Rating: 
Summary: Dirk Pitt--move over, Mercer HAS arrived!
Review: My first 5 star review for Mr. Du Brul, and well deserved. I picked this up at the Orlando airport, disappointed that I couldn't find another book I had been looking for, but desperate to be able to spend my time on the plane reading SOMETHING, I grabbed 'The Medusa Stone' and began an incredible adventure that began thousands of years ago. I'd tell you WHAT they are looking for, but finding out is actually a very tantalizing adventure worthy of anything Clive Cussler has come up with or even Tom Clancy, for that matter. Mercer's drinking pal is abducted--but not by who you might think--and actually when you DO find out it sorta takes you by surprise--but that's by NO MEANS the ONLY surprise you run into inside the pages of this adventure masterpiece. Mercer is asked to help out a tiny little country in Africa in finding a diamond mine that could rival anything in South Africa, and in so doing help to bring Eretria out of the dark ages--literally. Phil is then linked up with a mysterious woman who may or may not be on his side, trust me it takes a while to figure that one out. All the while a mafia Don believes that the diamonds--should there actually BE any are HIS. Sound complex? It IS--but all in a GOOD way. Don't worry, Du Brul ties it all together in the end perfectly. I'm really anxious for the next Mercer novel--as much so as I normally look forward to the next Dirk Pitt novel. As much as I LOVE Cussler, Du Brul is fast becoming the NEW head of adventure in modern fiction. Give Du Brul a few pages of your time, and you'll be singing his praises, too--no matter if you can hold a tune or not.
Rating: 
Summary: A trifle disappointed...
Review: OK, I'll break the trend. I was a trifle disappointed by The Medusa Stone. But only because Jack Du Brul has set the bar so high with his first two novels, Vulcan's Forge and Charon's Landing. The Medusa Stone is set primarily in Eritrea, a samll African country north of Ethiopia. I won't divulge plot details, because it ruins some of the surprise, but it gets off and running when geologist/former CIA operative Philip Mercer's best friend, the alcoholic octagerian Harry White, is kidnapped. This book is not up to the lofty standards of the first two, primarily for one reason: the villains. In this book there are two competing villans/henchmen, and at times it confuses the issue. I did not think this was handled as deftly as in Vulcan's Forge. But we miss the nefarious Ivan Kerikov. Mr. Du Brul, if you ever read this review, please bring back Kerikov in the next Philip Mercer book! Charon's Landing works primarily because we await the rematch between Mercer and Kerikov. This book misses that dramatic showdown. Otherwise, there is exciting action, and the Bond-like exotic locales are richly described. The near-death in the desert sequence, in particular, was superbly written. Fans of Clive Cussler will surely love this book. I know I did. But I can't say it was Du Brul's best. And that, I assure you, is not criticism.
Rating:
Summary: Thank you for not having the same old villians
Review: One reader mentioned that he was not happy with the absence of Kerikov's character in The Medusa Stone. I must say that I was thrilled that Jack has broadened out some. By sticking to the same patter, the books can become boring and repetitive. Jack Du Brul is broadening his talent as he writes about different locations, cultures and plots. Keep up the great work Jack. We will try to expand out horizons as you set the pace.JCBuckster@cs.com
Rating:
Summary: The Medusa Stone
Review: Summer is coming, and perhaps what you need is a summer thriller that delivers. If so, Du Brul has a fine candidate here, with The Medusa Stone. His hero, Philip Mercer, is coerced into looking for a "kimberlite pipe" in Eritrea, once some shady, shadowy terrorist-types snatch his friend and threaten to start cutting pieces off the poor soul. The "pipe" is an underground tunnel of sorts--it's existence hinted at in some top-secret pictures taken from a satellite that hit a wrench floating in space and plummeted to Earth in 1989. I don't want to give out too many more plot details, because this is a thriller where much of what the hero is told, or deduces, in the first hundred pages turns out to be not quite the truth. It's not a kimberlite pipe Mercer is supposed to find; the villains of the piece aren't who Mercer thinks; the strange ally Mercer finds in beautiful Eritrean Selome has affiliations Mercer can't quite fathom; there are more groups interested in Mercer's ultimate prize than he knows, and they are all working at cross-purposes without being aware of each others' interference; and, to top it off, what Mercer is after in the so-called kimberlite pipe, which isn't just a kimberlite pipe, is an ultimate prize located not far from the REAL ultimate prize of which Mercer is completely unaware. Either your appetite is whetted, or you're too confused to care. But as Mercer hunts for clues to what's really going on, and who is manipulating him, the action starts to erupt. In truth, though, this thriller doesn't have the most exciting first hundred pages known to the genre, and I started out a bit worried. The early mayhem mainly consists of multiple airport shoot-outs, and it is only when the story shifts to Eritrea, after all the false info has been established and all the airports can be allowed to calm down, that this book pans gold out in the desert. Or rather, not gold, but...never mind. By the time Mercer is trapped, alone, in a tunnel seeping toxic mercury and only wide enough for a child to squeeze through, much action has livened things up, and much more is to come. Besides the action and the revelations about what's really in Eritrea waiting to be dug up, the book features political intrigue threatening to become incendiary, romance (albeit of the standard thriller variety, with quick sex and instant passion), wonderful supporting characters for Mercer to: meet and greet, like Habke and the troubled monks of Debre Amrak; or slash and bash, like sly Mahdi, or despicable Hofmyer, who answer to...well, never mind. In short--enough pyrotechnics, technobabble, history and geography, and all-out action, to keep you busy.
