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Polar Shift  By  cover art

Polar Shift

By: Clive Cussler,Paul Kemprecos
Narrated by: Scott Brick
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Publisher's summary

Polar shift: It is the name for a phenomenon that may have occurred many times in the past. At the very least, it disorients birds and animals and damages electrical equipment. At its worst, it causes massive eruptions, earthquakes, and climatic changes. At its very worst, it would mean the obliteration of all living matter, and if that happens - exit Earth.

Sixty years ago, an eccentric Hungarian genius discovered how to artificially trigger such a shift, but then his work was lost, or so it was thought. Now, the charismatic leader of an anti-globalization group plans to use the work to give the world's industrialized nations a small jolt, then reverse the shift back again. The only problem is, it cannot be reversed. Once the shift starts, there is nothing anyone can do about it.

Austin, Zavala, and the rest of the NUMA Special Assignments Team certainly have faced dire situations before, but never have they encountered anything like this. This time...even they may be too late.

Check out more of the NUMA Files.
©2005 Clive Cussler (P)2005 Penguin

Critic reviews

"Scott Brick is a terrific reader who employs convincing accents for Austrians like Karl Schroeder and the other multinationals on NUMA's team. He masterfully uses a variety of speech patterns and delivers strong dialogue in a rich baritone, booming sometimes and pulling back when needed. Brick's presentation lends drama and reality to this wildly improbable plot. Action-packed and explosively tense, the novel, with its rich cast of characters, creates a compelling listening adventure." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about Polar Shift

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Well written. Holds your attention.

What made the experience of listening to Polar Shift the most enjoyable?

Scott Brick's voice and attention to the details of the characters.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Polar Shift?

The rescue from the whirlpool.

Have you listened to any of Scott Brick’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. As good as any I've heard.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

More mammothes

I think this would have made two great books! One about the polar shift, getting just a little closer to disaster and a book about the mammot he's and possibly other animals. As always so close to what could possibly happen tomorrow.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Fun and fast-moving

Cussler takes us lots of places. It's a modern-day thriller. I had two big problems with it. The "science" behind the plot was too far-out, and they don't speak Spanish in Rio de Janeiro. The narrator was above average.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

My Favorite of the NUMA Files (so far)

The story kept grabbing my attention and astounding me, until the very end. The characters, the science, the action, the ocean, the mammals (I’m not spoiling those parts) and most of all the people were a joy to experience. It was a fun adventure filled world to visit.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Kurt Austin as Dirk Pitt 2.0

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Only if they really wanted to complete their Cussler collection. It was a decent book, but not one of Cussler's better stories, in my opinion. I found the plot line more unbelievable than usual, and didn't think that the villians were "bad" enough.

This was my first Kurt Austin book, and I would have to put him at the bottom of my Cussler-Hero Power Rankings as of November 2012: Bell, Pitt, Cabrillo, Fargo, Pitt Jr., Austin.



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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Unbelievabley Ridiculous

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I have listened and read most of Cusslers novels and found them to be exciting and entertaining.However herds of dwarf Mammoths in an underground city is beyond my imagination.Too much dialogue and ridicuolous circumstances make it a zero.Great narrator.The plot might entertain a 10 yr old.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrarator is great.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

The plot is for 10 year olds.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

I love Clive/Numa but this...

This storyline is just too far-fetched even for me. I love Clive Cussler but audibly laughed at a certain scene within the book where the good guys escape from the bad guys by causing a stampede of no-longer-extinct animals in a subterranean ancient city built/carved out of a luminescent/phosphorescent stone. It's fun don't get me wrong, but if I want a fantasy, I'll go get a book in that genre.

Reading/Narrations performance was excellent.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A little too far fetched

Don't get me wrong, this is another fun Clive Cussler adventure, and you'll likely enjoy it, but the stretch on the science was just a bit too much this time to be believable. All his stories stretch things a bit, and that's part of the fun and expectation. This one just took it to the point of goofiness. Also, I used to be an environmental engineer, and all this silliness about climate change just irks me. It's all cyclical, and the powers that be know it, but they also know it's a fantastic way to milk money out of the masses. Shame to see that Cussler has bought into it to some degree as well.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Repeating Passages Across Books/Series?

I love all of Clive Cussler's series and Scott Brick is a brilliant narrator. But sometimes as I am listening I begin to think I may have listened to the story before! Then as it continue I realize I haven't. I belive this happens because passages from previous books from other series by Cussler are used and names are changed for the current series. I don't mind because I think this is how Cussler is given credit for the book when a different author is involved, especially if it is a book written after Cussler's passing. The stories are always great. I am going g to be disappointed when I finish listening to all of them.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Discs

I enjoyed it but there were several mentions of the end of a disc in it

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