Polar Shift: A Kurt Austin Adventure (NUMA Files Series) by Clive Cussler, Paul Kemprecos (With), Ron McLarty (Read by)

From the Publisher

Polar shift: It is the name for a phenomenon that may have occurred many times in the past. At the very least, it disorients birds and animals and damages electrical equipment. At its worst, it causes massive eruptions, earthquakes, and climatic changes. At its very worst, it would mean the obliteration of all living matter, and if that happens - exit Earth.

Sixty years ago, an eccentric Hungarian genius discovered how to artificially trigger such a shift, but then his work was lost, or so it was thought. Now, the charismatic leader of an anti-globalization group plans to use the work to give the world's industrialized nations a small jolt, then reverse the shift back again. The only problem is, it cannot be reversed. Once the shift starts, there is nothing anyone can do about it.

Austin, Zavala, and the rest of the NUMA Special Assignments Team certainly have faced dire situations before, but never have they encountered anything like this. This time - even they may be too late.

Library Journal

A brilliant but slightly dotty Hungarian once discovered how to effect a polar shift, which has the potential to disrupt the planet (think earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, not to mention the possibility that all life will be wiped out). Now, in his sixth NUMAR outing, Kurt Austin must go after an antiglobalization group that has uncovered the Hungarian's work and intends to use it. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

When the earth's poles are apart, everyone's comfy. Shift them a bit, you get headaches. Shift them a lot, you're in for cataclysm. And, believe it or not, there are malevolent geniuses out there prepared to shift an electromagnetic storm in the name of unspeakable ambitions. Precisely what these are, the authors don't make as clear as they perhaps should, but then they do have their priorities. What matters most to Cussler/Kemprecos is the big bang, the monstrous cause-and-effect. Cause: a man-made major shift in the magnetic poles. Effect: a geological movement that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. Next to this kind of planet-bashing, H.G. Wells is Mickey Mouse. So send in the super-heroes, namely ex-CIA guy Kurt Austin (Lost City, 2004, etc.), he of the "rugged, sun-burnished features" and "piercing light blue eyes the color of coral under water" (not to mention a nerd's brain and a jock's reflexes). "Just a simple marine engineer" is how he likes to describe himself, fooling no one who's ever gone up against the National Underwater Marine Agency (NUMA), for which he directs the storied Special Assignment Team. It's while kayaking among a pod of orca whales that Kurt first gets a whiff of connivance and conspiracy. The whales behave in a manner stunningly unlike themselves, and Kurt narrowly escapes with burnished features intact as playful orcas morph into sharp-toothed killers. Until Kurt and the gang find the cause-and foil the foul fiend behind it-the world as we know it will teeter on the brink of extinction. Glacial pace, paper-thin characters, slap-dash prose and a probable warm welcome from a large and loyal audience.

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