Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Jack Whittaker has discovered a new cave that will rival Carlsbad Caverns for beauty and fascination. Trying to conceal news of the cave becomes difficult when an ancient footprint is found on its subterranean floor. Unknown to Whittaker are forces yet to be revealed within the cavern's depths that are the combined results of evolution and radioactive nuclear waste.
Synopsis
Set in and around the town of Carlsbad, New Mexico--home to both the Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP), the underground dumping area for irradiated materials, and the magnificent Carlsbad Caverns--Cavern is a truly terrifying thriller, laced with flawless science, caving research, and an excellent romance.
The salt tunnel excavations for the WIPP site, and the entombment of radioactive material might seem a dangerous enough risk for humanity; but when a newly revealed series of immense caverns leads to the discovery of a colony of colossal bears that have survived and adapted to their subterranean environment since the ice-age glaciers disappeared from what is now the desert southwest, not only is man at risk, but the whole Department of Energy's multi-billion dollar investment in WIPP.
Cavern is one of the most gripping novels I have read in ages. It is a grand adventure story, a tale of intrigue, science, and terror set in a warren of caverns deep under the Southwestern desert. But it is more than just a heart-pounding thriller: it is a story populated with richly drawn characters, unforgettable descriptions of a magical underground world, exceptionally fine writing, and a creature guaranteed to arouse your most atavistic fears. Jake Page knows his science, and he has created a story that is all too believable. This is most definitely not a novel for anyone with a heart condition or claustrophobia. Read it with the lights on and the doors locked.--Douglas Preston, coauthor of Relic and Thunderhead