Alaska Earthquake Center Communications Manager Elisabeth Nadin earned herself a spot on the acknowledgements page in Michael Crichton and James Patterson's new book, 'Eruption.'
Tune in for today's latest news stories on KXDF CBS News 13 at 5pm.FAIRBANKS, Alaska - Sometimes, volcanoes erupt. And sometimes, worlds collide. That’s what has been happening over the last year and a half inside the Alaska Earthquake Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute — sort of, anyway.
The center has a reputation for its contributions to science, a world of empirical observation, analysis and rigorous study. But that reputation typically doesn’t extend to contributions to fiction, a world of imagination and creation untethered from the strict rules of reality. However, in 2022, those worlds overlapped on Communications Manager Dr. Elisabeth Nadin’s computer screen when James Patterson’s publisher came knocking. The publisher, Little, Brown & Co., reached out to Nadin via email to ask for guidance on volcanic activity in a new book, titled “Eruption.” “And of course, I said yes,” Nadin, who has a PhD in geology and a master’s degree in science writing, told Newscenter Fairbanks in a Thursday interview. That answer sparked a collaboration between Nadin and the best-selling fiction writer, an intermingling of artistic and scientific expertise.“He sent me basically an outline of the book and the kind of things — the scenarios — that he was expecting to be able to describe in detail with all senses: smells and sights and sounds and all that kind of stuff,” Nadin said. Patterson had picked up the notes from deceased “Jurassic Park” writer Michael Crichton, who’d spent 20 years researching the novel. He died in 2008. At the request of Crichton’s wife, Patterson sought to carry the book to publication, underpinning the story of a disastrous volcanic eruption in Hawai’i with geologically sound principles and ideas. That meant accounting for a cocktail of physical variables, such as sulfuric smells, dark skies, acid rain and extreme heat. But it also required juggling fickle societal variables, like emergency response times, park closures and closed airspaces. Nadin said she and Patterson conducted their correspondence over the phone and through email, sometimes through his assistants and other times with Patterson directly. Her contributions ranged from researching specific, niche topics, to reviewing entire drafts of the text. “The things that I’m proud of having contributed are the scientific technologies that are used in modern times to detect, to monitor, volcanoes, so they should all be realistic,” she said. Nadin said between the first draft and the final draft, the story changed completely. And while much of that change derived from tweaks to the plot instead of geological limitations, Nadin did point out one shortcoming in the cast of characters. “The computer programming and data analysis team were all male in the first draft, and I did send a note to the publisher that the staff at the Hawai’i Volcano Observatory is at least 50% female,” she said. And in came a female character on the data analysis team. Nadin said “Eruption” explores and even pushes the boundaries of the worst-case scenario for a volcanic eruption in Hawai’i, which wouldn’t be a likely candidate for a natural disaster of the type and magnitude the book contemplates. Still, she said that the novel heeds enough of the science to retain plausibility. “I would say the unrealistic parts are the personalities,” she said with a slight smile. “I would say I don’t know any scientists like the scientists in the book. They’re very larger than life personalities, but that’s what makes reading the book fun.” “Eruption” was published on June 3, and Patterson gave Nadin a signed copy and inked her name on the acknowledgements page in recognition of her contributions. “Special thanks to ... Dr. Elisabeth Nadin — associate professor, Department of Geosciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks — an expert and enthusiastic guide to the unique geology of the big island of Hawai’i,” the page reads. The book has been on the New York Times best sellers list for five weeks, and Sony reportedly bought rights for a film adaption this week. “It’s formulaic, sure, and the writing won’t win any prizes, but it’s a thrill and the pages practically turn themselves,” Rob Merrill, a book reviewer for the Associated Press, wrote in his review the day the novel was released.“Beginning to end, it was just a really fun process and something that I’d love to do again,” she said.
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