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Neptune
"A novel about "Operation Neptune", a plan to recover a sunken Russian submarine lying on the bottom three miles below the surface of the South China Sea"
Paperback
Published January 1, 1985
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About the author
Noel B. Gerson
131 books25 followersNoel Bertram Gerson (1913-1988) was an American author who wrote 325 books, including several best sellers, among them two screenplay novelizations penned under the pseudonym Samuel Edwards, The Naked Maja, and 55 Days at Peking.
Aside from "Samuel Edwards", which would seem to have been his dedicated by-line for tie-in work, Gerson used the following nine pseudonyms in addition to his own name: Anne Marie Burgess; Michael Burgess; Nicholas Gorham; Paul Lewis; Leon Phillips; Donald Clayton Porter; Dana Fuller Ross; Philip Vail; and Carter A. Vaughan.
Aside from "Samuel Edwards", which would seem to have been his dedicated by-line for tie-in work, Gerson used the following nine pseudonyms in addition to his own name: Anne Marie Burgess; Michael Burgess; Nicholas Gorham; Paul Lewis; Leon Phillips; Donald Clayton Porter; Dana Fuller Ross; Philip Vail; and Carter A. Vaughan.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 11, 2023
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Neptune is an undersea adventure thriller promising a top-secret clash for world domination at the bottom of the South China Sea, as CIA operatives and a billionaire industrialist launch a salvage operation for the lost, defunct Russian atomic submarine Zoloto.
Except: that is not quite what the reader gets.
The players include Porter, an English spy in the James Bond mode, slipping from one international adventure to the next when not bedding some beauty; Adrienne, a seductive karate champion and top CIA operative; Billionaire shipbuilding-adventurer Franklin Richards and his wife, with the money to fabricate a vessel able to raise the sunken Russian sub for the secret codes and atomic weapons aboard. I am always up for undersea adventure, but... this is mainly about Porter and Adrienne maintaining secrecy while the massive ship is being secretly constructed in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, off Seattle. I was reading this in Victoria BC, so when they were hanging around Port Angeles, where I could practically see them 26 miles away, it lost some of it's exotic charm. Into the scene come a Eurasian beauty, a triple agent who romances Porter and makes herself unwittingly useful to their scheme. Dealings with Chinese and Russian spies, and the launching of the ship, take up over 170 pages - leaving just 40 pages to journey to the South China Sea and conduct the mission.
This was entertaining, but I did feel let down by the promise of far off adventure - and getting a clandestine boat building story set near Seattle. Porter was a smooth character, but although his partner was his stated equal, she merely appears in a low cut evening gown here and there. Once they get travelling, the finale a little too clear cut, a little too short, and a little too late. That the operation occurs in a freak tropical hurricane just barely makes up for it.
If you are that certain kind of reader who likes submarines, spies, and intrigue, I would say this is just middling. Not terrible, but not great. The reception and reviews online are just average.
Author Noel B. Gerson has 325 published titles to his name, written under about 9 pseudonyms - mainly biographies, historical fiction, and western series.
Neptune is an undersea adventure thriller promising a top-secret clash for world domination at the bottom of the South China Sea, as CIA operatives and a billionaire industrialist launch a salvage operation for the lost, defunct Russian atomic submarine Zoloto.
Except: that is not quite what the reader gets.
The players include Porter, an English spy in the James Bond mode, slipping from one international adventure to the next when not bedding some beauty; Adrienne, a seductive karate champion and top CIA operative; Billionaire shipbuilding-adventurer Franklin Richards and his wife, with the money to fabricate a vessel able to raise the sunken Russian sub for the secret codes and atomic weapons aboard. I am always up for undersea adventure, but... this is mainly about Porter and Adrienne maintaining secrecy while the massive ship is being secretly constructed in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, off Seattle. I was reading this in Victoria BC, so when they were hanging around Port Angeles, where I could practically see them 26 miles away, it lost some of it's exotic charm. Into the scene come a Eurasian beauty, a triple agent who romances Porter and makes herself unwittingly useful to their scheme. Dealings with Chinese and Russian spies, and the launching of the ship, take up over 170 pages - leaving just 40 pages to journey to the South China Sea and conduct the mission.
This was entertaining, but I did feel let down by the promise of far off adventure - and getting a clandestine boat building story set near Seattle. Porter was a smooth character, but although his partner was his stated equal, she merely appears in a low cut evening gown here and there. Once they get travelling, the finale a little too clear cut, a little too short, and a little too late. That the operation occurs in a freak tropical hurricane just barely makes up for it.
If you are that certain kind of reader who likes submarines, spies, and intrigue, I would say this is just middling. Not terrible, but not great. The reception and reviews online are just average.
Author Noel B. Gerson has 325 published titles to his name, written under about 9 pseudonyms - mainly biographies, historical fiction, and western series.
August 19, 2011
The book started off kind of confusing. Using navy terms but eventually I caught on to the story. I really like this book & how the events are playing out & I'm ready to read more.
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