Customer Reviews

Havoc [With Earbuds] (Playaway Adult Fiction)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For fans of Jack Du Brul and his series character Philip Mercer, the wait for the latest book has been far too long! At least Mercer is returning to us in a fashionable hardback edition. And it's possible that absence has made my heart grow fonder, because I found this novel a joy to read from start to finish.

Perhaps working with the master, Clive Cussler, is affecting Du Brul's own work, because Havoc has a distinctly Cusslerian format. There's the mix of contemporary history, ancient history, and how current day events can shed light on and solve the mysteries of our time. The novel opens during the final hours of the Hindenberg's voyage. The events that occur right before the airship's destruction are... startling.

From there we jump to Mercer in Africa, and his meeting with Cali Stowe--who I'm pretty sure is my favorite of Du Brul's leading ladies--under fairly stressful circumstances. After surviving their first meeting in the midst of a coup attempt, little do the two realize they'll soon be reunited stateside. The mystery that began on the Hindenberg in 1937 is intimately tied to the events of unfolding around them.

And once the plot gets rolling, the action is non-stop taking Mercer and Cali to locations ranging from an east coast casino to the lost tomb of Alexander the Great. As a matter of fact, it's possible my only complaint in the whole novel was Mercer's wanton destruction of historic artifacts. I was SO caught up in the story that I'd cringe every time something priceless was destroyed. I kept having to tell myself, It's just a story!

But what the real fans want to know is: Is Harry in the book? Of course he is, and up to all his old tricks! This time Du Brul got the balance just right. There's exactly enough Harry, but not too much. And there were some neat new supporting characters added in this book as well.

Like I said, it's possible that absence has made my heart grow fonder, but I think Havoc is as good as anything Jack Du Brul has ever written. It may very well be his best yet. He sure better not make us wait several years for the next installment in this terrific series!

I have been saying for several years now that Jack DuBrul IS the Heir to the Cussler Action Throne, and his last 3 novels have helped cement my opinion, but 'Havoc' has in fact cast my opinion in solid titanium. One other reviewer noted that since there has been a much longer wait for this novel than in between the Mercer novels of the past, it MAY have helped to propel 'Havoc' into a better status than it otherwise may have received, but I tend to think that DuBrul earned it the hard way: Through good old fashioned great storytelling.

I have noticed that Mercer as well as Dirk Pitt enjoy SOME similarities, and the fact that actual historical events play a major part in almost all of their stories is probably no accident. It IS however one similarity that I enjoy VERY much. In this case, we begin 'Havoc' as a passenger aboard the Hindenburg on its tragic final journey to New Jersey. This was a facinating and totally engrossing opening to a fantastic journey that catapults the reader to Niagra Falls, to Africa to quite literally the middle of nowhere in Russia all on the search for something that Alexander The Great used to subdue his enemies, even when faced with impossible odds.

What exactly WAS Alexander using? How did he become the conquerer that made him famous for centuries? And more importantly, why are some hell-bent on finding the answers besides Mercer & Co, and why are others just as determined to keep it all secret? The journey as always is more than half the fun. The action is virtually non-stop and while I still believe Dirk Pitt in his prime could whip Phillip Mercer, it is that exact imperfection that I like most about Mercer as an action hero: he ISN'T perfect. He doesn't always succeed, and when he does, you get the distinct feeling that his amazingly close brushes with the afterlife come at a tremendous cost. We get to see the REAL Mercer within the pages of 'Havoc' as he is still nursing the wounds of losing someone very important, and yet he is tempted by a new and very interesting woman who forces him to accept what has happened and to move on with life, all while being quite the action hero herself.

I have a very small list of Must-Read authors which compell me to find, buy and read all of their novels the day they are released, and if this means anything, Jack DuBrul earned that status about half-way through reading his first book, 'Vulcan's Forge'. Give him a shot, and by the way, he has single-handedly brought some much needed new life and entertainment to Cussler's so-so 'Oregon Files' series. Jack, once again, Kudos for a job well done. I look forward to starting 'Skeleton Coast' as soon as I get home.

