I had the pleasure of enjoying this book while on a long, bumpy ride through the broken roads of Laos this week, and I don’t think I could have asked for better company. Like most Cussler novels, this fifth book in the Oregon Files series involves a corrupt family bent on destroying the world in their devious way. Unlike most Cussler novels, however, this book threads the plot lines of multiple characters aboard The Oregon in a way that makes every man and woman an important piece of the puzzle, leaving the main protagonist, Juan Cabrillo, almost a mere side-show.

Beginning with Max Hanley, the President of the Corporation discovers that his son had been either kidnapped or brainwashed by a cult known as The Responsivists, a group who believes the words of their founder, “we’re breeding ourselves to death.” The evil heads of the group hope to curb the world’s population growth by forcibly sterilizing half its population through the release of a virus first found aboard an ancient ship not unlike Noah’s Ark, and then experimented with by the Japanese in one of their many death camps. Max tries to retrieve his son alone, but Cabrillo and the crew of The Oregon will have none of it.

We learn more about Kevin Nixon, the Magic Shop specialist and former Hollywood stuntman who became disenchanted by the celebrity scene after his sister died in a 9-11 airplane. Once he heard people blaming America for the terrorist attacks, he took it personally, as if his sister was as much to blame as the devils wielding the box cutters. The hypocrisy of America’s mentality finally made itself known, causing him to dedicate his life to the CIA and to the endless battle against the world’s true monsters.

We also get to see the kung-fu prowess of Eddie Seng, the former undercover operative in China as he jumps off the balcony of 6th floor hotel room and monkey-climbs down to the sidewalk safe and sound. The images that the authors’ words convey leave a lasting impression on my mind.

Mark Murphy and Linda Ross also risk their lives aboard a contaminated cruise liner as they attempt to uncover the method of the virus’s release, and Eric Stone helps break the world record for flight altitude as he attempts to hack into a weaponized Russian satellite. All characters are present and accounted for in this fantastic tale, and so I’ll rank it up there with the Golden Buddha (2003)as perhaps the best in the series (so far). Next in the series is Corsair (2009), but next for me to read and review is The Silent Sea (2010).

©2018 E.T.

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