Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the covert combat ship Oregon have barely escaped a mission on the Congo River when they intercept a mayday from a defenseless boat under fire off the African coast. Cabrillo takes action, saving the beautiful Sloane Macintyre-who's looking for a long-submerged ship that may hold a fortune in diamonds. But what surprises Cabrillo is her story about a crazy fisherman who claims to have been attacked on the open sea by giant metal snakes in the same area. What begins as a snake hunt leads Cabrillo onto the trail of a far more lethal quarry-a deranged militant and his followers who plan to unleash the devastating power of nature itself against all who oppose them.

Clive Eric Cussler (born July 15, 1931 in Aurora, Illinois)is an American adventure novelist and marine archaeologist.