Polar Shift

September 1, 2005
This is Cussler's and Kemprecos' sixth novel starring Kurt Austin and his NUMA Files National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) Files Special Assignments Team. This one concerns a polar shift, a phenomenon that can trigger huge eruptions, earthquakes, and climate changes. Sixty years ago, a Hungarian scientist discovered how to artificially set off such a shift, and now an antiglobalization group plans to strike the world's industrialized countries. The water in the world's oceans and lakes will be jerked in a different direction, pounding the coastline, causing massive floods. All electrical devices will fail, and there will be hurricanes and tornadoes of unheard-of force. Radiation sickness from solar rays penetrating the earth's magnetic field will kill millions. The earth's crust will break open, causing volcanic eruptions and lava flows. But fear not; Austin and his cohorts are coming to the rescue. The plot is inconceivable, but Cussler's loyal fans won't care.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)