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Meltdown
The Pace of The Bourne Identity, the technical depth of Michael Crichton, and the universal magnitude of Dan Brown
A timely thriller illuminating facts regarding the state of the world’s energy crisis, climate change, and the quandary of nuclear energy—inspired by events in Fukushima, unexpected earthquakes across the planet, and the deterioration of nuclear power plants worldwide.
Bear Mountain Nuclear Energy Center sits one mile outside the active Ramapo fault line, thirty-five miles from the center of New York City. The fault line rocks causing a massive earthquake in the town of Peekskill; power is clipped and control of one of the reactors at Bear Mountain is abruptly lost.
Plant supervisor Trace Crane fights to save the reactor while his wife Avi searches for their daughter in the destroyed Northeast. As the condition of the reactor plummets and radiation is released into the environment, Trace is left to choose between saving the nuclear plant, the East Coast, and the twenty million residents of the NYC metro area or finding his family and saving himself.
A timely thriller illuminating facts regarding the state of the world’s energy crisis, climate change, and the quandary of nuclear energy—inspired by events in Fukushima, unexpected earthquakes across the planet, and the deterioration of nuclear power plants worldwide.
Bear Mountain Nuclear Energy Center sits one mile outside the active Ramapo fault line, thirty-five miles from the center of New York City. The fault line rocks causing a massive earthquake in the town of Peekskill; power is clipped and control of one of the reactors at Bear Mountain is abruptly lost.
Plant supervisor Trace Crane fights to save the reactor while his wife Avi searches for their daughter in the destroyed Northeast. As the condition of the reactor plummets and radiation is released into the environment, Trace is left to choose between saving the nuclear plant, the East Coast, and the twenty million residents of the NYC metro area or finding his family and saving himself.
398 pages, Paperback
First published May 15, 2018
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
GP James
1 book7 followersGP James is a multi-faceted creator living in Los Angeles, CA crafting works that explore social awareness and the human psyche – delving into the nature of reality, consciousness, and existential questions faced by many. He has written four screenplays, two novels, and several volumes of poetry.
Both of his novels have been edited by Richard Marek, the brilliant publisher and editor behind Silence of the Lambs and the Bourne Identity. Greg’s passions transcend beyond writing. For more than a decade he has worked as a music producer, sound mixer, and recording engineer for Snoop Dogg, Amy Winehouse, Patti LaBelle, and many other award winning artists, television shows, and feature films.
Both of his novels have been edited by Richard Marek, the brilliant publisher and editor behind Silence of the Lambs and the Bourne Identity. Greg’s passions transcend beyond writing. For more than a decade he has worked as a music producer, sound mixer, and recording engineer for Snoop Dogg, Amy Winehouse, Patti LaBelle, and many other award winning artists, television shows, and feature films.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 1, 2018
An suspenseful story that grabs you from the beginning with unrelenting tension throughout.
SUMMARY
August 6 started out as any other day for Control Room Supervisor Trace Crane. It was a hot summer morning and Trace had been in the office, sitting at his metal desk with his favorite mug, filled with coffee, since six am. At 8:27am an earthquake registering 6.4 on the Richter scale hits Peekskill NY, an area just 35 miles from New York City. The Bear Mountain Energy Center was hit hard, and the control room for Reactor three is in chaos. Alarms lights are flashing red all over the control room and sirens are blaring. Trace’s nuclear operators are in panic mode. Reactor pressure is dropping, coolant is falling, feed water is down and there is a fire in the auxiliary building.
Trace, with fifteen years experience, fights to save the reactor, while his wife Avi searches for their daughter, Brooklyn, who had been at daycare when the earthquake hit. The roads are impassable and communication lines are down. As the condition of the reactor plummets and radiation is released into the environment, Trace is left to choose between saving the nuclear plant, and the 20 million residents of the New York City metro area or finding his family and saving himself.
REVIEW
MELT DOWN grabs you from the beginning and the intensity and tension rarely lets up. Chapters alternate between Trace and Avi, documenting their parallel experiences, giving two different perspectives. The writing is good, although there were a couple of places that Trace’s thought processes or mindset was a little overdone. Trace and Avi were both well developed characters. Trace’s feeling and raw emotions were evident throughout the book. I particularly appreciated Avi’s strength and fortitude in overcoming obstacles in looking for Brooklyn and getting out of the city.
Let me preface my next comments by saying in a previous life I was a utility company regulator. I have been in several nuclear plants and am familiar with the required safety regulations, requirements and NRC’s daily oversight of each plant. The lack of maintenance described in the book is unrealistic. There is no doubt earthquakes can happen and maybe a scenario like this could occur, but it is doubtful it will be from lack of maintenance at a nuclear plant. The more I read the more I felt like I was reading more anti-nuclear energy scare-tactic propaganda. Author GP JAMES Is a “multi-faceted creator living in Los Angeles, crafting works that explore social awareness and the human psyche - delving into the nature of reality, consciousness and existential questions faced by many. He has written four screenplays and two novels and several volumes of poetry.” Thanks to NetGalley, Wyatt-MacKenzie and GP James for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Book publication date May 15, 2018.
SUMMARY
August 6 started out as any other day for Control Room Supervisor Trace Crane. It was a hot summer morning and Trace had been in the office, sitting at his metal desk with his favorite mug, filled with coffee, since six am. At 8:27am an earthquake registering 6.4 on the Richter scale hits Peekskill NY, an area just 35 miles from New York City. The Bear Mountain Energy Center was hit hard, and the control room for Reactor three is in chaos. Alarms lights are flashing red all over the control room and sirens are blaring. Trace’s nuclear operators are in panic mode. Reactor pressure is dropping, coolant is falling, feed water is down and there is a fire in the auxiliary building.
Trace, with fifteen years experience, fights to save the reactor, while his wife Avi searches for their daughter, Brooklyn, who had been at daycare when the earthquake hit. The roads are impassable and communication lines are down. As the condition of the reactor plummets and radiation is released into the environment, Trace is left to choose between saving the nuclear plant, and the 20 million residents of the New York City metro area or finding his family and saving himself.
REVIEW
MELT DOWN grabs you from the beginning and the intensity and tension rarely lets up. Chapters alternate between Trace and Avi, documenting their parallel experiences, giving two different perspectives. The writing is good, although there were a couple of places that Trace’s thought processes or mindset was a little overdone. Trace and Avi were both well developed characters. Trace’s feeling and raw emotions were evident throughout the book. I particularly appreciated Avi’s strength and fortitude in overcoming obstacles in looking for Brooklyn and getting out of the city.
Let me preface my next comments by saying in a previous life I was a utility company regulator. I have been in several nuclear plants and am familiar with the required safety regulations, requirements and NRC’s daily oversight of each plant. The lack of maintenance described in the book is unrealistic. There is no doubt earthquakes can happen and maybe a scenario like this could occur, but it is doubtful it will be from lack of maintenance at a nuclear plant. The more I read the more I felt like I was reading more anti-nuclear energy scare-tactic propaganda. Author GP JAMES Is a “multi-faceted creator living in Los Angeles, crafting works that explore social awareness and the human psyche - delving into the nature of reality, consciousness and existential questions faced by many. He has written four screenplays and two novels and several volumes of poetry.” Thanks to NetGalley, Wyatt-MacKenzie and GP James for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Book publication date May 15, 2018.
May 17, 2018
In the wake of Fukushima, and with the knowledge that nuclear power plants around the world are beginning to age, G.P. James has written a ‘what-if’ story based around the Bear Mountain nuclear power plant in Peekskill, New York. An unexpected earthquake leads to damage at the plant and a battle for control of the reactor by the experienced engineers working there, led by Trace Crane.
A lot of people, thinking of a control room supervisor in a nuclear power plant, will inevitably think of Homer Simpson, but the only thing Trace and Homer have in common is that they are both overweight and they both have a family. The story is told largely through Trace’s eyes as he fights, with his highly-skilled crew, to bring the rogue reactor back under control, all while worrying about his wife, Avi, and their daughter. Sections are told through Avi’s eyes as a member of the public outside the plant, dealing with the aftermath of a major earthquake and evacuation of an urban area.
The blurb for this book is pretty misleading. While it says “As the condition of the reactor plummets and radiation is released into the environment, Trace is left to choose between saving the nuclear plant, the East Coast, and the twenty million residents of the NYC metro area or finding his family and saving himself”, in reality, there are no good choices here, as the engineers at Fukushima must have discovered in the wake of the tsunami. There is no derring-do and saving the day heroics. There is no feel-good ending here, for anyone.
The technical detail in Meltdown is well-written and feels thoroughly researched, and I felt like we really got to know Trace and Avi through glimpses of their lives together, told in flashback. The problem was that these personal sections, while helping to give the tragedy a human face, also served to slow the pace of the story to an absolute drag at times. The author’s long-wided phrasing didn’t help. I knew I was in for a heavy read when I started the book and the first two sentences were 52 and 65 words long respectively. Apparently G.P. James’ editor hasn’t heard of the truism that the first sentence should be short, snappy and hook the reader into the story.
This definitely doesn’t have ‘the pace of the Bourne Identity’ as the blurb claims. It’s a slow, heavy wade through the life of a boring man called upon to perform some extraordinary deeds and still failing to win the day. As a thriller, you’ll be bored stiff. However, as a terrifying prediction of how a crisis at a nuclear plant on the East Coast of the US might play out, it’s an intriguing read.
As such, Meltdown isn’t not easy to rate. At the end of the day, I picked it up thinking I was getting a thriller and was decidedly un-thrilled, so I think I’ll settle for three stars.
Disclaimer; I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.
A lot of people, thinking of a control room supervisor in a nuclear power plant, will inevitably think of Homer Simpson, but the only thing Trace and Homer have in common is that they are both overweight and they both have a family. The story is told largely through Trace’s eyes as he fights, with his highly-skilled crew, to bring the rogue reactor back under control, all while worrying about his wife, Avi, and their daughter. Sections are told through Avi’s eyes as a member of the public outside the plant, dealing with the aftermath of a major earthquake and evacuation of an urban area.
The blurb for this book is pretty misleading. While it says “As the condition of the reactor plummets and radiation is released into the environment, Trace is left to choose between saving the nuclear plant, the East Coast, and the twenty million residents of the NYC metro area or finding his family and saving himself”, in reality, there are no good choices here, as the engineers at Fukushima must have discovered in the wake of the tsunami. There is no derring-do and saving the day heroics. There is no feel-good ending here, for anyone.
The technical detail in Meltdown is well-written and feels thoroughly researched, and I felt like we really got to know Trace and Avi through glimpses of their lives together, told in flashback. The problem was that these personal sections, while helping to give the tragedy a human face, also served to slow the pace of the story to an absolute drag at times. The author’s long-wided phrasing didn’t help. I knew I was in for a heavy read when I started the book and the first two sentences were 52 and 65 words long respectively. Apparently G.P. James’ editor hasn’t heard of the truism that the first sentence should be short, snappy and hook the reader into the story.
This definitely doesn’t have ‘the pace of the Bourne Identity’ as the blurb claims. It’s a slow, heavy wade through the life of a boring man called upon to perform some extraordinary deeds and still failing to win the day. As a thriller, you’ll be bored stiff. However, as a terrifying prediction of how a crisis at a nuclear plant on the East Coast of the US might play out, it’s an intriguing read.
As such, Meltdown isn’t not easy to rate. At the end of the day, I picked it up thinking I was getting a thriller and was decidedly un-thrilled, so I think I’ll settle for three stars.
Disclaimer; I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.
May 26, 2018
What a scary disaster novel!
This story sounds way too plausible.
Trace Crane, a nuclear engineer and a control room supervisor at the Bear Mountain Nuclear Energy Center alongside the Hudson River near Peekskill, New York, was enjoying a cup of coffee as he's mentally already on a holiday with his wife and daughter starting that afternoon.
Then the unthinkable happens. A 6.4 earthquake hits with its epicenter in Peekskill and damages the reactor.
Crane has devoted his life to this nuclear reactor, often at the cost of time with his family, and he's in charge of making sure everything goes okay in bringing the reactor to a cold shutdown.
Meanwhile his wife has been hurt and searches for their young daughter who was at pre-school.
This is one scary book because we know it could actually happen - after Fukushima, Three Mile Island, and Chernobyl.
The book goes into a lot of detail about the nuclear reactor but it's explained in understandable terms. And there is a lot of discussion about the benefits/hazards of nuclear energy.
I highly recommend this book. I learned a lot from it but was also thoroughly entertained.
I received this book from Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
This story sounds way too plausible.
Trace Crane, a nuclear engineer and a control room supervisor at the Bear Mountain Nuclear Energy Center alongside the Hudson River near Peekskill, New York, was enjoying a cup of coffee as he's mentally already on a holiday with his wife and daughter starting that afternoon.
Then the unthinkable happens. A 6.4 earthquake hits with its epicenter in Peekskill and damages the reactor.
Crane has devoted his life to this nuclear reactor, often at the cost of time with his family, and he's in charge of making sure everything goes okay in bringing the reactor to a cold shutdown.
Meanwhile his wife has been hurt and searches for their young daughter who was at pre-school.
This is one scary book because we know it could actually happen - after Fukushima, Three Mile Island, and Chernobyl.
The book goes into a lot of detail about the nuclear reactor but it's explained in understandable terms. And there is a lot of discussion about the benefits/hazards of nuclear energy.
I highly recommend this book. I learned a lot from it but was also thoroughly entertained.
I received this book from Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
July 15, 2018
In the beginning I thought this was an alright book but after a few chapters, it didn't take me long to change my thought about this book. It was great. There was plenty of action but it was more the intensity, tight storyline, and the focal point of one hero...Crane. He really is what this story is all about. The glue that held everything together. I was cheering for him all the way.
There is nothing special about Crane. He didn't set out to become a hero but no one really aspires to be one. That is what makes heroes "special". They step up when the time counts. Crane showed that he could stay calm under extreme pressure.
This storyline is very plausible including down to the details of Crane's boss and co-workers. I understand about not wanting to reveal the truth of how horrible an incident is but too much effort is sent on trying to hide the truth than to solve the problem until it is too late. Meltdown is worth a your reading time.
There is nothing special about Crane. He didn't set out to become a hero but no one really aspires to be one. That is what makes heroes "special". They step up when the time counts. Crane showed that he could stay calm under extreme pressure.
This storyline is very plausible including down to the details of Crane's boss and co-workers. I understand about not wanting to reveal the truth of how horrible an incident is but too much effort is sent on trying to hide the truth than to solve the problem until it is too late. Meltdown is worth a your reading time.
July 13, 2018
3.5 stars for a solid thriller that ended better than I expected. My review can be read here ---> https://wp.me/p5t5Tf-1Dk
May 3, 2018
“Good God. This is the big one. The control room plunged into darkness.”
… and with that, G. P. James plunges his readers into a catastrophic event more plausible than fictional.
STORY SUMMARY
“This can’t be an earthquake. We’re in f***ing New York for Christ’s sake. Maybe it’s a terrorist attack?” Expected reaction when at eight thirty-nine AM, for twenty-seconds a 6.4 seismic event “…off the Ramapo Fault System…” annihilates Peekskill, a small town thirty miles outside New York City. Ground zero just one mile from Bear Mountain Nuclear Energy Center.
A major theme of the book is the relationship between Trace and his wife. Trace Crane, the nuclear expert and his wife, Avi, who has battled breast cancer and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis battle over the responsibility of the nuclear power plant and its involvement in her illnesses. Trace attributes her fears as nuclear conspiracies, an uneducated public fearful of what they don’t understand and media hype. Facing a potential meltdown, he wonders if he should have listened to his wife and moved his family further from the plant. Avi has begged Trace to consider a job change. His stubbornness has tainted their relationship, “They were a patch of roses that no longer flowered — brown stems, only thorns left.” James has skillfully entwined past with present, their love story culminating through this disaster.
An underlying theme of Meltdown — that in an emergency people rather than fight one another should help one another. Help to abate the fear and isolation of a catastrophic event. What Avi witnesses is the horrible truth of the human condition: lack of compassion, self-interest and selfpreservation. On a normal day people may stop for the stranded stranger. On the catastrophic day they are ignored: suspicion of robbery — even of being murdered. And as James writes, "Everyone had regressed to survival; mammalian instincts superseded intellect.”
Who is to say how they would react in a meltdown scenario? How can we judge James’ characters without an experience to define us? His insight and vivid descriptions into human behavior excel. Frankly, at one point I could not put this book down.
From the first page of chapter 1, James uses effective descriptive language with strong, colorful images. In describing Trace Crane…
— “He had grown into his desk chair like a potted plant, his waistline pressing into the arm rests and spilling over the sides.”
— “Trace rocked back in his ergonomic desk chair, his five-eleven, two-hundred-and seventy-nine-pound body testing the hydraulics.”
— “Trace stood and adjusted his pants, his stomach distended, his ass nonexistent to the point that it seemed it had been pushed forward and presented as his gut.” And there is so much more. Each character vividly depicted…so easily visualized. Meltdown presented the hardest review I have ever written. Only because there are so many excellent examples of word usage, description of characters and scenes…I had to cut over a thousand word review and still come in at over half.
Meltdown is thoroughly researched, enhancing the terrifying reality of such an event, one American’s have lived with since Three Mile Island, exacerbated by Chernobyl, and more so with the recent Fukushima meltdown.
Using the final chapters of Meltdown James sneaks in profound information on nuclear energy. Using fiction, has he offered words of caution for his readers?
In the end, his dedication says it all … For Humanity
***
Meltdown is a nine year effort in which James researched the intricacies of a nuclear power plant making his premises of a meltdown a realistic and terrifying possibility. His effort pays off with an exceptional novel.
Meltdown will be published May 15, 2018, by Wyatt-MacKenzie.
RECOMMENDED: fiction, drama readers and writers for an excellent show not tell writing style as well as an exceptional descriptive writing skill.
… and with that, G. P. James plunges his readers into a catastrophic event more plausible than fictional.
STORY SUMMARY
“This can’t be an earthquake. We’re in f***ing New York for Christ’s sake. Maybe it’s a terrorist attack?” Expected reaction when at eight thirty-nine AM, for twenty-seconds a 6.4 seismic event “…off the Ramapo Fault System…” annihilates Peekskill, a small town thirty miles outside New York City. Ground zero just one mile from Bear Mountain Nuclear Energy Center.
A major theme of the book is the relationship between Trace and his wife. Trace Crane, the nuclear expert and his wife, Avi, who has battled breast cancer and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis battle over the responsibility of the nuclear power plant and its involvement in her illnesses. Trace attributes her fears as nuclear conspiracies, an uneducated public fearful of what they don’t understand and media hype. Facing a potential meltdown, he wonders if he should have listened to his wife and moved his family further from the plant. Avi has begged Trace to consider a job change. His stubbornness has tainted their relationship, “They were a patch of roses that no longer flowered — brown stems, only thorns left.” James has skillfully entwined past with present, their love story culminating through this disaster.
An underlying theme of Meltdown — that in an emergency people rather than fight one another should help one another. Help to abate the fear and isolation of a catastrophic event. What Avi witnesses is the horrible truth of the human condition: lack of compassion, self-interest and selfpreservation. On a normal day people may stop for the stranded stranger. On the catastrophic day they are ignored: suspicion of robbery — even of being murdered. And as James writes, "Everyone had regressed to survival; mammalian instincts superseded intellect.”
Who is to say how they would react in a meltdown scenario? How can we judge James’ characters without an experience to define us? His insight and vivid descriptions into human behavior excel. Frankly, at one point I could not put this book down.
From the first page of chapter 1, James uses effective descriptive language with strong, colorful images. In describing Trace Crane…
— “He had grown into his desk chair like a potted plant, his waistline pressing into the arm rests and spilling over the sides.”
— “Trace rocked back in his ergonomic desk chair, his five-eleven, two-hundred-and seventy-nine-pound body testing the hydraulics.”
— “Trace stood and adjusted his pants, his stomach distended, his ass nonexistent to the point that it seemed it had been pushed forward and presented as his gut.” And there is so much more. Each character vividly depicted…so easily visualized. Meltdown presented the hardest review I have ever written. Only because there are so many excellent examples of word usage, description of characters and scenes…I had to cut over a thousand word review and still come in at over half.
Meltdown is thoroughly researched, enhancing the terrifying reality of such an event, one American’s have lived with since Three Mile Island, exacerbated by Chernobyl, and more so with the recent Fukushima meltdown.
Using the final chapters of Meltdown James sneaks in profound information on nuclear energy. Using fiction, has he offered words of caution for his readers?
In the end, his dedication says it all … For Humanity
***
Meltdown is a nine year effort in which James researched the intricacies of a nuclear power plant making his premises of a meltdown a realistic and terrifying possibility. His effort pays off with an exceptional novel.
Meltdown will be published May 15, 2018, by Wyatt-MacKenzie.
RECOMMENDED: fiction, drama readers and writers for an excellent show not tell writing style as well as an exceptional descriptive writing skill.
June 18, 2018
Meltown by G.P. James raises the issue of a willing suspension of disbelief. It posits a three-unit nuclear power plant, the "Bear Mountain Nuclear Energy Site" on the Hudson River about thirty five miles north (and upwind) of New York City. At the beginning of the novel, the plant is shaken by a 6.4 earthquake along the Ramapo Fault and all hell breaks loose.
Because there is in fact a three-unit Indian Point Energy Center nuclear generating facility on the Hudson River about thirty-five miles north of New York City that sits a mile from the Ramapo Fault, it requires no suspension of disbelief to think that an earthquake could damage the plant. After all, look what happened at Fukushima in Japan.
Meltdown is the story of plant supervisor Trace Crane who is in charge when the earthquake hits alternating with the story of his wife Avi's search for their four-year old daughter, Brooklyn, who was in day care. With widespread damage throughout the area, phones are down or jammed, bridges have collapsed, buildings destroyed so Trace and Avi cannot easily communicate.
The novel is set up a a conflict within Trace: Prevent a nuclear meltdown and protect 20 million people in the metropolitan New York are from exposure to deadly radiation or save his wife and daughter? Okay, I can understand that. I don't think it's a genuine dilemma and Trace is not presented as someone for whom the conflict seems genuine. In fact, when we first meet him, he doesn't sound appealing:
"Trace rocked back in his ergonomic desk chair, his five-eleven, two-hundred-and-seventy-nine-pound body testing the hydraulics . . . He had a boyish quality defined by the pudginess of his roseate cheeks, his freckles, and the jocular contortion of his lips. There was light in his eyes. Even when he was livid a touch of glee showed through; not much stripped him of joy. However, Trace had entered a dark period over the past couple years. His face was flat most of the time, eyes, dim, lips bowing convexly. Stress, anger, and annoyance hung heavy in his jowls, ebullience springing free in unexpected smatterings of rising cheeks . . ."
He and Avi have his a rough patch in their marriage. She is a consultant for green energy and he of course knows that nuclear, properly controlled, is safe. Adding to poor Trace's burdens is the knowledge that he should have agreed with Avi when she wanted to move away from the plant even if it meant extending his commute.
James is good and convincing in describing Trace's efforts to control the damage. He has to deal with his boss who at one point tells him, "You'll give a damn when your investments turn to dust by Monday. This affects all of us! The second the accident was announced and the market opened this morning our stock dropped five points. When the news gets out about the decommissioning and phaseout talks in Washington we'll probably drop another five. That's about thirteen billion in losses in less than twenty-four hours. We're a whale with a really big harpoon in us."
I can believe a corporate executive will worry more about the stock price than anything else. What I could not believe—and it's key to the story's consequences—is that the governor of the State of New York would give an order about a damaged nuclear facility. A governor who, presumably, is not a nuclear engineer and has no concept of possible consequences (really bad). Worse, that Trace obeys the order rather than quitting on the spot, finding Avi and Brooklyn, and heading upwind.
Of course, if Trace had quit, it would have been another book and Meltdown as it stands is a cautionary tale of what could happen (might happen? will happen?) and its effect on a few of the key players in such a disaster.
Because there is in fact a three-unit Indian Point Energy Center nuclear generating facility on the Hudson River about thirty-five miles north of New York City that sits a mile from the Ramapo Fault, it requires no suspension of disbelief to think that an earthquake could damage the plant. After all, look what happened at Fukushima in Japan.
Meltdown is the story of plant supervisor Trace Crane who is in charge when the earthquake hits alternating with the story of his wife Avi's search for their four-year old daughter, Brooklyn, who was in day care. With widespread damage throughout the area, phones are down or jammed, bridges have collapsed, buildings destroyed so Trace and Avi cannot easily communicate.
The novel is set up a a conflict within Trace: Prevent a nuclear meltdown and protect 20 million people in the metropolitan New York are from exposure to deadly radiation or save his wife and daughter? Okay, I can understand that. I don't think it's a genuine dilemma and Trace is not presented as someone for whom the conflict seems genuine. In fact, when we first meet him, he doesn't sound appealing:
"Trace rocked back in his ergonomic desk chair, his five-eleven, two-hundred-and-seventy-nine-pound body testing the hydraulics . . . He had a boyish quality defined by the pudginess of his roseate cheeks, his freckles, and the jocular contortion of his lips. There was light in his eyes. Even when he was livid a touch of glee showed through; not much stripped him of joy. However, Trace had entered a dark period over the past couple years. His face was flat most of the time, eyes, dim, lips bowing convexly. Stress, anger, and annoyance hung heavy in his jowls, ebullience springing free in unexpected smatterings of rising cheeks . . ."
He and Avi have his a rough patch in their marriage. She is a consultant for green energy and he of course knows that nuclear, properly controlled, is safe. Adding to poor Trace's burdens is the knowledge that he should have agreed with Avi when she wanted to move away from the plant even if it meant extending his commute.
James is good and convincing in describing Trace's efforts to control the damage. He has to deal with his boss who at one point tells him, "You'll give a damn when your investments turn to dust by Monday. This affects all of us! The second the accident was announced and the market opened this morning our stock dropped five points. When the news gets out about the decommissioning and phaseout talks in Washington we'll probably drop another five. That's about thirteen billion in losses in less than twenty-four hours. We're a whale with a really big harpoon in us."
I can believe a corporate executive will worry more about the stock price than anything else. What I could not believe—and it's key to the story's consequences—is that the governor of the State of New York would give an order about a damaged nuclear facility. A governor who, presumably, is not a nuclear engineer and has no concept of possible consequences (really bad). Worse, that Trace obeys the order rather than quitting on the spot, finding Avi and Brooklyn, and heading upwind.
Of course, if Trace had quit, it would have been another book and Meltdown as it stands is a cautionary tale of what could happen (might happen? will happen?) and its effect on a few of the key players in such a disaster.
May 24, 2018
Intelligent, Realistic Thriller
Meltdown is a very detailed, intelligent book that explains what happens when a 6.4 earthquake, with its epicenter in the town Peekskill, NY, causes damage to a nuclear power plant nearby. It is so realistic that it is frightening! It follows Trace, one of four control-room supervisor at Bear Mountain Nuclear Energy Center, while he is inside the plant and Avi, Trace’s wife, outside the plant. Trace is feverishly trying to prevent a nuclear reactor meltdown after it sustains damage from the earthquake, while battling with his supervisors as they work against his better judgment and take direction from the Governor and other politicians trying to squelch public panic. This book also follows Avi, outside the plant, as she frantically searches for their daughter who was at day care when the earthquake happened and has hopefully been moved to safety. Without working phones, with destroyed roadways and bridges, and chaos at all of the shelters and hospitals, Avi, who was injured when she was at the grocery store when the quake hit, is desperate to find Brooklyn.
Not only is this book written in a dual point of view -Trace and Avi- you also get to read what thoughts they are having, which are written in italics, so it make it easy to follow. We also get to glimpse into the past and current state of their marriage, where they both figure out, when faced with this state of emergency, that they both wish they hadn’t grown so far apart.
GP James uses a lot of magnificent, intelligent words in this book like acrimonious, conflagrant, turpitude, exultant, phalanx, egregious, and omnipresent, just to name a few. I love books that challenge me intellectually while taking me on an up and down ride. Like surfing the ocean’s waves, this plot will lull you into thinking things are going well until the next wave hits. It’s an exhilarating read! Just shy of 400 pages, you will definitely get your money’s worth out of this book.
Meltdown is a very detailed, intelligent book that explains what happens when a 6.4 earthquake, with its epicenter in the town Peekskill, NY, causes damage to a nuclear power plant nearby. It is so realistic that it is frightening! It follows Trace, one of four control-room supervisor at Bear Mountain Nuclear Energy Center, while he is inside the plant and Avi, Trace’s wife, outside the plant. Trace is feverishly trying to prevent a nuclear reactor meltdown after it sustains damage from the earthquake, while battling with his supervisors as they work against his better judgment and take direction from the Governor and other politicians trying to squelch public panic. This book also follows Avi, outside the plant, as she frantically searches for their daughter who was at day care when the earthquake happened and has hopefully been moved to safety. Without working phones, with destroyed roadways and bridges, and chaos at all of the shelters and hospitals, Avi, who was injured when she was at the grocery store when the quake hit, is desperate to find Brooklyn.
Not only is this book written in a dual point of view -Trace and Avi- you also get to read what thoughts they are having, which are written in italics, so it make it easy to follow. We also get to glimpse into the past and current state of their marriage, where they both figure out, when faced with this state of emergency, that they both wish they hadn’t grown so far apart.
GP James uses a lot of magnificent, intelligent words in this book like acrimonious, conflagrant, turpitude, exultant, phalanx, egregious, and omnipresent, just to name a few. I love books that challenge me intellectually while taking me on an up and down ride. Like surfing the ocean’s waves, this plot will lull you into thinking things are going well until the next wave hits. It’s an exhilarating read! Just shy of 400 pages, you will definitely get your money’s worth out of this book.
March 30, 2018
Trace Crane, one of four control-room supervisors at the Bear Mountain Nuclear Energy Center in Buchanan, NY, just miles from NYC, is an overweight office drone who is daydreaming about an upcoming vacation with his wife, Avi, and daughter, Brooklyn, when the proverbial ‘it’ hits the fan. A massive earthquake disrupts a nearby fault line, causing a potential meltdown at the center. Trace is then faced with a choice, do all that he can to save the reactor, or get out and find his family. In the meantime, Avi, caught shopping when the quake hits, begins a frantic search for her daughter.
Meltdown by GP James is a riveting story of what happens when things get out of control at a nuclear power plant, threatening the environment and lives for miles around. The author doesn’t walk the reader through events, but runs at a break-neck pace, switching back and forth between Trace and Avi as he explores human reactions to a cataclysmic event.
This is a book that you won’t be able to put down once you start reading, and at the end, you’ll sigh, not from relief, but exhaustion. It has the technical details expertly woven in with the human dimension and will leave you wondering just how close to disaster we really are.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, and honestly, I give it five stars for the sheer chutzpah.
Meltdown by GP James is a riveting story of what happens when things get out of control at a nuclear power plant, threatening the environment and lives for miles around. The author doesn’t walk the reader through events, but runs at a break-neck pace, switching back and forth between Trace and Avi as he explores human reactions to a cataclysmic event.
This is a book that you won’t be able to put down once you start reading, and at the end, you’ll sigh, not from relief, but exhaustion. It has the technical details expertly woven in with the human dimension and will leave you wondering just how close to disaster we really are.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, and honestly, I give it five stars for the sheer chutzpah.
April 19, 2018
Aging nuclear plants, failing infrastructure and a pass the buck mentality have led to a complete failure of one of the plants after a 6.1 earthquake rocks New York.
Trace Cane is caught trying to manage the damage while dealing with a know it all underling and the suits and politicians. As the reactor melts down his family is dealing with the results of the earthquake and trying to evacuate the city. Trace is torn between saving lives or leaving to find his family. Will they or will he survive?
I would like to say that I am not fond of books that advertise they are 'like' a book or author. It rarely pans out to be the same thing and this is true for this book.
I can't say I cared what happened to the characters, bouncing back and forth from one to the other, from past to present and I still didn't feel anything for any of them. I would have liked to have seen less diagrams and more depth. While it is a good premise, it falls short of comparisons to Crichton or Brown.
Netgalley/May 15th 2018 by Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing
Trace Cane is caught trying to manage the damage while dealing with a know it all underling and the suits and politicians. As the reactor melts down his family is dealing with the results of the earthquake and trying to evacuate the city. Trace is torn between saving lives or leaving to find his family. Will they or will he survive?
I would like to say that I am not fond of books that advertise they are 'like' a book or author. It rarely pans out to be the same thing and this is true for this book.
I can't say I cared what happened to the characters, bouncing back and forth from one to the other, from past to present and I still didn't feel anything for any of them. I would have liked to have seen less diagrams and more depth. While it is a good premise, it falls short of comparisons to Crichton or Brown.
Netgalley/May 15th 2018 by Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing
May 3, 2018
A natural disaster, coupled with poorly maintained and failing infrastructure is a recipe for disaster. Reading MELTDOWN actually gave me a headache because the unrelenting tension made me live through the agony through which the protagonists were living. Although I had to take a break from reading, I certainly wasn't ready to give up on the book.
The poorly maintained nuclear power plant combined with an earthquake (4.6 on the Richter Scale) is the very definition of disaster. Add to this that the epicenter of the quake is Peekskill, New York, some 50 miles from New York City, and the potential for a mega disaster is not unthinkable. The man in charge must deal with the realities of both the possibilities of reactor failure resulting in a nuclear event that will impact millions and his personal dilemma over not knowing the fate of his wife and four-year-old daughter.
Fortunate, or not, it seems that everything I read these days is colored by the political situation here in the United States. With the EPA gutted, the possibilities MELTDOWN suggests are all too real. Worker safety is not valued over profits, spin means more that truth. All of these things are brought to bear on what is a heart wrenching family drama exacerbated by the truth that technology is great while its working but not so beneficial when the only way to fix a problem is by a book of untested theoretical proposals. The manuals that are written from the safety of academia don't usually hold up in the trenches where experience is tested to its limits.
Everything about this book screamed New York, the New York that is more than a city. Very near the end of the book, the author refers to the four boroughs, so which one gets left behind? New York City has five boroughs - Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx. The Bronx is the only borough on the mainland of the United States. There are two standalone islands, Manhattan and Staten Island, and Brooklyn and Queens occupy their own bit of Long Island. Somehow, Staten Island gets left behind.
An aside, and nothing really to do with the reasons to read or not to read MELTDOWN, it's about New York, and I am a displaced New Yorker. This 'sounds' like New York in so many ways that it felt like a trip home.
In conclusion, MELTDOWN is a book for adrenalin junkies. It is relentless.
The poorly maintained nuclear power plant combined with an earthquake (4.6 on the Richter Scale) is the very definition of disaster. Add to this that the epicenter of the quake is Peekskill, New York, some 50 miles from New York City, and the potential for a mega disaster is not unthinkable. The man in charge must deal with the realities of both the possibilities of reactor failure resulting in a nuclear event that will impact millions and his personal dilemma over not knowing the fate of his wife and four-year-old daughter.
Fortunate, or not, it seems that everything I read these days is colored by the political situation here in the United States. With the EPA gutted, the possibilities MELTDOWN suggests are all too real. Worker safety is not valued over profits, spin means more that truth. All of these things are brought to bear on what is a heart wrenching family drama exacerbated by the truth that technology is great while its working but not so beneficial when the only way to fix a problem is by a book of untested theoretical proposals. The manuals that are written from the safety of academia don't usually hold up in the trenches where experience is tested to its limits.
Everything about this book screamed New York, the New York that is more than a city. Very near the end of the book, the author refers to the four boroughs, so which one gets left behind? New York City has five boroughs - Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx. The Bronx is the only borough on the mainland of the United States. There are two standalone islands, Manhattan and Staten Island, and Brooklyn and Queens occupy their own bit of Long Island. Somehow, Staten Island gets left behind.
An aside, and nothing really to do with the reasons to read or not to read MELTDOWN, it's about New York, and I am a displaced New Yorker. This 'sounds' like New York in so many ways that it felt like a trip home.
In conclusion, MELTDOWN is a book for adrenalin junkies. It is relentless.
June 1, 2019
This has been sitting on my review shelf for about a year. I'm glad I finally got around to it. I enjoyed the story and the struggles the characters faced. I might suggest it to my post-apocalyptic book club. I didn't like the random use of "SAT words". It was like the author thought of a simpler word and then went to the thesaurus to find a bigger word. It was something we did in our high school essay to make us sound smart. It was really jarring with the rest of the reading level of the book. Read my full review at Girl Who Reads
November 18, 2024
Meltdown by G.P. James was a tense thrill ride that posed many “what if” scenarios. Trace Crane works as an engineer at the Bear Mountain Nuclear Energy Center in upstate NY.
I enjoyed this one and found the writing and dialogue to be engaging. The alternating POV’s between Avi and Trace gave the story extra tension and build up. I found Meltdown extra scary because it felt plausible. What if a nuclear plant caused an earthquake and nuclear waste started to leak into the environment? It could happen.
The New York and New Jersey settings were written well, I could easily envision the streets of NYC and the subway and the crowds of people. I also felt that the author did his research especially for a story that centers around a protagonist who is a nuclear engineer. I recommend Meltdown by G.P. James if you are looking for a good environmental thriller revolving around the pros and cons of nuclear energy.
I enjoyed this one and found the writing and dialogue to be engaging. The alternating POV’s between Avi and Trace gave the story extra tension and build up. I found Meltdown extra scary because it felt plausible. What if a nuclear plant caused an earthquake and nuclear waste started to leak into the environment? It could happen.
The New York and New Jersey settings were written well, I could easily envision the streets of NYC and the subway and the crowds of people. I also felt that the author did his research especially for a story that centers around a protagonist who is a nuclear engineer. I recommend Meltdown by G.P. James if you are looking for a good environmental thriller revolving around the pros and cons of nuclear energy.
March 30, 2018
The plot, the passion and the environmental nightmare this book conjures up deserve SIX stars out of five! I simply HAD to finish the book to find out where the characters ended up! Although very sad, it was an emotionally satisfying read. There was enough real technical information to make the plot highly realistic and the description of the urban impact of a natural disaster coupled with an environmental catastrophe have enough impact to spawn many nightmares!
The excitement of the plot was - however - not enough to raise the entire reading experience above four stars. The descriptions in some sections seemed like the author had been allocated a large number of adjectives for which he was obliged to find a home! The technique of mental flashback away from reality into a happier memory was way over-used. (The technique was really well utilized at the end of the book - but by then, the reader is tempted to skip over yet another section in italics!)
The physical and relational descriptions of the main characters is brilliant! They felt like real people I have met in numerous places. Their angry and semi-psychotic outburst were, however, slightly artificial..
Personally, I found the excessive use of certain expletives and blasphemous outbursts offensive. In a few places, I could imagine the characters being pressured into such language - but not nearly as often as they succumbed in the book.
Final verdict? A satisfying read!
The excitement of the plot was - however - not enough to raise the entire reading experience above four stars. The descriptions in some sections seemed like the author had been allocated a large number of adjectives for which he was obliged to find a home! The technique of mental flashback away from reality into a happier memory was way over-used. (The technique was really well utilized at the end of the book - but by then, the reader is tempted to skip over yet another section in italics!)
The physical and relational descriptions of the main characters is brilliant! They felt like real people I have met in numerous places. Their angry and semi-psychotic outburst were, however, slightly artificial..
Personally, I found the excessive use of certain expletives and blasphemous outbursts offensive. In a few places, I could imagine the characters being pressured into such language - but not nearly as often as they succumbed in the book.
Final verdict? A satisfying read!
April 15, 2018
This is an over-written propaganda piece, essentially a detailed analysis of the problems generated in a nuclear power station after a major earthquake. Everything, including the characters, is described in minute detail. The main character is the power station manager, and the book details his actions in the attempt to mitigate the effects of the earthquake on the facility. As he deals with the issues, at the facility, he has to worry about his family, a wife and daughter, who were in the middle of the quake. He also has to deal with a subordinate who is Navy-trained and quite obnoxious in his belief that he knows everything better than his boss. The story captures the frustrating effects of the high managers and political players interfering in a process they do not understand. After plowing through the agonizing details of the action, the reader is definitely drawn to the characters on an emotional level. This sustains interest as the plot develops, and leaves genuine mixed feelings at the end.
April 24, 2018
Wow this was an intense book.It read like a novelization of a screen play and contained in depth detail that added to rather than took away from the story.
Trace is a sympathetic character. He is a man that just wants to make a difference in the world and to do that he throws himself into his work. This creates a divide between him and his wife and is ruining his marriage.This is a man who is stuck between a rock and a hard place when the earthquakes happen and nuclear melt down starts.
His wife Avi is trying to find her daughter in the destroyed city.I found her somewhat grating but I'd also be a mess in the situation so it comes across as realistic. She is also into the alternative energy program but having her husband spend most of his time at work has taken its toll on her.
This definitely reminded me of the Fukushima and Chernobyl incidents. The perspective of an energy worker, an anti nuclear energy person and the chaos from the fallout it handled well. While there is a message to this it isn't too ham fisted for someone who tends to fall on the other side of the issues.
There is on death and destruction.There is also movie thriller esque action. I highly recommend.
Trace is a sympathetic character. He is a man that just wants to make a difference in the world and to do that he throws himself into his work. This creates a divide between him and his wife and is ruining his marriage.This is a man who is stuck between a rock and a hard place when the earthquakes happen and nuclear melt down starts.
His wife Avi is trying to find her daughter in the destroyed city.I found her somewhat grating but I'd also be a mess in the situation so it comes across as realistic. She is also into the alternative energy program but having her husband spend most of his time at work has taken its toll on her.
This definitely reminded me of the Fukushima and Chernobyl incidents. The perspective of an energy worker, an anti nuclear energy person and the chaos from the fallout it handled well. While there is a message to this it isn't too ham fisted for someone who tends to fall on the other side of the issues.
There is on death and destruction.There is also movie thriller esque action. I highly recommend.
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