In Typhoon Fury, the thriller by Clive Cussler and Boyd Morrison, the word typhoon takes on several meanings in the story. Firstly, the threat of a major typhoon makes the final act of this novel that much more exciting to read. Typhoon is also the term given to the much sought-after super drug. Typhoon Fury is a multi-faceted, deeply layered story with many intriguing plotlines weaving through it.
The bad guys are numerous, and at one point there are actually three factions vying for the Typhoon pills. An Asian drug lord named Udom becomes the frontman to another individual far more sinister and dangerous, Salvador Locsin. He is a militant leader of an insurgent communist group based in the Philippines. He sees Typhoons as a way of turning the tide in his battle for Communist control of Asia and beyond.
Meanwhile, art expert Beth Anders, accompanied by her female bodyguard, Raven, uses her skills of the fine art world to infiltrate Udom and his group. When Anders’ cover is blown and she is kidnapped by Locsin, Juan Cabrillo and his crew are tasked with rescuing her.
The interest in Typhoon pills started with Project Typhoon that was the military name given to the drug developed by the US Morale Division in World War II. The rumour that it may still exist is the driving force of Typhoon Fury, especially when it becomes known that those who possess it may be capable of creating a league of super soldiers that would be unstoppable.
Cabrillo and the Oregon crew are also assigned the mission of finding the alleged hidden cache of Typhoon pills in a ship that was sunk before some really bad guys can get their hands on it.
The setting for most of the action is Asia, since Typhoon production is alleged to be in an underground bunker created by the Japanese during WWII. Located near the Negros Island, the pursuers of the drug are all moving there eventually.
In addition to the Oregon crew and Locsin's communist revolutionaries, there is also a team led by the German/South African mercenary, Gerhard Brekker, who has his own agenda for wanting to possess Typhoon. As the different groups finally come together in the final showdown, they are met with another force that seeks to destroy their plans. This force is Mother Nature, taking the form of a massive ocean storm nicknamed Typhoon Hidalgo. Hidalgo is so powerful that it can wipe out anything in its path. In this story, Hidalgo is like a wild card, since no one really knows where it will hit. In fact, the existence of this monster storm severely shortens the time frame available for the players in the deadly Typhoon chase to find their cache of hidden treasure and get away in one piece.
At the end of Typhoon Fury, the readers can finally let go holding onto their breath reading the unbearable yet enjoyable suspense created by the authors.
