Plague Ship

To be honest, reviewing a single installment in the Oregon Files series is…enough, but not. I came to these books having been a devoted reader of Cussler’s “Dirk Pitt” series. The secret to those books is not that they’re great literature, but that they’re great reads. I picked up a hard copy of Corsair from someone else, and finally had a chance to read it. I enjoyed that one thoroughly, which led to my current mission of reading the ‘Files’ in order of publication. I strongly recommend that prospective fans (you won’t just be a reader) of the series read them this way. There’s a pattern to the stories, of course. That pattern’s not that important, because Cussler and Du Brul vary the pattern in ways that make each installment distinctive and enjoyable. You learn the characters, enjoy the references to previous adventures and to other Cussler characters and series. When you’re done, you’ve stockpiled your own experience of the adventure, and will be packing your bags for the next. Highly recommend this and all of the first six books in the Oregon Files.

You simply can’t go wrong with a Clive Cussler tale, and this one in particular really gets you thinking about the direction our world seems to be heading, and about the undercurrent of groups who think they have all the answers and aren’t afraid to put others at risk to reach their goal. I added this audio book to my collection, even though I had previously checked it out at my library. It passed the test. In fact, I don’t have single Cussler audiobook in my collection that hasn’t. Interesting, entertaining, thought-provoking, exciting. Definitely will get listened through more than once.

Clive Cusslers Plague Ship presents a thought-provoking and exciting plot, perfect for the Covid-19 era because it deals with a rhinovirus. In Plague Ship, a group of over-population fanatics wants to control what they see as too many people by causing them to become sterile. Since such beliefs have existed since Thomas Malthus in the 18th century, the plot is credible, but Cussler makes it not only exciting but filled with plot twists.

This is an excellent read if you are a fan of the Oregon File series. This particular story borrows a script from the James Bond series in which a dark and twisted cult enacts a plan to reduce the overpopulation of Planet Earth. As the title of the book indicates, a diabolically engineered ‘plague’ is the method of this cult’s plan. I say “borrows a script from the James Bond series” because this book reminds me of the James Bond Movie, “Moonraker,” in which a fanatical cult-type leader attempts to eliminate the human race from Planet Earth in attempt to re-start the earth’s population with his own brand of superior-genetic humans………kind of like Adalph Hitler’s plan for Germany.

During World War II, a German bomber is shot down over a glacier in northern Norway. Trapped in the ice is the bow of a ship that looks remarkably like Noah’s Ark. But this ship holds a deadly secret which may prove fatal to the world’s population.

Fast-forward to present day. Juan Cabrillo and the other members of the Corporation are aboard their high-tech ship Oregon. The object of their mission are high-tech torpedoes supplied by the Russians to Iran. Juan and his crew successfully obtain the torpedoes and are on their way when they come across a cruise liner adrift in the sea. Approaching closer, the crew of the Oregon can see hundreds of bodies littering the decks. The crew decides to have a look-see, but they barely make it away with the lone survivor before explosions rock the ship. Soon, Cabrillo and the rest of the crew of the Oregon will be thrust into a struggle to literally save the world.

A cult known as the Responsivists, who believe that the world is grossly overpopulated, have taken control of luxury cruise liners. Their plan is to release a deadly virus that will render half of the world’s population sterile and thrust the rest of the world into anarchy. To make matters worse, a son of one of the crew members has joined the Responsivists. Now it’s up to the Corporation to free the son and stop the Responsivists’ plan. Using high-tech tools such as a Soviet space satellite launched during the Cold War, Cabrillo and his team set about stopping the cult before it’s too late.

I’m a big fan of Cussler’s works, especially the Oregon Files series, and “Plague Ship” is one of the best. The story is frighteningly realistic, and the characters are well-developed. Read “Plague Ship” and any of the other Oregon Files novels and experience adventure fiction at its best. Highly recommended.

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