What do an amateur astronomer in a small fishing community on the Maine coast, a slave-labor mine hidden deep within the Cambodian rain forest, and a determined young scientist at the National Propulsion Facility have in common? The connections are, literally, out of this world. Former monk-turned-CIA-operative Wyman Ford, previously seen kicking ass in Blasphemy, signs on to pull the pieces together in his stylish and highly imaginative, action-packed way. It’s fun, it’s inventive—it takes real events, extrapolates their possibilities, and has you looking up into the night sky wondering what’s really out there, watching.
The inspiration for this story came from an edgy experience in the author’s own life. In 1996 NASA flew a special reconnaissance mission over the largely unexplored region of northwestern Cambodia. The data it gathered was fed into a T3D Cray supercomputer at the Jet Propulsion Lab in California and a startling discovery was made. Buried deep in the jungle was a previously unknown12th century temple covering almost a square mile of land!
When an expedition prepared to go to the temple, Doug Preston was working for National Geographic magazine and maneuvered a spot on the trip led by Elizabeth Moore, head of the Department of Art and Archaeology at the University of London and an authority on the ancient Angkor civilization. It proved to be a rugged endeavor. There were no roads to the temple and the trails were flooded from the monsoons and still heavily mined from the war—not to mention that it was located in heavily armed Khmer Rouge territory, with kidnappings and violent killings occurring regularly. It was, as Preston says, “one hell of a journey,” and he always knew that one day he’d weave the details of his thrilling personal adventure into one of his novels. That day is now and the result, with more twists and turns than a gold medal snowboarder—and just as nerve wracking—will keep you entertained from start to explosive climax.
Visit Doug Preston’s website and read the first two chapters: http://www.prestonchild.com/solonovels/preston/impact/
-- Rosemary Carstens
http://FEASTofBooks.com
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