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CALIFORNIA ARCHIPELAGO: When the Earth Gives, it Also Takes
"Epic. "Simply epic in scope,characters, story, plot and imagery. One of the best disaster books I have ever read. Highly recommend." --Jay Ward, October 21, 2018 (Goodreads) In the basement of the new USGS Data Center Laboratory in Pasadena, California, Dr. Greg Foreman notes some odd results of minor quakes that occurred overnight. Unable to immediately discuss the abnormalities with his mentor, he puts his misgivings aside and begins his Tuesday morning. Miner Carl “Bear" Barinovich discovers a fabulous gold mine high in the Sierras above Death Valley and can't believe his luck while likewise, in Newport Beach, movie producer Ken Whitlock anticipates a visit by Magda Fabin, a Hungarian movie starlet. Ken has his housekeeper prepare hors d'oeuvres and chill champagne, knowing what it means if Magda arrives without her agent. Pete Madison and his daughter Darcy survive a killer wave on Lake Mead while Hoover Dam's manager, Harry Forbes, experiences the unprecedented earthquake that causes considerable damage to the canyon walls and the dam's approach roads. Minutes later and more than two-hundred miles south of the dam, a group of Mexican nationals lose one of their members while crossing the Rio Colorado due to another strong earthquake centered near Yuma, Arizona. Jeremy Woods, the editor of the Los Angeles Tribune, reads reports of the two major quakes along the Colorado Yuma is devastated with thousands of fatalities and one ridiculous report states that the river is flowing upstream. He scoffs at that but nevertheless realizes it's going to be a long day. Atop his mine, “Bear" experiences his first strong quake, one that seemingly wants to knock him off his mountaintop perch. He laughs as he rides it out and then finds a nugget large enough to retire on. This is still early Tuesday, the first of eight days that are required to create the California Archipelago.
- GenresThriller
316 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 9, 2014
127 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
August 8, 2018
Too much catasttrophires, no heart
I was deciding on giving this book a 2 or a 3; it is more like a 2 and 1/2. I have never read a book this many catastrophes happening all at once. There are not many likable characters in the book, and the cheese factor is off the charts. The author intention may have been to create a great book of horror and cataclysm, but his prose was weak and made it more noticeable by sprinkling in "big words". I had to read it all the way through to see how it would end. He tied up a few loose ends,. but left many loose threads hanging in terms of the characters that made it through. The author just gave up on his own book. An amateurish piece of fiction to say the least with very little research.
I was deciding on giving this book a 2 or a 3; it is more like a 2 and 1/2. I have never read a book this many catastrophes happening all at once. There are not many likable characters in the book, and the cheese factor is off the charts. The author intention may have been to create a great book of horror and cataclysm, but his prose was weak and made it more noticeable by sprinkling in "big words". I had to read it all the way through to see how it would end. He tied up a few loose ends,. but left many loose threads hanging in terms of the characters that made it through. The author just gave up on his own book. An amateurish piece of fiction to say the least with very little research.
September 29, 2015
What a great read! I love these kind of natural disaster books, and this one is one of the best I've read. The characters are developed. The plot keeps you guessing when and where.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good suspense story right up to the end.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good suspense story right up to the end.
October 20, 2017
This story of disaster revolves around a number of people:
Pete and Darcy: a divorced father with a very nasty ex-wife.
Carl: A miner looking to make the big gold discovery.
Greg and Liz: A couple-to-be. Greg works on at a seismology lab.
Ribail: Greg's boss at the lab.
Harry and Stan: Involved with developments at Hoover Dam.
Jeremy and his dog Pepper
Illegal Mexican immigrants that realize going back home might be the best idea.
Greg and the would-be movie star: One a boat, then on another boat.
Various American military officials.
The story is about a new fault opening, truly massive earthquakes and even worse tsunamis. Destruction stars out with Yuma then spreads quickly until all of southern California becomes a mass of destruction. Millions die. Not all the main characters survive, either. The strength of the story is in how good the characters are done and how detailed all the destruction is along with what happens to people who are trying to escape.
I've read a lot of disaster novels and I consider this one to be among the best.
Pete and Darcy: a divorced father with a very nasty ex-wife.
Carl: A miner looking to make the big gold discovery.
Greg and Liz: A couple-to-be. Greg works on at a seismology lab.
Ribail: Greg's boss at the lab.
Harry and Stan: Involved with developments at Hoover Dam.
Jeremy and his dog Pepper
Illegal Mexican immigrants that realize going back home might be the best idea.
Greg and the would-be movie star: One a boat, then on another boat.
Various American military officials.
The story is about a new fault opening, truly massive earthquakes and even worse tsunamis. Destruction stars out with Yuma then spreads quickly until all of southern California becomes a mass of destruction. Millions die. Not all the main characters survive, either. The strength of the story is in how good the characters are done and how detailed all the destruction is along with what happens to people who are trying to escape.
