Quantum Tempest

Oregon Files #19

by Mike Maden, Clive Cussler (Series Creator)

Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon are back in this explosive new adventure in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

Genres: Adventure, Thriller, Action, Fiction

432 pages, Hardcover

First published September 9, 2025

About the author

I grew up working in the canneries, feed mills and slaughterhouses of California’s San Joaquin Valley. A lifelong fascination with history and warfare ultimately lead to a Ph.D. in political science focused on conflict and technology in international relations. Like millions of others, I first became a Tom Clancy fan after reading The Hunt for Red October, and began my published fiction career in the same techno-thriller genre, starting with DRONE and the sequels, BLUE WARRIOR, DRONE COMMAND and DRONE THREAT. I’m honored to be joining “The Campus” as a writer in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Jr., series.

Reviews

[PamG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quantum Tempest is the nineteenth book in the Oregon Files action thriller series started by Clive Cussler and continuing by Mike Maden. Central America is a hotspot with a government crackdown on cartels in El Salvadore leaving many criminal leaders locked up in prison. In response, Amador Fierro, a crime boss, forges the seven largest groups into an allegiance. To defeat the United States, they need an artificial general intelligence computer that can overwhelm America and others.

Chairman Juan Cabrillo and his crew aboard the Oregon are hired by the CIA to stop Fierro. However, they have multiple problems including having two team members unreachable in the Darien Gap on assignment, a surprise guest, regular cargo deliveries, and other forces who want the new computer as well.

Cabrillo is always eager for the hunt and can improvise quickly. He’s intelligent, killed linguistically, and has good action skills. There are a lot of characters in the book but there is a character list at the beginning for readers to use. Those familiar with the series will find many returning characters, including members of his crew.

Shocking, suspenseful, alarming, and pulse-activating; this book as aspects of political and military thrillers as well as espionage and action thrillers. There are several twists to the multi-layered plot that will keep readers rapidly turning the pages. The author continues to bring great characters, entertaining story lines, and lots of action together in exhilarating novels. The world-building was excellent making this reader feel as though she was experiencing the events along with the characters. The story largely takes place in El Salvador and the Pacific Ocean off the coast of it. However, there are several chapters set in Panama and Columbia as well as single chapters in other countries. My biggest quibble was that there were so many disparate scenes to start with that the flow wasn’t there until they started to come together. Additionally, there was a secondary thread related to one of Cabrillo’s team that wasn’t fully resolved.

Overall, this book was intense, suspenseful, riveting, fast-paced, and thought-provoking. If you enjoy action thrillers that have both strong male and female characters, then this may be the series for you. I’m looking forward to reading more of this series.

Putnam – G. P. Putnam’s Sons and Mike Maden provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for November 18, 2025.
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My 4.14 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.

[Grandma Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action packed and intense. There are always several parts unfolding at once and the author makes these easy to track and understand. I always give the books in this series, 5 stars. However, I believe this has been my favorite so far. The ending was actually heartwarming. The characters are unique and memorable. Outstanding narration. Highly recommend. Looking forward to the next in the series.

I was blessed with an ARC. Thank you NetGalley. The opinions expressed are my own and unbiased. I’m looking forward to rereading the series.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clive Cussler Quantum Tempest by Mike Maden was a nail-biting glimpse at war. Present or future? Thankfully I don’t know that. One needs to stay in focus while reading this book as there are lots of moving parts that eventually come together in one amazing climax. Maden explores the dangers of rug cartels and the Chinese and their relationships. He also opens the door on the idea that the US government doesn’t always do their own “dirty work.” It is an exciting and through-provoking read.

If there is a lead, and that is somewhat questionable, it is Juan Cabrillo who had once been a CIA asset but was now a CIA contractor. He is the chairman of a corporation that owns and operates a state-of-the-art battleship, disguised as as a cargo trawler, which accounted for its many trips around the Pacific. He is a man with a history and one that directs his actions. He is a quick thinker and creative and surrounds himself with a crew that is unique and every bit as creative. It was quite the journey.

I was invited to read Clive Cussler Quantum Tempest by Putnam. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Putnam #MikeMaden #CliveCusslerQuantumTempest

[Cynde · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this the 19 book in the Oregon Files series, Juan Cabrillo and his crew are involved in multiple assignments in South America. Two crew members have been sent undercover to locate an Iranian base in the jungles. A crew member rescues an old girlfriend from danger but is she a friend or a foe. A cartel boss is secretly funding the building of an AGI (artificial general intelligence) computer which if successful will give him control of the world.
AI is becoming the most important tool in the world is wanted by all governments - most desperately by the and Chinese and the USA and everyone is willing to kill for it. The book is non-stop adventures with death-defying terrain. can they stop the cartel boss from realizing his dream of world domination and can they thwart the Chinese from stealing the technology???The book is a thrilling nail-biter! It will be enjoyed by any of Cussler's readers and those who love exotic locations and lots of action.

[Ricki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Happy that this series is being continued but this installment took me a while to get into. It seemed all over the place at first -ghost ships in the Pacific, two Cabrillo agents in the Darien Gap searching for Iranian Quds force for Overholt, cartels in Central America headed by Amador Fierro joining forces to become more powerful, the building of a super Artificial General Intelligence machine to take down the US , protecting the president of El Salvador and a mole on the Oregon, not to mention an old enemy of Cabrillo's makes an appearance.

Whew what a list! How many jobs can Cabrillo take on at one time? It is action packed but didn't coalesce for me until two-thirds of the way in.

[Sue H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Juan Carrillo is my favorite Cussler character and Mike Madden does an excellent job continuing Cabrillo and his extraordinary crew’s adventures! Too bad we don’t actually have such a tech-savvy, fearless, patriotic, risk-taking individual’s on the government’s payroll. This story shows another opportunity for individual’s to make billions while putting the world’s innocent people at risk. If you enjoy thriller adventure stories employing lots of technology, the Cabrillo series is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and G P Putnam for providing an ARC to enjoy!

[John Belcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome story! Poor Murphy was taken advantage of using his feelings against him. The secrets of the Oregon are compromised due to the person using Murphys heart for espionage. Murphy redeems himself by cracking the one mans code to save them. The concept of the story is close to reality that it will stop and make you wonder if it could be possible. The book was captivating and very hard to put down and definitely worthy of five stars.

[Deborah A. Purtell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too convoluted

Writing with this same collaborator, I find too many people, situations and wordy explanations that wander aimlessly. After following two main characters throughout the story, one abruptly kill’s herself (Zhang), and Fierro unexpectedly gets his neck broken. That storyline ends with a thud. Then the ending was forced. Nuns being burned alive? Where did that come from?

[Mike Summerlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read

I am never disappointed by any of Cussler's books.
This one is action packed and the character development was excellent.
One highly recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated by the detail and descriptions of equipment and characters will not be disappointed.

[Db2567 · Rating 2 out of 5]

AGI and AI are the enemy in this novel.
The book synopsis gives you no idea about what the story is about.
Note to self it's time to give up on this series now as the Clive Cussler name on the book is a long way from his novels.

[PottWab Regional Library]

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[Linda Holway · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was choppy, did not read as smooth as Clive Cussler usually does...