I first learned
of Jack Du Brul as a co-author with Clive Cussler, and he’s written a number of
books on his own with Philip Mercer as his Dirk Pitt-like protagonist. The Lightning Stones is his latest
grand adventure in true Cussler style. The mystery begins back in 1937 with the
disappearance of Emilia Earhart, the cause of which was attributed to a
mysterious cargo she took on board on the leg before her airplane disappeared.
Fast forward to the present time when Mercer, a geologist by training and a man
with many other skills, goes to visit an old mentor, Abe Jacobs, in a deep mine
in Minnesota. However, he finds that Jacob has just been killed and the chase
is on, but Mercer fails in his initial pursuit to grab the killers. You can
already see the connection, a senior geologist, the mysterious cargo, and the
title of the book. Mercer is surrounded by the usual cast of characters,
including his special forces pal Sykes, and Du Brul introduces some great new
bad guys. The book is fast-paced and mostly believable, although some of the
science that Du Brul uses to explain the plot is a bit suspect. This one would
entertain you on a cross-country flight, so I would put it in my category of
airplane books, not great literature, but definitely a fun fantasy. Many thanks to John Pitts at Doubleday for sending this book my way.
Showing posts with label Jack Du Brul. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jack Du Brul. Show all posts
Sunday, August 23, 2015
The Lightning Stones
I first learned
of Jack Du Brul as a co-author with Clive Cussler, and he’s written a number of
books on his own with Philip Mercer as his Dirk Pitt-like protagonist. The Lightning Stones is his latest
grand adventure in true Cussler style. The mystery begins back in 1937 with the
disappearance of Emilia Earhart, the cause of which was attributed to a
mysterious cargo she took on board on the leg before her airplane disappeared.
Fast forward to the present time when Mercer, a geologist by training and a man
with many other skills, goes to visit an old mentor, Abe Jacobs, in a deep mine
in Minnesota. However, he finds that Jacob has just been killed and the chase
is on, but Mercer fails in his initial pursuit to grab the killers. You can
already see the connection, a senior geologist, the mysterious cargo, and the
title of the book. Mercer is surrounded by the usual cast of characters,
including his special forces pal Sykes, and Du Brul introduces some great new
bad guys. The book is fast-paced and mostly believable, although some of the
science that Du Brul uses to explain the plot is a bit suspect. This one would
entertain you on a cross-country flight, so I would put it in my category of
airplane books, not great literature, but definitely a fun fantasy. Many thanks to John Pitts at Doubleday for sending this book my way.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
The Silent Sea by Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul
This is formulaic Cussler, and a good airplane book, an entertaining fast read, but also not one you need to run out and purchase. The primary plot is feasible, and starts with a historical context. It was Gavin Menzies book entitled 1421 that set forth the hypothesis that the Chinese explored the world 70 years before Columbus set sail, and if you haven't read that one, I would recommend it. The trail involves information about an ancient Chinese junk which was lost in the "land of ice." Cussler simultaneously develops a story that takes place in modern day Argentina, recently under a new dictatorship which forms an alliance with China to extract oil from the Antarctic. To be the heroes and to carry out the action, we have the hero Juan Cabrillo and his best friend Max Hanley, as well as all of the other usual post Dirk Pitt heroes. Ultimately, I'm glad that I did not spend more than one day on this one.
West Coast Don
West Coast Don
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