Deep Fire Rising

Philip Mercer #6

by Jack Du Brul

USA Today bestselling author Jack Du Brul brings back geologist-adventurer Philip Mercer for an apocalyptic adventure.

Hired to lead the excavation of caverns deep beneath Area 51, Philip Mercer finds himself drilling straight into the epicenter of an age-old conspiracy. A reclusive order of Himalayan monks, through special knowledge of the earth's tectonic movement, has predicted the end of the world--and it is determined to see the prediction unfold accordingly.

Now, with icebergs floating through the South Pacific and a thermonuclear bomb set to destroy an island paradise, the stage is set for Armageddon--and it is up to Philip Mercer and the beautiful, mysterious Tisa Nguyan to prevent a cataclysm beyond imagination.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Adventure, Action, Mystery, Suspense, Audiobook

483 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 2, 2003

About the author

Jack DuBrul is a New York Times Best-Selling Author from Vermont who writes techno thrillers. Recently, he has been co-authoring "The Oregon Files" novels with Clive Cussler, taking over from Craig Dirgo with the third novel.

Reviews

[Paul Weiss]

I wanted to like it ... really!

The back-cover marketing blurb seemed to hold promise ... a geologist adventurer likened to a combination of Dirk Pitt and James Bond. Sounds good so far! But then came the science and my credibility meter slammed so hard into the red zone that the needle snapped off when it hit the stop at the top end. At 140 pages, my eyes had rolled into the back of my head and I closed the novel with disgust and a distinct sigh of resignation. If Jack Du Brul had submitted his manuscript as a sci-fi novel instead of an adventure thriller, the publishers would have laughed him out of the building and sent him packing.

Give this one a definite pass.

Paul Weiss

[Mason]

Another great Phillip Mercer adventure book from Jack DuBrul. I think this was my favorite one so far. It had plenty of action and just enough factual history to make it believable. If you like Dirk Pitt, you will love Phillip Mercer.

[Lea Locke]

Great book!! This is the first book I picked up in the series. And even though, I loved it and was instantly hooked, I would suggest reading from the beginning. There are references to things that have happened in previous books along with character developments that will make each subsequent book that much more enjoyable.
Du Brul writing is so incredible; his stories are so complex and all the pieces always fall together perfectly. I'm always completely satisfied I close the book and am always wanting more.

[Julie]

if you like Dirk Pitt you will enjoy Mercer as well

[Mark]

Philip Mercer (Dirk Pitt type) Geologist saves world from super tsunami ...like the plot in Patrick Robinson's "Scimitar S12"...a threat of world domination by a Tibetan secret order...great action...page-turner...excellent characters again

[Leighton]

Deep Fire Rising by Jack Du Brul was a thoroughly enjoyable read. It is the 6th installment in the Philip Mercer series. Du Brul’s writing really allows the reader to enter the mind and world of Philip Mercer, the protagonist of the series. The book is beautifully crafted, and doesn’t leave the reader wanting when the novel concludes. From the very beginning of the story, I was immediately drawn in. It started with the mystery of the underground cavern in Nevada, and led up to the heart pounding explosive action in Tibet and onto the island paradise of La Palma. I never once lost interest. Although this was my first time reading a book by Jack Du Brul, and especially one from his Philip Mercer series, I was instantly enthralled with his excellent writing style and story telling ability. I recommend this book to any fans of Clive Cussler and his Dirk Pitt novels. Some parts of the story were so interesting that I would go back and reread entire chapters to experience them again. I am excited to read the other books in the Philip Mercer series. I am torn between starting from book 1, Vulcan’s Forge, or continuing with book 7, Havoc. Once again - 10/10 great read. I highly recommend this book, and at just under 500 pages it is quite a short but enjoyable read.

[Olwen White]

I'm not finished with this one... I'm just done! I think to be honest, I've been done with it since the middle of 2023 but.. I kept trying to finish it. It had such promise at the start. There was action, suspense, intrigue. Which was to be expected from a co-author of Clive Cussler novels. It started to go downhill from the middle onwards. I finally gave up the ghost when a stroke patient was being breastfed by a nubile girl. I'm sorry but how exactly does that help the plot!?!

This book gets one star - not because it deserves one star - because it really doesn't. I don't think it's worth 1/2 a star. However, the start of the book encouraged me to find out more about World War 2 and led to my other book choices throughout 2023. So the one star is to thank Jack for sending me down a rabbit hole of knowledge... a rabbit hole that ended in the wisdom of knowing I will never read another book by Jack Du Brul.

