I have mixed feelings about Jack Bu Brul's Vulcan's Forge.

On the one hand, this is Du Brul's first novel. As such, it suffers from some of the ailments that many first-timers suffer. Some first timers seem to have run-of-the-mouth syndrome. Where they think they get paid by the word. There are long sections that are just plain boring. With way too much emphasis on long, drawn out descriptions. When page after page is dedicated to describing how a scene looks, or how a person feels, it's just way too much. Another problem is the same information being conveyed over and over, by different characters, as they speak to others. This book is in need of a giant red magic marker to cross out all the excess verbiage.

On the other hand, the story is definitely NOT boring. In fact, it's one of the wildest journeys I've enjoyed in a long time. With many facets, covering many decades, and locales, it definitely keeps you wondering what will happen next. So, I was willing to put up with the long boring passages, in order to get to the next part of the story.

The story covers 45 years of intrigue. It seems that back in the 1950's the Russians came up with an ingenious plot. One that would give them a means to inexpensive, limitless fuel, sure to raise Russia to the top of the economic heap. And if a few innocent by-standers lose their lives as this plan unfolds, so be it. But this was not a plan for the impatient. Because it would take decades for all the pieces to fall into place.

Now it's the present day. The USSR has broken up, but a few old-timers still remember that plan. In fact their lives have been dedicated to seeing the plan through. And now the time is here! Again, innocent lives mean nothing as long as the pockets will be well-lined.

This is when we meet our hero, Phillip Mercer. He's a bit too much of a superhero, for my taste. Not too realistic in his ability to single-handedly wipe out large groups of armed bad guys. He's also smart beyond all measure and extremely lucky, as his hunches have a way of always coming true. But he's likable enough, and quite humorous when he's not fighting the evil-doers of the world.

In his real life, he's an expert in geology, and works as a consultant whenever something "weird" happens anywhere on our planet. Like underwater eruptions, mysterious heat waves, etc. Thus he finds himself involved as the Russian plot is coming to its conclusion. At the same time, in other parts of the world, we have a secession movement in Hawaii that's becoming increasingly violent, a radar-invisible submarine with a mission of its own, and a bloody, violent massacre in Washington.

As you can see, the story itself is quite exciting. From one minute to the next, you have no idea what's going to happen, and who's going to double-cross whom. All facets of the book come together smoothly, although the relationships among them won't be immediately clear.

In the end, I recommend this book for its story, if not for its writing. Stick it out, through the excess pages and you'll be rewarded with an exciting story that is sure to keep you guessing. I will give this author's later books a try, in hopes that he tightens it up a bit. If he can deliver an equally fascinating story, but with fewer wasted words, I'll be very happy!

Recommended: Yes