Rating:
Summary: Irresistible Action, Plot Complications, and the Unexpected
Review: The is the first of Jack Du Brul's books that I have read, but it will not be the last. Most adventure stories soon retreat into a predictability that is fun if you like the book and an annoyance if you don't. Du Brul has a talent for surprising the reader that keeps your attention in a very satisfying way. The book also is very strong in having a complex enough and constantly evolving plot so that your mind is keep as busy as your emotions are. As to the emotions, the action will get your adrenaline pumping early and keep it going. I felt like I was on the biggest thrill ride of them all! The book builds on mining as an unexplored technical area for the average reader. I like geology, so this added to my pleasure. This will increase your interest like the technical details in a great Clancy novel. Du Brul is able to handle a lot of complexity without getting weighed down. There are enough subplots here for 17 novels, and they simply serve the purpose here of keeping the story moving and interesting. Du Brul is obviously a major new talent in the adventure, action genre. I hope he writes nonstop!
Rating:
Summary: Good addition to the adventure-thriller genre
Review: The Medusa Stone, by Jack DuBrul, is a fast-paced and exciting read. The plot involves a crashed super-surveillance satellite, and the reader is hooked quickly. The hero, the hard-boiled geologist Philip Mercer, returns from two previous novels along with a cast of humorous yet touching supporting characters and promptly gets himself and his pals into a slew of dangerous situations. The historical background on Eritrea was interesting to me, as I didn't know much about that part of the world. Fans of Clive Cussler and Stephen Coonts will find this one hard to put down!
Rating:
Summary: Something more precious than diamonds
Review: The U.S. has launched the Medusa, a super sophisticated surveillance satellite as part of the Star Wars defense initiative. It is capable of uncovering subterrean features such as bunkers and missile silos much like xrays reveal bones. An accidental collision with some space junk causes the Medusa to plummet back to the Earth's surface. Spinning wildly out of control the satellite manages to take photographs of a remote desert area of Eritrea in northeast Africa. The top secret photos disclose what appears to be a massive underground diamond bearing kimberlite structure that rivals that of the famous South African kimbelite. Years pass and the clandestine photos come into the possession of the unscrupulous Prescott Hyde, an Undersecretary of State. Hyde attempts to recruit geologist, mining engineer and hero Philip Mercer to cover the cache of diamonds. In concert with Hyde, Selome Nagast, a gorgeous Eritrean national with diplomatic connections implores Mercer to lend his expertise to uncover the treasure. When Mercer refuses to comply, his best friend the hard drinking octagenarian Harry White is kidnapped by an armed group of Middle Easterers. Mercer is forced to cooperate and make plans to unveil and mine the diamonds in the brutal, unforgiving and land mined Eritrean desert. As the plot unfolds, we learn that two rival groups are racing to discover the whereabouts of the diamond mine. A cartel lead by wealthy Italian industrialist Giancarlo Gianelli has designs on flooding the market with this new source of diamonds. The other group a syndicate of rogue Mossad agents lead by Israeli Defense Minister Chaim Levine believe the mine to be the resting place of an object more dear than a hoard of diamonds. Both groups will use any means to procure their prize. Mercer using his vast geologic knowledge and guile and with the aid of the Medusa photographs leads us on a rollicking tale of adventure. Du Brul really steps up his writing skills and produces a superb and fast paced yarn that makes me beg for more of the same. Being a rockhound further ameliorates my interest in the scientifically based subject matter.
Rating:
Summary: Adventure packed all the way
Review: This is the second debrul book i've read...and i'll read more. action packed. debrul is a cross between clive cuesller and robert ludlum - action packed like a "dirk pitt" novel with a complex story line close to ludlum's style. definetly a page turner. couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: He gets better and better with each book
Review: This Jack Du Brul's third book shows why he is becoming one of the top writers in action adventure books. His ability to paint a verbal Picture be it people places or things keeps you reading. Habte looks like the type of person you would bring home to meet the family. When Mercer has "That Traditional Meal" I could feel the sweat coming from my own pores. The tej, a Honey wine, would turn a drunk sober. The humor and action and in some cases pain never stops Jack Du Brul gets better and better with each book I wait impatiently for the Forth book
Rating:
Summary: The Medusa Stone
Review: This was my first Du Brul book and I loved it. It was the best book I ever read. There is never a dull moment. It is action packed from the second Mercer appears in the book. I would reccomend it to anyone who likes Clancy or Cussler. The book starts when they release the Medusa satilite and it crashes. It takes photos on the way down of a possible kimberlite pipe in Eritrea. Then Selome Nagast, an Eritrean, tries to get Mercer to excavte it. He won't and his best friend is kidnapped. It takes off from there. It is a great read a you won't be able to put it down.
|
