White Death: A Novel from the Numa Files (Hardcover)

~ (Author), (Author) "THE LONE SHIP bearing down on the Faroe Islands looked like the loser in a paintball fight..." (more)
Key Phrases: airship hangar, transgenic fish, artillery platform, Sea Sentinel, Sea Lamprey, Faroe Islands (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cussler's multitude of fans arrive at the table expecting a roiling stew of seafaring adventure, exotic travel destinations, cutting-edge science, a splash of romance and insider tips on food and drink. In this latest starring series hero Kurt Austin (Fire Ice; Blue Gold), readers will find all their expectations extravagantly fulfilled. The bronzed, rugged Austin, leader of the NUMA (National Underwater and Marine Agency) Special Assignments Team, and his partner, Joe Zavala, are called in to free survivors trapped inside a Danish warship sunk after a collision with the flagship of the radical environmentalist group Sentinels of the Sea. After a successful rescue, Austin's investigations lead him from the haughty environmentalists to the Oceanus Corporation, a shadowy fish farming organization: "A miasma of pure evil seemed to hang over the Oceanus operation." Austin sneaks into one of the fish farms on a solo recon and is nearly killed by the swarthy, black-clad, facially tattooed Eskimos of the evil Kiolya tribe who guard the company's many operations. The Kiolyas are led by albino madman Toonook, a genius fish geneticist who has engineered members of the harmless salmon family into a breed of 10-foot, piranha-like Frankenfish. All the villains have satanic smiles and pitiless eyes, and snarl their dialogue. If it all sounds highly preposterous, it is, but Cussler manages with his usual aplomb, impressively juggling his plots and bringing everyone home in an action-fueled, rip-roaring finale in which evil doers are soundly defeated and swashbuckling heroes reign supreme. Who would have guessed that the world of high-stakes fish farming could be so thrilling?
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Kurt Austin and his partner, Joe Zavala, of the National Underwater and Marine Agency, receive a frantic call about a crew trapped inside a sunken ship off the Faroe Islands. Using cutting-edge technology, they pull off the rescue with a new submersible, only to find themselves involved with members of an environmental group and, at the same time, up against the mysterious Oceanus Corporation. After several attempts by Austin at industrial espionage to gain information about Oceanus, he and Zavala, other members of NUMA, and select individuals from the environmental group unite in their attempts to prevent the corporation from unleashing hundreds of genetically altered, large white fish into the oceans. Starting with historical background, the authors smoothly move the story into the contemporary plot. The information about genetically altered fish provides enough detail for understanding events without overwhelming readers. Myriad secondary plots supplement the main one, and lots of action keeps the story moving at a swift pace. Cussler and Kemprecos have a gift for fitting history, science, and action into an interesting story, and this book is an example of their best efforts.
Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (June 20, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399150412
• ISBN-13: 978-0399150418
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #423,450 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 4 in The NUMA Files Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gaining Momentum, November 26, 2003

By	Mark Wagenschutz (Battle Creek, MI USA) - See all my reviews

I admit it, I'm a Dirk Pitt fan through and through and I'm not sure any series and/or hero will ever measure up to those standards. However, I am enjoying the Kurt Austin series more and more. And although this book lacked the non-stop action of the Pitt series and previous Austin fares, it's still a very entertaining novel.

In White Death, a corporate conglomerate is attempting to monopolize the fishing industry by killing fish with genetically altered salmon. I know, reading this first sentence causes you to roll your eyes (it did me too), but the adventure of Kurt and his Numa co-horts Joe Zavala and Paul and Gamay Trout, along with cameos with Pitt regulars Rudi Gunn, Hiram Yeager and St. Julien Perlmutter kept my interest for the entire book.

Many adventures do occur in the book, including Kurt and Joe's rescue of trapped passengers in a sunken Danish cruiser, the rescue of Canadien wilderness villagers from blood-thirsty Mongol-like killers, to the dramatic climax aboard a German zeppelin. This is vintage Cussler, and as such, keeps the pages turning at a fast-action pace.

As I said, I'm not placing Kurt Austin into the Dirk Pitt stratus yet, but his stock keeps rising with each tale.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Facing Down Death---Again!, August 25, 2003

By	Kevin Tipple (Plano, Texas) - See all my reviews

Greedy mega corporations bent on ruling the world and a love for the sea and adventure have long been hallmarks of Clive Cussler's large body of work. Whether his main character has been Dirk Pitt or more recently, Kurt Austin in a series of novels co written with Pail Kemprecos one always expects the same basic formula. The good guys are so very good while surviving multiple near death experiences that would kill any lesser man or woman. The bad guys are incredibly bad and driven by megalomania of a grand scale, which will ultimately play a large role in their complete and total destructive downfall. The read will be a good one and the good guys will win, saving the world once again. One does not read Clive Cussler for deep plots, complicated characters, or philosophical musings on life. Not to be taken seriously, one reads Cussler for the sheer thrill of adventure and he does not disappoint.

A case in point is his most recent release, which opens as so many of the Kurt Austin novels do. A ship sinks taking people down with it and Kurt Austin leader of the NUMA ® Special Assignments Team must try to do everything he can to save them. In this case, Kurt and his friend and colleague Joe Zavala make the rescue using an untried submersible and soon perform another feat of heroic daring do.

In the aftermath, it becomes clear that one of the ships involved in the incident was sabotaged by outside forces. Kurt begins to investigate and before long begins to feel hunted by a shadowy mega corporation led by a maniacal leader bent on taking over the world. To do so he will use genetic manipulation as well as anything else necessary to achieve an incredible power grab that would change the sea forever.

Blending in the relics of the Basques, a German Zeppelin and the culture of various Inuit (commonly referred to incorrectly as Eskimo) tribes, the authors once again create another grand adventure where the bad guys get a fatal dose of their own medicine in the end. While no new ground is plowed in terms of character development there are not any nasty surprises either. Kurt is still loved by all the women of the world, hated and fearfully respected by his enemies, and calm and collected in the snarling face of danger. He easily compares to Stuart Wood's recent signature character of Stone Barrington, but he does not have as much money. Such is the life of a government employee.

The other usual characters make brief appearances. Admiral Sandecker is rarely seen or mentioned at all in this novel, which is a change from previously books in this series. He has little to do until the very end as opposed to the Trouts, who are given plenty to do in a secondary story line, which eventually peters back into the main storyline where they become sideline players.

Additionally, there is certain choppiness to the novel over the course of its more than 400 pages. In the past, the works flowed seamlessly and it was impossible to determine which part one of the authors write. That is not the case here where the sentence structure shifts from chapter to chapter and while one can't tell precisely who wrote what, one does get a sense who might be responsible.

For what it is, this is another very enjoyable book. As in the others of this series, it is not filled with deep characters, or philosophical musings. Instead it is pure action and adventure and serves as a great break from all the serious pretentious literary stuff. In other words, it is fun and by all means, don't take it seriously.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Same story different words, but each book reels you in again, July 12, 2003

By	charlie schenck (denton, tx USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After reading 20+ Cussler books I pretty much have the formula down we meet girl, girl gets in trouble, hero saves girl, girl and hero go seperate ways, hero has three more close shaves with death, hero meets super vilian, hero and girl cross paths again both trying to foil super vilian, hero and girl win, the end. This of course over 400+ pages. Even knowing this I buy this book the day after it is released and read page after page unable to set it down until I am at the end. Maybe it is just an easier read since I do have the formula down and I know what is coming I can get more relaxed when I go read. Whatever the reason I will keep buying Cussler as long as he keeps writing.