Polar Shift (NUMA Files) (Hardcover)

by Clive Cussler (Author), Paul Kemprecos (Author) "THE MERCEDES-BENZ 770 W150 Grosser Tourenwagen weighed more than four tons and was armored like a Panzer..." (more)
Key Phrases: ocean disturbances, transmitter ships, polar shift, Karla Janos, Southern Belle, Ivory Island (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
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. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"An excellent series."
-- Publishers Weekly (Publisher's Weekly ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; 1st. edition (August 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399152717
• ISBN-13: 978-0399152719
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #296,349 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 6 in The NUMA Files Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kurt is starting to give the old man a run for his money!, August 30, 2005

By	Tracy Stillman "Space Cadet" (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read Polar Shift over two months ago after picking up a galley copy (Publishers advance copy) at BEA (Book Expo America, publishing trade fair) back in June. Some say Cussler writes for men, but I disagree. What red blooded American woman would not want to spend the night with Dirk Pitt? He is the original man's man. I have to admit, I have not been as enthusiastic about the Kurt Austin series, but it started to grow on me and I think "Polar Shift" maybe as good as the best of the Pitt Series, and Kurt is becoming a more intriguing character---let's just say I would not mind having Mr. Austin come to my rescue(; I won't rehash the plot except to say the story has to do with some bad guys figuring out a way to switch the magnetic poles causing real havoc for the planet (I guess this has really happened naturally in the past, which I did not know). Of course Kurt, his side kick Zavala, and the rest of the NUMA crew are the only ones who can stop the evil madmen (Yes there are more than one this time!). I got caught up in real suspense here, there are some unexpected twists (ie: the madmen start turning on each other), and this time out success is not guaranteed-at least I did not think so. Most of you who read Cussler know what thrilling, adventure to expect, and you won't be disappointed here.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars OK plot, very poorly put together, September 14, 2005

By	W. Kopplin (San Antonio, Texas USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am a big fan of Cussler's books and have read (and re-read) all of his work. This last book, "Polar Shift", is by far his worst work to date and it is painfully obvious that Cussler did very little of the actual writing of this book. The plot, on the surface, is a typical Cussler work, but the action scenes are poorly constructed and quite boring. I do not think Austin even gets scratched in this book. Compare that to Cussler's earlier works where Pitt gets beaten half to death in every book. For that matter, I am not sure Austin even breaks a sweat. There are a couple of interesting moments in the book, but they all lead nowhere. This book reads like a quickly put together idea that just never arrived at a cohesive book. If you are like me, and are a big Cussler fan, you will buy it and read it. There is some enjoyment here, but I certainly hope Cussler pays a little more attention to what his co-writers are doing and re-establishes control of his characters before they fade into the obscure depths of poor story-telling.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Formula Shift, June 10, 2006

By	Illuminati (Orlando) - See all my reviews

Previous Cussler novels could be summed up in the formula: Bad guys exploit ancient historical obscurity to bedevil mankind. NUMA good guys stop bad guys and get the girl.

This book has all those basic elements, but it expands the essential formula in that it has two bad guys with separate agendas, a third almost-bad guy who helps the good guys, and another good guy outsider. It sounds complicated, but it's not.

This book has the potential to be the most interesting of the series, even tossing in an intriguing arctic lost city free of charge. Unfortunately, the story starts to collapse upon itself as it nears the end. For one thing, we're never told explicitly what Gant's secret agenda is or how it's supposed to work. We're never told why Gant wants to kill Kurt Austin long after Gant's aware his secret is out; in other words, there's no point to Austin's death.

This leads to a silly gratuitous Dirk Pitt classic car scene that could have been- should have been- dropped from the book. Cussler likes to insert other characters (including himself) into his novels and I guess this was his vehicle (pun intended) of choice for this novel, but it was an unnecessary distraction. I'd rather have had more about the comeuppance of the bad guys.

Even Austin winning the girl appears half-hearted and Spider Barrett seems a more likely candidate, but I suppose the authors felt it would violate the established formula. The info about the WTO and IMF turns out to be more interesting that the romantic afterthought.

I hope Cussler's co-authors continue expanding and perhaps break out of their self-imposed formula. Unfortunately, this book is only a ghost of what could be.