Vulcan's Forge was the first book in the Phillip Mercer series by Jack Du Brul. It was first published in 1998. I have read the Oregon Files series of novels by Jack Du Brul and Clive Cussler and had been eager to find out what Du Brul's initial solo effort was like. Not only am I eager to read the second book in the series, but I'm actually very excited that there are 5 more books in this series after that.
Vulcan's Forge introduces the lead character, Phillip Mercer, a creative and high energy Geologist with a knack for getting into trouble. The story actually starts in 1954 when a then state of the art transport ship is scuttled on its maiden voyage. The plan behind the destruction of the ship turns out to be a Soviet plot that will be decades in the making.
Jump forward to present day and Phillip Mercer receives a telegram from an old friend that once saved his life. The telegram explains that the recent sinking of a Navy vessel 200 miles off the coast of Hawaii was no accident and that the only survivor of that tragedy is in danger. The survivor of that ship happens to be none other than his old friends daughter. But the mystery thickens for Mercer given that his old friend actually died several years ago.
On top of that, political problems in Hawaii increase the tension as the United States approaches a possible civil war. As North Korea and ex-KGB operatives manipulate the politics of the United States, a new chemical compound is discover to be the result of early underwater detonation of an atomic bomb. This compound could lead to breakthroughs in modern superconductor technology and is exactly the type of technological breakthrough that any nation would kill to acquire.
All of this boils down to a compelling and riveting story that makes the book very difficult to put down. The protagonist, Phillip Mercer, proves to be just the kind of character that readers relate to and want to read more about. Vulcan's Forge is the first book in what I anticipate to be a very exciting series.
Tough to admit but I enjoy his books more than Cusslers and Cusslers are great
Another Mercer Thriller!
This is a perfect book about double crosses and triple crosses. Who can trust who. The book begins in 1954 with
Russia sinking a boat loaded with ore and a nuclear bomb. The bomb is detonated which starts the formation of a
volcano.It takes decades to rise to the surface. In the meantime a ship is sunk. On board this ship is Tish Talbot. Mercer is called on the scene by a mysterious telegram wanting him to help Talbot. Also on this ship is Dr. Borodin. He discovers that his father whom was believed to be dead is still alive. Also entering the picture is Takahiro Onishi a billionaire industrialist who wants Hawaii to secede from the United States. He is backed up by his aid Kenji. Another villain involved in this plot is KGB henchman Ivan Kerikov.All of these forces are hoping to cash in on the volcano. It will form an island made of bikinium. This is a priceless mineral that is very valuable. Riots develop because of Onishi's activities. Running gun battles start between Russian Spetnaz soldiers,Korean security forces,Kenji's security forced and Nave Seals. It will prove to be very entertaining trying to figure out who has betrayed who. You have a good list of suspects for betrayal. Onishi,Kenji,and Ivan
Kerikov all play a role in the betrayal process. Read this. It is a very good book.
This is one of his first books and it just gets better as you read it. His others are even better.
Vulcan's Forge
Typical DuBrul
Non stop action where Philip Mercer has to use every thing he has to eliminate all the bad guys.
highly recommended
Guy Dombrowski
It begins deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, where a nuclear bomb strikes at the fiery hot heart of the earth. Churning, spewing boiling lava, a volcano rises with unnatural speed from the ocean floor -- the source of a new mineral that promises clean, limitless nuclear power.It continues in hot spots around the globe: Hawaii, where a secessionist movement is about to turn violent and the American army may be asked to fire on U.S. citizens; Washington, D.C., where the subway system becomes the site of a running gun battle; the Far East, where disrupted diplomatic negotiations jeopardize world peace; a rogue Russian submarine, circling the infant volcano.Caught in the middle is Philip Mercer, a geologist and a one-time commando with shady contacts in all the right (or is it wrong?) places. When Mercer learns that the daughter of an old friend is being kept under armed guard in a local hospital, he vows to rescue her, not knowing that this is the first step in unraveling the fantastic secrets of Vulcan's Forge.
based on 52 reviews
