Buy Arctic Drift in Hard Cover and Enjoy a Fine Sea-Going Tale, 01 Dec 2008

Arctic Drift has a lot to recommend it (if you don't get jammed up with Kindle pricing). The plot is an imaginative one about the potential risks to peace and economic stability with the world running out of energy while the ice caps are being melted down by global warming as a greedy billionaire seeks to manipulate the situation to his own advantage (much as Enron did during the electricity shortage in the West a few years ago). Dirk gets out and under the sea to have some unusual adventures which include a most unusual battle. There is a great series of cliff hangers as men's lives are at risk in perilous conditions. Dirk, Jr. and Summer also have some exciting adventures. The story also features a merciless killer who likes to make things go pop. You'll also read an intriguing historical mystery that connects to today's problems and technology. My only complaint is that the story could have used more of Dirk and Al in action.

The book opens on a doomed expedition that is captured in the Arctic ice after trying unsuccessfully to navigate the Northwest Passage through Canada from Europe to Asia. The officers can't keep order as the men seem to be going mad, somehow connected to silvery rocks they have come into contact with.

Moving into the future, the year is 2011 and a mysterious phenomenon called the Devil's Breath is causing mysterious deaths at sea along the Inside Passage in British Columbia. Summer and Dirk, Jr. are taking water samples when they come across a derelict ship that has come into contact with the Breath. In the process, Summer makes friends with a dead fisherman's brother and the three investigate what might be causing large changes in the acid level in the sea.

Further south, a pro-environmentalist Canadian M.P. is murdered in a way to make it look like an accident. In the Arctic, a Canadian research station is destroyed by what looks like a U.S. Navy vessel creating international tensions.

In Washington, D.C., a rare element turns out to have unusual properties, and the finding triggers a race to find more of the element and to seize control of the secret. Now the race is on to solve the energy crisis.

I liked the plot very much. It goes well beyond the "we are running out of . . . ." story lines and the "we are going to die from global warming" story lines to come up with an original intersection of the two problems constructed in a way that seems realistic in light of the economic events earlier in 2008 as gasoline prices in the United States spiked above $4.00 a gallon and seemed headed higher until a global recession pricked the balloon.

The story has nice balance as well. There are a lot of characters and several interesting threads. If anything, Arctic Drift is a little too balanced. I could have used more of Dirk and Al at sea and in battle. The new plots where Dirk, Jr. and Summer engage in the ocean-going events aren't nearly as interesting as the more dangerous situations that Dirk and Al used to get themselves into and out of.

There's less swagger here . . . and more intellect. That's okay, but it's not quite as good as the over the top swagger that this series once featured. But I think you'll enjoy your voyage with NUMA and company.

Great Adventures, 01 Dec 2008
Okay so I will freely admit that I am thoroughly addicted to reading Clive Cussler Books. To me this book shows the very welcome return of Cusslers orginal and in my opinion,best duo, Dirk Pitt & Al Giordino. This time they are up against a billionaire environmental philanthropist, well seemingly so as he of course turns out to be anything but. The pace of this book never lets up as with there is always something exciting going on. Boats disappear, boats blow up and a whole menagerie of people get murdered in the midst or should I say in the mist (read the book and you will work out what I mean). Anyway the book is as always well structured and well thought out with a good amount of historical value thrown into boot, so does this book have everything? Well yes it does as it simply takes no effort to hold your attention at a constant 100%. I dare say that if time had permitted I could have easily read this book from cover to cover without stopping. I like many other Cussler fans am glad to see Dirk Pitt and his trusty sidekick Al Giordino back as the main characters in this book. I have been worried that he would gradually phase out his original dynamic duo in favour of Dirk's children Dirk Junior and Summer but it seems that this is not totally the case. This in itself indicates to me a pattern in Cussler's own life of him maybe winding down his involvement in the books. It is well known that his son now forms one of his writing partnerships and Cussler senior is now perhaps passing on his adventure writing mantle to him in much the same sense as Dirk Pitt Senior is passing on his adventure skills to his two children. Nor is this the only similarity between real life and fiction. It is also very well known amongst Cussler fans that he actually fronts NUMA in real life and this gives him a distinct advantage over other authors in that he is using his own personal experiences as a platform for his novels. This does not distract from the fact that his books are also very well researched and as stated earlier gives a pleasant historical backup to the main story. Yes there maybe a bit of wild imagination thrown into his books at times but to me it just adds to the story and this book will definitely get you thinking "What If". There are only a couple of regrets with this book and that is that I have finished it and that Mr Cussler doesn't write faster. Buy this book without delay, you wont be disappointed!

