The 4400: The Vesuvius Prophecy (Mass Market Paperback)

by Greg Cox (Author)
Key Phrases: The Vesuvius Prophecy, Greg Cox, Nova Group (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

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.

About the Author
GREG COX is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous Star Trek novels, including The Eugenics Wars (Volumes One and Two), The Q Continuum, Assignment: Eternity, and The Black Shore. His short fiction can be found in such anthologies as Star Trek: Tales of the Dominion War, Star Trek: The Amazing Stories, and Star Trek: Enterprise Logs. His first Khan novel, The Eugenics Wars, Volume One, was voted Best SF Book of the Year by the readers of Dreamwatch magazine. Cox can also be found as a bonus feature on the Director's Edition DVD of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. He lives in Oxford, Pennsylvania.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Star (June 24, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416543171
• ISBN-13: 978-1416543176
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #132,837 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #13 in	Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( C ) > Cox, Greg
  #100 in	Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > High Tech

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great (but too short) book :-), July 12, 2008

By	P. Seaton - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The plot, as suggested by the book title, is about a volcano (although not the one in Italy); About the looming chaos and mayhem that Maia sees (in a precognition) as she sets foot on Mt. Rainier - Seattle's very own "Vesuvius" - while on a school day trip. The plot focuses mainly on Tom and Diana and their [work] trying to piece together and make sense of Maias precognition. Desperately needing to find a way to alter the ominous future predicted by a kid who's never wrong. Finding a solution to the problem turns out to be a challenge, as there are characters with interests of their own...

Charachter-wise there are a number of exciting new 4400 acquaintances, some of which possess more or less incredible superhuman powers. Of course, there are many familiar faces - Shawn and Isabell being one of the more prominent. We get to spend time with the characters and their feelings/thoughts on each other, the future, lost time and what their fates may be. Are they a blessing or a curse?

The writing is pretty straight forward and descriptive (which sometimes spawn pretty long sentences) but nonetheless easily read. I picked up some new words along the way though. The (new) characters are carefully introduced/described and their history evolves in a pleasant matter as you make your way through the book. You're not told too much or too little. Established characters (like Tom, Diana, Marco, Nina, Richard, Shawn, Isabell, etc) are nicely summarized when introduced to the reader.

The book has a good composure to it, you don't get too mixed up in past, present and future. The storytelling is chronological and both pleasant/exciting. The pacing is good. No dull bits. As a viewer of the TV-series I kept reading the dialogue "out loud" (as Tom, Diana, etc) in my head. There aren't much dialogue, but the one that's in the book make sense; as in "that sure sounds like something XXX would say".

If this book would be transformed into the TV-version, it would probably end up as a douple episode (giving us viewers the ever annoying "to be continued..." at the end of pt.1).

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and if I hadn't been on a trip with my girlfriend (to visit friends who were getting wed) I would probably have finished it a lot quicker than I did.

I want more, like a subscription or something.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Familiar But Not Very Exciting, October 25, 2008

By	paisleymonsoon (Tulsa, Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

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.

3.0 out of 5 stars the 4400, novel # 1...., October 28, 2008

By	James C. Ward "movie fan" (Tuscaloosa area AL, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

since the series has now ended, I'm hoping there will be more novels about the series like this one. This was an enjoyable read, if you're a fan of the series, you should enjoy this.

The story seems to take place between seasons 3 & 4 of the series, as the author makes statements, references, that are meant to review past events that took place in seasons 1 & 2 and assumes the reader already knows about this.

I see amazon now has book # 2 available: "Wet Work".