist has put it: “It will explode.  The only question is ‘when?’  It could be in five hundred years, or it could be tomorrow!”  Extinction Event gives us an opportunity to consider the problems ahead of time.  Even if we never do anything about it, this book asks us, in an entertaining way, to consider how we will react.

I have read this book several times, from cover to cover.  It is one of those books that one keeps returning to.

Karin B