[Susan]

I gave this book a lower than average rating because it's written with such a strong patriarchal viewpoint that it almost upset me a little. I wouldn't go so far as to call it misogynistic, but the women in the book seem to exist mostly for the benefit of the male hero. The main character also seems to tend to stereotype women. I thought of the millions of readers of this novel, and how this type of writing contributes to our patriarchal culture, and was very turned off. If it hadn't been for that, it would be your average action/suspense novel.

[Steven Allen]

This was my least favorite of the Mercer books. The author changed the formula a little for this one, but I was able to correctly figure out the love interest and the likely end.

Still find it irritating that authors take the easy way explaining criminals getting machineguns and suppressors from a gun show. Would it take to much to think through and make a plausible source for illicit weapons?

[Marisa Young]

Secrets underneath Area 51, an ancient order that knows when earthquakes and volcanic eruptions will occur and a geologist, who advises the president, must help save the world again. Lots of action. Love this character.

[Keith Kindle]

Best one yet!!!!

Jack knocked it out of the park with this one! Great story and character development with a plot that astounds at every twist. I really, really enjoyed this book! Fantastic!

[Gary]

Good read....typical Jack Du Brul. Went fairly fast

[Christine Sturniolo]

The most heartbreaking ending...

[Sheila Myers]

An exciting thriller with great characters. I look forward to reading more books in this series.

[DonHSr]

Edge of your seat reading. Good book!

[linda]

Would make a great movie. So much action and a little love story.

[Irina Atanasova]

Първите 100 страници има вероятност да не ви грабнат. После всичко става по-динамично и интересно. Харесвам поредицата ми с Филип Мърсър.

[Donald Bogert]

A solid 4. 2 and 4 of the series still my favorite books.

[Franco Pitacco]

Good book, though a little too much on the sci-fi side.

[Greg]

Really enjoyed this Mercer story. Five stars.

[Nicole Oliver]

Lots of action and gripping scenes.

The romance scenes were awful, and so were the female characters.

[Susan Woods]

Sad, abrupt ending, but it was an adventurous, action-packed read.

[Nigel]

I really like the collaborations Jack du Brul does with Clive Cussler and that is what led me to read his own work..... and I have not been disappointed at all. I think the character of Mercer is great and nice that he's not a retired agent or Archeologist but a plain old Geologist a subject that you learn bits about as you read through the series of books , this one takes us baround the world from Canada to Area 51, the middle of the Pacific, Santorini, Tibet and ending up in a volcano in the Canaries. I only have one more to read in the series but do hope Jack will return to the Mercer books one day and continue he saga.

[Beth]

I'm finding I really like Jack Du Brul for a fun thriller read. His books are a combination of science and adventure, and they can be breathlessly paced. The books center on Phillip Mercer, a mining geologist, who my this book is Special Science Advisor to the president. In this book he is literally saving a good chunk of the world by the end. Just don't expect to be complacent about a certain volcanic island off of the coast of Africa when you are through, especially if you live anywhere near the Atlantic.

[Andrea]

A world-wide conflagration awaits as Philip Mercer becomes involved with an ancient and reclusive order of Himalayan monks. A subset of the group is determined to see a prediction of the end of the world come to realization.

Jack Du Brul writes messages similar to Clive Cussler, in restrospect I some times have difficulty in remembering which characters are involved in which plots.

[Barbara]

Decent action thriller by Cussler's heir, Jack DuBrul. My only complaint is that Mercer's girl du jour, Tisa Nguyen, shows up in the book as merely a sex object for him as well as for her brother (in an icky incest subplot). Her ghost haunts him through another book, and I guess the sex was pretty good, because it's not like he took the time to really get to know her well.

[John Cameron]

You can't fool with Mother Nature

I got hooked on Phillip Merced about 6 months ago. I like the plausibility of the story lines and the use of reality. This was typical of the series with fast moving action and several subplots. I would have liked somehow to have saved the oracle, but c'est le vie!

[Wendi]

Too much over the top

I'm a big fan of unbelievable adventures, but this one just had too many things going on. I read the last third of the book just to finish it. I prefer the other Philip Mercer books over this one.

[Al Cormier]

Though this is the sixth book in the series, it is the first of his books I have read. I just closed my eyes and picked a book from among the hundreds I have to ship to soldiers and sailors around the world. And I enjoyed it very much as a stand-alone novel.

[Brent]

Pretty entertaining. I enjoy Dirk Pitt series and this in same vein. Rollilocking adventure book.