I've read a lot of disaster novels and I consider this one to be among the best.
Read
March 7, 2021I highly recommend this book.
I enjoyed reading this book. Unlike most books of this genre, the loss of human life and survival efforts for those remaining many times overshadow what I took as the main focus of the book which was multiple earthquakes occurring as tectonic plates completely change the landscape of the earth not only in California, but also neighboring states. I like how the author succeeded in meshing a balance between the ongoing pre, during, and post earthquake events with the impact on the human population and the impact of continuing earth movement on the geography of the land. From the start of the book I was completely immersed and engaged in what was a balanced and suspenseful read from start to finish. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
I enjoyed reading this book. Unlike most books of this genre, the loss of human life and survival efforts for those remaining many times overshadow what I took as the main focus of the book which was multiple earthquakes occurring as tectonic plates completely change the landscape of the earth not only in California, but also neighboring states. I like how the author succeeded in meshing a balance between the ongoing pre, during, and post earthquake events with the impact on the human population and the impact of continuing earth movement on the geography of the land. From the start of the book I was completely immersed and engaged in what was a balanced and suspenseful read from start to finish. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
July 8, 2024
Very well-written….
…clearly Mr. McGraw knows his geology though — and I say this about a lot of stories like this — a map would have helped A LOT. And I’m originally from California and I started getting confused at the various locations. Actually, I’m an “earthquake survivor “ (Sylmar 1971) and I can verify that they are not fun.
I liked the book and the characters were mostly fleshed out. Still had some trouble remembering who they were as each section/chapter began.
But I thought the ending was totally rushed — like he had reached his target word count and was just done. We got the “7 months later” vignette for the geologist/news crew group but what the father and daughter, the newlyweds, the couple on the sailboat? (And there were others). Didn’t they deserve a page or two to wrap up their stories? I think so.
Sincerely
…clearly Mr. McGraw knows his geology though — and I say this about a lot of stories like this — a map would have helped A LOT. And I’m originally from California and I started getting confused at the various locations. Actually, I’m an “earthquake survivor “ (Sylmar 1971) and I can verify that they are not fun.
I liked the book and the characters were mostly fleshed out. Still had some trouble remembering who they were as each section/chapter began.
But I thought the ending was totally rushed — like he had reached his target word count and was just done. We got the “7 months later” vignette for the geologist/news crew group but what the father and daughter, the newlyweds, the couple on the sailboat? (And there were others). Didn’t they deserve a page or two to wrap up their stories? I think so.
Sincerely
July 23, 2022
Earth Shattering Rollercoaster
As a native of California and now of Las Vegas , I have more than a passing interest in earthquakes. I've always wondered how we could have the Calif coast drop off into the Pacific Ocean. ( This is wishful thinking on my part - It truly has become land of fruits and nuts) Well here's a great idea of how it could happen! Between subsidence and and tsunamis, from land sea and air you can get whiplash. Entertaining read - Now how to market my beach front property in Las Vegas.
As a native of California and now of Las Vegas , I have more than a passing interest in earthquakes. I've always wondered how we could have the Calif coast drop off into the Pacific Ocean. ( This is wishful thinking on my part - It truly has become land of fruits and nuts) Well here's a great idea of how it could happen! Between subsidence and and tsunamis, from land sea and air you can get whiplash. Entertaining read - Now how to market my beach front property in Las Vegas.
March 15, 2018
The prediction that California would one day fall into the ocean has finally happened
This was a frightening story as I was raised in Southern California. As each location was being destroyed from the worst earth quacks ever recorded. I remembered earth quacks as a child and how frightening they were. This story will keep you glued to it till most of California is no more. Ron McGraw is a talented story writer. I will be reading more by this author.
JoAnna Gaumond
This was a frightening story as I was raised in Southern California. As each location was being destroyed from the worst earth quacks ever recorded. I remembered earth quacks as a child and how frightening they were. This story will keep you glued to it till most of California is no more. Ron McGraw is a talented story writer. I will be reading more by this author.
JoAnna Gaumond
December 12, 2021
California all fall down
This is a magnificent pie e of disaster fiction. The characters are believe able and I was happy when one survived and sad when one died. This would make one great movie if you had a big budget for special effects and CGI. As a current resident of San Diego I found myself pausing to wonder what if. Read this book and then get the other two in the series. I am.
This is a magnificent pie e of disaster fiction. The characters are believe able and I was happy when one survived and sad when one died. This would make one great movie if you had a big budget for special effects and CGI. As a current resident of San Diego I found myself pausing to wonder what if. Read this book and then get the other two in the series. I am.
