Zero Hour

Zero Hour by Benjamin E. Miller is a thrill ride. I will admit it; I love any book with disaster weather! Floods, Earthquakes, Hurricanes, Avalanche, Fire, plagues of Locust (well, maybe locust only in the Hagaddah!).

Computer weather models at MIT start to show an alarming possibility...a hurricane of crazy force could be generated above a lake or ocean where the water reaches 120 degrees in temperature. Of course, the only way the water would get that warm is if heated by lava. If it happened, it could cause a storm with winds reaching close to the speed of sound. There is some evidence that such a storm caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Unfortunately for us, the conditions seem just about perfect for such conditions in Antarctica. Deep below the frozen surface of the Ross Ice Shelf, a volcano erupts. Built directly above this eruption is a geothermal power plant.

USAF Colonel Tom Reed heads the team sent in to make sure things stay under control. But, is there anything people can do to change the course of mother nature? For Reed and his crew this could be a suicide mission.

Miller, Benjamin. E. (2003). Zero Hour. New York: Onyx.