Book Review: Sacred Stone by Clive Cussler

Sacred Stone (The Oregon Files)
by Clive Cussler with Craig Dirgo
published in 2004 by The Berkley Publishing Group

Summary: I had commented on the fiction books that brought Cussler and Dirgo together in my review of The Silent Sea (The Oregon Files), so I decided to go back and read all of the early Oregon Files and this was the first one on hand.  It is the second book in the series and still has the huge cast of characters that was found in Golden Buddha (The Oregon Files), but once again Juan Cabrillo leads the Corporation from Greenland to London and ultimately the Middle East as he seeks to undo two terrorist plots from two opposing teams.  One team is a Muslim extremist group who seeks to destroy London with a stolen nuclear warhead.  The other is led by a billionaire business man whose grief and anger have caused him to plot the destruction of the whole of the Islamic religion.  It all starts with the archaeological discovery of a meteorite shrine established by the viking, Eric the Red.  This meteorite, when combined with the destructive power of a nuclear weapon, has the ability to start a plague that can destroy the earth.  Juan and bunch, working with Overholt and the CIA, has their work cut out for them as they once again attempt to save the civilized world.

Review: Sacred Stone (The Oregon Files) is a good read, but it does have the same problem that Golden Buddha (The Oregon Files) had and that is a cast of characters that is entirely too large.  You do not have the opportunity and the writers do not take the time to help you connect with the characters.  The DuBrul portion of the Oregon Files is much better, but you can still enjoy Sacred Stone and Buddha for that matter.  I would encourage you if you have not read any Oregon Files, to start with the later books and then go back and read the first two.  By doing so you will have established a relationship with the smaller cast of characters which will give you a much greater appreciation for them than is possible from the first two books alone.

Reading Recommendation:  YES, but only after you have read some of the later Oregon Files books.