November 18, 2024
Well researched, I guess, and there is a lot of incident but characters are thin and overly abundant. The narrative is choppier than it needs to be with each character’s story hacked up and shuffled with everyone else’s in a way that makes any one thread hard to follow. If you’re desperate for destruction and you’ve exhausted all other avenues, maybe this will work for you but overall it could’ve used a defter hand.
May 25, 2025
Good read
Good read if you love apocalypse type books. There are a lot of characters and some of their stories are not completed - you wonder what happened to them. There are a few unrealistic decisions made but humans don't always make logical decisions so I can give that a pass. I intend to read the next one. Due to reviews, I will probably stop with the first 3 books and skip the last one, if I can stand it. Apparently the last one does not end well for most characters.
Good read if you love apocalypse type books. There are a lot of characters and some of their stories are not completed - you wonder what happened to them. There are a few unrealistic decisions made but humans don't always make logical decisions so I can give that a pass. I intend to read the next one. Due to reviews, I will probably stop with the first 3 books and skip the last one, if I can stand it. Apparently the last one does not end well for most characters.
December 9, 2019
Man...
I rarely write reviews, but this book was that good. A previous reviewer wrote that this was the best book of this type they'd read, and that is what made me check it out. They weren't wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well written, with characters you cared about. Well done, Ron McGraw.
I rarely write reviews, but this book was that good. A previous reviewer wrote that this was the best book of this type they'd read, and that is what made me check it out. They weren't wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well written, with characters you cared about. Well done, Ron McGraw.
April 10, 2021
Great read
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The scenario could happen on the west coast. Again, I liked it because not a lot of filthy language or sex talk. I look forward to the next in the series. I am going to purchase the next one right now. What happened to that huge nugget of gold.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The scenario could happen on the west coast. Again, I liked it because not a lot of filthy language or sex talk. I look forward to the next in the series. I am going to purchase the next one right now. What happened to that huge nugget of gold.
December 16, 2022
Pretty Good..
As disaster novels go, this was certainly one of the better ones. Because it’s fictional, I don’t mind saying that because there was one disaster after another, it provided more excitement than your usual novels of this genre.
God help us if there were even a smidgeon of possibility that this could actually happen.
As disaster novels go, this was certainly one of the better ones. Because it’s fictional, I don’t mind saying that because there was one disaster after another, it provided more excitement than your usual novels of this genre.
God help us if there were even a smidgeon of possibility that this could actually happen.
July 26, 2023
Very inventive and full of excitement
It sounded so realistic and had continuous excitement that kept me reading till the end. I was surprised the author didn't add characters who tried to control the supplies. I get tired of reading those type of books.
I think Liz could have been a bit nicer about his job cause it's important.
I plan on reading the next book.
It sounded so realistic and had continuous excitement that kept me reading till the end. I was surprised the author didn't add characters who tried to control the supplies. I get tired of reading those type of books.
I think Liz could have been a bit nicer about his job cause it's important.
I plan on reading the next book.
July 13, 2022
I enjoyed the read however it was a bit choppy.
The story is jam packed with loads of information and characters. Sometimes a little hard to follow when jumping back and forth between all the characters. However, very enthralling story.
The story is jam packed with loads of information and characters. Sometimes a little hard to follow when jumping back and forth between all the characters. However, very enthralling story.
August 7, 2022
Great read!
This was an exciting story. It's something I've often imagined might happen. Mr. McGraw described the science involved without becoming too technical. I loved the character development & their individual stories.
This was an exciting story. It's something I've often imagined might happen. Mr. McGraw described the science involved without becoming too technical. I loved the character development & their individual stories.
March 12, 2023
A wildly imaginative take on California and earthquakes. Being a born and bred Californian, it was frightening to read while empathizing with the characters and their attempts to live while enduring such hardship and horror.
December 22, 2024
Heartbreaking
The scenario McGraw creates will probably happen in the future. Such a beautiful state. His characters are believable in their actions and emotions. There are some great survival tips. You will not be able to put this down.
The scenario McGraw creates will probably happen in the future. Such a beautiful state. His characters are believable in their actions and emotions. There are some great survival tips. You will not be able to put this down.
November 24, 2017
It could happen
Very well written, covering places I have visited and lived. Our earth is so amazing, and those that study how the earth recreates itself, do a very needed task.
Very well written, covering places I have visited and lived. Our earth is so amazing, and those that study how the earth recreates itself, do a very needed task.
October 21, 2018
Epic
Simply epic in scope, characters, story, plot, and imagery. One of the best disaster books I have ever read. Highly recommend.
Simply epic in scope, characters, story, plot, and imagery. One of the best disaster books I have ever read. Highly recommend.
February 18, 2019
Ok read. Characters weren't super compelling, but the description of the faults and earthquake effects were interesting, kept me reading.
April 9, 2021
Wow
Non-stop action and enough tragedy for people who want it. I found the book interesting and the characters drew me in to their lives. This is a different take on disaster.
Non-stop action and enough tragedy for people who want it. I found the book interesting and the characters drew me in to their lives. This is a different take on disaster.
Read
December 1, 2021What a ride!
Incredible book that I could simply not out down.It was a thrill ride from beginning to the very last page!
Incredible book that I could simply not out down.It was a thrill ride from beginning to the very last page!
February 9, 2022
Great read
The end came and went leaving me with questions when will the shaking start what happened to the rest of the people in this story
The end came and went leaving me with questions when will the shaking start what happened to the rest of the people in this story
January 12, 2023
good
A series of water based
Earthquakes are escalating around los Angeles and surrounding areas. Read how tsunami experts fight to predict the fall out from these quakes
A series of water based
Earthquakes are escalating around los Angeles and surrounding areas. Read how tsunami experts fight to predict the fall out from these quakes
April 18, 2023
Awesome Read
Grabs you from the beginning and yo
u follow a number of characters through their journey of absolute destruction.
Well researched and written.
Grabs you from the beginning and yo
u follow a number of characters through their journey of absolute destruction.
Well researched and written.
Read
September 21, 2023I really enjoyed this book. Think it was reasonably predictive and had several people with intertwining stories
March 13, 2014
A very good earthquake story
first,I am aware this is a newly released book.when I chose to read it, there were no reviews.normally I wouldn't have chosen it, but I took a chance as I needed to read my prime book for March.but flip side,I also usually don't follow the first reviews as they are always glowing and the skeptic in me says they are friends of the author.that said:I don't know the author and never heard of him.I chose this book as it was about catastrophes.
now, the review.the book starts out exciting and stayed that way the entire book.you follow several groups of people and yes, they are well developed.the book is not too technical though I'd probably would have enjoyed a little more of that.and there's nothing too gross though plenty of death.I'm actually sorry I'm done.it's not left open for another book which only would have been ok if it was already available! I think if you like these kind of catastrophe books, you will enjoy this.
I rate this a high five but nothing is perfect.so.... I don't know the west of the country.it was at times distracting and luckily, on my kindle I was able to look up some areas so I could follow the events better.Mr author, if ever you revise, some maps and illustrations would help.my BIGGEST complaint is we don't get explanations on what lastly happens to some of the characters.there's enough you can fill in the blanks but I feel like emailing the author to ask what happened to these people and where are they now.and I guess me carrying about that tells a lot about the character development.really I want to know, Mr author! to everyone else, enjoy.I did
first,I am aware this is a newly released book.when I chose to read it, there were no reviews.normally I wouldn't have chosen it, but I took a chance as I needed to read my prime book for March.but flip side,I also usually don't follow the first reviews as they are always glowing and the skeptic in me says they are friends of the author.that said:I don't know the author and never heard of him.I chose this book as it was about catastrophes.
now, the review.the book starts out exciting and stayed that way the entire book.you follow several groups of people and yes, they are well developed.the book is not too technical though I'd probably would have enjoyed a little more of that.and there's nothing too gross though plenty of death.I'm actually sorry I'm done.it's not left open for another book which only would have been ok if it was already available! I think if you like these kind of catastrophe books, you will enjoy this.
I rate this a high five but nothing is perfect.so.... I don't know the west of the country.it was at times distracting and luckily, on my kindle I was able to look up some areas so I could follow the events better.Mr author, if ever you revise, some maps and illustrations would help.my BIGGEST complaint is we don't get explanations on what lastly happens to some of the characters.there's enough you can fill in the blanks but I feel like emailing the author to ask what happened to these people and where are they now.and I guess me carrying about that tells a lot about the character development.really I want to know, Mr author! to everyone else, enjoy.I did
May 9, 2015
Never a dull moment.
I love a good disaster, especially one that moves along at a good pace. The story is focused on a number of characters which are fleshed out just enough to let the reader care about them. The premise is a good one. I also like the fact we were not taken on a joyride all over the country but remained in locations relevant to the event. Well worth the read.
I love a good disaster, especially one that moves along at a good pace. The story is focused on a number of characters which are fleshed out just enough to let the reader care about them. The premise is a good one. I also like the fact we were not taken on a joyride all over the country but remained in locations relevant to the event. Well worth the read.
December 13, 2015
Intense thought provoking novel
I thought this book captured the thoughts and feelings of so many individuals in daily life as they try to do their jobs and provide for families while going through and witnessing horrific events. It is a novel that starts well and ends leaving you with a feeling like you might have been there. One that, heaven help us we never encounter but should prepare for
I thought this book captured the thoughts and feelings of so many individuals in daily life as they try to do their jobs and provide for families while going through and witnessing horrific events. It is a novel that starts well and ends leaving you with a feeling like you might have been there. One that, heaven help us we never encounter but should prepare for
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews