Polar Shift: A Kurt Austin Adventure (NUMA Files Series #6)

by Clive Cussler, Paul Kemprecos

Overview

NUMA operative Kurt Austin takes on a madman fronting as an evironmentalist in this #1 New York Times-bestselling series.

Sixty years ago, an eccentric Hungarian genius discovered how to artificially trigger such a shift in the polar ice caps, which could cause massive eruptions, earthquaks, and even climate changes. But then his work disappeared, or so it was thought. Now, the charismatic leader of an antiglobalization group plans to use it to give the world’s industrialized nations a small jolt, before reversing the shift back again. The only problem is, it cannot be reversed. Once it starts, there is nothing anyone can do.

Austin, Zavala, and the rest of the NUMA Special Assignments Team must make strange alliances to protect this technology from being exploited by their new and power-hungry nemesis before the entire planet is made to pay.

Rich with all the hair-raising action and endless imagination that have become Cussler’s hallmarks, Polar Shift is a wonderful thriller—indeed, “vintage Cussler.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780425210482
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/05/2007
Series:	NUMA Files Series , #6
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	528
Product dimensions:	4.34(w) x 7.42(h) x 1.09(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Clive Cussler is the author or coauthor of over fifty previous books in five bestselling series, including Dirk Pitt®, NUMA® Files, Oregon® Files, Isaac Bell, and Sam and Remi Fargo. His nonfiction works include Built for Adventure: The Classic Automobiles of Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt, and Built to Thrill:More Classic Automobiles from Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt, plus The Sea Hunters and The Sea Hunters II; these describe the true adventures of the real NUMA, which, led by Cussler, searches for lost ships of historic significance. With his crew of volunteers, Cussler has discovered more than sixty ships, including the long-lost Confederate ship Hunley. He lives in Colorado and Arizona. 

Paul Kemprecos has coauthored all five previous NUMA Files novels with Cussler and is a Shamus Award-winning author of six underwater detective thrillers.

Hometown:

Phoenix, Arizona

Date of Birth:

July 15, 1931

Place of Birth:

Aurora, Illinois

Education:

Pasadena City College; Ph.D., Maritime College, State University of New York, 1997

Editorial Reviews

A brilliant but slightly dotty Hungarian once discovered how to effect a polar shift, which has the potential to disrupt the planet (think earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, not to mention the possibility that all life will be wiped out). Now, in his sixth NUMAR outing, Kurt Austin must go after an antiglobalization group that has uncovered the Hungarian's work and intends to use it. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

When the earth's poles are apart, everyone's comfy. Shift them a bit, you get headaches. Shift them a lot, you're in for cataclysm. And, believe it or not, there are malevolent geniuses out there prepared to shift an electromagnetic storm in the name of unspeakable ambitions. Precisely what these are, the authors don't make as clear as they perhaps should, but then they do have their priorities. What matters most to Cussler/Kemprecos is the big bang, the monstrous cause-and-effect. Cause: a man-made major shift in the magnetic poles. Effect: a geological movement that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. Next to this kind of planet-bashing, H.G. Wells is Mickey Mouse. So send in the super-heroes, namely ex-CIA guy Kurt Austin (Lost City, 2004, etc.), he of the "rugged, sun-burnished features" and "piercing light blue eyes the color of coral under water" (not to mention a nerd's brain and a jock's reflexes). "Just a simple marine engineer" is how he likes to describe himself, fooling no one who's ever gone up against the National Underwater Marine Agency (NUMA), for which he directs the storied Special Assignment Team. It's while kayaking among a pod of orca whales that Kurt first gets a whiff of connivance and conspiracy. The whales behave in a manner stunningly unlike themselves, and Kurt narrowly escapes with burnished features intact as playful orcas morph into sharp-toothed killers. Until Kurt and the gang find the cause-and foil the foul fiend behind it-the world as we know it will teeter on the brink of extinction. Glacial pace, paper-thin characters, slap-dash prose and a probable warm welcome from a large and loyal audience.

Kirkus Reviews

Kurt Austin and colleague Joe Zavala investigate rogue waves, giant whirlpools, and crazed Orcas, ocean phenomena that are suddenly taking place all over the world. Several factions of villains are planning to trigger a polar shift. Scott Brick is a terrific reader who employs convincing accents for Austrians like Karl Schroeder and the other multinationals on NUMA’s team. He masterfully uses a variety of speech patterns and delivers strong dialogue in a rich baritone, booming sometimes and pulling back when needed. Brick’s presentation lends drama and reality to this wildly improbable plot. Action-packed and explosively tense, the novel, with its rich cast of characters, creates a compelling listening adventure. S.C.A. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

DEC 05/JAN 06 - AudioFile