Rating: 
Summary: still a page-turner, but need some new action from mercer
Review: adventure is what makes you turn the pages in this type of series, and jack does spend a little too much time on mercer's love interest in this edition. kind of the 007/on her majesty's secret service ploy where the movie was more about his relationship than the action. however, jack does his homework on the technical stuff and incorporates it extremely well as he always does without being pompous. i also like the way he's toned down the language a bit in recent books. if you're new to the mercer series you might begin with his previous effort river of ruin. it's a great story and helps you get best acquainted with mercer. jack is beyond a promising author, and i'll pick the next mercer edition up the week it comes out. i'm just ready for 2 things - a) some new characters - who can't love harry, but the booz and smokes at tiny's is starting to get a little old; b) some more original plots that don't wax of cussler, reilly, or preston/child.
Rating:
Summary: still a page-turner, but need some new action from mercer
Review: adventure is what makes you turn the pages in this type of series, and jack does spend a little too much time on mercer's love interest in this edition. kind of the 007/on her majesty's secret servie ploy where the movie was more about his relationship than the action. however, jack does his homework on the technical stuff and incorporates it extremely well as he always does without being pompous. i also like the way he's toned down the language a bit in recent books. if you're new to the mercer series you might begin with his previous effort river of ruin. it's a great story and helps you get best acquainted with mercer. jack is beyond a promising author, and i'll pick the next mercer edition up the week it comes out. i'm just ready for 2 things - a) some new characters - who can't love harry, but the booz and smokes at tiny's is starting to get a little old; b) some more original plots that don't wax of cussler, reilly, or preston/child.
Rating: 
Summary: Du Brul does it AGAIN. Cussler has now slipped to #2...
Review: I don't CARE what ANYONE says, Du Brul is DA MAN! For years I spent a lot of time and wasted energy finding someone, anyone who could compete with Clive Cussler as far as sheer action and adventure was concerned, and after reading a great deal of pure drivel, I finally attempted Du Brul's first novel, 'Vulcan's Forge' and it was obvious from virtually the first page that I had finally found Cussler's heir apparent. Since Clive has been slipping in his writing over the past few years, Du Brul has managed to improve and thus, surpass the Grand Master of adventure fiction. I KNEW it was going to happen, I just thought it would take a bit longer. The latest result from this talented author is 'Deep Fire Rising'. What if a group of people could accurately predict major world catastrophe's well in advance of their happening? Would it be wise to share this knowledge with the world? If this ability was possible, countless lives could be spared if they were to know of impending disasters before they happened, right? Would anyone actually listen to the warnings? Maybe not at first, but eventually the world would figure out that the accuracy of these warnings were too correct to ignore...right? That is just part of the story that Du Brul has fashioned for us. Another thread has to do with our geologist-hero, Phillip Mercer and his special talent for being in the right place at the right time to help avert tremendous, sometimes world-altering events. Phillip is called to oversee an excavation underneath the highly classified Area 51 only to discover something under the earth that by all rights should NOT be there. The entire project is sabotaged by an amazing bad guy that Du Brul paints with a great deal of tongue-in-cheek humor, and forces us to look forward to the eventual confrontation with Mercer later on when he receives his due. After a very creative fire-fight at the incredible Luxor Hotel on the Vegas Strip (seriously, Kudos to Du Brul, this was one shoot-em-up I would LOVE to see on the big screen) Mercer finds himself inheriting the horrific news that a disaster is soon to happen -- one that will have global consequences if it cannot be stopped. The problem is that Phillip only knows SOME of the information, what he needs desperately is the exact date, and the only way to find this out is to penetrate a hidden complex deep in the mountains of Tibet. Along the way Mercer also finds some romance (I'd be disappointed if he hadn't...) and pulls off another last-minute nail-biter of a near-disaster. Let's face it: there was NEVER any doubt that the outcome would be a favorable one, but its the JOURNEY along the way that makes Du Brul's novels worthwhile. Some have loved this tale and some have been horribly upset with it, but I for one continue to hold Jack in the highest regard for his literary talent. Another Triumph for Mercer and Du Brul, and as far as I'm concerned, the reader as well. Simply FUN.
Rating:
Summary: Du Brul does it AGAIN. Cussler has now slipped to #2...
