It happened in 1452. A colossal volcanic explosion broke one island into five; for five years its dust pall blanketed the globe. What happened on the spot is a staggering story handed down for almost 500 years. Tricked into an odious crime, a humble youth is punished and humiliated. Shamed, outraged, he vows revenge and obtains magic to destroy the island. Earthquakes begin and none can say if the cause is him, or the wrath of the ancestors for another reason. The catastrophe strikes before evacuation is complete. By astounding luck, two young people survive the stupendous blast. Rescued, they live through the severity of the aftermath. Wed, they begin restoring life on the remnant of their former home. Their lifelong struggle brings success marred by human frailty and the cataclysm leaves beliefs deeply shaken. Cataclysm is the Third in the SAGA OF PACIFIC ISLANDS series of novels. About the Author. Australian by birth, David Luders had been an agricultural consultant, twice Officer-in-Charge of Australian Antarctic stations and policy officer in Canberra before migrating to Vanuatu when it was still under joint British-French colonial rule. By the early '90s when he began research for his books, he had the confidence of the local people who revealed histories quite unsuspected by the wider world. Astounded by the rich lode uncovered, he published two papers on the subject in professional journals before embarking on this series of novels. Now a noted local historian, he lives not far from the capital and divides his time between farming, consulting and writing.