Product Description

Geologist-adventurer Philip Mercer finds himself drilling straight into the epicenter of an age-old conspiracy when a reclusive order of Himalayan monks predicts the end of the world-and sets a thermonuclear bomb in an underwater volcano to ensure that it comes to pass...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #149103 in Books
• Published on: 2003-12-02
• Released on: 2003-12-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 496 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780451411181
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Combining his extensive knowledge of geology, mining and technology with relentless action sequences and exotic locales, Du Brul's latest (after River of Ruin) is 496 pages of nonstop, over-the-top adventure. Protagonist Dr. Philip Mercer, a wealthy geologist, "sometime" consultant and field agent for the times "when the worlds of science and terror collide," is charged with overseeing the installation of a temporary nuclear waste holding tank at Nevada's infamous Area 51. But after Mercer is nearly killed by assassins while on a Vegas furlough and then inexplicably saved by the stunningly beautiful Tisa Nguyen, he learns of a secret group called the Order. Headquartered in a Tibetan monastery, the Order can supposedly predict disastrous world events using an ancient machine, but a faction of the Order with sinister plans for world domination now jeopardizes the planet's survival. As Mercer barely escapes each near-death situation, well-drawn secondary characters-like his one-legged, hard-drinking 80-year-old best friend, Harry-help ground this adrenaline-drenched tale. Though not as suave as James Bond or as scrappy as Indiana Jones, smart, resilient Mercer is a savvy adventure hero for the new millennium.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
The finest adventure writer on the scene today. -- Clive Cussler

Review
The finest adventure writer on the scene today. (Clive Cussler)

Customer Reviews

move over, James Bond
I read this right after reading Dan Brown's DECEPTION POINT and, while it doesn't have the pure adrenaline rush of that novel, this is still one helluva thriller. The ingenious plot has an obscure order of monks who are able to predict when cataclysmic geological events will occur, only they are split between keeping it a secret and using it for their own gain. Geologist Philip Mercer finds himself caught in the middle, and soon finds himself racing against the clock to prevent a geological disaster that could cost the lives of tens of millions of people. Though an intriguing plotline is dropped early on, and there are questions as to how a certain device could have been invented and constructed, these are only minor complaints. In a thick book filled with cutting-edge science and jaw-dropping action scenes, my favorites have to be Mercer's underground discovery at Area 51 and a scene on a ferry halfway through the book. DuBrul is one more name to add to my must-read list.

Du Brul does it AGAIN. Cussler has now slipped to #2...
I don't CARE what ANYONE says, Du Brul is DA MAN! For years I spent a lot of time and wasted energy finding someone, anyone who could compete with Clive Cussler as far as sheer action and adventure was concerned, and after reading a great deal of pure drivel, I finally attempted Du Brul's first novel, 'Vulcan's Forge' and it was obvious from virtually the first page that I had finally found Cussler's heir apparent. Since Clive has been slipping in his writing over the past few years, Du Brul has managed to improve and thus, surpass the Grand Master of adventure fiction. I KNEW it was going to happen, I just thought it would take a bit longer. The latest result from this talented author is 'Deep Fire Rising'.

What if a group of people could accurately predict major world catastrophe's well in advance of their happening? Would it be wise to share this knowledge with the world? If this ability was possible, countless lives could be spared if they were to know of impending disasters before they happened, right? Would anyone actually listen to the warnings? Maybe not at first, but eventually the world would figure out that the accuracy of these warnings were too correct to ignore...right? That is just part of the story that Du Brul has fashioned for us. Another thread has to do with our geologist-hero, Phillip Mercer and his special talent for being in the right place at the right time to help avert tremendous, sometimes world-altering events. Phillip is called to oversee an excavation underneath the highly classified Area 51 only to discover something under the earth that by all rights should NOT be there. The entire project is sabotaged by an amazing bad guy that Du Brul paints with a great deal of tongue-in-cheek humor, and forces us to look forward to the eventual confrontation with Mercer later on when he receives his due. After a very creative fire-fight at the incredible Luxor Hotel on the Vegas Strip (seriously, Kudos to Du Brul, this was one shoot-em-up I would LOVE to see on the big screen) Mercer finds himself inheriting the horrific news that a disaster is soon to happen -- one that will have global consequences if it cannot be stopped. The problem is that Phillip only knows SOME of the information, what he needs desperately is the exact date, and the only way to find this out is to penetrate a hidden complex deep in the mountains of Tibet. Along the way Mercer also finds some romance (I'd be disappointed if he hadn't...) and pulls off another last-minute nail-biter of a near-disaster. Let's face it: there was NEVER any doubt that the outcome would be a favorable one, but its the JOURNEY along the way that makes Du Brul's novels worthwhile. Some have loved this tale and some have been horribly upset with it, but I for one continue to hold Jack in the highest regard for his literary talent. Another Triumph for Mercer and Du Brul, and as far as I'm concerned, the reader as well. Simply FUN.

I Thank this is Jack's best yet
I have been a fan of Jack since his first book. (I am also a Fan of Cussler's work) After six books I know more of who Mercer is. I feel I know what is going on in Mercer's mind (with Cussler's Dirk Pitt, I know what he has done but not who he is) This book shows another aspect of Mercer's life, what is going on in his heart. His knowledge of his craft is uncanny. I don't like comparing Dirk Pitt to Mercer. What they do is so similar. Pitt has so much reference material at hand. You don't find him seeking information on his own. He calls on others friendship to help. Mercer has done that in some of the earler books, but his knowledge has grown.