Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon are back for more action in the 13th installment of Clive Cussler’s (Typhoon Fury, 2017, etc.) bestselling Oregon Files series.
Thousands of years ago, an Eastern emperor assembled a group of men to safeguard secrets that, should they get out, could forever alter the future of mankind. Together, they became known throughout history as the Nine Unknown Men. Now, in the present day, the group’s descendants are at odds, with eight of the nine hellbent on creating a secret cabal to rule the world.
Romir Mallik is the lone defector at odds with the other eight, who together have created Colossus, a supercomputer capable of evil things. Mallik has an intricate plan to destroy the AI, but it carries some risk–which he justifies, believing it’s the only option available. With both sides convinced they’re the good guys doing what needs to be done to protect the earth, it ultimately falls to Juan Cabrillo and his team to figure out how to stop things before either plan boils over, kicking off another wild adventure that readers have come to expect from Cussler and Morrison.
While the plot is pretty linear, it does move along at a nice clip, and Oregon, Cabrillo’s next-gen ship, is still pretty awesome. That said, out of all Cussler’s series, the characters in this one are the most under-developed, which may simply be because the emphasis is so on the action that the authors opted not to spend much time fleshing out Juan and the crew. However, even the villains have little background. Dirk Pitt, Kurt Austin (NUMA Files), Sam and Remi Fargo, and Isaac Bell all have major star power and shine in their respective franchises. Here, the best character might honestly be the Oregon, which Cussler has given as much soul and personality as one could possibly give to a ship.
Those expecting a fun, straightforward, fast-moving plot will enjoy the latest collaborative effort from Cussler and Morrison. . . Shadow Tyrants is precisely what readers have come to expect from this franchise and is right in line with last year’s well-received Typhoon Fury.
Book Details
Author: Clive Cussler and Boyd Morrison
Series: Oregon Files #13
Pages: 400 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 0735219060
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Release Date: September 4, 2018
Book Spy Rating: 6.5/10
Praised as “one of today’s finest book reviewers” by New York Times bestselling author Gayle Lynds, Ryan Steck (“The Godfather of the thriller genre” — Ben Coes) has “quickly established himself as the authority on mysteries and thrillers” (Author A.J. Tata). He currently lives in Southwest Michigan with his wife and their six children.