The Messiah Stone

Doug Stavers #1

by Martin Caidin

Doug Stavers plays the mercenary game, and every time he plays he wins: in Africa, Central America, Vietnam or in the USA. Now he's on the biggest hunt of his life: to find and seize a certain object that, incredibly, confers the power of absolute belief on its owner. Christ once wore it. So did Mohammed. The last to own it was Adolf Hitler. The next will rule the world. It's code name is "The Messiah Stone".

Genres: Science Fiction, Thriller, Fantasy, Fiction

407 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1986

About the author

Martin Caidin was a prolific and controversial writer. Most of his work centered around the adventures of pilots and astronauts. A number of his books were notable for their reasonable, realistic predictions of then-futuristic technology.

Caidin's body of work was prolific and varied, ranging from additional speculative/SF novels such as Marooned, which was made into an acclaimed film and considered a harbinger of the Apollo 13 accident, to a novel based upon the character Indiana Jones. He also wrote many non-fiction books about science, aviation and warfare.

Caidin began writing fiction in 1957. In his career he authored more than 50 fiction and nonfiction books as well as more than 1,000 magazine articles. His best-known novel is Cyborg, which was the basis for "The Six Million Dollar Man" franchise. He also wrote numerous works of military history, especially concerning aviation.

In addition to his writing Caidin was a pilot and active in the restoration and flying of older planes.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Martin Caidin wrote some good science fiction, some good high-tech suspense thrillers, and some good aviation-themed adventures. Unfortunately, this is a more of a men's adventure book with a strong fantasy element. The messiah stone is a magical artifact that imbues its wearer with a kind of super-charisma that makes him impossible to resist or disbelieve. The previous owners include Christ, Mohammed, and Hitler. In his brief afterword, Caidin claims that most of the book is true, a literary device that was starting to get a little old before Whitley Streiber and just after Edgar Rice Burroughs...but I digress. The new owner is an extremely dislikable mercenary named Doug Stavers who uses it to take over the world. It goes on a bit too long, but it's a pretty well written men's adventure type of thing from the last century; the standard violence and sexist warnings apply. I'll call it two-and-a-half and round up.

[Erik Graff · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just spent a week at a friend's place in NW Wisconsin. No TV, no internet, no telephone so far as I was concerned, just work in the woods and reading. Stayed in the basement as family members came and went from the bedrooms upstairs. There were a number of novels there. Looking for something to read upon retiring, I picked this one, having read Caidin's 'Marooned' at a kid and being intrigued by claims made in its postscript that much of it was based on fact, some of it having to do with Hitler and the Nazis.

Well, Hitler is discussed with some reference to history. Beyond this, however, there's little realism. What there is is a lot of violence, sadistic violence, and sexism. I'm not easily offended, but this adventure novel managed it. I've not read a James Bond novel since adolescence. This seemed like a poor imitation of those, except that Caidin's hero lacks the wit and charm of Fleming's. He's simply a cruel and immoral megalomaniac.

I'm not one for starting a book without finishing it. Here there was a quest and a mystery--and the promise of some connection to reality. As it happens, the conclusion is entirely unsatisfactory. The quest is completed, but its object remains effectively unexplained and nothing points to any real world I'm familiar with.

[Bryan457 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm thinking of reading this again soon.
The main character, Doug Stavers, is awesome. He is not a nice person. In fact I would have to say he is quite evil (indifferent to whether you live or die). A fast paced book (unlike a lot of other Martin Caidin stuff). Don't bother with the sequel.

[Kendal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good adventure story, in the vein of Indiana Jones, but the protagonist is a pure anti-hero: in the first chapter, he causes the death of two innocent people. Human life = mere collateral damage.

[Leighton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. My Swedish Death Reading project continues. Reading all the books I have owned for decades but never read so I can get rid of them. I remember thinking this book sounded cool. It was not. Doug Stavers sucks.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Read. Interesting storyline. Recommended

[Phil On The Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Easy read and good fun.