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Is This It? #1
The Yellowstone Conundrum
The Yellowstone Caldera, the most dangerous hot-spot on the surface of the earth, erupts with a series of 11.2 earthquakes and spews volcanic ash high into the atmosphere. Six hundred miles away a 9.45 quake under Puget Sound causes massive destruction to Seattle as a tsunami strikes and destroys most of the waterfront.
The Fort Peck Dam in Montana on the Missouri River fails as does the Jackson Dam on the Snake River. The power grid in the Western United States quickly disintegrates, with utility companies fending for themselves. Power outages reach the East Coast.
The Beginning of the End is a page-turning novel with readers following eight characters as they scramble out of harm's way on Day One of the Yellowstone Conundrum; everyday people put into extraordinary situations, with the President of the United States and his cabinet scrambling in the background to find how to escape from lose-lose scenarios.
The Columbia Generating Plant on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation suffers great damage and begins a meltdown. Bridges in Portland collapse. Infrastructure in the NW is severely damaged and thousands are killed; Salt Lake City, Boise, Denver and every city, town and village in the Pacific Northwest are affected.
The massive Death Cloud from the Yellowstone explosion sends volcanic ash into the jet stream, which then begins to carry the heavy ash south across Wyoming, over Denver until it catches up with a low pressure system advancing across Texas.
Follow army vet Ray Spaulding as he survives the crash of a WSDOT ferry in the tsunami, then manages to save, then lead a handful of everyday people who rally together to save the Seattle Public Library from destruction by gangs.
University of Washington professor Denny Cain and student Karen Bagley vow to get out of Seattle, only to find themselves in a firefight as the local Seattle gangs attempt to claim the night.
Skier Penny Armstrong fights her inner demons by skiing north toward Billings in an attempt to avoid the Death Cloud.
Long-distance trucker Cameron Hedges is forced to step out of character as he first rescues Betsy Jamison, then convinces an entire town to move out of harm's way.
Robert and Nancy O'Brien, both up-and-coming managers within the Department of the Interior are separated by their jobs, then by the earthquake and explosion.
The President of the United States must deal with his own Kobayoshi Maru, with a series of impossible lose-lose scenarios as the power grid in the United States collapses.
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The Fort Peck Dam in Montana on the Missouri River fails as does the Jackson Dam on the Snake River. The power grid in the Western United States quickly disintegrates, with utility companies fending for themselves. Power outages reach the East Coast.
The Beginning of the End is a page-turning novel with readers following eight characters as they scramble out of harm's way on Day One of the Yellowstone Conundrum; everyday people put into extraordinary situations, with the President of the United States and his cabinet scrambling in the background to find how to escape from lose-lose scenarios.
The Columbia Generating Plant on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation suffers great damage and begins a meltdown. Bridges in Portland collapse. Infrastructure in the NW is severely damaged and thousands are killed; Salt Lake City, Boise, Denver and every city, town and village in the Pacific Northwest are affected.
The massive Death Cloud from the Yellowstone explosion sends volcanic ash into the jet stream, which then begins to carry the heavy ash south across Wyoming, over Denver until it catches up with a low pressure system advancing across Texas.
Follow army vet Ray Spaulding as he survives the crash of a WSDOT ferry in the tsunami, then manages to save, then lead a handful of everyday people who rally together to save the Seattle Public Library from destruction by gangs.
University of Washington professor Denny Cain and student Karen Bagley vow to get out of Seattle, only to find themselves in a firefight as the local Seattle gangs attempt to claim the night.
Skier Penny Armstrong fights her inner demons by skiing north toward Billings in an attempt to avoid the Death Cloud.
Long-distance trucker Cameron Hedges is forced to step out of character as he first rescues Betsy Jamison, then convinces an entire town to move out of harm's way.
Robert and Nancy O'Brien, both up-and-coming managers within the Department of the Interior are separated by their jobs, then by the earthquake and explosion.
