Disaster Government

2015 saw the worst American maritime disaster in decades. The captain of the SS El Faro commanded his crew to sail straight into a hurricane. The ship sank and all 33 crew members died. The sinking raised troubling questions: Why did the captain choose to sail into the hurricane? Why did no one on board or on shore stop him? And why was such an old and heavily loaded ship even allowed on the water? The crew of the SS El Faro is gone, but their haunting final hours were preserved by the ship’s black box.

A mega-earthquake is coming. And it’s not natural. Beneath Los Angeles, something is moving. When mutilated bodies start appearing in the city’s subway tunnels, Detective Alana Williams is assigned a case that makes no sense— Until the ground begins to shake. Seismologist Dr. Michael Trent is tracking a series of impossible tremors. Something ancient is awake beneath California. Something intelligent… Perfect for fans of Michael Crichton, James Rollins, Matthew Reilly and high-stakes technothrillers packed with science, action, and global consequences. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Terrific ...

The water is rising. The doors are locked. When Category 4 Hurricane Iris slams into the Louisiana coast, Port Mercy High School becomes the final refuge for 160 stranded residents. Disgraced disaster manager Grant Mercer knows the aging concrete building is their only defense against the catastrophic surge. But the refuge is a trap. The emergency supplies have been systematically stripped. The radios are dead. And as the muddy floodwaters breach the first floor, Grant makes a horrifying discovery: the exit doors have been chained and padlocked from the outside. Corrupt officials have sold ...

The creator of the wildly popular award-winning podcast Hardcore History looks at some of the apocalyptic moments from the past as a way to frame the challenges of the future. Do tough times create tougher people? Can humanity handle the power of its weapons without destroying itself? Will human...

Donald Trump: The Master of Disaster is a searing examination of a presidency defined not by leadership, but by chaos, erosion, and consequence. This book argues—methodically and relentlessly—that Donald J. Trump is not merely a controversial president, but a historically destructive one. Through vivid narrative and documented analysis, it traces how impulsive decision-making, contempt for democratic norms, and the personalization of power have repeatedly placed the nation’s institutions, economy, and moral standing at risk. From governance by grievance to rule by loyalty tests, ...

ONE OF BARACK OBAMA’S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR An unsettling masterpiece of the imagination, using fictional eyewitness accounts to tell the story of how climate change will impact us all. “The best science-fiction nonfiction novel I’ve ever read.” —Jonathan Lethem, New York Times...

From an award-winning historian and Chernobyl survivor, a visceral account of the worst nuclear accident in history. "Vividly empathetic." —Wall Street Journal On the morning of April 26, 1986, Europe witnessed the worst nuclear disaster in history: the explosion of a reactor at the Chernobyl...

The dramatic and moving account of the struggle for life inside the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, when every minute counted. At 8:46 AM on September 11, 2001, 14,000 people were inside the twin towers -- reading e-mails, making trades, eating croissants at Windows on the...

They thought they’d uncovered the truth, but the storms have only just begun. After barely surviving the rogue tornadoes tearing through the plains, storm chaser Beck Maddox and atmospheric scientist Savannah Reyes are determined to expose the weaponized weather conspiracy brewing behind the scenes, but the deeper they dig, the more dangerous the skies become—and someone is making sure the truth stays buried. Each new storm isn’t just stronger, it’s smarter, and it’s targeting the people asking questions. With their allies disappearing and time running out, Beck and Savannah must ...

In 1976, the Teton Dam collapsed, unleashing a wall of water that ravaged eastern Idaho and shattered the publics trust in American infrastructure. Engineers, historians, and survivors have asked the same question: Why did it fail? For decades, the disaster has been reduced to a cautionary tale, a grim case study, a footnote in engineering textbooks. But what if the real story is more complicated than we have ever been told? Failure and Fortitude is a meticulously researched, vividly written account of the Teton Dams rise and ruin.

"Baby Boomers (and I confess I am one): prepare to squirm and shake your increasingly arthritic little fists. For here comes essayist Helen Andrews."--Terry Castle With two recessions and a botched pandemic under their belt, the Boomers are their children's favorite punching bag. But is the...

""Your government failed you . . . and I failed you.""Richard Clarke's dramatic statement to the grieving families during the 9-11 Commission hearings touched a raw nerve across America. Not only had our government failed to prevent the 2001 terrorist attacks, but it has proven itself, time and...

From the bestselling author of Flags of our Fathers, Flyboys, and The Imperial Cruise, a spellbinding history of turbulent U.S.-China relations from the 19th century to World War II and Mao's ascent. In each of his books, James Bradley has exposed the hidden truths behind America's engagement in...

A monumental, genre-defying novel that David Mitchell calls "Michel Faber’s second masterpiece," The Book of Strange New Things is a masterwork from a writer in full command of his many talents. It begins with Peter, a devoted man of faith, as he is called to the mission of a lifetime, one...

In this cinematic thriller from a New York Times bestselling author, two sisters must fight for their survival after a natural disaster in the Pacific Northwest. In the shadow of Mount Hood, sixteen-year-old Tennant is checking rabbit traps with her eight-year-old sister Sophie when the girls...

An ecological disaster of global proportions is sweeping the land, the result of failed government experimentation. What started out as an attempt to create a drought- resistant class of pollinator, has gone dreadfully wrong. Now worldwide extinction threatens all life forms. Dropped into this expanding devastation are two teens, orphaned when their scientist parents are kidnapped by the government. Desperate times call for desperate measures and topping the list is the need uncover the government’s sinister plot. It’s not what they think. The very world balances on an ever-deepening ...

From the Hugo award–winning author Naomi Kritzer comes a tense portrait of a future we desperately hope to escape. A Most Anticipated Book: Nerd Daily | Goodreads O Lord, deliver us. Doctor Liz has just been acquitted for performing the last abortion in North Dakota when she's kidnapped...

An indispensable guide to dealing with disasters from one of today’s foremost thinkers in crisis management, now updated with a new afterword. “In a world marred by preventable miscalculation, Juliette Kayyem’s The Devil Never Sleeps provides a playbook for making it out alive.” —The...

WITHIN 72 HOURS: Book Three - River of Fire The outbreak has spread beyond New York. The cities are burning. The government is running out of time. Across the United States, military commanders, scientists, politicians, and ordinary survivors struggle to hold together a nation that is unraveling by the hour. As millions flee west, the United States launches Operation Continental Shield, a massive military containment effort stretching across the heart of the country. Defensive lines are built, bridges are fortified, and entire regions are sacrificed to slow the spread. But the enemy is ...

When state metrology inspector Gavin Rourke is called to investigate a food-processing scale that refuses to behave, he expects a calibration problem. Instead, he finds something impossible. Sealed containers are getting heavier. The instruments are accurate. The measurements repeat. And when Gavin seals an empty vessel under controlled conditions, matter begins appearing inside it. What starts with fractions of a gram quickly becomes impossible to contain. Industrial tanks gain tons. Empty railcars carry loads no engineer accounted for. Laboratories around the world confirm the same ...