A reader who picks up Havoc gets exactly what he pays for: larger-than-life hero with an overdeveloped sense of right and wrong, badder-than-bad villains who stop at nothing to achieve their nefarious ends, mysterious third parties who lurk in the shadows between good and evil, transoceanic mayhem, doomsday weaponry, and a leggy broad. Who care what the plot is? It's the same in every book and--as many other reviewers have noted--it's the same no matter who the author is. But Havoc has a special quality that set it apart not only from the rest of the DuBrul oeuvre, but from the rest of the action-adventure genre as well. I was delighted at the overtly political nature of this book, and the way in which it depicts both the United States and American ideals as positive forces in the world. That the story should turn on a plot to disrupt the world's oil supplies by an entity other than the US government or a greedy US corporation is, sadly but nonetheless refreshingly, breathtaking in its originality. It's worth reading Havoc simply to indulge in the rare pleasure of seeing America's enemies bashed instead of the other way around.

The character of Mercer, though, continues to vex me. At some point this poor soul either needs to come out of the closet or bring to closure the Oedipal issues left unresolved when his mother died an untimely death. This he-man is so shy around women, he can't even look them in the eye. And while Mercer spends much of Havoc moaning about his lost love Tisa (a woman in whose company he perhaps spent a total of maybe 48 non-consecutive hours), he also forgets the name of the Eritrean bombshell, Selome Nagast, he sniffed around in The Medusa Curse (2001). Some three years later he can only remember her as "Salome." Editing error? Perhaps, but totally in keeping with Mercer's overall attitude toward women. By the next adventure, perhaps the winsome Tisa of 2003's Deep Fire Rising will have become "Tina" in Mercer's spotty memory.

It's hard for a book I looked forward to as much as this one to live up to my expectations, but it did a pretty good job. Phillip Mercer is back at last, rolling onto the scene in war-torn Africa, driving a truck full of refugees while on a geological assignment. This is where he meets Cali Stowe, purportedly from the Centers for Disease Control. Cali is looking for a village that has the highest rate of cancer in the world, hoping to learn valuable information before civil war wipes the village off the map. She and Mercer find the village and a mysterious open pit mine just before being taken captive by some mercenaries, and then getting rescued by some shadowy men who warn them never to return.

Back in Washington, Mercer discovers Cali doesn't work for the CDC, she's actually a nuclear specialist who was sent to Africa to search for a source of radiation poisoning. Some stories they heard in Africa put them on the trail of an obscure historian and in the sights of the very dangerous men who are searching for what the historian found. Mercer and Cali follow a trail from Atlantic City, nearly over Niagra Falls, through remote parts of Russia, and into the heart of Egypt, dodging bullets and outrunning the bad guys the whole way. They are aided often by mysterious men who call themselves Janissaries as they hunt for a weapon once used by Alexander the Great that could cause untold destruction in the modern world.

Since Clive Cussler essentially retired, Jack du Brul is the best adventure writer out there, and he hangs onto the title with ease. There is something indefinable that made me grip the pages of his earlier adventures a little tighter that seems to be missing here, though. This was also a good 130 pages shorter than Mercer's last adventure. Jack du Brul had a really good thing going with this series, but though I hate to say it, it seems to be suffering from his attention being diverted elsewhere. Not so much that this book isn't good, but it's not as good as the last four or so in the series. While it's benefiting greatly from du Brul, I'd scuttle the "Oregon" in a heartbeat if I thought it was going to hurt Phillip Mercer. Quite simply, I love him. He's tough, vulnerable, and violent when he needs to be; a man's man who's still likeable and sensitive to women. He's the perfect hero for the new millennium.

If you've never read Jack du Brul, this isn't a bad place to start, though of course I recommend starting with Vulcan's Forge and reading them in order. These are fast-paced, globe-hopping adventures with wonderful characters. Who else has an 80-year-old alcoholic sidekick with a lazy dog aptly named Drag? This is a very fun series that delivers every time, and I couldn't be happier that Mercer is back.

Havoc
This was an exciting thriller but it was marred by the spelling bloopers scattered liberally throughout the book. There is nothing as disconcerting as seeing the author write "sheer" when he meant "shear" and vice-versa. Other bloopers were "principal" for "principle" and my favorite: "a role of tape." I can understand making these mistakes when he was first composing the manuscript, but it is obvious that he never proofread it afterwards and neither did the editors. Shame on them.

Do you like a good yarn? Do you like something to happen during novels? Do you like the early Clive Cussler books about Dirk Pitt? Did you like the new novel, Skeleton Coast, by Clive Cussler and Jack DuBrul? If you answered "yes" to any two of those questions, you must read Havoc!

