Catalyst

It is said of legends and myths that they are founded upon a kernel of truth, and so it was with the ancient alchemists and their "e;Philosophers Stone"e;, also known as "e;Red Mercury."e; Supposedly, it was a catalyst of great power that could transmute base metals into gold. In the late 1990's, rumors came out of Russia that Soviet scientists had quantities of this red mercury, and that it was to be the genesis of a new pantheon of super-weapons of unimaginable power. Russian and American intelligence people, and military scientists were interviewed on CBS 'Sixty Minutes' and other TV news magazines, with no conclusive findings.Oscar L. Fellows latest novel is about an archaeologist from the University of New Mexico who stumbles across the find of the millennium. Where the foothills of the Andes Mountains meet the Amazon jungle, he discovers the ruins of a plantation house that burned to the ground during World War II. Inside the basement, he finds the work diaries of a Nazi engineer. The diaries lead to a mine in the mountains, and an ore with rare properties.The ore contains a hydrogen catalyst. This 'Holy Grail' of hydrogen chemistry could destroy the fossil fuel industries and the economies of nations. It could, through human greed and lust for power, set the world on fire and bring about World War III. Understandably, the petroleum producing countries want to suppress the discovery, and rush to kill the archaeologist and his team before they can communicate their find to the world. On the other side of the issue, the energy dependent nations want the location of the mine, and some will use any means to get it.The archaeologist has found the ancient genie of alchemy, and discovered that it comes with baggage. Along with his frustrating love-life, he now has a real problem. Survival.This is a story of political intrigue, military action, interesting science and an uncommon romance. You won't want to put it down.