REVIEW: Wave of Terror

Wave of Terror
Author: Jon Jefferson

I like disaster and save-the planet action stories. Any sort. Movies -- Towering Inferno, Earthquake, Volcano, Sharknado, Deep Impact. Love 'em all. Disaster books -- One Second After, The Alliance, The Virus, EMP. Big Scale S hitting the fan or large scale sinister plots averted at the last moment...it's my secret genre obsession. :) When I saw a book called Wave of Terror....oh hell yeah....I had to read it! I expected to get more than my daily reading allowance of cheese. But, this book really surprised me. While there is still cheese, this is a totally kick ass story! Entertaining, not overly melodramatic, just enjoyable to read. Very cinematic. I could easily see this being made into a movie.

Is this classic brilliant fiction? Nope. It's an action suspense story, not Ivanhoe. I read this book purely for entertainment. Sort of like watching a Stallone film. I'm not looking for brilliant film-making...I want to see shit explode and ass kicking. Same with this book....I wanted the action and entertainment. And it delivered. Pure mind candy.

The basics: Astronomer Megan O'Malley travels to La Palma in the Canary Islands to use the large observatory there for 3 days. She paid a lot of money for her time there, and she's hopeful that she will find Planet 9. But, it seems small earthquakes will be her nemesis. Every time she gets lined up for some top notch photos of the night sky, the shots are all fuzzy from vibrations. Strangely enough, she discovers after her trip that the seismic records from her time at the observatory don't show any earthquakes anywhere near La Palma. The discrepancy annoys her enough to start doing research into what happened. What she discovers is so much more than just minor tremors. Potentially millions of people could die. Nobody will listen to her except Chip Dawtry, an FBI agent specializing in terrorist threats. Can they prevent a mega-tsunami that could destroy the entire eastern seaboard of the United States?

Between the movie references and the Monty Python quotes, Agent Dawtry had me hooked immediately. The character is intelligent, more than slightly nerdy, and doesn't know how to take no for an answer. Megan is the same way. When she discovered the danger, nobody would listen to her. She had to stick with her evidence and convince people...not many listened. In fact....only two.

I would have been less surprised by this book had I looked closer at the author's name before I started reading. Jon Jefferson. Co-author of the Body Farm series and Death's Acre (with William Bass). Of course he can also write a entertaining action story! Wave of Terror is well-written. The suspense builds at a nice even pace and the action keeps the plot moving. A generous sprinkling of humor and characters that work well together strengthened the story.

Now, I do have to say that I am not a scientist. What I know about astronomy I learned from the Science Channel and Neil deGrasse Tyson. Geology -- I know an earthquake makes the ground shake and a bit that I learned in high school earth science. That's about it.   So I have no clue if the scenario in this book is actually possible. I do know that it makes for an action plot entertaining enough to keep me reading. Sort of like the grandiose plots of Bond villains. Go big or go home, right? I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I really don't care if it could actually happen or not. I can suspend reality and believe for awhile that it is possible....and let these characters save the planet. Why not? I'm not reading a fictional account about a terrorist attack causing a 150 foot tidal wave because I love realistic fiction. Just have fun....and go with it. :) Like they say on Mystery Science Theater 3000.....it's just a story, you should really just relax.

As for what happens....not saying a word. No spoilers from me. Read the book! :)

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**