As the book opens, a desperate man clings to life as he tries to bring back an important secret on the dirigible Hindenburg. Before the dirigible is reduced to ashes, twisted metal, and hot gases, the secret is launched into the future. There to catch the scent of that secret is Philip Mercer, the Dirk Pitt of geologists in the service of the United States. The search for the secret begins in the middle of a bloody civil war in Africa, but soon extends into current geo-politics, an Atlantic City casino, solving a puzzling coded message to an important historical figure, Russia, and Egypt. Along the way, Mercer finds himself overcoming his grief over the death of his love a few months before. There are also mysterious figures in the background who have another agenda.

The book is filled with fascinating speculations about historical events, a great treat for those who love thinking about "what if?" Pay attention to the names, too. There are some humorous references there that will keep you chuckling.

The book moves at a beautiful pace . . . that keeps drawing you forward to the next page . . . and the next . . . deep into the night.

Another appealing feature of the book is that Mr. DuBrul doesn't hesitate to point out who the real villains are today.

You've got a great treat ahead of you!

Set in 1937 aboard the German Hindenberg, a madman throws a safe overboard to prevent discovery, then inadvertently sets a fire which destroys its secret. Seven decades later a field researcher investigates a small village with one of the highest cancer rates in the world - and stumbles upon a long-buried secret in the face of a local civil war. Cali's journey will bring her back to the U.S. on a mission to uncover a secret that could change the world. Tension is powerfully woven in a book which includes elements of detective intrigue, science, and military history: the result is a rich stew of intrigue which grabs from Page 1 and doesn't let go: mystery and intrigue readers will find this a delightfully different, engrossing read.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Once again our hero of this novel is geologist and mining engineer Philip Mercer. Our story begins with one Chester Bowie smuggling a safe
aboard the Hindenberg. He has a deep dark secret in a safe that he itrying to get away from the Nazis. He has been in communication with
Albert Einstein about the contents in the safe. The Hindenberg is blown out of the sky. Bowie shoves the safe out of the zeppelin and it lands on the groung at a farm.In thr mrantime Mercer is on assignment in Central Africa. He is helping the natives escape rebel forces. He and a new associate Cali Stowe are captured by the rebels who are led by a mercenary named Poli Feines. He is a killing machine. A group called the
Janassaries rescues Mercer and Stowe from the rebel forces.Their role in life is to protect Alembis of Skenderbeg which is in Alexander the Great's
tomb. Poli Feines and his gang of terrorists are bankrolled by the Saudi
Arabian OPEC minister Mohammad bin Al-Salabi. He wants the Alembic of
Skendrbeg for his own evil reasons. Mercer and Poli do battle all over the world. They have a final showdown at Alexander the Great's tomb. This
was an entertaining book that you should read.

If you like Cussler, you'll love DuBrul. This was my first DuBrul in the search for more adventure writers. I loved it, and it won't be the last.

Pros: Good character development, action at just the right pace with a small breather in between, exotic locations, a despicable un-killable villan. Some nice weaving of historical facts with fiction so that its hard to tell where the fact ends and the fiction begins. Basically a good story that gets you involved from beginning to end.

Cons: I suppose its somewhat predictable, since the "good guy wins" is evident, but when was the last time someone requested a novel where the good guy loses?

What could be more exciting that a modern day search by wanna-be terrorists for a stash of old world plutoniumm? Caught my interest.

Havoc starts off with a twist, causing the reader to question what history has taught us about the Hindenburg disaster. From there we are led on a chase through Africa, Atlantic City, Niagara Falls, Russia, Turkey and back to Africa again as Mercer, our rugged, fearless hero along with Cali Stowe the independent, educated, undercover government operative follow the clues set down in an ancient monument telling of the exploits of Alexander the Great. With them is Harry, an elderly friend of Mercer's who loves to gamble and Booker Sykes, a Navy Seal-type of mercenary.

The action is quick. While the outcome is predictable, the story is a twist on the action thriller genre. Lots of historical data for the history buff. Men will love the idea of the strong, silent hero who get the girl in the end. The story held my interest although I have read better.

Ladies who prefer strong and independent heroines will fail to find that here as Cali in the end succumbs to the macho power of the leading man and falls into his arms. Too predictable for my taste!

Recommended: Code Black by Philip Donlay