Natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and hurricanes have the potential to bring widespread devastation and seem to fill up headlines far too often. But what if those natural disasters weren’t so natural? What if someone had the power to control the earth’s tectonic plates and create these disasters? That’s the question critically acclaimed author Steven Paul Mark asked himself. His imaginative answer is the central conflict of his mystery/thriller novel, “Drift.”

Drift

Steven Paul Mark
Booklocker.com (2006)
ISBN 1601450621
Reviewed by Cherie Fisher for Reader Views (1/07)


I found it hard to believe that “Drift” is the first novel that author Steven Paul Mark has written.  The author obviously has done a lot of research on a variety of subjects; geology, government, corporations, FBI, NYPD and the New York subterranean are only some of the topics he covered in this very well written novel.   

The world as he knows it is over for ex-Marine Max LaFollette.  He just lost his job, his wife is murdered and now Max is running for his life from the people who killed her and hiding out from the NYPD who thinks he is involved in his wife’s murder.  He inadvertently set off a chain of events that he cannot control when he interviewed at Imperium Solutions.  The only way for him to survive is move underground to live in the subterranean beneath New York City with a band of ragtag warriors determined to stop the diabolical plans that Imperium Solutions has embarked on. 

At the same time, the world weather has gone crazy. Earthquakes, tsunamis, heat waves, polar ice cap melting and weather reversals are occurring all over the globe.   Could it really be true that a corporation really has the technology to cause all of this devastation?  As Max realizes the enormity of the problem he heads to California to meet with the famous geologist Becky Hausman, who he had rescued from an accident in the subway tunnels in New York.  She quickly joins his efforts to stop this company from destroying the world. 

As Max and his fellow warriors move to stop this company they head to Washington D.C. and find out that the reach of Imperium is too high and nothing will be done about the evidence that they uncovered.  Realizing that the world is headed for disaster if this company is not stopped they head for Chechnya for the final confrontation. 

The story is very fast paced and full of intrigue and drama from the beginning to the end.  It is very hard to put down once you start it.  It is very disturbing to read this after all the crazy weather, earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunami that we have seen over the last few years.  I highly encourage people that enjoy detail oriented thrillers to read this book.  I also think that “Drift” has the makings for what would make a great movie.