Everything In Its Path

A Novel About The Saint Francis Dam Disaster

By: Steve Alcorn

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Just before midnight on March 12, 1928, the recently completed St. Francis Dam collapsed, releasing a 160-foot wall of water into the canyon below. Massive chunks of concrete, some weighing thousands of tons, were hurled more than half a mile downstream. Within hours, the flood had carved a 50-mile path of destruction to the Pacific Ocean, leaving over 500 people dead or missing. It remains the deadliest civil engineering disaster of twentieth-century America.

Everything In Its Path tells the story of sixteen-year-old Kate Thompson, whose father and his assistant Andrew are excavating a Chumash Indian site in the canyon. As the dig unfolds, they uncover ancient remains buried beneath an unexplained layer of silt. While Kate and Andrew grow closer, Kate begins to suspect that history is repeating itself—and that the dam looming above their camp is beginning to leak.

Interwoven with Kate’s story is that of Singing Bird, a young Chumash woman in 1540 AD, who is plagued by prophetic dreams of a devastating flood. Her warnings are dismissed by the village leader, Lone Wolf, who threatens her into silence. As the sky darkens, Singing Bird must choose whether to risk everything to save her people—or be silenced forever.

Across centuries, the lives of two brave girls converge in a race against time, culminating in a discovery that bridges past and present—and a desperate struggle to save those they love from a force that will destroy everything in its path.

Spanning four centuries, Everything In Its Path weaves together two parallel stories of disaster, survival, and the courage to trust what others refuse to see. Based on the true story of America's worst civil engineering disaster of the twentieth century, this dual-timeline historical novel explores how the past echoes through time and how one young woman's vision can save lives across the ages.

Perfect for readers of historical fiction who appreciate meticulously researched stories with strong female protagonists, archaeological mysteries, and the intersection of indigenous and settler histories.

★ Historical fiction based on true events
★ Dual timeline: 1928 California & 1540 Chumash culture
★ 500+ lives lost in the St. Francis Dam disaster
★ Archaeological mystery meets survival story

Steve Alcorn is a USA Today bestselling author, engineer, and educator. In 1986 he founded Alcorn McBride, the leading maker of technology for theme park attractions worldwide. In 2001 he founded Writing Academy, where for more than 25 years he has helped over 100,000 students structure their novels — both through his own courses and through the online programs of more than 1,500 colleges and universities. He is the author of 27 books spanning fiction, nonfiction, and writing craft, and he narrates many of his own audiobooks.