Marc Steffen

A great read until the end and then the authors just checked out. After all of the scientific and technical expertise exhibited throughout the book by multiple characters, the ending was some contrived “miracle” by nature, a sudden and unexpected topographic barrier that just occurred to save the island and mankind. Even with the smartest people around, this potential outcome was not even mentioned during the story narrative nor any real explanation how this sudden “miracle” of nature could have happened, even though the majority of the book was all about the science of volcanology. After all of the great storytelling, the great development of characters and drama, the ending was pathetic and lazy. It’s like the authors wrote a 95% novel and then just went on vacation. I mean Mac and Rebecca leaving the island together after 4 weeks..really, she worked for an explosives company, her work was done after the eruption, it then became a military exercise after that, she had no reason to be there a month later. It’s not even believable. I’m a big Crighton fan and I know he’s gone, but someone took a great story and just trashed the ending, just an example of established writers working off their reputation and then just getting lazy and thinking their readers are just stupid .