The President of the United States must deal with his own Kobayoshi Maru, with a series of impossible lose-lose scenarios as the power grid in the United States collapses.
Show less
534 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 6, 2013
76 people are currently reading
271 people want to read
About the author
John D. Randall
40 books19 followersMr. Randall is the author of The Hatterask Incident, The Jihad Ultimatum, The Tojo Virus, and Jonathan's Song. He and his wife of 50 years moved back to the United States after five years in Costa Rica, now in Las Cruces, NM. Mr. Randall is an avid bridge player and teacher and a graduate of Lehigh University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
July 20, 2020
I only made it to 70% of this book and I had to stop reading. There was way too many words misspelled and sentences that had words that did't belong. The author needs to get his facts straight about a few historical facts. The bic lighter was invented and released to the public in 1973. Not 1968 as stated in the book. I realize it is a work of fiction, but he had real pictures of buildings and dams in the book, so I feel he didn't do all that much research. The storyline held my interest but I couldn't get past all the misspellings.
June 29, 2014
Good story/lousy editing
I really enjoyed this story of a Yellowstone eruption BUT this book has the worst editing of any I've ever read. Not only the misuse of words but misspellings, which in this techno age there is no excuse for. Maybe one word but hundreds??
That written, I liked the story. Very detailed and I got a real feeling of what an event like this would entail. Lots of research was obviously done on the supposed affected areas. I liked the pictures and maps of actual places but they weren't formatted for my Kindle and were small and hard to see.
I also think a good editor would have cut some of the length. It got a little draggy in spots.
I usually wouldn't rate a book with so many problems with four stars but it is a great story. I plan on reading the sequels "Scorched Earth 1-4."
I really enjoyed this story of a Yellowstone eruption BUT this book has the worst editing of any I've ever read. Not only the misuse of words but misspellings, which in this techno age there is no excuse for. Maybe one word but hundreds??
That written, I liked the story. Very detailed and I got a real feeling of what an event like this would entail. Lots of research was obviously done on the supposed affected areas. I liked the pictures and maps of actual places but they weren't formatted for my Kindle and were small and hard to see.
I also think a good editor would have cut some of the length. It got a little draggy in spots.
I usually wouldn't rate a book with so many problems with four stars but it is a great story. I plan on reading the sequels "Scorched Earth 1-4."
March 13, 2015
One of the best books I've read in a long while!
Living in the northwest and being very familiar with the locations I assure you that this book was well researched. The approach to character development is clever and takes the reader just deep enough into the soul of each relevant person to care what they experience. The only tiny weakness is the author's perspective of how his female characters would behave but he's not so far off the mark as to ruin the credibility of the story. The topic is extremely intriguing.
Living in the northwest and being very familiar with the locations I assure you that this book was well researched. The approach to character development is clever and takes the reader just deep enough into the soul of each relevant person to care what they experience. The only tiny weakness is the author's perspective of how his female characters would behave but he's not so far off the mark as to ruin the credibility of the story. The topic is extremely intriguing.
August 28, 2018
The blurb is so long that I'll give it a miss but there is a link if you want to see it. Basically, the Yellowstone Caldera has erupted, an earthquake under Puget Sound triggers a tsunami onto Seattle, dams fail and the power grid goes down. This is exactly the kind of apocalypse drama that I love to read. I can't get enough of them! I was looking forward to reading it until I saw some online reviews of it and I then approached it warily. And I did not like it one bit.
The writing style and the way he uses language is just weird. ie 'Still by the end of February there should have been more promise, if not the future, then at least for today.' Huh? This came right after we are told that the MC doesn't actually know if it is February or December as he can't tell the difference. I'm not sure what planet the MC lives on but I can tell the difference! We then switch to his personal POV then a page later we go back to talking about him. It's followed by a random rant about doctors and pharmaceutical companies. There seems to be random inane character thoughts put in the middle of info dumps about boats, building descriptions and scientific details that make my head throb. It all combines to disrupt any chance of the story flowing, there is no cohesion to what we are being told, with random subject changes going on constantly. There was no tension to the events due to this weird writing style that seemed to have no purpose. The spelling and lack of editing was really poor as well. And just before I DNFed it, here is the 'climax' to the sex scene!
