The Man Who Caught the Storm

By: Brantley Hargrove

Narrated by: Jacques Roy

A tale of obsession and daring. A contest between humankind and nature’s fiercest phenomenon. The saga of the greatest storm chaser who ever lived.

At the turn of the 21st century, the tornado was one of the last true mysteries of the modern world. It was a monster that ravaged the American heartland a thousand times each year, yet science’s every effort to divine its inner workings had ended in failure. Researchers all but gave up, until the arrival of an outsider.

In a field of PhDs, Tim Samaras didn’t attend a day of college in his life. He chased storms with brilliant tools of his own invention and pushed closer to the tornado than anyone else ever dared. When he achieved what meteorologists had deemed impossible, it was as if he had snatched the fire of the gods. Yet even as he transformed the field, Samaras kept on pushing. As his ambitions grew, so did the risks. And when he finally met his match - in a face-off against the largest tornado ever recorded - it upended everything he thought he knew.

Brantley Hargrove delivers a masterful tale, chronicling the life of Tim Samaras in all its triumph and tragedy. He takes readers inside the thrill of the chase, the captivating science of tornadoes, and the remarkable character of a man who walked the line between life and death in pursuit of knowledge. Following the tradition of Into Thin Air and The Perfect Storm, Hargrove’s debut offers an unforgettable exploration of obsession and the extremes of the natural world.

©2018 Brantley Hargrove (P)2018 Simon & Schuster

excellent for weather enthusiasts!

listened to this on a cross country road trip, with a stop at el reno ok. the descriptions in the book put you right underneath the storms, nearly making you glance in the rearview, expecting a mesocyclone to swallow you up in rain curtains. you can also visualize tim, his life and incredible work, and devastating loss to the weather community. hes an ultimate expression of a self made man, passionate and steadfast.

Recommended Read

Although the author never met Tim Samaras, he paints a wonderful portrait of the man - his genius, obsessions, strengths, and flaws. For that matter, every "character" in the book is portrayed sympathetically with their own strengths and weaknesses. The science of meteorology is intense, but as a reader, you never feel intimidated by the science. It's a short book and definitely worth the time. Bonus - I was surprised to find mention of the tornados that threatened my hometown in the book and its importance in the research. I well remember the day the storm chasers descended about 1 pm on our town. You knew just by looking at the crowd it was going to be a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day.

This Story about Tim was so captivating.

I could hardly stop listening. Very immersive, especially during the chases. Tim was a great man. Very sorry for everyone who lost their lives, doing what they loved. This is a must read.

Very insightful

This was an amazing story that delves beyond the curtains of Tim’s chasing career, I highly recommend.

An Amazing Man, An Amazing Book!

I had not looked for this book until I had watched all five seasons of Storm Chasers. This made each person mentioned in the book more understandable.
Seeing Tim back off from storms for the safety of Paul, Carl , the costly high tech instruments on his truck, made me wonder why .....

This is an excellent book that depicted the life & love of the storm that Tim had.
How truly intelligent Tim was without any college degrees.
Listening to how Tim's Dad would find electronics for Tim to take apart at a very young age.
This is one of Audible books that I will listen to many times over.

Close To The Heart

Being a storm chaser myself this book is special to me. Tim Samaras was a blessing to this world and NOTHING will ever replace his legacy.

Storm Chasing the unknown

we don't know a lot about the weather on the planet, and sometimes to get that info, risks are taken.

The narrator seems a bit soft-spoken.

Fascinating Man, Well Told Story

I was captivated with every chapter of this book. I was shocked at how recent these large breakthroughs in tornado science happened. Amazing book with incredible detail.

A tale of pushing luck too far....

Extensively researched, well written tale of a storm chaser who pushed his luck a little too far and paid the ultimate price. I couldn't stop listening.

Amazing!

I absolutely loved the writing and to dive into Tim's life and his journey was such a rewarding listen. Legend.