Sharkano does what all good sci-fi stories should do. It takes real science then adds to it and molds it into an interesting and convincing story. T.A. Bound seems to have a good grasp of facts. He introduced me to terms I wasn't aware of, such as “lava tubes” and utilized them to create frightening situations. I'm not a scientist, but I can google terms and I know when a novel's logic is believable. He has created a crazy, life threatening disaster within the pages of his book.

The characters in Bound's novel are realistic and fully developed. Lexi is a teenager whose parents have recently split up. Her mother, Jacqueline, a successful newscaster, has custody of Lexi, but as the story begins Lexi is on her way to Hawaii, to spend the summer with her father. Burke is leading a team of geologists who are studying a volcano on one of Hawaii's small, remote islands, so this won't be the sun, surf and sand vacation Lexi had hoped for. She is bright and self-assured, but has trouble getting people to believe her because she's young, which leads to more problems.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a well-written sci-fi/disaster story with lots of tension.