September 1, 2005
This is Cussler's and Kemprecos' sixth novel starring Kurt Austin and his NUMA Files National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) Files Special Assignments Team. This one concerns a polar shift, a phenomenon that can trigger huge eruptions, earthquakes, and climate changes. Sixty years ago, a Hungarian scientist discovered how to artificially set off such a shift, and now an antiglobalization group plans to strike the world's industrialized countries. The water in the world's oceans and lakes will be jerked in a different direction, pounding the coastline, causing massive floods. All electrical devices will fail, and there will be hurricanes and tornadoes of unheard-of force. Radiation sickness from solar rays penetrating the earth's magnetic field will kill millions. The earth's crust will break open, causing volcanic eruptions and lava flows. But fear not; Austin and his cohorts are coming to the rescue. The plot is inconceivable, but Cussler's loyal fans won't care.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)