Cyclops by Cliver Cussler

"Cyclops" is another spectacular adventure story by Clive Cussler, who is one of my favorite authors. As
always, the story is filled with mysteries and conspiracies, intriguing characters and buried treasure. This
story continues the adventures of Dirk Pitt, an adventurous NUMA (National Underwater and Marine
Agency) employee and treasure hunter who often bites off more than he can chew when going after a
prize. This time, he gets entangled in a plot so secret, even the US President was left in the dark.

The story begins as billionaire entrepreneur Raymond LeBaron and two others go missing over Cuban
waters while flying an antique blimp looking for the sunken ship Cyclops. The Cyclops holds the
legendary treasure of La Dorada, the golden woman. Of course, the actions take place during the Cold
War, so any attempt at rescue is impossible. Dirk happens to be in the area participating in a boat race
when the blimp is spotted floating back to shore off the Florida coast. After commandeering the blimp
and averting a disastrous crash into a nearby resort, Pitt discovers what looks like the bodies of the dead
men. However, when the coroner calls in LeBaron's wife, Jessie, to identify his body, she says that the
corpse doesn't belong to her husband.

Meanwhile, during a private golf game, the American President Is confronted by a mysterious figure
who slipped past his security. The mystery man briefs our country's leader about a top secret project
that has been going on under the noses of the executive branch for years, called the Jersey Colony.
Essentially, the colony is a first step towards permanent settlement of the moon.

Scientists have managed to create a moon base. The creators of this project are the inner core, a group
of government officials who directed the plan. The President has his personal advisor track these men
down when he learns that they may have started a war in space. The Russian Selenos probes, which
were sent to orbit the moon, were shot down by the Americans. After recovering the probe and learning
of the existence of the base, the Russians launch a team of soldiers and prepare to take the base for
themselves.

Pitt and his friends, AI Giordino, a hearty Italian who never gives up, and Rudi Gunn, a hardworking
scientist devoted to his practice, team up with Mrs. LeBaron and take the blimp to try to retrace the
path of her husband. Halfway there, the blimp is shot down by a Cuban helicopter, which in turn tastes
the wrath of Giordino's missile launcher. After jumping into the sea, the group heads for shore and end
up on a remote island owned by Cuba. After stumbling upon a military compound, they walk right into a
gathering of Soviet officers, and, at the head of the table, sits the very un-dead Raymond LeBaron.

With Pitt and his team captured and the war on the moon poised to begin, things look bleak. I won't
spoil it for you here, in part because it would take another 5 paragraphs and in part because the story
really does take a lot of unexpected turns. The conclusion is great but at the same time not at all what
you would expect. Overall, a great adventure story with an exciting twist. 

 Submitted by Max