From Publishers Weekly
When the great Library of Alexandria was ordered sacked in A.D. 391, could some of its fabulous art treasures and volumes from its magnificent library have escaped the flames and been ferried across the Atlantic? It's an improbable if intriguing notion, but probability is not the strong suit of this wild charade of a novel that features the greatest treasure hunt of all timesome 1600 years after the fabulous riches disappeared. The narrative also encompasses the bloody attempts of two supposedly religious fanatics (who turn out to be brothers in a "criminal dynasty") to seize power in Egypt and Mexico, respectively; the kidnapping of the legitimate presidents of those two countries aboard a cruise ship; and the dazzling exploits of the green-eyed Dirk Pitt, a super-James Bond type whom "no woman could completely possess." These exploits include tracking the cruise ship to Tierra del Fuego, defeating, with the aid of some Special Forces agents, hordes of Arab and Mexican terrorists in several brutal encounters, and locating and saving the treasure. It's essentially schoolboy stuff, and it leads one to surmise that Cussler, author of the bestselling Cyclops, may have been so intent on packing his tale with action that he forgot about credibility altogether. Paperback rights to Pocket Books; Literary Guild main selection. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Review

Associated Press

"There's 'treasure' to be found in Chive Cussler's iatest novel, and it's not the discovery of the golden casket of Alexander the Great.... The true treasure is Dirk Pitt."


Book Description

Charts of lost gold...breathtaking art and rare volumes...maps of hidden oil and mineral deposits that could change the world's balance of power. Now DIRK PITT discovers the secret trail of the treasures of Alexandria -- a trail that plunges him into a brutal conspiracy for total domination of the globe. Zealots threaten to unseat the governments of Egypt and Mexico, exposing America to invasion and economic collapse. Suddenly, from East to West, anarchists reach their deadly tentacles into the heart of the United States. And DIRK PITT, the hard-hitting hero of Clive Cussler's smash bestsellers Sahara and Inca Gold, is up against the most feared assassin known to man. An international band of terrorists is making its play for world power on the high seas -- and Pitt is the only man alive who can stop them!


Simon & Schuster

Charts of lost gold...breathtaking art and rare volumes...maps of hidden oil and mineral deposits that could change the world's balance of power. Now DIRK PITT discovers the secret trail of the treasures of Alexandria -- a trail that plunges him into a brutal conspiracy for total domination of the globe. Zealots threaten to unseat the governments of Egypt and Mexico, exposing America to invasion and economic collapse. Suddenly, from East to West, anarchists reach their deadly tentacles into the heart of the United States. And DIRK PITT, the hard-hitting hero of Clive Cussler's smash bestsellers Sahara and Inca Gold, is up against the most feared assassin known to man. An international band of terrorists is making its play for world power on the high seas -- and Pitt is the only man alive who can stop them!

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Charts of lost gold...breathtaking art and rare
volumes...maps of hidden oil and mineral deposits that
could change the world's balance of power.
Now DIRK PITT discovers the secret trail of the
treasures of Alexandria -- a trail that plunges him into a
brutal conspiracy for total domination of the globe. Zealots
threaten to unseat the governments of Egypt and Mexico,
exposing America to invasion and economic collapse.
Suddenly, from East to West, anarchists reach their deadly
tentacles into the heart of the United States.
And DIRK PITT, the hard-hitting hero of Clive Cussler's
smash bestsellers Sahara and Inca Gold, is up against the
most feared assassin known to man. An international band
of terrorists is making its play for world power on the high
seas -- and Pitt is the only man alive who can stop them!

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

When the great Library of Alexandria was ordered sacked in A.D. 391, could some of its fabulous art treasures and volumes from its magnificent library have escaped the flames and been ferried across the Atlantic? It's an improbable if intriguing notion, but probability is not the strong suit of this wild charade of a novel that features the greatest treasure hunt of all timesome 1600 years after the fabulous riches disappeared. The narrative also encompasses the bloody attempts of two supposedly religious fanatics (who turn out to be brothers in a ``criminal dynasty'') to seize power in Egypt and Mexico, respectively; the kidnapping of the legitimate presidents of those two countries aboard a cruise ship; and the dazzling exploits of the green-eyed Dirk Pitt, a super-James Bond type whom ``no woman could completely possess.'' These exploits include tracking the cruise ship to Tierra del Fuego, defeating, with the aid of some Special Forces agents, hordes of Arab and Mexican terrorists in several brutal encounters, and locating and saving the treasure. It's essentially schoolboy stuff, and it leads one to surmise that Cussler, author of the bestselling Cyclops, may have been so intent on packing his tale with action that he forgot about credibility altogether. Paperback rights to Pocket Books; Literary Guild main selection. (April)

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