The Inca Prophecy (47 page)
It is not widely known, but on the morning of 25 January 1995, in conjunction with Norwegian scientists, US scientists launched a Black Brant XII four-stage sounding rocket to study the Aurora Borealis in the Arctic. Thirty countries, including Russia, had been warned of the launch, as the trajectory took it to nearly 1500 kilometres above the Barents Sea at Russia’s northern border. But no one passed the information on to the crew at Russia’s Olenegorsk early warning radar station. As the stages of the rocket separated, they appeared similar on radar to images of multiple warheads from a US submarine-launched Trident missile; and the ‘warheads’ appeared to be headed for Moscow. Russian nuclear forces were put on alert and the Russian president, Boris Yeltsin, was advised of a nuclear strike by the United States. He was urged to retaliate with nuclear missiles. Fortunately, Yeltsin was sober, and he refused to believe that the US had attacked the Soviet Union. Had he not, the world might look very similar to the horrific scenarios described in
The Inca Prophecy
. Any nuclear capability, regardless of its origin – whether it be from the US, France, Pakistan, Israel or any of the nine nuclear-armed countries – is extremely dangerous when it falls
into the wrong hands, as I hope
The Inca Prophecy
attests. I have written this novel as a warning.
I’m indebted to my team at Penguin: publisher Ben Ball, editors Belinda Byrne and Arwen Summers, talented designer Adam Laszczuk, the wonderful marketing and PR team, headed by Sally Bateman and Anyez Lindop, and Peg McColl and Kate McCormack of the rights department, who do the hard yards at the world book fairs on my behalf. As usual, Clare Forster, my agent at Curtis Brown, has been much more than an agent: reading various drafts of the manuscript and providing insightful advice and guidance. I’m grateful to Barak Zero One for putting me straight on the finer points of flying an F-16 Falcon. And thanks to Urania, wonderfully fluent in Arabic, French and English, whose advice on the quagmire that is Lebanon was invaluable.
As always, Robyn, who sees me at my worst, has been a tower of strength. To Antoinette and friends, I am continually in your debt. Caroline Ladewig once again provided sage advice – a big thank you. To Tom and Wendy and the staff at Megalong Books, I shudder to think of an online world without bookshops – thank you for being there. Thanks to my two boys, David and Mark, and to Tammy and Catherine, for your humour and camaraderie.
Finally, in writing this novel, I’ve carried out considerable research, travelling to Peru and the Andes to experience that wonderful country at first hand. I’ve also reviewed hundreds of books and documents, but to list them all would be to footnote a novel. To all those authors, I’m in your debt.
MICHAEL JOSEPH
Published by the Penguin Group
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First published by Penguin Group (Australia), 2012
Text copyright Adrian d’Hagé 2012
The moral right of the author has been asserted
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-74253-623-1
ALSO BY ADRIAN D’HAGÉ
THE MAYA CODEX
DECEMBER 2012 – TIME IS RUNNING OUT
Deep in the Guatemalan jungle lies the Maya Codex, an ancient document containing a terrible warning for civilisation. Archaeologist Dr Aleta Weizman is desperately searching for the codex, but powerful forces in Washington and Rome will do anything to stop her. When CIA agent Curtis O’Connor joins Aleta in her dangerous quest, he also becomes a target.
The race is on for Weizman and O’Connor, and the very future of our planet is at stake. From the corridors of power in Nazi Germany to modern-day Washington, from the secret archives of the Vatican to the Temple of the Lost World pyramid in the jungles of Central America,
The Maya Codex
takes us on a heart-stopping journey to find the codex before it’s too late.
‘Fans of
The Da Vinci Code
et al will race through it.’
COURIER-MAIL