'Jimmy James hit the runaway just as her plane landed and the pair started to glide down the runway to the exit ramp.' WTF?????????
The writing style and the way he uses language is just weird. ie 'Still by the end of February there should have been more promise, if not the future, then at least for today.' Huh? This came right after we are told that the MC doesn't actually know if it is February or December as he can't tell the difference. I'm not sure what planet the MC lives on but I can tell the difference! We then switch to his personal POV then a page later we go back to talking about him. It's followed by a random rant about doctors and pharmaceutical companies. There seems to be random inane character thoughts put in the middle of info dumps about boats, building descriptions and scientific details that make my head throb. It all combines to disrupt any chance of the story flowing, there is no cohesion to what we are being told, with random subject changes going on constantly. There was no tension to the events due to this weird writing style that seemed to have no purpose. The spelling and lack of editing was really poor as well. And just before I DNFed it, here is the 'climax' to the sex scene!
'Jimmy James hit the runaway just as her plane landed and the pair started to glide down the runway to the exit ramp.' WTF?????????
September 15, 2018
It was exciting in the beginning. I love a good disaster story and this topic is of interest to me. I really wanted to continue reading. However, I couldn't finish the book...lost interest. First of all, the author seemed to have done some great research but shoved too much into the story...there was way too much going on. Second, and most important, is that I lost interest because I found myself editing as I read and decided to move on to another book. I would love to read an edited version (maybe using a live grammar and spelling proofreader); maybe a version that is a little more focused but I doubt I'll get back to this one. I see other readers loved it and I probably would have, too. We all have different reading styles and needs and mine just didn't mesh with this book.
July 9, 2017
The end of the world as we know it
A very entertaining and enjoyable book. It may be the end of the world as we know it, but if not fine, we will be entertained. Well done descriptions of multiple disasters as seen through the eyes of well developed characters. A day in the life of the apocalypse.
A very entertaining and enjoyable book. It may be the end of the world as we know it, but if not fine, we will be entertained. Well done descriptions of multiple disasters as seen through the eyes of well developed characters. A day in the life of the apocalypse.
November 30, 2018
I enjoyed reading it, and as the book addresses most people are unaware that Yellowstone is a Super Volcano. I cannot say that prior to the earthquake of Christmas in Indonesia we in the Pacific Northwest, were aware that a similar quake could happen here. I enjoyed also the character development. There were so many, but you got to know many of them!
September 28, 2019
Very, very good.
I was rather intimidated by the length of the book when I first started the book but that was on me, not you. I am 76 years old and I have memory problems but this time. Thanks for writing it and I'm looking forward to what comes next.
I was rather intimidated by the length of the book when I first started the book but that was on me, not you. I am 76 years old and I have memory problems but this time. Thanks for writing it and I'm looking forward to what comes next.
December 11, 2013
In this apocalyptic thriller, the author deals with one of my favorite "what ifs": What if the ancient volcano beneath Yellowstone National Park were to erupt? What would the ripple effects be? How would the U.S. deal with this almost unimaginable event? How would ordinary people cope? The author obviously has done a great deal of research on this topic and includes much of this research, as well as many photos, in his novel- sometimes a bit to the detriment of the building tension and sense of doom. That said, he does an excellent job in developing the characters. I found them believable and endearing (except for the bad guys, of course). I wanted to reach out and help them out of the terrible situation they find themselves in.
There are two factors that prompted me to score this book as low as I did:
First, the ending is too abrupt. Yes, I know the subject of this book has been dealt with in numerous books and movies and, yes, I can wait to see what happens to the characters in the sequel. However, this book basically just ends and the author adds a postscript to say he hopes we're not disappointed but this isn't "a one-book read."
