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Summary: Bio-Terror in the Galapagos
Review: "Minutes to Burn" is a biological suspense story set in the not too far future, when ozone depletion has started to become critical, not only endangering life, but releasing tectonic upheavals that have started to spread chaos in equatorial America. The name comes from warning signs that appear in the exposed areas which inform people of the estimated time before exposure will cause serious sunburn. Throughout the book this is measured in short minutes, not in hours.When a Navy SEAL team is assigned to accompany Dr. Rex Williams to Sangre de Dios, in the Galapagos Islands, the task is considered a cakewalk. It is a simple matter of affixing six tectonic monitors and leaving. The small team is put together out of what's available. Derek Mitchell, recovering from the death of his child and the institutionalization of his wife is the Officer in Charge. Szabla is his fierce, determined second. Carmeron Kates, considering an abortion is brought in with her husband, Justin. Tucker, recovering from drug abuse, Tank, the demolitions man, and, finally, William Savage, a 50 year old ex-con and Viet Nam vet, round out the personnel. What the team doesn't know is that Sangre de Dios is in the middle of a biological crisis. The release of a DNA modifying virus has triggered the development of a nine foot tall praying mantis form that is viable and laying eggs. When the team has all its weaponry stolen in Ecuador, and they decide to proceed to the island anyway, they find themselves facing a deadly and efficient killer. In the ensuing action they quickly realize that something must be done to control the Mantid's hatchling larva as well. Back in the U.S. Dr. Samantha Everett, a viral specialist, analyzes water samples from Sangre de Dios and discovers the DNA changing virus. All involved realize that the virus must be cleared and the mantid carriers killed or Sangre de Dios must be completely destroyed. Hampered by internal dissent, the SEAL team is slow to mobilize its limited resources and the crisis worsens exponentially. A new mantid reaches adulthood and the only things left to eat on the island are the team members. I was amazed how believable this story is, especially considering it's somewhat outlandish plot. Hurwitz has taken the time to fill in all the interesting details of ozone depletion as well as biological and tectonic information. The science is fascinating. The team's military behavior is equally well drawn. Beyond this is the fine detailing of the many characters that play a part in the story. Action thrillers rarely have writing this strong. This may be the best of its kind this year. "Minutes to Burn" does present the conscientious reviewer with something of a dilemma. Most of the key plot elements are borrowed. The most blatant case, the idea of a monster created by a virus that modifies DNA, is a straight take from "The Relic." But stranded SEAL teams, ozone depletion, and earthquake scenarios are all commonplace as well, even giant mantids. Despite all that borrowing, Gregg Hurwitz has taken these ideas and created a novel that feels entirely original and is every bit as exciting as its predecessors. Perhaps more so. In the end I felt that I had no choice but to give it a well deserved full rating. Marc Ruby for The Mystery Reader
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Summary: A Terrifically Satisfying Meal!!!!
Review: A fascinating and thoroughly absorbing ecological thriller whose multiple strands of intriguing characters and creatures, environmental mutations, & catastrophic events, are woven together into a spine-tingling climax!
Set in Darwin's endlessly fascinating Galapagos Islands, evocatively and exquisitely described, blending well-researched fact with imaginative, often frightening science fiction, Gregg Andrew Hurwitz has created a cast of complex & unique characters. Their personalities, & interactions with each other & the evolving creatures, who are the product of the strange & bizarre environment, lure you within the first few pages & hold you captive & eager to ascertain the outcome of their fantastic adventures, in which a mutating virus wreaks havoc with an unsuspecting team of weaponless Navy Seals who have been sent to the islands, to escort a group of scientists, intent upon monitoring seismic eruptions, despite the recent disappearance of their colleagues from the islands.
Although dying to finish the tale before falling asleep, I feared that the terrifying nightmare described within would become my nightmare that very night. I reluctantly closed the book just a few pages from the end. Upon awakening, I immediately reached for the book, devoured the finale, and, like the evolved monster within, found myself fully & completely satisfied with my meal!
Masterfully told!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Well, it was OK
Review: Good book, I've read many of the end of the world type books. The best I've read is still Lucifer's Hammer and Footfall. This book kept my attention and I finished the book in only 4 days. It held my attention throughout. If you like Michael Criton, not sure if I spelled his name correct, lol, you will like this book. It reminds me a little of Jurasik Park so if you like that book you should like this book.
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Summary: If you liked Jurasik Park you will like this
Review: Good book, I've read many of the end of the world type books. The best I've read is still Lucifer's Hammer and Footfall. This book kept my attention and I finished the book in only 4 days. It held my attention throughout. If you like Michael Criton, not sure if I spelled his name correct, lol, you will like this book. It reminds me a little of Jurasik Park so if you like that book you should like this book.
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Summary: A Refined Second Effort
Review: Gregg Andrew Hurwitz's Minutes to Burn is a fantastic sophmore effort. From the first pages, he grabs you by the seat of the pants and takes you on a thrilling ride through the Galapagos Islands. With rounder and more complex characters than his debut effort The Tower, Minutes to Burn shows the maturing of a fantastic up and coming author. Each word hits like a body blow, leaving you gasping for air, but reaching to turn the next page. Set a few years in the future, on the archipelego that Darwin made famous, Minutes to Burn details a story of hunters becoming hunted. Evoking a terror similar to The Most Dangerous Game, a crew of Navy SEALS and scientists encounter Jurassic Park type monsters caused by a runaway virus. Stripped of weapons, the teams are left to fend for themselves. The suspenseful finish proves Darwin right; only the fittest survive. If you are a suspense/thriller fan, this is a book, and author, worth burning a few minutes on.
Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 star
Review: Gregg Andrew Hurwitz's second novel comes of with a bang.
The year is 2007. There is a huge hole in the ozone layer on the South American coast in the area of the Galapagos Islands. Because of this depletion the local governments have had to put up electronic billboards advising you of your "minutes to burn". In March of 2002, a 9.2 magnitude earthquake, dubbed the 'Initial Event', struck the region.
Dr. Rex Williams is the ecotectonist assigned to place 6 Gps units on a small island in the Galapagos called Sangre de Dios to study seismic events. Also along with Williams is a differing group of Navy Seals--one ex-Navy--assigned to protect him. When a genetically mutated creature is discovered on the island, all hell soon breaks loose.
Hurwitz has written an in-depth and highly researched scientific thriller that reminds me more of 'Predator' than anything else. The characters were described with a depth that made you feel you were there. Hurwitz also gives you a good idea of how fragile the ecology of these island are and how simple new species are introduced. I loved the science and I loved the action. Only rarely predictable. The Darwin virus described, with its massive range of DNA seems quite implausible. But is it truly?
Highly Recommended.
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Summary: Far Eclipses Crichton!
Review: Hurwitz does it once again, but this time he does it even better. After reading his brilliantly terrifying psychological serial-killler thriller, The Tower, I didn't know what to expect with his next book; but it's clear, he's the next Crichton. Hurwitz switches gears and takes us on a terrifying trip to the Galapagos, where scientists and Navy SEALs find themselves stranded on an island, fighting to survive an evolutionary nightmare. What unfolds will leave your heart racing until the book's breathtaking end. While the book's premise may seem unlikely, even far-fetched, Hurwitz clearly did his homework; he has such a firm grasp of so many fields of study--from entomology to virology to ecology to biology--he's able to create the illusion that such a scenario could possibly happen. Hurwitz more than delivers. His brilliant plotting and deft characterizations, not to mention the language he uses place him among the very best writers today. I can't wait to see what in the world he comes up with next.
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Summary: Satisfying but could have been better
Review: I read Hurwitz' first book, "The Tower" and was pleased. "Minutes to Burn", however leaves something to be desired. I found that the plot moved slowly in places, there was too much technical detail and the action really doesn't get started until the last third of the book. It is difficult to believe that a team of SEALS would go on a mission so ill prepared. The story also had threads of the "Aliens" plot woven into it; tough female character left to face an almost indestructable mutant monster after all of her companions are killed or incapacitated.
Overall I enjoyed the story, but it could have been much better.
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Summary: Is this gonna be a stand-up fight or 'nother bug hunt, sir?
Review: In the near future our dreadful mismanagement of the planet has led to grim consequences. The ozone layer is all but gone and people can only go outside if they have SPF 100 sunblock and UV-proof contact lenses. Earthquakes have now begun to shake the ground with alarming regularity and economic crises and war are rampant. In this grim future a very odd team of Navy SEALs has been ordered to escort a pair of scientists to a remote island to conduct tests and set up measuring instruments. The SEALs are sent because some of the villagers on the island have turned up dead or are missing. The locals are claiming that their animals and people have been the victims of... a monster! This then sets the stage for what becomes a story that reads of like a literary stew, borrowing themes from other stories we have all come to know like Hot Zone, Predator, Aliens and so on, with a pinch of Tom Clancy for seasoning. But, like most stews, it has a tendency to be somewhat bland. I wanted very much to like this book more than I did but it was tough at times. The book definitely has an eco-agenda; wagging its finger at us in stern warning of what will happen if we all don't stop mistreating Mother Earth. It is written well enough but not spectacularly so. I found the characters to be a bit thin in places and on the ragged edge of being too stereotypical. The plot was good -- if standard for this genre --and was presented in a way to be believable without relying on too many incredulous plot contrivances. The author knows his science well enough to make the technical and medical parts seem genuine. I wasn't impressed with his vision of our Navy SEALs in the future. The team seemed to be more like a chain gang than a group of highly trained Special Forces professionals; their bickering, backbiting and personal issues seemed overplayed at times. I also thought the book was about 100 pages too long. It started out fine but then it hit a flat spot in the middle that just kept going and going with nothing much happening other than speeches by the scientists about species protection and other eco-babble and the endless squabbling between the SEALs. Then it ramps up quickly, the body count rises and then it's over. This book tries to be good and succeeds here and there, but all in all it is not a book that I would read again.
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Summary: BUGS - I Hate Bugs!
Review: Interesting premise to say the least as far as storyline is concerned. As mentionned in some of the other reviews, it's hard to accept that a team of Navy Seals could be so completely innept...their weapons get stolen, their Zodiac gets destroyed, their boat floats away...etc. If I was that innept at my job, I would be OUT of a job! I did however enjoy the band of misfit characters, especially the crusty Savage. One thing I didn't enjoy was the author's tendency to use extreme violence for no other reason other than to shock the reader. The gratuitous abuse to animals in a few scenes did nothing to carry the story forward and was only there to make me flinch in disgust. A little long in the tooth on the technical side in some parts as mentionned by other reviewers but other than that, once you get into the action sequences, you're hooked.
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