Unholy Domain by Dan Ronco

In Dan Ronco’s futuristic techno-thriller Unholy Domain, high technology squares off against religion in a battle for the human race. In 2022, ten years after a crippling computer virus called “PeaceMaker” caused massive devastation, technology has been outlawed. On the black market, however, technology is in demand, and artificial intelligence has allowed the development of human-looking robots.

Those who trade in illegal technology, the “Domain”, include those who develop artificial intelligence, and those who distribute it on the black market. The Church of Natural Humans believes technology is evil, and that all who support artificial intelligence deserve death. As a way of furthering its agenda, the church supports a clandestine terrorist group called “The Army of God.” They are led by the First Minister, who treats women with contempt and enemies with brutality. The religion and technology factions are locked in deadly conflict, with humankind stuck in the middle.

David Brown is the son of Ray Brown, the man who was blamed for setting off the PeaceMaker virus, and he has grown up hating his father. When he receives a years-delayed e-mail from Ray, proclaiming his innocence, David begins a search for the truth. An interesting wrinkle is David’s ability to communicate with artificial intelligence, which helps fuel his search. Unfortunately, there are many who will kill to keep David from learning the truth.

Unholy Domain moves along at a lightning pace, and engages the reader with action and thrills aplenty. The premise of religion versus technology is thought-provoking, as are the quotes with which Ronco begins each chapter. The concept of holy war and the moral and ethical questions the book evokes remind the reader of issues in society today.
The negatives in my mind were that the book reads almost like a movie script. That is both good and bad. The good, of course, is that the pacing keeps you turning the pages. The bad is that story lines and characters lack depth. I would have enjoyed more character development, and a deeper exploration of the theological basis of the Church of Natural Humans, for example.

Overall, Unholy Domain is a solid addition to the thriller genre. It can be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone novel, but readers might want to first read PeaceMaker, the first book in the series.

Action-Adventure News From the Publishing Industry

Many thanks to reader Ed Homa for the news updates. Ed will be contributing news and reviews, so look for more frequent updates!

Arctic Drift (A Dirk Pitt Novel, #20) (Dirk Pitt) (Hardcover)

by Clive Cussler (Author), Dirk Cussler (Author)

Hardcover: 528 pages Publisher: Putnam Adult (November 25, 2008)

Language: English ISBN-10: 0399155295 ISBN-13: 978-0399155291

Product Description: As with all Clive Cussler’s dazzling Dirk Pitt novels, critics said Treasure of Khan “amazes, informs and entertains” (Publishers Weekly), “the action zipping along until a final powerhouse showdown” (Entertainment Weekly). “What’s not to like?” proclaimed the Los Angeles Times—and hundreds of thousands of readers agreed.
In his new novel, however—the twentieth Dirk Pitt adventure— Cussler may have topped even himself.

A potential breakthrough discovery to reverse global warming . . . a series of unexplained sudden deaths in British Columbia . . . a rash of international incidents between the United States and one of its closest allies that threatens to erupt into an actual shooting war . . . NUMA director Dirk Pitt and his children, Dirk. Jr. and Summer, have reason to believe there’s a connection here somewhere, but they also know they have very little time to find it before events escalate out of control. Their only real clue might just be a mysterious silvery mineral traced to a long-ago expedition in search of the fabled Northwest Passage. But no one survived from that doomed mission, captain and crew perished to a man—and if Pitt and his colleague Al Giordino aren’t careful, the very same fate may await them.

Filled with the breathtaking suspense and audacious imagination that have become his hallmarks, this is a tour de force— further proof that when it comes to adventure writing, nobody beats Clive Cussler.

About the Author: Clive Cussler is the author or coauthor of thirty-five previous books, including nineteen Dirk Pitt® novels, seven NUMA® Files adventures, five Oregon Files books, three works of nonfiction, and his historical adventure, The Chase. Dirk Cussler, an MBA from Berkeley, worked for many years in the financial arena and now devotes himself full-time to writing. He is the coauthor with Clive Cussler of Black Wind and Treasure of Khan. For the past several years, he has been an active participant and partner in his father’s NUMA® expeditions and served as president of the NUMA® advisory board of trustees.

Corsair (Hardcover)by Clive Cussler (Author), Jack DuBrul (Author)

Hardcover: 448 pages Publisher: Putnam Adult (March 3, 2009)

Language: English ISBN-10: 0399155392 ISBN-13: 978-0399155390

Product Description: For five novels, Clive Cussler has brought readers into the world of the Oregon, a seemingly dilapidated ship packed with sophisticated equipment, and captained by the rakish, one-legged Juan Cabrillo. And now the Oregon and its crew face their biggest challenge yet.

Corsairs are pirates, and pirates come in many different varieties. There are the pirates who fought off the Barbary Coast in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the contemporary pirates who infest the waters of Africa and Asia, and the pirates . . . who look like something else.

When the U.S. secretary of state’s plane crashes while bringing her to a summit meeting in Libya, the CIA, distrusting the Libyans, hire Juan Cabrillo to search for her, and their misgivings are well founded. The crew locates the plane, but the secretary of state has vanished. It turns out Libya’s new foreign minister has other plans for the conference, plans that Cabrillo cannot let happen. But what does it all have to do with a two- hundred- year-old naval battle and the centuries-old Islamic scrolls that the Libyans seem so determined to find? The answers will lead him full circle into history, and into another pitched battle on the sea, this time against Islamic terrorists, and with the fate of nations resting on its outcome.

“Readers will burn up the pages following the blazing action and daring exploits of these men and women and their amazing machines,” writes Publishers Weekly of the Oregon Files series. And they’ll do it once again, with Corsair.

About the Author: Clive Cussler is the author of many New York Times bestsellers, including most recently The Chase, Plague Ship, and the forthcoming Arctic Drift.
Jack Du Brul is the author of the Philip Mercer series, most recently Havoc, and is the coauthor with Clive Cussler of the Oregon Files novels Dark Watch, Skeleton Coast, and Plague Ship.