Second, the author needs to hire a really good editor for his next book because whoever edited this one did a terrible job on the e-book version I read. The digital text was full of misspellings, missing words and sound-alike words used incorrectly in the context of the book (the homonyms "mote" vs. "moat" for example). One or two such oversights are not a big deal but, for this reader, it was a distraction that took away some of the enjoyment of losing myself in a book. This seems to be a growing problem, with e-books at least, one I don't believe authors or readers should accept.
I do plan on reading the sequel and look forward to seeing what happens to the cast of characters.
There are two factors that prompted me to score this book as low as I did:
First, the ending is too abrupt. Yes, I know the subject of this book has been dealt with in numerous books and movies and, yes, I can wait to see what happens to the characters in the sequel. However, this book basically just ends and the author adds a postscript to say he hopes we're not disappointed but this isn't "a one-book read."
Second, the author needs to hire a really good editor for his next book because whoever edited this one did a terrible job on the e-book version I read. The digital text was full of misspellings, missing words and sound-alike words used incorrectly in the context of the book (the homonyms "mote" vs. "moat" for example). One or two such oversights are not a big deal but, for this reader, it was a distraction that took away some of the enjoyment of losing myself in a book. This seems to be a growing problem, with e-books at least, one I don't believe authors or readers should accept.
I do plan on reading the sequel and look forward to seeing what happens to the cast of characters.
September 7, 2015
le thème (éruption de volcan) a déjà été traité mais l'auteur a choisi de nous faire vivre et de nous expliquer chaque conséquence au moyen de billet presque journalistique reportant les faits à travers différents personnages dont certains attachants
Ce premier livre rapporte presque minute par minute les évènements dans les premières heures de l'éruption de Yellowstone et des 2 tremblements de terre majeurs Je ne suis pas scientifique mais les descriptions apparaissent toutes solidement documentées
Le style choisi rend avec force l'horreur et l'impuissance face à une mère nature déchaînée et comment l'homme a du mal à croire à l'effondrement de son environnement
lu que dis je, dévoré en une nuit avec des sueurs froides (merci M. Randall )
The theme (eruption of volcano) was handled already but the author chose to make us live every consequence by means of almost journalistic notes visualising the facts through various characters
This first book brings back almost minute per minute the events within the first hours of the Yellowstone eruption and 2 major earthquakes I am no scientific but the descriptions seem quite solidly documented
The chosen style returns with strength the horror and the powerlessness in the face of an unchained mother Nature and how man find difficult to believe in the collapse of his environment
i've read it in one night and got cold sweats all along (thank you Mr Randall !)
Ce premier livre rapporte presque minute par minute les évènements dans les premières heures de l'éruption de Yellowstone et des 2 tremblements de terre majeurs Je ne suis pas scientifique mais les descriptions apparaissent toutes solidement documentées
Le style choisi rend avec force l'horreur et l'impuissance face à une mère nature déchaînée et comment l'homme a du mal à croire à l'effondrement de son environnement
lu que dis je, dévoré en une nuit avec des sueurs froides (merci M. Randall )
The theme (eruption of volcano) was handled already but the author chose to make us live every consequence by means of almost journalistic notes visualising the facts through various characters
This first book brings back almost minute per minute the events within the first hours of the Yellowstone eruption and 2 major earthquakes I am no scientific but the descriptions seem quite solidly documented
The chosen style returns with strength the horror and the powerlessness in the face of an unchained mother Nature and how man find difficult to believe in the collapse of his environment
i've read it in one night and got cold sweats all along (thank you Mr Randall !)
January 15, 2016
This is an excellent examination of what could happen if the Yellowstone Caldera erupts. In reality there is no doubt that it will erupt; the only question is when. If it does, much of what happens in the book will become cold, harsh reality. The area around the caldera will be wiped out, including any humans living there. Vast clouds of ash will arise and will drift over the globe. Anyone breathing that without protection stands a good chance of dying (ash is quite different from dust.)
