In a land with no crime, war or death, five newcomers have only one thought driving them — escape. Robin Cook’s “Abduction” tells the mind-blowing story of how one man’s heaven is another man’s hell.

In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean a team from Benthic Marine is drilling into a seamount. Their hope is to find a substance in a magma chamber that could lead to the explanation of how the earth was formed. With millions of dollars already spent, Benthic Marine has run into a new problem; the diamond tipped drill bits are breaking down much quicker than they should. The drilling program is currently going nowhere.

Benthic Marine president Perry Bergman has stopped by to examine the problem first hand. Upset that no progress is being made, Bergman starts to demand explanations from the crew. In order to show him what they are up against, the crew invite him to view the drilling site as they change the drill bit.

Donald Fuller and Suzanne Newell take Perry Bergman down to the site. The three are loaded into a mini submarine that will drop off the tools for the deep-sea divers. Their hope is to sway Bergman into giving more money after he sees how beautiful the site is. Bergman seems to be uninterested in the scenery and ready to return to the surface.

In one final attempt to sway him, Fuller and Newell show him a strange fault nearby. While exploring the fault, all systems start to malfunction. The mini sub is sucked into the ocean floor as an underwater earthquake takes place.

Two divers, Michael Donaghue and Richard Adams, are sent to investigate. As they go over the last known whereabouts of the mini sub they too are sucked in by the fault. What these five people discover beneath the ocean will change their lives forever.

They find themselves in a land without sickness, death, war and violence. They have been given paradise. However, they must face the fact that they did not choose to be there, but in fact they were abducted. Is this new land a prison or a paradise? And what effect will these “primitive” people have in this new advanced world?

Robin Cook is no stranger to the bestseller list. His medical novels have been on the cutting edge. However, this shift towards the world of science fiction seems out of place for Cook. Indeed this book is not what one would expect from Cook but is an amazing piece of literature.

Cook shows that he can drift away from his norm and still write a powerful book. “Abduction” is a story that will completely engross the reader. The powerful action scenes plus the strangeness of a new land equals a winner.

Cook tells a story about changing technology and the unchanging ways of humans. Current medical breakthroughs have caused controversy throughout the world. Cook expands on this theme and shows the reactions of a typical person. He forces the reader to ask the question of what would they do if given perfection. Would we find a way to destroy it or would we adapt?

The characters in the story represent the whole spectrum of human society. One character is open-minded and sees the good in the society. Another is appalled at the way medical technology is used to make perfect people. And yet another holds a crude and bigoted lifestyle.

“Abduction” forces one to take notice of the shortcomings in their own life. How would you react if given paradise? Then again, is it paradise or an elaborate prison?