Medusa

Ordered the book on Thursday and it was delivered to my door on Saturday morning. Great service considering it was Christmas time. Thanks. Also, a great savings off the cover price.

Substitute the original "Dirk and Al" for the present "Kurt and Joe" and you have a classic Dirk Pitt novel. Even though the basic plot is somewhat predictable, the characters and story are still captivating and enjoyable to read. The use of mostly existing technology keeps the action from going so far as to become just a fantasy.

In 1848, 18-year-old Caleb Nye lands himself a spot in seafaring history in his adventure on a Pacific whaling vessel, the Princess. On his first voyage, the Massachusetts farm boy rows toward a gigantic whale in the lead harpoon boat. The excursion has been fruitless, with seamen discouraged, fearful they will return from the sea with no whale oil. Luck changes but with great peril to the crew. The angry whale turns to attack, reeling from the first harpoons that sting its hide. Finally, the harpooner plunges a pointed lance deep into its flesh, killing the raging beast. Before succumbing, it clenches the boat in its massive jaws. Frantic, seamen race to right the boat. In a sea of blood, the whale thrashes and finally dies. But Nye is missing, presumed thrown overboard. When the whale is cut open, movement from its stomach pouch causes alarm. A human leg flops through the opening; Caleb has been swallowed by the whale. Still alive, he is nursed to recovery. But his wizened, bleached skin marks him an oddity for the rest of his life. He remains on the ship when the entire crew takes shore leave on Pohnpei, a lush island paradise, while goods are restocked. Everyone, including Captain Dobbs, sickens with a deadly plague. Soon, nearly beached on a hostile island, Caleb's ghostly appearance frightens the natives into providing liquid from wooden buckets that emit a blue luminescence. The next morning, rashes disappear, fevers and delirium break, and the sick men recover. Years later, on his deathbed, Captain Dobbs gives Caleb the logbook from that fateful voyage. Readers must heed the story in the above described prologue to appreciate the maritime adventures of today, told in chapters one and beyond. A novel from the NUMA Files, Clive Cussler and Paul Kemprecos has written a page-turner that cannot be laid aside easily. For the government-run NUMA (National Underwater and Marine Agency), Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala conduct special assignments, this time in waters of Micronesia. The Bathysphere 3 expedition will submerge a diving bell to the ocean floor. Austin and biomedical researcher Dr. Max Kane will ride the bell to photograph the habits and habitat of rare jellyfish known as Blue Medusa. Dr. Kane's project, off the coast of Bermuda, has been to synthesize a vaccine for protection against a lethal newly discovered virus. The mysterious Blue Medusa holds the secret to the cure, but extensive work has yet to produce a viable vaccine. At present, China experiences an outbreak of the virus that threatens to ravage the entire country. The disease possibly will wreak more devastation than the pandemic of 1918. Dr. Kane's excursion with Austin into Neptune's underworld brings him away from his underwater lab off Bermuda. But his team works feverishly toward their goal in his absence. Dr. Song Lee, a brilliant Harvard-educated Chinese immunologist, joins in their effort. Underwater adventure engulfs the NUMA team along with Kane's group when rene

Medusa: A Novel from the NUMA FilesExcellent book. I enjoyed it and look forward to each new book by Cussler. I would recommend this book to everyone.

CLIVE HAS DONE IT AGAIN. IT'S A ROLLER COASTER THAT I READ IN 2 DAYS!!!!