Also, unfortunately quite realistically, there will be criminal elements who will try to take advantage of what is happening, too stupid to realize that it's an end-of-the-world-as-they-know-it scenario.
One of the best things about the book is how it examines what happens to individual people in different areas, and how they try (not always successfully) to survive the disaster. A good movie that shows much the same thing is Supervolcano, although it focuses on scientists and not plain ordinary people.
Also, unfortunately quite realistically, there will be criminal elements who will try to take advantage of what is happening, too stupid to realize that it's an end-of-the-world-as-they-know-it scenario.
One of the best things about the book is how it examines what happens to individual people in different areas, and how they try (not always successfully) to survive the disaster. A good movie that shows much the same thing is Supervolcano, although it focuses on scientists and not plain ordinary people.
December 18, 2015
Excellent story of something that can really happen!
I choose a rating of five stars for this book due to the fact that this is something that may possibly happen, I know some of you may remember some years back a documentary of yellow stones caldera or land mass raising approx. 2-5" per year from pressure below!? I for one believe that it was shown only afew times because it scared the heck out of people! This is actually something we've been over due for afew thousand years! What would you do in a situation such as this? According to the story my family and I would be well off as we live not 30 miles from New Mexico in Texas!!!! Yay for us! Keep up the good work John Randall! Starting the second book now!
I choose a rating of five stars for this book due to the fact that this is something that may possibly happen, I know some of you may remember some years back a documentary of yellow stones caldera or land mass raising approx. 2-5" per year from pressure below!? I for one believe that it was shown only afew times because it scared the heck out of people! This is actually something we've been over due for afew thousand years! What would you do in a situation such as this? According to the story my family and I would be well off as we live not 30 miles from New Mexico in Texas!!!! Yay for us! Keep up the good work John Randall! Starting the second book now!
July 14, 2015
Pretty good book and I love disaster stories so it was right up my alley. There were a few things that bothered me. One is that the author definitely needed a good editor as there were lots of spelling and grammar mistakes. Next the Wikipedia pics while interesting showing different parts of the country and such were also distracting and not needed in a novel like this. Lastly, there were several story lines, a few of which dragged on and kinda made the story lose momentum. It is also part of a series so there were lots of loose ends but that is expected. I'll probably read the second book to see how it goes and decide if I want to continue the series.
November 4, 2013
This end-of-the-world as we know it novel followed the usual diaster movie plot line...lots of side stories about various individuals and what happens to them in the face of the disaster. In this case, the disaster is a gigantic earthquake at Yellowstone and another huge earthquake near Seattle. The inclusion of lots of photos of the places where these events takes place is a very nice touch. However, the huge number of typographical errors was very distracting and quite annoying. Can't recommmend this one.
November 2, 2013
Before I say anything more I have to say that the ending was disappointing. Too many loose threads and only a promise of another book to come. Yes disappointing ...
However I totally enjoyed reading the book and couldn't put it down. I loved the science, the descriptions and the characters. I used to live in the Pacific North West, I now live in Wyoming and have visited the areas in Colorado and am quite familiar with the places mentioned in the novel. I felt like it was happening now. I can hardly wait for a sequel... there will be a sequel right? ... hope so.
However I totally enjoyed reading the book and couldn't put it down. I loved the science, the descriptions and the characters. I used to live in the Pacific North West, I now live in Wyoming and have visited the areas in Colorado and am quite familiar with the places mentioned in the novel. I felt like it was happening now. I can hardly wait for a sequel... there will be a sequel right? ... hope so.
October 4, 2015
This is a what would happen if the Yellowstone caldera erupted. I found the scenario very interesting, where the power would go out, how Washington would react and people's responses to mayhem.
The author seemed to repeat himself and used cliches a lot. There were parts where I just laughed out loud at a ludicrous sentence. There are a number of characters to try and keep track of, but Randall does give you a hint as to where he left off so you can get your thoughts back to that person. I haven't decided if I'll continue with the series or not.
