The Prometheus Project is a fast-paced science-fiction adventure novel for children 9-13 written to be mentally engaging and highly entertaining to boys and girls alike. Accurate science is presented in the book to further the plot, to stimulate interest in science and technology, and above all else, to fascinate and delight.  The book is filled with humor, discovery, adventure and suspense, and since many chapters end in cliffhangers the reader will find it difficult to put down.

Ryan and Regan Resnick are forced to leave their friends behind to move to the backwoods of Pennsylvania, certain they will have the most boring summer ever.  But this is before they learn that their scientist parents are lying to them about the reason for the move, and worse, are part of a mysterious project that could get them killed or imprisoned.  

Determined to learn the truth the children puzzle out secret passwords and overcome barbed-wire fences, laser beam alarms and security guards to make a discovery beyond their wildest imaginings: their parents are part of a top-secret team of scientists assembled to investigate a huge, abandoned, underground city built by a far advanced alien civilization and chock full of amazing artifacts and surprises of every kind -- along with unknown dangers capable of destroying humanity entirely.  The children have stumbled into the middle of The Prometheus Project, the greatest find in human history, and into big, big trouble.    

Little do Ryan and Regan know that their troubles are just beginning.  

Within minutes of their arrival, their mother is near death after suffering a severe head injury and the research party is threatened by a voracious swarm of insect-like creatures.  And if this isn't bad enough, the children inexplicably become cut off from the others and find the entrance to the city has disappeared, leaving them trapped inside and racing to answer some vitally important questions.  What is the nature of the "insects" and will they attack again?  Are the insects part of the immune system of a living city that views humans as invaders, or are they something else entirely?  What has happened to the research party and the passage to the outside? Is there any way to break out of a seemingly impregnable city?  And even if they are able to save themselves, can anything possibly save their mother?  

With their backs against the wall, the two explorers discover that life in Pennsylvania isn't quite so boring, after all, as they race against time to unlock the one secret of the alien city that can save them.

A thriller that you won’t put down until you’ve reached the last page.

Kids’ Picks
Odyssey Magazine
Award-Winning Magazine For Children Ages 10-16

My class loved it. They were totally engaged. It’s a hard book to put down.

Jeff Montag, Teacher
As Quoted in the San Diego Union-Tribune

I read the book in one sitting. I found it to be engaging and entertaining. It’s a good, healthy story for kids, and it shows self-determination and initiative for young people.

Gary S. Firestein, M.D.
Division Chief, Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology
University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine
As Quoted in the San Diego Union-Tribune

Read a review about this book in KIRKUS REVIEWS - please click on this link.

Douglas E. Richards is the author of The Prometheus Project: Trapped. He is a biotechnology executive and the former director of biotechnology licensing for Bristol-Myers Squibb. He holds degrees in both genetic engineering and business and lives in San Diego, California.