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. Not random. Not geological. Engineered. Something ancient is awake beneath California. Something intelligent. And it’s building toward a catastrophic event powerful enough to destroy the entire West Coast. As the tremors escalate, the government prepares...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

The rise of the new far right has left the world grappling with a profound misunderstanding. While the spotlight often shines on the actions of charismatic leaders, the true peril lies elsewhere. Defeating these people will not stem the tide driving them forward. They are merely the embodiment of profound forces that are rarely understood. Propelled through the vast networks of social media and fueled by far-right influencers, enthralled by images of disaster and fantasies of doom, they have emerged from a reservoir of societal despair, fear, and isolation.

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...

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...

""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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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, ...

"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...

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK The dramatic story of the Flint water crisis, by a relentless physician who stood up to power. “Stirring . . . [a] blueprint for all those who believe . . . that ‘the world . . . should be full of people raising their voices.’”—The New York Times...

On January 12, 2010, the deadliest earthquake in the history of the Western Hemisphere struck the nation least prepared to handle one. Jonathan M. Katz, the only full-time American news correspondent in Haiti, was inside his house when it buckled along with hundreds of thousands of others. In this visceral first-hand account, Katz takes readers inside the terror of that day, the devastation visited on ordinary Haitians, and through the monumental--yet misbegotten--rescue effort that followed.

Nick Wallis, an acclaimed freelance journalist and broadcaster, has been following the story since 2010 when he met a taxi driver who told him his pregnant wife had been sent to prison for a crime she did not commit. Since then, he has recorded interviews with dozens of victims, insiders and experts, uncovering hundreds of documents to build up an unparalleled understanding of the story. Using these sources, he has been instrumental in bringing the scandal into the public eye.

Narrated by the author: Experience the Southern California wildfires through Jacob Soboroff’s eyes—and voice. New York Times Bestseller and #1 Los Angeles Times Bestseller A "gripping, unshakeable firsthand account" (San Francisco Chronicle) of the firestorm that consumed Los Angeles, from...

Spire Action-Thriller Book Set - With 130 Five Star reviews between them, CATACLYSM of the ANCIENTS, CRYPTO and THE GALILEO PROJECT are now in one great BOX SET. Normally $16...now only $8.99, a saving of $7! CATACLYSM of the ANCIENTS 226 BC: Fall of the Colossus of Rhodes... The mighty statue of the Greek Titan, Helios, stood proudly in the port of the ancient city of Rhodes, Greece. Built to celebrate Rhodes' victory over the ruler of Cyprus in 305 B.C., it is one of the tallest statues of the ancient world, until it is destroyed after only 56 years. Legend suggests the Colossus was ...