The Artifact

by Kevin J. Anderson, Janet Berliner, Matthew J. Costello, F. Paul Wilson

Overview

Six adrenalin junkies who call themselves the Daredevils Club hold the fate of the world in their hands. In an ancient undersea cavern, one of them, oil man Frik van Alman, discovers a set of stones that are unlike anything else on Earth. Fitted together, the stones form an object that promises limitless free energy for the world. After a terrified scientist scatters the pieces, the club members race to retrieve them. Each knows that whoever reassembles the unique device will have unlimited power at his or her fingertips. Can anyone be trusted? In a thrilling adventure that stretches from deep beneath the Caribbean to the penthouses of Las Vegas, friend battles friend for control of the Artifact.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781614754312
Publisher:	WordFire Press
Publication date:	04/26/2016
Series:	The Daredevils' Club
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	311
Sales rank:	325,175
File size:	974 KB

About the Author

Kevin J. Anderson has had more than 30 novels on national and international bestseller lists, including the Dune prequels he coauthors with Brian Herbert. He lives in rural Colorado.Janet Berliner is the Bram Stoker award-winning author of many novels and editor of fine anthologies, including Peter S. Beagle's Immortal Unicorn. She lives in Las Vegas.Matthew J. Costello is the award-winning author of many novels. He is also a bestselling game designer, including the acclaimed Doom 3. He lives north of New York City.F. Paul Wilson, recognized as a Grand Master at the 2005 World Horror Convention, is the author of many bestselling novels, including the Repairman Jack series. The winner of two Prometheus Awards for Best Libertarian fiction, he lives in New Jersey.
F. Paul Wilson is the author of more than fifty books spanning various genres, including science fiction, horror, thriller, and more. Four of his novels have been New York Times bestsellers, and his work has earned him four Prometheus Awards, the prestigious Inkpot Award from the San Diego Comic-Con, and the Pioneer Award from the RT Booklovers Convention.

Read an Excerpt

Artifact

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By Anderson, Kevin J.

Forge Books

Copyright © 2005

Anderson, Kevin J.

All right reserved.

ISBN: 0765340259

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A Force like No Other

Paul rotated the assembly back, felt the chill again, and then the bulb flared, sixty watts climbing to one hundred. All the lamps in the room seemed to have doubled their wattage. The overhead fan whined and jittered, sounding as if it was about to take off.

He heard Frik gasp. "What the hell?"

"Check out the Bunsens," Paul said, keeping his eye on the telltale piece.
"They're almost out."

Paul lowered the assembly, and the light dimmed, the Bunsen flames grew.

Frik stared at it. "That's doing it?"

Paul nodded.

"Free energy?" Frik said, still pale. "No such thing as free energy. No such thing as free anything."

"And there's one more thing you should know."

Frik looked at him bleakly. "I don't know if I can handle another revelation right now. But go ahead."

Paul held up the assembly. "I don't think this is all of it. It looks like there's a piece missing."

Continues...

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Excerpted from Artifact
by Anderson, Kevin J.
Copyright © 2005 by Anderson, Kevin J..
Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Editorial Reviews

Given the formidable talents of the writers involved, this first adventure of a club of professional thrillseekers is a surprisingly unfulfilling affair. The six male members of the Daredevils Club meet every New Year's Eve to swap stories about the past year's missions impossible. In 1999, oil magnate Frik Van Alman sows the seeds for the following year's bragfest when he asks his fellow Daredevils to help him recover pieces of an unearthly artifact he discovered while drilling in an undersea cavern. Never mind that the devious Frik doesn't tell them the artifact can harness energy magically, or that its parts were deliberately disassembled and dispersed to different people by one of his employees (whose death Frik hastened) to keep it out of his unscrupulous hands. The Daredevils are off and running, and the scavenger hunt that follows is as disjointed as the artifact itself, split over subplots involving an ecoterrorist group's efforts to destroy Frik's oil business and the growing suspicion of Dr. Peta Whyte, lover of a deceased Daredevil, that Frik will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Explosions, death-defying feats and Houdini-like disappearances and reappearances keep things lively. But there are also enough convenient coincidences and key mysteries left unexplained to raise doubts about how closely the authors collaborated on the plotting. (June 9) Forecast: Four major writers almost mandates that each writer's audience will give this book a try, but poor word of mouth could undercut the prospects for any planned sequel. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

"A fascinating page-turner with enough spellbinding intrigue to last . . . Full of action with terrific characters and a fast moving plot.

Clive Cussler

"Artifact is fun, exotic, and fast. The only part of the ending you'll guess is that it's good.

Larry Bond

"Artifact is fun, exotic, and fast. The only part of the ending you'll guess is that it's good. And the characters are as exotic and fascinating as its settings, and the story itself." —New York Times bestselling author Larry Bond

“A fascinating page-turner with enough spellbinding intrigue to last until the authors’ next tale. Full of action with terrific characters and a fast moving plot.”—New York Times bestselling author Clive Cussler on Artifact

From the Publisher