Good fiction/novels about storm chasing?

[Elaine Spencer]

We've discussed bad movies about storm chasing before... now I'd like to know what, if any, good fiction (novels) has been published about storm chasing or tornadoes in general.

I've been kicking around the idea of trying to write a novel in which one or more of the characters are storm chasers or aspiring storm chasers, or in which one or more characters are tornado survivors, but since I'm not actually a chaser myself, I worry about getting stuff "wrong" or creating unrealistic characters that you all would laugh out loud at if you read

So can anyone recommend a good work of fiction that depicts storm chasing in a believable fashion, or that includes a major tornado either as a central plot element or a subplot?

 

[Robert Forry]

I thought Jenna Blum's book "The Storm Chasers" was an OK read, and NY Times bestseller..

 

[Jonathan Beeson]

"What Stands In A Storm" by Kim Cross is a good novel about the April 2011 Super Outbreak.

 

[rdale]

rolltide - it's not fiction, it's real. Very real

 

[Elaine Spencer]

Speaking of non-fiction, is there a good or at least decent biography of Ted Fujita out there? Seems to me he would make a great subject, given his life story (narrowly missing the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings), his role in severe storms meteorology and the fact that his research into downbursts and their effect on aviation saved, probably, thousands of lives in the past 30 years or so.

 

[Todd Lemery]

Elaine, why would you read a fictional account in order to write an accurate fictional account? Why not just stick to reading non fiction writing so you have a better idea of what would be accurate? I'd also recommend watching storm chasing videos on you tube. If you watch the long videos that show you how the day unwraps, you'll get a better idea what a day chasing is like. Avoid any video shorter than a 1/2 hour because watching a highlight clip will give you a false sense of what a chase day is like.

 

[rdale]

I do have his biography - I'll dig for a link to it online.

 

[Elaine Spencer]

why would you read a fictional account in order to write an accurate fictional account?

In order to get a feel for things like character development, plot, dialogue, and writing style that are essential to writing fiction. That's why I asked if anyone could recommend a good NOVEL about storm chasing that not only gets the facts right but also is a "good read."

 

[Shawn Schuman]

Is there interest in this sort of thing? I write accounts of historical tornadoes on my blog, and for a while now I've been contemplating the idea of writing a short story/fictionalized account from the perspective of one or more survivors (one of them possibly being a storm chaser), based on a real event. I haven't done so yet since not many people read the historical accounts, so I figured the fictionalized ones wouldn't be much more popular. I do think it's a very intriguing idea though, and it's the sort of setting/plot device that could make for an extremely compelling read.

As for your actual question, sorry, I don't really have any recommendations. I've tried to read a few books of this type, but I've yet to come across one that's really worth reading. As for a Fujita biography, I believe there are a few out there, and there's a shorter sketch of him in Lee Sandlin's Storm Kings, which is a good read anyway.

 

[Bill Hark]

I really like the Storm Seekers trilogy by journalist, author and storm chaser Chris Kridler. These books offer a fun and exciting combination of adventure and romance while out on the road chasing storms. Her characters are likable, sometimes flawed but always interesting and she gives a very accurate view of life on the road. I highly recommend them.

http://www.chriskridler.com/books/

I also really enjoyed Jenna Blum's The Stormchasers, another very accurate book about storm chasers. This novel is some what more somber and also deals with the effects of bipolar disorder on families.

http://www.amazon.com/Stormchasers-.../ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=

You can't go wrong with any of these choices. They are different in style and I would suggest reading both authors.

Bill Hark