Valhalla Rising

In this #1 New York Times bestselling series, marine adventurer Dirk Pitt has to depend on Jules Verne's nautical expertise to thwart a merciless oil magnate who has his eyes set on political power.

During its first journey, an opulent cruise ship equipped with cutting-edge engines unexpectedly catches fire and capssizes. Its sprinkler system is still off and its sirens are still muted. Dirk Pitt, the director of NUMA Special Projects nearby, sees smoke and rushes to the scene. Though Kelly Egan, the engineer behind the ship's innovative technology, is helped to flee with her father's work in a leather briefcase, he arrives too late to rescue the engineer.

Marine insurers employ Pitt to look into the accident while Ms. Egan tries to find the hidden worth in her father's innovations. The technical wonders they will soon have to deal with are beyond either of them's comprehension. The machines could only be the stuff of mythology, as told in Jules Verne's memoirs or the legends of the Viking explorers. And when an oil tycoon with his own scheme shows up on the scene, they could be Pitt and Egan's last chance.

Pitt will face a power-hungry billionaire before the trip's conclusion, see land that was previously only known to Verne's legendary Captain Nemo, and uncover startling truths about his own background.