Agents of Chaos: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Other Natural Disasters

by Stephen L. Harris

A nicely presented discussion of causes, effects, and likely places of future occurrences. Includes a subject-arranged bibliography. For general audiences. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Genres: Geology, Science

268 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1990

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Stephen L. Harris is Professor Emeritus of Humanities and Religious Studies at California State University, Sacramento, where he served ten years as department chair. A Woodrow Wilson Fellow, he received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Cornell University. A member of the Society of Biblical Literature, his publications include Understanding the Bible (8th edition, 2011); The Old Testament: An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible (with Robert Platzner); Classical Mythology: Images and Insights (with Gloria Platzner); Exploring the Bible; and Fire Mountains of the West: The Cascade and Mono Lake Volcanoes, a survey of volcanic hazards on the U.S. Pacific Coast; and for National Geographic Books, Restless Earth, a study of global earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. He contributed the chapter on “Archaeology and Volcanism” to the Encyclopedia of Volcanoes (Academic Press, 2000).

Reviews

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad I only have to worry about tornados

[Kelsey Koch · Rating 2 out of 5]

In his book, Agents of Chaos, Stephen L. Harris explains in detail the processes by which the earth creates chaos, walks the reader through past destructive events, and predicts greater ones that he believes will alter life as we know it. Focusing on the western United States, the book is divided into three parts concerning earthquakes, volcanoes, and the last encompassing glaciers, floods, and geomythology. Through process and example, Harris demonstrates to the reader that of which these events are capable and how they may affect the earth in the future. Through it all, Harris’s message is the same: Earth’s geographical phenomena are beautiful and powerful, but they are also terrifying and very aptly described as “agents of chaos.”
While Harris is obviously passionate about his topic, it is difficult “get hooked” on Agents of Chaos. Harris’s own ideas seem haphazardly strung together as he jumps from one earthquake or volcano to the next without having a theme tying everything together--save for the impending doom of humankind. While his use of colorful and intimidating language when describing geographical events may be an effective tool for engaging younger readers, it is hard to take Harris seriously when his work reads like a bad horror film--the kind that uses paint for fake blood and includes some seriously bad acting. When one sifts through the chaos and destruction, he may find a quality and informative overview of these phenomena. The facts are all there. Diagrams make the book easy to follow and the pages are rich with information. Examples are relevant and interesting, and history is well-researched and accurate. However, rather than walking through the material with reader as a teacher, Harris speaks as a voice from above--threatening extinction like a 10-year-old with a magnifying glass who is exhilarated by the thought of burning the ants below.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many books on he Earth sciences, this one is rather dry. It does have the benefit, though, of moving rather quickly.
Harris covers an impressive array of examples of the geologic hazards in the American west. The anecdotes are extremely useful for educators or city planners who are looking for ways to communicate risk to the public.