Books Like Eruption

All forms of natural phenomena can be terrifying, but few come close to the power of volcanoes. In addition to the large-scale devastation that smaller volcanoes can wreak on their surroundings, our planet has also had eruptions in the past that had global consequences. From blocking sunlight to causing a drop in the world's temperature, there are few things humanity can do in the face of such an event. About the only response there is to a volcano is to flee the area immediately, and such events are captured in books like Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson, which features the eruption of Mauna Loa on the island of Hawaii. For more tales of what happens in the event of a volcanic eruption, check out the following books like Eruption.

Fault Line

By Michael Miller & Alison Miller

Fault Line by Michael and Alison Miller is a fast-paced, action-adventure novel with high stakes. It involves a paramilitary group abducting a tour bus of elderly United States Korean War Veterans and planting high-explosives along the fault zones of volcanoes in Hawaii. They plan to detonate the explosives and turn the world's most active volcano into a super volcano unless the U.S. government gives in to their demands. However, the U.S. instead calls on their military and Special Forces to intervene, aided by the world's top volcanologist, his geologist wife, and their apprentice. 

When Humans Nearly Vanished: The Catastrophic Explosion of the Toba Volcano

By Donald R. Prothero

When Humans Nearly Vanished by Donald R. Prothero is the true story about the eruption of the Mount Toba supervolcano. The volcano, located in today's Sumatra, Indonesia, erupted some 73,000 years ago in an explosion forty times larger than the largest hydrogen bomb. The ash and debris ejected into the stratosphere were enough to partially block the sun's radiation, resulting in a global temperature drop that took an entire decade to revert. However, this book also examines the geological and biological evidence supporting the theory that this volcano nearly wiped out the human race.   

Deep Fire Rise

By Jon Gosch 

Deep Fire by Jon Gosch is set in 1980, and Deputy Wilson has the unenviable task of protecting the humble rural populace of a backwoods district in the shadow of Mount St. Helens. Wilson is used to dealing with the usual miscreants and misfits, such as white supremacists, PCP brewers, Sasquatch hunters, and hermetic schizophrenics. Still, things change when the volcano awakens from its long dormancy. However, amidst the earthquakes and plumes of ash, Wilson has to deal with a horrific act of bloodshed that will drive him closer to the heart of danger in pursuit of justice. 

In the Path of Destruction: Eyewitness Chronicles of Mount St. Helens

By Richard Waitt

In the Path of Destruction was written by Richard Waitt, who was part of a U.S. Geological Survey team doing volcano research in the Cascades when Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980. He was one of the first to arrive when the dormant volcano started to rumble. In the aftermath, he began collecting eyewitness accounts from the event in the hopes that it could inform geological studies. After hundreds of interviews, legal depositions, personal diaries, geologists' field notes, and more, Waitt has compiled a chronology of the event that offers a fascinating look at this historic event. 

Escaping Yellowstone

By Layne Walker

Layne Walker's Escaping Yellowstone is set in the aftermath of the Yellowstone supervolcano's eruption. The blast vaporizes everything within 50 miles of the volcano, and the ensuing earthquakes cause havoc. When the quake hit, Sam Jones was 150 miles to the east in Buffalo, Wyoming. Same is determined to protect his wife and two teenage children, but escaping when the whole country is in turmoil won't be easy. 

Super Volcano: The Ticking Time Bomb Beneath Yellowstone National Park

By Greg Breining

Super Volcano by Greg Breining looks at Yellowstone National Park, the first national park in the United States, known for its many geothermal features. However, the park is also on top of a volcano, with the 45-mile-wide caldera encompassing all of Yellowstone. Breining explores what would happen if this enormous volcano, one of the world's five "super volcanoes," should ever erupt. It is a scientific yet accessible look at this sobering question, as Yellowstone has historically erupted about every 600,000 years, which means it's currently 30,000 years overdue.   

Supervolcano: Eruption

By Harry Turtledove

Supervolcano by Harry Turtledove is another novel that explores what would happen if the volcano underneath Yellowstone Park should erupt. In this series, it is an apocalyptic catastrophe that sends lava and mud flowing toward populated areas while clouds of ash roll across the entire country. The fallout also destroys crops and kills livestock while making cities uninhabitable by humans. The only solution left for humanity is to rise from the ashes again and try to recreate the world they once knew. 

Rainier Erupts!

By Thomas Hopp

Rainier Erupts! Is the first book in the Northwest Tales series by Thomas Hopp. It explores what would happen if Mount Rainier, one of the most dangerous volcanoes on earth, erupts. The results would be catastrophic since it is massive and close to population centers like Seattle and Tacoma. From explosions that could dwarf nuclear bombs to giant mudflows and choking ashfalls, an eruption would have widespread consequences. Rainier Erupts! examines what this event would be like for people in the surrounding areas and the tales of horrors and heroism that could mark such a disaster.