Abduction [Paperback]

Robin Cook (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 7, 2000

TEST A group of aliens builds a colony deep under the ocean, for the purpose of watching humans and human society from afar. But what happens when this watching is no longer enough? In the tradition of his highly successful, TV-adapted novel "INVASION", Robin Cook again gives us an enthralling blend of cutting-edge technology blended with the possibilities of alien contact.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Perry Berg is president of Benthic Marine and a passenger aboard The Benthic Explorer, a 450-foot research ship endeavoring to drill into, and sample for the first time, the earth's magma core. Also onboard are the lovely Dr. Suzanne Newell; ex-navy commander and present submersible skipper Donald Fuller; and navy-cum-Neanderthal divers Richard Adams and Michael Donaghue. It is this cast of characters who, with the reluctant Perry, dive to the stilled drill site in order to make repairs. En route, they are sucked (or suckered) into a defunct undersea volcano and deposited into an otherworldly wonderland. That takes about 75 pages of fairly cogent spadework. The next 375 pages sprout some of the looniest, most derivative, made-for-TV-movie science fiction imaginable. Our heroes, you see, have been abducted to Interterra, an undersea world of staggering beauty and unheard of technologies--intergalactic travel and eternal life, for starters--populated by stunningly beautiful, toga-wearing, first-generation humans.

First-generation? They were here first, see, and had been doing very nicely until their scientists realized that the earth was about to be "showered with planetesimal collisions, just as had happened in its primordial state," and that they had better start digging. While the Interterrans prospered and thrived undersea, we, the second generation, began hauling our single-celled bodies up by our ooze-straps and started all over again.

And that's about it. People with names like Arak and Sufa speak strangely, giggle at the primitive second-generationists, recoil at the very thought of violence, press their palms together to have sex, and direct "worker clones" to do the dishes while the second generation does its stereotypical best to, in turns, exemplify, define, and defile humankind.

If you've yet to read Robin Cook's innumerable (and mostly successful) medical thrillers, start now. If you want to read about an alternative world, start off right with H.G. Wells's 1895 masterpiece, The Time Machine. --Michael Hudson

From Publishers Weekly

A mountain far beneath the ocean is the setting in this latest work from bestselling author Cook (Coma; Contagion; Vector, etc.). Perry Bergman, founder and president of Benthic Marine, is conducting research in a remote region of the Atlantic. The crew has been trying to drill through an underwater mountain that appears to be filled with some liquid or gas, but they've encountered several mishaps, and Perry has flown out to the ship to assess the problem for himself. He's invited to dive to the seamount with several others in a submersible craftDthe most reliable one, the veteran commander tells Perry, he has ever piloted. Suddenly the small ship seems to lose power and is lured deeper into the water and into the underwater world of Saranta, whose stunning, sexually charged residents, the Interterreans, claim their city is much more beautiful and desirable than the fabled Atlantis. Although the Interterreans treat the humans as their special guests, Perry and his crew are desperate to escape. Cook keeps readers turning the pages with fast-paced action and intriguing details about Saranta; while the action may appeal to his teeming die-hard fans, however, this is not one of his better efforts.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (November 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 042517736X
• ISBN-13: 978-0425177365
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (188 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #694,844 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #21 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( C ) > Cook, Robin

More About the Author

Doctor and author Robin Cook is widely credited with introducing the word 'medical' to the thriller genre, and over twenty years after the publication of his breakthrough novel, Coma, he continues to dominate the category he created. Cook has successfully combined medical fact with fantasy to produce a over twenty-seven international bestsellers, including Outbreak (1987), Terminal (1993), Contagion (1996), Chromosome 6 (1997) and Foreign Body (2008).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF THE YEAR'S SILLIEST NOVELS!, November 7, 2000

By 

Nick G - See all my reviews

This review is from: Abduction (Paperback)

When a crew of oceanographers receive a mysterious transmission, they are led to a discovery beyond all imagination...a world far beneath the ocean's surface.

Amazed with their finding, the crew is quick to make friends with the undersea people, and adapt to the customs of this civilization (including making love; which consists of hand cream and hand touching, and never having to work since each person has a work clone).

The crew believes what they learn will change what we know on earth...but at what price?

What is this, you ask? The latest thriller from bestselling MEDICAL THRILLER author, Robin Cook.

"Abduction" is a straight to paperback original novel, and easily one of the silliest book's of the year.

I am still shocked that this book is written by Robin Cook! I have been a fan of Mr. Cook's previous novels, and this book is a serious disappointment. It seems MANY authors are trying to broaden the scope of their writing, unfortunately, they are NOT succeeding. PLEASE go back to writing medical thrillers.

The book earned one star because the first couple of chapters were interesting, other than that it is totally un-readable. Avoid this book, and wait for his next hardcover!

Nick Gonnella

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Idiotic..., December 19, 2000

By 

Justin S. Allen (Dallas, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Abduction (Paperback)

This is the first Robin Cook book I've ever read (listened to, really). I know he's better known for his medical stories and based on this "science fiction" story, he should get back to his forte. This book is poor on every count. All the characters are idiots. If they weren't, the story couldn't have been written at all. Somehow the 5 main characters have made it through their lives with reading a single science fiction book, watching a single science fiction movie or TV show, or even knowing anyone who has. Otherwise they would have seen every trite plot point coming 50 pages away. There isn't a single original thought in the entire book. Really, I mean it. And then, in the middle of this amazingly juvenile book, he drops random polysyllabic words as though to say, "see, I haven't lost my perspicacity!"

Based on his reputation, I'm sure some of his books are great. Too bad this isn't one of them.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Start, Poor Finish, November 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Abduction (Paperback)

Having read all of Robin Cook's books, I expected another wonderful read filled with suspense and explicit character development. This book failed those tests. The storyline was original, but halfway through the book, I found myself wondering why Cook failed to expond more on the questionable behaivor of his characters. The story could have gone a long way, but I found myself anxious to finish and get it over with. I recently read both suspense books by James Rollins and found those to be fantastic