Minutes to Burn

July 2, 2001
It is the year 2007, earthquakes rattle the globe, the ozone layer is shot and evolution kicks into overdrive in this gripping action-movie-in-waiting. Hurwitz has engineered a deft recombinant blend of a thriller, tossing in lots of scientific speculation à la Crichton in Jurassic Park
mode, a ragtag Navy SEAL crew reminiscent of the Aliens
heroes, some Predator
and a dash of Rambo. In his jam-packed tale, a rogue virus appears on one of the Galápagos islands, and soon the remote archipelago is populated by nine-foot-tall man-eating monsters. Unaware of the infestation, scientists are sent from the U.S. to set up seismic sensors, and a team of seven Navy SEALs are assigned to escort them. Team members include husband-and-wife Justin and Cameron, who is not quite showing her pregnancy; squad leader Derek, having problems with concentration, much less command; and the gigantic Tank, among others. Most enjoyable is the 50ish knife-wielding Nam vet, Savage, who practically steals the book. Stranded on the island without guns after a series of screwups, the team is sucked into a nightmarish chase, turned from hunters to hunted and back again. Hurwitz's first novel, The Tower, was labeled a satire of serial killer novels by some reviewers. This page-turner keeps a satiric edge, too, while Hurwitz proves he is perfectly at home with toothy creatures on the rampage and a thrilling array of other soon-to-be FX. Author appearances in Los Angeles.