Review: I don't CARE what ANYONE says, Du Brul is DA MAN! For years I spent a lot of time and wasted energy finding someone, anyone who could compete with Clive Cussler as far as sheer action and adventure was concerned, and after reading a great deal of pure drivel, I finally attempted Du Brul's first novel, 'Vulcan's Forge' and it was obvious from virtually the first page that I had finally found Cussler's heir apparent. Since Clive has been slipping in his writing over the past few years, Du Brul has managed to improve and thus, surpass the Grand Master of adventure fiction. I KNEW it was going to happen, I just thought it would take a bit longer. The latest result from this talented author is 'Deep Fire Rising'. What if a group of people could accurately predict major world catastrophe's well in advance of their happening? Would it be wise to share this knowledge with the world? If this ability was possible, countless lives could be spared if they were to know of impending disasters before they happened, right? Would anyone actually listen to the warnings? Maybe not at first, but eventually the world would figure out that the accuracy of these warnings were too correct to ignore...right? That is just part of the story that Du Brul has fashioned for us. Another thread has to do with our geologist-hero, Phillip Mercer and his special talent for being in the right place at the right time to help avert tremendous, sometimes world-altering events. Phillip is called to oversee an excavation underneath the highly classified Area 51 only to discover something under the earth that by all rights should NOT be there. The entire project is sabotaged by an amazing bad guy that Du Brul paints with a great deal of tongue-in-cheek humor, and forces us to look forward to the eventual confrontation with Mercer later on when he receives his due. After a very creative fire-fight at the incredible Luxor Hotel on the Vegas Strip (seriously, Kudos to Du Brul, this was one shoot-em-up I would LOVE to see on the big screen) Mercer finds himself inheriting the horrific news that a disaster is soon to happen -- one that will have global consequences if it cannot be stopped. The problem is that Phillip only knows SOME of the information, what he needs desperately is the exact date, and the only way to find this out is to penetrate a hidden complex deep in the mountains of Tibet. Along the way Mercer also finds some romance (I'd be disappointed if he hadn't...) and pulls off another last-minute nail-biter of a near-disaster. Let's face it: there was NEVER any doubt that the outcome would be a favorable one, but its the JOURNEY along the way that makes Du Brul's novels worthwhile. Some have loved this tale and some have been horribly upset with it, but I for one continue to hold Jack in the highest regard for his literary talent. Another Triumph for Mercer and Du Brul, and as far as I'm concerned, the reader as well. Simply FUN.
Rating:
Summary: I Thank this is Jack's best yet
Review: I have been a fan of Jack since his first book. (I am also a Fan of Cussler's work) After six books I know more of who Mercer is. I feel I know what is going on in Mercer's mind (with Cussler's Dirk Pitt, I know what he has done but not who he is) This book shows another aspect of Mercer's life, what is going on in his heart. His knowledge of his craft is uncanny. I don't like comparing Dirk Pitt to Mercer. What they do is so similar. Pitt has so much reference material at hand. You don't find him seeking information on his own. He calls on others friendship to help. Mercer has done that in some of the earler books, but his knowledge has grown.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic story from a master of adventure
Review: I love all of the Mercer books. This one is no exception. I was hesitant to start it because there were several people that said they hated the ending. I thought the ending was near perfect. I'll be interested to see what changes are coming for Mercer. I am now eagerly awaiting the next installment which is supposedly due next year....seems like a LONG wait. But, if Du Brul's history holds, it will be well worth the wait.
Rating:
Summary: move over, James Bond
Review: I read this right after reading Dan Brown's DECEPTION POINT and, while it doesn't have the pure adrenaline rush of that novel, this is still one helluva thriller. The ingenious plot has an obscure order of monks who are able to predict when cataclysmic geological events will occur, only they are split between keeping it a secret and using it for their own gain. Geologist Philip Mercer finds himself caught in the middle, and soon finds himself racing against the clock to prevent a geological disaster that could cost the lives of tens of millions of people. Though an intriguing plotline is dropped early on, and there are questions as to how a certain device could have been invented and constructed, these are only minor complaints. In a thick book filled with cutting-edge science and jaw-dropping action scenes, my favorites have to be Mercer's underground discovery at Area 51 and a scene on a ferry halfway through the book. DuBrul is one more name to add to my must-read list.
Rating:
Summary: move over, James Bond
Review: I read this right after reading Dan Brown's DECEPTION POINT and, while it doesn't have the pure adrenaline rush of that novel, this is still one helluva thriller. The ingenious plot has an obscure order of monks who are able to predict when cataclysmic geological events will occur, only they are split between keeping it a secret and using it for their own gain. Geologist Philip Mercer finds himself caught in the middle, and soon finds himself racing against the clock to prevent a geological disaster that could cost the lives of tens of millions of people. Though an intriguing plotline is dropped early on, and there are questions as to how a certain device could have been invented and constructed, these are only minor complaints. In a thick book filled with cutting-edge science and jaw-dropping action scenes, my favorites have to be Mercer's underground discovery at Area 51 and a scene on a ferry halfway through the book. DuBrul is one more name to add to my must-read list.
Rating:
Summary: Has it All
Review: I've been a big fan of Jack's work since Vulcan's Forge and this story is no exception. I love the way he weaves lots of technical information into the story. The pace is good and I even liked the romantic twist he threw in this time. I am not much for romance in my reading but did not mind it in this case. I guess it ads depth to the character. A little romance never stopped me from reading Clive Cussler either! A great action/adventure story!
Rating: 
Summary: Bad History, Worse Grammar
Review: If this author was a product of the Westminster School and George Washington University, both institutions should pay him to quit saying so. He has a "newly installed wireless telegraph" on a mail steamer in 1883. That's 12 years before my World Almanac credits Marconi with the invention of radio!
DuBrul doesn't have a good handle on the objective case, one example being "For he and Alan". Another stunning sentence reads "Could all they have wanted was a giant hole and not the copper?" These examples of poor language skills may be due to sloppy editing, common in thrillers, but even if that's so, Onyx won't be selling me any more of duBrul's books!
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