The author seemed to repeat himself and used cliches a lot. There were parts where I just laughed out loud at a ludicrous sentence. There are a number of characters to try and keep track of, but Randall does give you a hint as to where he left off so you can get your thoughts back to that person. I haven't decided if I'll continue with the series or not.
August 20, 2013
I gained is book as a freebie for my Kindle, but I would have paid money for this..... It was that good. Tons of research , graphs, maps and science by the bucketload, enough to satisfy any science loving bookworm along with a cracking story. Characters you can see vividly struggling to come to terms with what Mother Nature is throwing at them. Cannot wait for book 2 to see how things develop. This book is everything I love about the post apocalyptic genre. Can highly recommend it.
September 6, 2014
Great concept, keeps you interested
Since there is the real possibility of Old Faithful someday exploding and causing the type of world-changing events in the book, it makes reading it even more fascinating. My only complaints are minor: I would get rid of the pictures because I want the writing to fill in for my imagination, and the editing was pretty bad with a ton of misspellings. Other than that, I am all ready to start the next book.
Since there is the real possibility of Old Faithful someday exploding and causing the type of world-changing events in the book, it makes reading it even more fascinating. My only complaints are minor: I would get rid of the pictures because I want the writing to fill in for my imagination, and the editing was pretty bad with a ton of misspellings. Other than that, I am all ready to start the next book.
December 9, 2013
First in a series so expect loose ends. Intense apocalyptic thriller. Realistic responses. Good character development. As I read this on an iphone (small screen) I found the photos and graphics distracting rather than an enhancement. Sometimes gritty, sometimes tender, it shows the breadth of human responses in times of terrible trouble.
July 21, 2014
possible scenarios of the consequences of a Yellowstone eruption....are far reaching...could a Yellowstone eruption trigger a slip of the cascadia subduction zone? probably. the ash cloud will bury many places. catastrophic in the extreme.
October 18, 2014
Excellent story, but....
The story is a 5, but got down graded due to the constant use of the f@@@ word and all the sexual innuendo. Also, the editing, please have someone proofread your copy before you publish! I will probably read the next book.
The story is a 5, but got down graded due to the constant use of the f@@@ word and all the sexual innuendo. Also, the editing, please have someone proofread your copy before you publish! I will probably read the next book.
January 19, 2015
I did like the idea of this book and will probably still read the next in the series. It was a very fast read. It makes you think of things that could possibly happen that you may have never thought of happening should the Yellowstone caldera erupt.
July 18, 2015
Yellowstone
Okay..I would have given this book 4 stars if the author would have kept on track with the storyline..he kept going in a different direction...yes story was good , characters heartwarming, but he added too much to plot for me to really get into this book
Okay..I would have given this book 4 stars if the author would have kept on track with the storyline..he kept going in a different direction...yes story was good , characters heartwarming, but he added too much to plot for me to really get into this book
March 23, 2016
Yellowstone blows its top and the Pacific nw suffers an earthquake and Tsunami. People react, mostly badly, getting a lot more people killed than nessessary. The next book (Scorched Earth) starts the recovery.
June 30, 2013
Wow. I lovee this book. Great detail about the how and why of one possible disaster scenario. For 2.99 I robbed this author. This book is worth a lot more.
October 10, 2013
Very intensely researched which at times felt like it took away from the character development, but a well written book. I can see myself reading the sequel.
August 4, 2015
This book has incredible potential, but is in desperate need of a content editor.
October 29, 2013
The story, the characters, the voice were a five. The editing was a three, thus it gets a 4 stars.
December 9, 2014
Interesting. I wasn't enamored of the ending which trailed off instead of wrapping things up for the characters. On the plus side all the pictures and reference data were great.
December 11, 2013
This was a pretty good book. I enjoyed the characters and I will be looking for the next installment.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews