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8.4
The New Madrid Seismic Zone is 140 miles, stretching across five states. In 1811 and 1812 enormous earthquakes erupted along this zone, effecting 24 states, creating lakes in Tennessee and causing the Mississippi River to run backward. In Peter Hernon’s 8.4 the New Madrid awakens, threatening the country with systematic collapse in a chillingly plausible case of history repeating itself. It’s up to a team of scientists to stop the impending destruction, working against nature, time and a horrifying, human-made conspiracy.
460 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
June 28, 2014
Not sure how to review this book. At times I thought "4 stars" and other times I thought "2 stars" so it ended up with 3 stars :) It all boils down to being a very good book in need of a lot of editing. I live near the NMSZ so the story line was interesting in that it's scary such a huge earthquake took place near here. It was a fun read in "a disaster movie" way. The problem for me was the continuity. It switched back and forth between characters in different places and at the same time went back and forth in time. It would start out today at 11:00 am, go to today at 9:00 a.m., move up to today at 4:30 pm then back to today at 11:30. A lot of that was to give different people's perspectives on certain earthquakes; where they were, what they were doing and their view of it, but it got very tiring and confusing after a few quakes and aftershocks. Still, I finished the book and could recommend it if you are interested in earthquakes the New Madrid Fault Line.
January 19, 2025
Booker:( my favorite character. The man who parachuted into Memphis. Teared up reading the final moments between the “mad scientist” (how I envisioned him) and Neutron.
Fav quote:
“What arrogance to assume they could meddle with one of natures most destructive forces”
Moments I loved:
Taking the ferry over the waterfall that opened up in the Mississippi.
The first time Atkins went down into the mine I felt claustrophobic just reading it…and I KNEW we would be back at the mine eventually
2nd fave quote& LAUGHED OUT LOUD: “I helped develop the explosive…wonderful stuff. A mixture of PETN, C4, and some other goodies.”
“Exactly, mister President. What if we split the plate…?”
“It would mean you might have the Gulf of Mexico in Memphis.”
LOVED this book. The geology, the setting being centered around the part of the country I grew up. Totally geeked out with every geology and geophysics term. Super technical with the language but the author explained things nicely for a non-earth science person.
Fav quote:
“What arrogance to assume they could meddle with one of natures most destructive forces”
Moments I loved:
Taking the ferry over the waterfall that opened up in the Mississippi.
The first time Atkins went down into the mine I felt claustrophobic just reading it…and I KNEW we would be back at the mine eventually
2nd fave quote& LAUGHED OUT LOUD: “I helped develop the explosive…wonderful stuff. A mixture of PETN, C4, and some other goodies.”
“Exactly, mister President. What if we split the plate…?”
“It would mean you might have the Gulf of Mexico in Memphis.”
LOVED this book. The geology, the setting being centered around the part of the country I grew up. Totally geeked out with every geology and geophysics term. Super technical with the language but the author explained things nicely for a non-earth science person.
October 6, 2012
What happens when the huge earthquakes that rocked the New Madrid fault 2 centuries ago happen again? That's the question founding this book. Unlike some of the disaster movies (one of which did use a similar technique at one point) this one actually seems based in real science. The scientists don't all agree, even those who have a working theory can't be certain, and in the meantime over 12,000 are injured or dead and another earthquake seems possible...
The diagrams and maps were a good addition, particularly one near the beginning which showed the differing impact of similar-sized earthquakes in Californa and the lower midwest (primarily affecting Tennessee, Kentucky, Ilinois, and Missouri).
I'd been aware of the NMSZ but hadn't fully realized what its central location meant in terms of affected areas and potential damage.
The diagrams and maps were a good addition, particularly one near the beginning which showed the differing impact of similar-sized earthquakes in Californa and the lower midwest (primarily affecting Tennessee, Kentucky, Ilinois, and Missouri).
I'd been aware of the NMSZ but hadn't fully realized what its central location meant in terms of affected areas and potential damage.
June 5, 2019
Action and “science” worthy of a Syfy original movie.
May 26, 2014
Very suspenseful. Reminded me of Michael Crichton's books.
June 25, 2026
One of the best things a disaster writer can do is to work their story into an existing disaster in the world - something that has happened before and, in all probability, will happen again. When dealing with manmade disasters, that's easy; we humans screw up all the time, so it's not hard to see us doing it again. But nature operates on much longer timescales, and always loves a sequel.
8.4 is based on the eventuality that the very-real New Madrid Seismic Zone in the American Appalachians will one day wake back up. The last time it had a bad day in 1811 and 1812, a series of four earthquakes all above 7.0 on the Richter scale shook a huge swathe of the American east coast and Mississippi River Valley. Back then, though, the area wasn't very heavily populated. Now it is. So Hernon decided to revisit 1811 and 1812 in the modern era.
And it works. It works in large part because he took a very real disaster we're familiar with and put it in a very unfamiliar setting. We're used to news of Los Angeles getting a rattle, or Tokyo. Not the American east - and neither is the area, meaning despite the looming threat there's no real preparation or building codes meant to be earthquake-resistant, something Hernon shows off in all its horrible detail.
Yes, this is a disaster book, so it follows a lot of the familiar disaster story beats. You have earthquakes and fires and collapsing buildings and everything else you'd expect. But because Hernon did his research on quakes and what they would mean for the region, we get shown everything that we might not have thought about. For example: do you know how many dams there are in the region? Exactly.
It's a page-turner. Written with a speedy plot and not a lot of exposition or excessive infodumps, this is a story designed to move, and move fast.
The characters are largely well written and have dimension to them, although they do tend to come off a little... I don't want to say flat, but a little robotic at times. It's not enough to break immersion, but from time to time there are little "huh?" moments when they behave a little strangely. But it's generally forgivable. A few of them truly stand out in the narrative and will stick with you after the book ends because, dangit, it's impossible not to like them.
The part where the book will let you down, though, is in its technology. It's obvious that Hernon really did his homework on earthquakes, their effects, how disasters tend to chain together, and the New Madrid zone in general. Where he slipped was technology. A standout example comes very early, where a powerful computer workstation is described as having a "prodigious megabyte capacity"... a weird description no matter which way you slice it. Little things like that pop up again and again throughout the book, but they're typically little more than temporary annoyances. Something the editor should have caught but didn't.
All in all, if you're looking for a quick-moving disaster story for a beach or summer read, you could do a lot worse than 8.4. Just go into it expecting a disaster movie written as a book, for all the good - and weaknesses - that entails.
8.4 is based on the eventuality that the very-real New Madrid Seismic Zone in the American Appalachians will one day wake back up. The last time it had a bad day in 1811 and 1812, a series of four earthquakes all above 7.0 on the Richter scale shook a huge swathe of the American east coast and Mississippi River Valley. Back then, though, the area wasn't very heavily populated. Now it is. So Hernon decided to revisit 1811 and 1812 in the modern era.
And it works. It works in large part because he took a very real disaster we're familiar with and put it in a very unfamiliar setting. We're used to news of Los Angeles getting a rattle, or Tokyo. Not the American east - and neither is the area, meaning despite the looming threat there's no real preparation or building codes meant to be earthquake-resistant, something Hernon shows off in all its horrible detail.
Yes, this is a disaster book, so it follows a lot of the familiar disaster story beats. You have earthquakes and fires and collapsing buildings and everything else you'd expect. But because Hernon did his research on quakes and what they would mean for the region, we get shown everything that we might not have thought about. For example: do you know how many dams there are in the region? Exactly.
It's a page-turner. Written with a speedy plot and not a lot of exposition or excessive infodumps, this is a story designed to move, and move fast.
The characters are largely well written and have dimension to them, although they do tend to come off a little... I don't want to say flat, but a little robotic at times. It's not enough to break immersion, but from time to time there are little "huh?" moments when they behave a little strangely. But it's generally forgivable. A few of them truly stand out in the narrative and will stick with you after the book ends because, dangit, it's impossible not to like them.
The part where the book will let you down, though, is in its technology. It's obvious that Hernon really did his homework on earthquakes, their effects, how disasters tend to chain together, and the New Madrid zone in general. Where he slipped was technology. A standout example comes very early, where a powerful computer workstation is described as having a "prodigious megabyte capacity"... a weird description no matter which way you slice it. Little things like that pop up again and again throughout the book, but they're typically little more than temporary annoyances. Something the editor should have caught but didn't.
All in all, if you're looking for a quick-moving disaster story for a beach or summer read, you could do a lot worse than 8.4. Just go into it expecting a disaster movie written as a book, for all the good - and weaknesses - that entails.
September 24, 2026
When a series of devastating earthquakes hit the New Madrid Seismic Zone (not in CA but stretching across KY, MO, TN, IL), seismologists and scientists race against time to try and stop the next one. But is it even possible, and will they be able to stop it in time?
I have never heard of this book or this author, but when I saw it posted in one of my book groups, calling it a “Crichton-esque thriller”, I knew I had to read it. I was expecting a full on 90s-disaster-movie level of thrills, but while some scenes were gripping, most of the prose was bogged down with overly descriptive and repetitive scientific explanations that this layperson was bored by and didn’t need. But there were good parts—I enjoyed most of the beginning of the book, when teams of scientists were racing around, trying to dodge devastation left and right to solve the problems. However, I found the ending not only improbable but a bit predictable. There was also a romantic subplot that felt forced and unnecessary, and illustrations that I didn’t need while missing illustrations I could have used. It turns out the New Madrid Seismic Zone is a real thing, so that’s super fun (*nervous giggles*) but it looks like it wouldn’t really reach Iowa. Yay? Overall, I had high expectations for this book, but sadly, it fell short. It’s hard to top Michael Crichton, after all. For edge-of-your-seat earthquake thrills, tense emotional stakes, and cute British lads (which this book was sadly lacking), I recommend the masterpiece that is the movie “San Andreas” and perhaps skip this book.
3⭐️
I have never heard of this book or this author, but when I saw it posted in one of my book groups, calling it a “Crichton-esque thriller”, I knew I had to read it. I was expecting a full on 90s-disaster-movie level of thrills, but while some scenes were gripping, most of the prose was bogged down with overly descriptive and repetitive scientific explanations that this layperson was bored by and didn’t need. But there were good parts—I enjoyed most of the beginning of the book, when teams of scientists were racing around, trying to dodge devastation left and right to solve the problems. However, I found the ending not only improbable but a bit predictable. There was also a romantic subplot that felt forced and unnecessary, and illustrations that I didn’t need while missing illustrations I could have used. It turns out the New Madrid Seismic Zone is a real thing, so that’s super fun (*nervous giggles*) but it looks like it wouldn’t really reach Iowa. Yay? Overall, I had high expectations for this book, but sadly, it fell short. It’s hard to top Michael Crichton, after all. For edge-of-your-seat earthquake thrills, tense emotional stakes, and cute British lads (which this book was sadly lacking), I recommend the masterpiece that is the movie “San Andreas” and perhaps skip this book.
3⭐️
May 11, 2020
I've always been fascinated by earthquakes so when I found a copy of this in a local secondhand store, I snapped it up. I wasn't familiar with the author and haven't found a ton by him yet which is disappointed because I enjoyed this novel.
The story focuses on the New Madrid fault, a real seismic area that spawned massive earthquakes in the Midwest during the early 1800's. The opening scene was a great hook. I used to live in an area near where most of this is set, so I could easily imagine the scenery as everything unfolded. Yes, this is a personal tidbit, but familiarity with the geography isn't needed to enjoy this book.
The science is tackled in a realistic, believable manner without being too dense for the layman (such as myself). As the story unfolds, you know that something cataclysmic is looming and that delivers and undercurrent that helps the story as it goes. Even the passages that feature little action or development superficially have more impact because you know what's coming.
The scenes of destruction are horrifying, and not in a Roland Emmerich-way where so much is going on that it never feels real. Here, you feel for the people involved, people whose lives are being changed at an unbelievable level.
I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys disasters. The slow burn that leads up to the titular quake is well-executed and delivers. The story may be a bit slow in parts for some, but I offer that more as a disclaimer than a criticism.
The story focuses on the New Madrid fault, a real seismic area that spawned massive earthquakes in the Midwest during the early 1800's. The opening scene was a great hook. I used to live in an area near where most of this is set, so I could easily imagine the scenery as everything unfolded. Yes, this is a personal tidbit, but familiarity with the geography isn't needed to enjoy this book.
The science is tackled in a realistic, believable manner without being too dense for the layman (such as myself). As the story unfolds, you know that something cataclysmic is looming and that delivers and undercurrent that helps the story as it goes. Even the passages that feature little action or development superficially have more impact because you know what's coming.
The scenes of destruction are horrifying, and not in a Roland Emmerich-way where so much is going on that it never feels real. Here, you feel for the people involved, people whose lives are being changed at an unbelievable level.
I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys disasters. The slow burn that leads up to the titular quake is well-executed and delivers. The story may be a bit slow in parts for some, but I offer that more as a disclaimer than a criticism.
January 24, 2023
3.5/5 stars-
Mostly due to the author repeating the science jargon over and over in the first 3rd of the book. Granted, I took many classes on this topic in school so I understood it, and I wager he did that for those who may not understand as well, but to define the same thing 3-5x is a bit much. Even for someone who doesn't know the scientific wording.
Also, the book just sorta...ended.
We don't find out what happens to the governor of Kentucky who defied the presidents orders and had army troops killed.
Don't find out what happens to Weston after doing all he could to sabotage every damn thing he possible.
Nothing about Lauren's parents in Paducah. Just a throw away line that "I hope they're OK" 2/3 of the way through.
An epilogue would have done this book justice. Even a short one.
Also had to keep reminding myself it takes place in the 90s, and not today with all the modern technology available, (ie: no cell phones, they're using satellite uplinks, fax machines receiving telemetry from seismograph readouts, etc), but that's on me.
Despite all that, I did enjoy the story.
Mostly due to the author repeating the science jargon over and over in the first 3rd of the book. Granted, I took many classes on this topic in school so I understood it, and I wager he did that for those who may not understand as well, but to define the same thing 3-5x is a bit much. Even for someone who doesn't know the scientific wording.
Also, the book just sorta...ended.
We don't find out what happens to the governor of Kentucky who defied the presidents orders and had army troops killed.
Don't find out what happens to Weston after doing all he could to sabotage every damn thing he possible.
Nothing about Lauren's parents in Paducah. Just a throw away line that "I hope they're OK" 2/3 of the way through.
An epilogue would have done this book justice. Even a short one.
Also had to keep reminding myself it takes place in the 90s, and not today with all the modern technology available, (ie: no cell phones, they're using satellite uplinks, fax machines receiving telemetry from seismograph readouts, etc), but that's on me.
Despite all that, I did enjoy the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2023
I have read this book several times and never get tired oof reading it. You have lots of action, suspense, & plenty of sitting on the edge of your seat. The New Madrid fault is the most important seismic fault in the world. He tells how this fault affects no only the United States but other countries as well if it erupts with a 8.4 quake. Its more destructive than those in California which goes from Alaska to South America. He is accurate with his story and you can't help think WOW, hopefully it won't happen. You won't be able to put the book down till you have finished reading.
August 31, 2020
The story was interesting and really compelling in parts but needed more editing. They could have easily cut out 20-30 pages just by removing the many repetitions. There were also some elements that were frankly preposterous like the gun with never ending ammo. There were times when the POV changed from paragraph to paragraph. The characters were very one dimensional, which is fine in this type of disaster novel, IMO.
November 16, 2024
Concerns earthquakes in the area of New Madrid fault (which had an enormous earthquake in the late 1800's) and their effect on the ground, people, animals, politics, and on human structures (e.g. buildings and dams) in modern times.
Good mix of well developed human characters, disaster movies, and science. (And, like Andromeda Strain, this one also has the potential of a nuclear bomb being used). (Before this book I had never heard of "earthquake lights.")
Good mix of well developed human characters, disaster movies, and science. (And, like Andromeda Strain, this one also has the potential of a nuclear bomb being used). (Before this book I had never heard of "earthquake lights.")
March 21, 2018
The first half was good, great action, good suspense building, but the last half is dragging. There were also some other problems with the book, particularly the villain. I could not figure out his motives for being a villain. There didn't seem to be any payoff for doing the bad things he did. He was just in there to provide an antagonist. It totally broke my suspension of disbelief.
February 8, 2019
Seismic!
Great read. Don't be undermined by the technology and science. This book explains terminology as it goes. Living in the path of the New Madrid line, there is much recognition in locations. Interesting, terrifying.
Great read. Don't be undermined by the technology and science. This book explains terminology as it goes. Living in the path of the New Madrid line, there is much recognition in locations. Interesting, terrifying.
Read
April 30, 2023I'd compare this to Crichton's books, which are always a mix of technology information and suspense/adventure. I learned a great deal about seismology while imagining the various characters racing across time and the US in their search for survival of themselves and the nation.
May 16, 2017
A predictable romance in the background, but the earthquake story is interesting. The New Madrid Seismic Zone is a read thing, and caused a huge series of earthquakes in the 1800s.
June 3, 2017
More scientific explanation than I could follow but still this was good suspense thriller.
April 5, 2018
good decreption of the world when an earthquake that's that big hits a major fault line
March 11, 2021
RDCN. Interesting book. Earthquake, political, power.
June 10, 2021
Dated, but readable. It was a lot better last time I read it 20 years ago.
August 18, 2021
Engaging and suspenseful. Perfect for the lover of natural disasters stories.
November 5, 2022
Read it once, probably 20 years ago in high school, and again now. What strikes me is how parts are brilliant, and then the complete failure of other aspects (like the romance plot)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2023
One of the best quake books. I love disaster novels.
August 1, 2023
Pretty standard 90s natural disaster apocalypse novel
August 31, 2023
A real page turner.
Cinematic in pacing, speculative, and we'll written. The story holds up well even after a couple of decades. Worth a read.
Cinematic in pacing, speculative, and we'll written. The story holds up well even after a couple of decades. Worth a read.
September 3, 2023
I REALLY enjoyed this book and learned a lot!! I love fiction that sends me to Wikipedia for more info on real life!
November 5, 2024
Looking for "landslide" in a book from my 2nd hometown was too fault-finding.
September 13, 2014
This book is the story of an earthquake. Several earthquakes. A lot of earthquakes, actually. It is what you would call a 'thriller,' and for me was particularly scary because the action is so close to home. Instead of a California earthquake, this story covers a what-might-happen scenario for a really big earthquake in the New Madrid seismic zone.
John Atkins, out on field trips while on a visit to a friend who works at the Center for Earthquake Studies at the University of Memphis, observes strange behavior in animals and strange lights in the sky and feels minor earthquake tremors. Elizabeth Holleran, who studies earthquake history by collecting archeological evidence of past earthquakes which can be used to date them receives a package from a former professor who has taken his own life (due to illness) in which he proposes a theory that indicates a major earthquake might happen in a few days. Her first reaction is to reject it as unlikely (it has to do with sunspots etc.), but when a magnitude 7.1 earthquake strikes near Mayfield, Kentucky causing extensive damage in Memphis and several other nearby cities, she takes the data and hops a plane to see if anybody is interested in checking it out.
Of course, everybody hopes the worst is over. But as aftershocks keep happening and seem to be getting worse, some people find Elizabeth's data worth looking at. Meanwhile, John and other seismologists are trying to get instruments out to get data on the aftershocks. But some people, instead of studying the facts, or helping with the cleanup and rescue operations, or anything else useful, turn out to be primarily engaged in covering up their own bad actions. An engineer at Kentucky Dam reports cracks in the dam. Some of the top people from the 'Seismic Safety Commission' order him to stop releasing water from the dam (apparently there has recently been a lot of rain in the area, which, aside from problems with the dam, apparently contributes to making other aspects of the earthquake problem worse, and the Tennessee River is nearly at flood stage already). They send in people to do repairs, and show up a meeting at the nearby town to put out the idea that the damage is not as bad as people have been led to believe, and is being fixed. John and Elizabeth wind up at the meeting too, and leaving with Lauren Mitchell, a local lady John has already met while checking on the reports of bizarre animal behavior, they visit the dam only to discover that the problems are much worse than people are being led to believe.
John and Elizabeth are on their way back to Memphis when another major earthquake hits. They find out later that this one was magnitude 8.4. It knocks over a freight train right in front of them. Memphis is pretty much destroyed, and there is major damage in cities from Chicago to Louisiana. Kentucky Dam is also wiped out.
But still the aftershocks don't let up, and shortly start increasing again. And eventually a proposal is made to try to defuse the next pending quake with a nuclear explosion. Understandably, nearly everybody is nervous about this.
Tension keeps mounting until almost the end. Even if this works, will John and Elizabeth make it out alive? And who else will? Or won't.
Very well written, and obviously extensively researched. I just hope this scenario remains fiction for a very long time...
John Atkins, out on field trips while on a visit to a friend who works at the Center for Earthquake Studies at the University of Memphis, observes strange behavior in animals and strange lights in the sky and feels minor earthquake tremors. Elizabeth Holleran, who studies earthquake history by collecting archeological evidence of past earthquakes which can be used to date them receives a package from a former professor who has taken his own life (due to illness) in which he proposes a theory that indicates a major earthquake might happen in a few days. Her first reaction is to reject it as unlikely (it has to do with sunspots etc.), but when a magnitude 7.1 earthquake strikes near Mayfield, Kentucky causing extensive damage in Memphis and several other nearby cities, she takes the data and hops a plane to see if anybody is interested in checking it out.
Of course, everybody hopes the worst is over. But as aftershocks keep happening and seem to be getting worse, some people find Elizabeth's data worth looking at. Meanwhile, John and other seismologists are trying to get instruments out to get data on the aftershocks. But some people, instead of studying the facts, or helping with the cleanup and rescue operations, or anything else useful, turn out to be primarily engaged in covering up their own bad actions. An engineer at Kentucky Dam reports cracks in the dam. Some of the top people from the 'Seismic Safety Commission' order him to stop releasing water from the dam (apparently there has recently been a lot of rain in the area, which, aside from problems with the dam, apparently contributes to making other aspects of the earthquake problem worse, and the Tennessee River is nearly at flood stage already). They send in people to do repairs, and show up a meeting at the nearby town to put out the idea that the damage is not as bad as people have been led to believe, and is being fixed. John and Elizabeth wind up at the meeting too, and leaving with Lauren Mitchell, a local lady John has already met while checking on the reports of bizarre animal behavior, they visit the dam only to discover that the problems are much worse than people are being led to believe.
John and Elizabeth are on their way back to Memphis when another major earthquake hits. They find out later that this one was magnitude 8.4. It knocks over a freight train right in front of them. Memphis is pretty much destroyed, and there is major damage in cities from Chicago to Louisiana. Kentucky Dam is also wiped out.
But still the aftershocks don't let up, and shortly start increasing again. And eventually a proposal is made to try to defuse the next pending quake with a nuclear explosion. Understandably, nearly everybody is nervous about this.
Tension keeps mounting until almost the end. Even if this works, will John and Elizabeth make it out alive? And who else will? Or won't.
Very well written, and obviously extensively researched. I just hope this scenario remains fiction for a very long time...
September 13, 2019
The first complete novel I have ever read way back in 2012!
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