Twister: The Science of Tornadoes and the Making of an adventure Movie

by Keay Davidson

Award-winning science writer takes you where only the bravest souls have ventured, and survived - into the frightening path of these violent twisters. He also gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Warner Bros. film from the creators of Jurassic Park and the director of Speed . In collaboration with the makers of the film, Davidson explores the many challenges faced by the producers, the stars, the director and the special effects experts who re-created this wild, mysterious experience. Through fascinating interviews, you'll come to understand just how these incredible storms came to life on the big screen.
Of all the atmospheric storms, tornadoes are the fiercest, concentrating as much energy into a small space and time as numerous atomic-bomb blasts, and posing grave danger to the scientists who study this incredible phenomenon. Swirling at speeds of up to three hundred miles per hour and spewing debris as far as two hundred files away, a writhing tornado leaves behind a trail of lives are ruined, families are wiped out, and entire towns are erased from the face of the Earth.
Enhanced with spectacular close-up photographs and easy-to-grasp graphics, TWISTER offers an enthralling profile of these powerful storms, including an in-depth look at the leading tornado-monitoring project, VORTEX. You'll discover a fascinating world of science and mystery, where storm chasers risk their lives for their work. And you'll hear from those who have experienced close encounters with tornadoes as they tell their unforgettable stories. Embark on a journey filled with terror, grief, triumph, and hope -- hope that scientists will soon be able to reliably predict, and in the distant future control, nature's most devastating tornadoes.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Media Tie In, Nature

240 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

About the author

Keay Davidson is an award-winning American science journalist and nonfiction author known for making complex scientific ideas accessible to general readers. He has spent decades covering science for major newspapers, including the San Francisco Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle, where he has written extensively on astronomy, physics, and the culture of science. Davidson is the author of several acclaimed books, among them Wrinkles in Time, co-written with Nobel laureate George Smoot, which chronicles the discovery of the cosmic background radiation, and Carl Sagan: A Life, a widely praised biography noted for its balance of scientific insight and personal portraiture. His work has earned honors from organizations such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Association of Science Writers. Davidson’s writing is distinguished by intellectual rigor, narrative clarity, and a thoughtful examination of science within its broader social and historical context.

Reviews

[Ashly Lynne · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5 Stars
Genre: Nonfiction/Science
First Published: 1996
Source: Thrift Store

I came across this book at the thrift store for 25¢, and I had to pick it up. How could I not? The movie Twister means quite a lot to me.

This is the shorter, abridged version of The Science of Tornadoes as told by Keay Davidson. In this short novel he discusses what causes tornadoes, how they affect the midwest, especially, and fun little tidbits of how the movie makers brought these humbling storms to life using digital effects and strange tactics.

I don’t have too much to say about this book, as I felt pretty indifferent about it. It was interesting, but, as it was published 20 years ago, sorely outdated.

I was also hoping it would focus more on the making of the movie, but Keay talks mostly about tornadoes. This wouldn’t be bad if that’s what I would have been expecting from the book. Don’t get me wrong, it was still all super interesting to read about. I love nonfiction and reading about natural disasters. (That sounds weird, but I swear it’s not! I’m just fascinated by the supreme power nature holds.)

It was also interesting to read about all the developments that were happening during the time and how they affected the movie Twister. I was only 4 years old in 1996, so I didn’t know much of what was going on and how technology was changing. That was pretty neat to read about.

Still, I didn’t find that I was dying to pick this book up after each time I put it down. Once again, it’s because it was outdated and mostly scientific. It’s not because Keay’s writing was bad or boring, it’s just because I wanted to be reading a different book.

I did like having a moment while he talked about feminism and what this movie did for young girls and women who wanted to pursue careers in science and storm chasing. That’s one of the biggest influences this movie had on me as a child. Helen Hunt’s character is fantastically her own person with her own, unique flaws. I honestly wanted to be a storm chasing when I was in 5th grade because of this movie.

Of course that changed, but the important thing is that I thought of it as a possibility. There was nothing standing in my way. Because of this movie I really felt I could have done that if I wanted to. That’s why this movie is so important to me and also why I had to buy this book.

Overall, however, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book. It was alright and interesting, but not something to particularly search out and read, unless you are really into weather…or this movie.

Review originally published on my Wordpress blog Dreaming Through Literature.

[Steve Wiggins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Severe weather has long been a fascination. This book dates from the days of the movie Twister, but it still has some interesting and informative information about tornadoes. I've read a fair number of books on the phenomenon and this one isn't bad for general readers. The Twister tie-in isn't actually very pronounced, so you can learn about tornadoes without being a fan of the film. I did say a bit more about on my blog, if interested: Sects and Violence in the Ancient World.

[Megan J. Walvoord · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It had a great overview of the history of storm chasing and meteorology research on tornadoes. I also liked reading about the movie magic behind the movie. It is dated now, but still a great read.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting to read, which was more about the film. Twister has been my favorite movie since it's release, and tornadic science is still fascinating to me. I guess if I had read the other reviews, I would have known what this really was, versus what my mind thought I would read. Parts dragged on and I was putting it down/picking it up a day later. I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it.

[JP · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is decently interesting science (but only because I'm a dork about weather and storms), but a serious case of false advertising. The author clearly knew that no one would buy and read what is very much a science textbook, so he struck a deal with the movie studio to use their image / logo / branding on the cover, in exchange for literally only a few pages about the movie at the beginning and a few pages at the end of the book. It doesn't bother me so much because, again, I actually find the science interesting. But I'm willing to bet that more than a few people have felt duped by this bait and switch situation. Buyer beware!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very of it's time but still an accessible read, even thirty years later. There were a few spelling errors that were unfortunate and sometimes I think the author used 'tornado watch' when they meant 'tornado warning'; and, even if I didn't know what year it came out, it's pretty obvious by the end it's before Reed Timmer was 'dominating' tornadoes lol

[Enverd15 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Award-winning science writer takes you where only the bravest souls have ventured, and survived - into the frightening path of these violent twisters. He also gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Warner Bros. film from the creators of Jurassic Park and the director of Speed. In collaboration with the makers of the film, Davidson explores the many challenges faced by the producers, the stars, the director and the special effects experts who re-created this wild, mysterious experience. Through fascinating interviews, you'll come to understand just how these incredible storms came to life on the big screen.
Of all the atmospheric storms, tornadoes are the fiercest, concentrating as much energy into a small space and time as numerous atomic-bomb blasts, and posing grave danger to the scientists who study this incredible phenomenon. Swirling at speeds of up to three hundred miles per hour and spewing debris as far as two hundred files away, a writhing tornado leaves behind a trail of tragedy: lives are ruined, families are wiped out, and entire towns are erased from the face of the Earth.
Enhanced with spectacular close-up photographs and easy-to-grasp graphics, TWISTER offers an enthralling profile of these powerful storms, including an in-depth look at the leading tornado-monitoring project, VORTEX. You'll discover a fascinating world of science and mystery, where storm chasers risk their lives for their work. And you'll hear from those who have experienced close encounters with tornadoes as they tell their unforgettable stories. Embark on a journey filled with terror, grief, triumph, and hope -- hope that scientists will soon be able to reliably predict, and in the distant future control, nature's most devastating force: tornadoes. (less)

[James Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twister is a award-winning book made by keay Davidson. The book describes natural disasters about tornadoes in the scientific discovery of the tornadoes. This book was basically scientist who have been up close with these tornadoes and have studied them for scientific purposes. For example it would be their job to know how fast it goes what kind of destruction can be caused,what it looks like inside. The scientist made the discoveries to these questions like how tornadoes swirl at 300 mph and debris at 200 mile away cities and towns.



The external conflict is the tornado itself it's what drives the scientists to keep the research going even if it threatens their lives. The external conflict is also the destruction in a tornado can cause how it can destroy towns off of its own wind. The internal conflict was the scientists thinking about what could happen to them if they got to close or within a range they can get sucked up into.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Davidson is a capable science writer, and his discussion of how tornadoes work and the development of the Fujita scale that measures their destructive power is interesting, but the book as a whole devotes more pages to Jan deBont's 1996 film and how computer geeks created the tornadoes that menaced Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt.

[Gina hernandez]

The book is almost better then the movie it is wow its like you twerling in the middle of the eye.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

a good book

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

twister was the extreme I never knew they made a book I have the movie