The Emperor’s Revenge

As with all of Clive Cussler’s books it is plain enjoyment from start to finish. It is lovely to get back and see what the “family” on the Oregon are up to. Again they find unexpected challenges which they rise above and eventually solve in their inimitable way. If you like putting on comfy slippers, this is what reading Clive’s books are like. You go back and meet “old friends” and catch up with all their new adventures. I always anxiously await the next instalment of any of the series that Clive writes. I can’t say I really have a favourite when you have choices like Dirk Pitt and Al, Kurt Austin and Joe, Isaac Bell, Remi and Sam Fargo and all the wonderful characters on the Oregon it would be like trying to say which child you like best. So sit back and enjoy the ride with this amazing group of characters on the Oregon and then like me wait till the next lot of adventures from any of the “children” come out. Thanks to Clive I have such fun reading these days.

Clive Cussler and Boyd Morrison have put together a fast paced, action packed adventure story. There are several plot threads that for a while look completely disconnected, but eventually it’s revealed they’re all linked. The bad guys include the megalomaniac you expect in a Cussler story, but there is some background on how he came to be that way that lets you understand why. What I liked the best was Juan Cabrillo and his crew had to be very clever and inventive instead of just relying on the amazing technology of their ship. There was also a lot of double crossing and outright betrayal that keeps you guessing as to who you can trust. Also, at the risk of this being a spoiler, triumph for the good guys comes at high personal cost.

One chapter was quite interesting. It was a scene that was also in the last NUMA story, “The Pharaoh’s Secret.” That scene included both Kurt Austin and Juan. It was written in that book from Kurt’s POV of course. In “The Emperor’s Revenge” the scene is written from Juan’s POV.

Overall this book is a fast moving, involving adventure that leaves you eager for the next one.

For some reason this one drug a little more than previous – normally I can’t put them down and finish in one day – but I did really enjoy this book.

The premise is a virus to take out the electoral grid to cover up a bank heist…. All based on mathematical formulas hidden in a lost treasure. Add to that a conspiracy plus battles and you have all the things that make an exciting novel.

The book does lose one more character though. :(. In this type of series the books are a little more believable with some injuries and fatalities. Additionally new characters are brought in as well as some favorites from Cusslers other lines (this one is the Oregon tales, but it pulls in characters from another book and actually overlaps another recent book) – Reading the other book isn’t necessary, but it was interesting when I recognized the overlap!

Clive Cussler and Boyd Morrison have written an exciting new entry into the Oregon Files series.

Beginning with the days of Napoleon and moving to the present day, “The Emperor’s Revenge” is loaded with twists and turns. During the Monaco Grand Prix, a bank heist perpetrated by Sergy Golov and his daughter Ivana have cleaned out many accounts, including that of Juan Cabrillo and his Corporation. But the bank job is only the beginning of a master plan that includes taking over the entire electrical grid of Europe and plunging the continent into anarchy.

Helping Golov and his daughter is the super yacht Achilles, which they are sailing on. Owned by billionaire Maxim Antonovich, the Achilles has an array of super-weapons, including lasers, mini torpedoes, and a rail gun. During the course of the story, Cabrillo and his ship Oregon will have several run-ins with the Achilles.

As with all books in the Oregon Files series, “The Emperor’s Revenge” is loaded with fast-paced action with characters who are familiar to the reader. Highly recommended.

There’s nothing like a Clive Cussler book to take to the beach for a great summer read full of adventure and intrigue. I was quite carried away in the plot when I was momentarily thinking I had read the book before. I won’t say anymore than that because it might give away the surprise. Always a great story and high adventure without a lot of negative language or subplots. If there is any downside, I wish Clive had a little more romantic bent – he brings very compatible characters together, but rarely lets them get very involved. And even when they do, it’s brief and gone. I have already reserved his next two books that are due out later this year. If you are a regular reader of Cussler and the Oregon Files series, I will mention that there is a significant event that occurs that will change future stories…just sayin’.

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