Tsunami [Paperback]

Crawford Kilian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 29, 1999

A ground-breaking page turner in the realm of speculative science fiction by Crawford Kilian. For San Francisco, a battleground in the wake of a monstrous tidal wave, scientists Don and Kirstie Kennard are the only hope...as long as the tsunami does not come again.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Crawford Kilian has been around. He's explored Western Canada and even lived in China, but when it comes to writing, he does his homework the new-fashioned way.online. A professional writer and educator, Kilian spends much of his "writing time" in research. For Icequake alone, he put in thousands of hours learning everything he could from a variety of resources about Antarctica and its denizens. The author estimates that he spent six to eight months "getting it right." However, Kilian is quick to assure you that the research is part of the pleasure of writing. It brings believability to the work and a real relationship with the subject matter. From his snowy enclave in Vancouver, Kilian does his research from the comfort of his cozy home using the Web. But, it hasn't always been that way. In the early '80s, this full-time college English professor realized that the Internet was the wave of the future...for writers, teachers, and students. So, he took up his department's challenge to develop writing courses that integrated technology. What started with some phone conferencing is now an expertise in distance education that takes him to numerous speaking engagements each year. Like many educators, Kilian feels that the Web is a good supplement to the classroom, not a replacement for it. He says, "It's not just a valuable tool for research. It also forces us as educators to examine what works and doesn't work in our teaching...in both areas, the real and the virtual classroom." Kilian is also sold on the latest technologies in publishing and has republished most of his out-of-print classics with toExcel. He says, "I thought the books could find a new audience in a new generation, and toExcel offered that opportunity." toExcel is pleased to add this terrific writer/educator to it's stable of republished authors! ************************** Crawford Kilian's writing career has included a decade as regular weekly columnist for the Vancouver Province, eleven novels, two ch

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (January 29, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583481184
• ISBN-13: 978-1583481189
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,376,540 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Good but Needs a Little Work, June 22, 2004

By 

Joshua Koppel (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tsunami (Paperback)

Tsunami is a story of survival and determination in the face of overwhelming odds. Seismic activity in the Antarctic causes a series of tsunamis to pound the West coast of North America (no mention of any effects anywhere else).

The United States is already in economic trouble and oil dependency is becoming a real problem. Most of the story follows two separate groups of survivors and how they try and cope with the changed world.

I had two main problems with the book. The first was that there was not adequate information given for the failure of the rest of the country. The West Coast gets absolutely no help from the rest of the country and world. The book is short enough that it could have stood some extra wordage.

The second problem was late in the book when there is cause for many buildings to collapse. At this point in the story there is no electricity and no fuel (the abundance of wood mentioned at the start of the disaster seems to have dried up). For some reason, when buildings collapse the almost immediately catch fire without electricity or gas to cause it.

The pacing of the book is a little slow although the action starts right at the beginning. Big waves, ice ages, and greenhouse effects will remind many of the newer Day After Tomorrow, but the science in this one is much more firmly grounded in reality. If you loved all of those Irwin Allen disaster pics you will probably get a kick out of this one.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tsunami rocks!, February 26, 2002

By 

Kimberly Bonsey "krbfleming" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tsunami (Paperback)

I'm a bit biased as a relative of mine wrote this book. Even so, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I'm a bit fan of disaster stories and "nature gone wrong" themes so this was right up my alley. I thought the character development was pretty good, but the plot and the pace of the story is what kept me turning the pages. If you enjoy this, read "Icequake" as it is sort of the companion novel to "Tsunami".