Medusa

By Clive Cussler

Reviewed by Richard Cao

Fall 2016

Review: Medusa by Clive Cussler

ISBN#: 978-0-399-15565-9

THE STORY:

Near Bermuda, a NUMA crew sends a bathysphere holding two passengers, Joe Zavala, a NUMA engineer, and Max Kane, into the ocean to study wildlife. Soon after, the cable connecting the ship to the bathysphere snaps apart, leaving the bathysphere stuck at the bottom of the ocean. Kurt Austin, a NUMA scientist, dives into the ocean in a Hardsuit and saves the two passengers.

Austin and Zavala find out that an AUV unit programmed by Pyramid, a Chinese criminal organization run by Wen Lo, Chang, and Fu Manchu, cut the cable. In China, Pyramid is experimenting a deadly mutated SARS virus on involuntary human subjects to know the symptoms. Phelps, a person working for Chang, hijacks Davy Jones’s Locker, an undersea lab near the Micronesian Islands, and forces Dr. Lois Mitchell and other scientists to create a vaccine for the mutated SARS virus using the toxins of the Blue Medusa, a species of jellyfish. Pyramid is planning to release the deadly virus in China and profit from the vaccine. Throughout the book, the NUMA team tries to stop Pyramid. Zavala is kidnapped and taken to Davy Jones’s Locker, causing Austin to follow. Chang comes to the undersea lab in a shuttle to acquire the vaccine from Mitchell, but Mitchell purposely gives him an unfinalized vaccine that does not work. Chang sends the vaccine to Fu Manchu. He uses the vaccine so he can become immune first, but instead, the vaccine paralyzes him from his neck down. Chang leaves Davy Jones’s Locker in his shuttle, but its rutter is demolished, drowning Chang in the ocean. Mitchell sends the working vaccine to China to stop the mutated SARS virus. With Chang killed, Wen Lo is easily killed by Colonel Ming in China, and Pyramid is eliminated. (294)

MY OPINION:

When I first looked at the cover of this book, I saw a simple jellyfish, which made me feel that this book was not going to be very interesting or action-packed. But as I read through the book, I learned that the cover barely influenced the story. Throughout the book, the use of figurative language is rare, but there are a variety of sentence structures that are used. The author uses rich vocabulary that helps describe the story. The use of third person makes the story easier to understand, because there are many events that occur at the same time. This book allows me to make a connection to teamwork in reality, because the NUMA team is able to stop an enormous criminal organization by working together efficiently. If I could go back in time, I do not think I would read this book again, because while I read it, I did not completely picture the story in my mind, and the story was not able to keep a hold of my attention throughout the whole story. I think this novel is fitting for 6th to 7th graders, because it introduces some advanced vocabulary, but the use of imagery is not very vivid. In general, I would rate this book seven out of ten stars. (215)

STUDY QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY:

FIRST SECTION

1. Why did Dr. Huang meet with Dr. Song Lee?

1a. Dr. Huang wanted Dr. Song Lee to join a research team. (pg. 36)

2. What is the bathysphere?

2a. The bathysphere is a sphere-shaped submersible that can carry people. (pg. 56)

3. What happened to the bathysphere?

3a. The two passengers of the bathysphere lost connection with the ship and the cable connecting it to the ship snapped apart, leaving the bathysphere stuck at the bottom of the sea. (pg. 82)

4. How was the bathysphere saved?

4a. Kurt Austin, a crew member, put on a Hardsuit and dived to the bathysphere to free it from the mud. Then, a cable pulled it back to the surface. (pg. 109)

5. How did the bathysphere’s cable actually snap apart?

5a. An autonomous underwater vehicle or AUV’s pincers cut straight through the cable. (pg. 122)

cajoled (pg. 7)

bedraggled (pg. 10)

raucous (pg. 13)

tentative (pg. 32)

obsequious (pg. 72)

MIDDLE SECTION

6. What happens during “phase three” of the mutated SARS virus?

6a. The subject will begin to show dark rashes. (pg. 153)

7. Who programmed the AUV to cut the cable of the bathysphere?

7a. A criminal organization called Pyramid, run by Wen Lo, Chang, and Fu Manchu, programmed the AUV to cut the cable. (pg. 157)

8. What is Pyramid planning to do?

8a. Pyramid is going to spread the deadly mutated SARS virus that they created and profit from the vaccine that the Chinese government will need to cure people. (pg. 158)

9. Who is the only enemy who could do Pyramid harm?

9a. Only the Chinese government could do Pyramid harm. (pg. 214)

10. What does the Blue Medusa’s toxin do?

10a. The toxin paralyzes the Blue Medusa’s prey and keeps it healthy and fresh. (pg. 299)

unvarnished (pg. 156)

sabbatical (pg. 164)

extricate (pg. 165)

dilapidated (pg. 216)

ebullient (pg. 244)

                               

LAST SECTION

11. What do the four asian men in Brimmer’s office want to do?

11a. The four asian men want to kill Paul and Gamay Trout. (pg. 329)

12. Where is Davy Jones’s Locker?

12a. Davy Jones’s Locker is west of Pohnpei, between Nukuoro Island on the north and Oroluk Island to the south. (pg. 340)

13. Where was Joe Zavala taken to?

13a. Joe Zavala was taken into a nuclear-powered Akula missile submarine. (pg. 379)

14. Why did Phelps start helping Zavala?

14a. Phelps saw a video that showed Pyramid experimenting vaccines on human subjects who were infected with the mutated SARS virus by Pyramid. (pg. 404)

15. How did Chang die?

15a. The Typhoon clipped the end of the shuttle Chang was in, demolishing its rudder, and causing the cargo door to open. Water began rushing in, and Chang drowned. (pg. 424-425)

attire (pg. 318)

inquisitive (pg. 321)

erroneously (pg. 339)

exorbitant (pg. 365)

guffawed (pg. 395)