The Vesuvius Prophecy

The 4400 #1

by Greg Cox

4400 taken, 4400 returned.
With no memory of where they've been.
And they haven't aged a day.
Some have returned with startling new abilities...

Eleven-year-old Maia can see the future, and she's never wrong. So when she has a vision of Mount Rainier starting to erupt, the National Threat Assessment Command takes her warning very seriously. But to track down the unknown returnee who may trigger the volcanic eruption, NTAC agents Tom Baldwin and Diana Skouris must uncover the astounding truth behind one of the greatest unsolved crimes of the twentieth century....

And they've got competition. Ruthless enemies are working against them and somehow managing to keep one step ahead of the desperate agents. With the future closing in on them, Tom and Diana must foil a lethal conspiracy -- before Seattle and the entire Pacific Northwest go the way of ancient Pompeii.

Genres: Science Fiction, Tv

342 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 24, 2008

Reviews

[R2roswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're into the show then you'll love the book.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw the TV serie and was great.

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I want to change my scoring by 0.50 or more of a star. -- I tend not to read reviews until after I read a book, so I go in with an open mind.)

I'm finally going through my tv, film etc. tie in library owned book list, to add more older basic reviews. If I liked a book enough to keep then they are at the least a 3 star.

I'm only adding one book per author and I'm not going to re-read every book to be more accurate, not when I have 1000s of new to me authors to try (I can't say no to free books....)

First time read the author's work?: Yes

Will you be reading more?: Yes

Would you recommend?: Yes


------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)

All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked

Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)

[Rob Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect accompaniment to the TV series that makes me want to watch the show again!

[Φλεγύας · Rating 2 out of 5]

it's been some time since I finished this but never came round to actually providing a decent review.
right now, the time is 03.08 in the morning. So, it's hardly an appropriate time.
I will have to come back to this.
However, I have to say: this really is definitely superior to Wet Work (actually, Wet Work was rather bad. This is decent).
Some things get tiring: the short sentences not always add to the tension. If you keep using them, paragraph after paragraph, they start tiring the reader. Every so often, the writer will start describing an area or a situation, in series of basic sentences, subject plus verb. Yeah, OK. It doesn't always work. I felt like jumping to the end of the paragraph just to avoid going through sentences that felt like they had been written by primary school teachers explaining to kids how a verb needs a subject.
Tiring!
But, the characters were nicely brought to life. An old mystery was nicely interwoven into the 4400 mythos. All in all, I found it entertaining. I can't say that the book will make it to my favourite/top books section, but it was a fun read.
Wet work was never close.
You might feel that since I've rated both books with 2 stars, they cant be THAT different. Well, Wet Work is more like 1.2 and this one is more like 2.1.
Cause, yeah, I'm funny that way. I love to complicate things.
In any case, if I only had 4s and 5s for the real great ones (writers I mean), I guess that all these generic writers for hire will have to dwell in the land of ones and twos. I've been way too generous so far.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book revolves around Tom and Diana trying to deal with a vision that Maia has had. She has seen her mother confronting a man named D.B. Cooper on Mt. Rainer. The man, apparently, is causing the volcano to erupt, potentially bringing death to untold thousands of people.

There is also the possibility that the man is the actual D.B.Cooper who threatened to blow up a plane and made off with thousands by parachuting out of the plane while it was in flight.

What complicates matters is that somewhat else seems to be looking for Cooper, and the man is capable of vanishing into thin air. The clock is ticking, and there are lots of problems confronting Tom and Diana, all leading up to a final confrontation with Diana, Cooper and a person that has a personal desire to cause the volcano to blow up.

It's a really good story, fitting very well into the 4400 mythos. There are a number of references to various TV episodes and what happened. There are a number of 4400 characters who do not appear in the book, but it's the first of what I hope will be a long series of 4400 books.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though this was written in 2008, it seems to take place perhaps in Season 4 or so of The 4400 television series. It's basically a very formulaic episode in which Maia has a vision of her mom on the top of an erupting Mt. Rainier. It's well-written, but the story itself is only of mediocre interest. I did, however, enjoy revisiting places in Seattle that I've been to like Pike Place Market and the Science Fiction Museum. It's nice to read a book every now and then where you know the faces and voices of the characters and have actually visited the setting.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is set in the third season. It doesn't reveal anything too substantial, but it's a decent addition to the 4400 verse. Too much exposition in the writing in my opinion, but I am an avid fan of the show. I would hope that they make some books that take place after the show's last episode to continue the main story arc that was cut off by cancellation.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would guess if you know the TV show than you'd pick this book up, however it is very detailed with descriptions and information you should already know if you followed the series, not that impressive.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story. It was very true to the series. I actually did like how he took a little time to describe any relevant backstory for those who may not have watched the show, or perhaps just forgot a few details. My only disappointment was the numerous typos in the book.

[Magnesus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good for a TV series book.

[Angela]

1st book after 2 series finale books. Read third.

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read third

[Kat Orton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the story but it was so badly written

[for-much-deliberation ...]

Could never seem to get around to watching the television series