Adventure, action good versus evil, it's all there !, 28 Nov 2008
I have long been a fan of Clive Cussler and he hasn't disappointed. I like how he has brought in a new generation to be involved with the chaos and the battle just has he has introduced his son in recent books. The story is of epic proportions with eco issues, good old fashioned right and wrong and great heros. It even has America and Canada buliding up to a war situation of course Dirk etc will sort them out at his usual painful cost. If a fan, of Dirk Pitt it tell's a terrific tale I am so glad I didn't wait for the paperback !!

cussler reigns supreme, 11 Nov 2008
Have just finished reading this latest book and yes I was not dissapointed. Okay, Dirk gets into loads of scrapes as usual and it was nice to have him back with Al the last few novels have got him retired off so it was a nice surprise to have him back. Nothing unusual about the storyline always some trouble up ahead, it was topical and the homework had been done explicitley as usual. I enjoyed the story and read the book in about four sittings but I am a Cussler fan and if you like easy going 'Indiana Jones' style fiction then this book as his others is going to excite you and keep you wanting more, Well Done Clive!

Cussler family at their best !!, 04 Nov 2008
Bestseller Cussler and son Dirk imagine the U.S. and Canada on the brink of war in their third collaborative Dirk Pitt novel (after Treasure of Khan and Black Wind). In 2011, as the price of gas hits $10 a gallon, President Garner Ward must contend with a corrupt Canadian cabal that's subverting efforts to solve America's energy problems. Pitt barely escapes serious injury when a bomb destroys a D.C. lab along with records of research into an artificial photosynthesis process that could, almost immediately, eliminate the threat of global warming. That discovery may be connected with a legendary failed 19th-century sailing expedition to the Arctic as well as a series of deaths due to the phenomena that the Native Americans of British Columbia know as the Devil's Breath. The Cusslers won't suspend many readers' disbelief, but thriller fans in search of a quick, exciting read should be satisfied. As a series of thrillers the `Dirk` books take some beating, but if you like series thrillers try the `Soft Target` trilogy by Conrad Jones. Lee Child`s Jack Reacher fans will enjoy these Cussler books too. They are a must for action thriller fans.

Buy Arctic Drift in Hard Cover and Enjoy a Fine Sea-Going Tale, 01 Dec 2008

Arctic Drift has a lot to recommend it (if you don't get jammed up with Kindle pricing). The plot is an imaginative one about the potential risks to peace and economic stability with the world running out of energy while the ice caps are being melted down by global warming as a greedy billionaire seeks to manipulate the situation to his own advantage (much as Enron did during the electricity shortage in the West a few years ago). Dirk gets out and under the sea to have some unusual adventures which include a most unusual battle. There is a great series of cliff hangers as men's lives are at risk in perilous conditions. Dirk, Jr. and Summer also have some exciting adventures. The story also features a merciless killer who likes to make things go pop. You'll also read an intriguing historical mystery that connects to today's problems and technology. My only complaint is that the story could have used more of Dirk and Al in action.

The book opens on a doomed expedition that is captured in the Arctic ice after trying unsuccessfully to navigate the Northwest Passage through Canada from Europe to Asia. The officers can't keep order as the men seem to be going mad, somehow connected to silvery rocks they have come into contact with.

Moving into the future, the year is 2011 and a mysterious phenomenon called the Devil's Breath is causing mysterious deaths at sea along the Inside Passage in British Columbia. Summer and Dirk, Jr. are taking water samples when they come across a derelict ship that has come into contact with the Breath. In the process, Summer makes friends with a dead fisherman's brother and the three investigate what might be causing large changes in the acid level in the sea.

Further south, a pro-environmentalist Canadian M.P. is murdered in a way to make it look like an accident. In the Arctic, a Canadian research station is destroyed by what looks like a U.S. Navy vessel creating international tensions.

In Washington, D.C., a rare element turns out to have unusual properties, and the finding triggers a race to find more of the element and to seize control of the secret. Now the race is on to solve the energy crisis.

I liked the plot very much. It goes well beyond the "we are running out of . . . ." story lines and the "we are going to die from global warming" story lines to come up with an original intersection of the two problems constructed in a way that seems realistic in light of the economic events earlier in 2008 as gasoline prices in the United States spiked above $4.00 a gallon and seemed headed higher until a global recession pricked the balloon.

The story has nice balance as well. There are a lot of characters and several interesting threads. If anything, Arctic Drift is a little too balanced. I could have used more of Dirk and Al at sea and in battle. The new plots where Dirk, Jr. and Summer engage in the ocean-going events aren't nearly as interesting as the more dangerous situations that Dirk and Al used to get themselves into and out of.

There's less swagger here . . . and more intellect. That's okay, but it's not quite as good as the over the top swagger that this series once featured. But I think you'll enjoy your voyage with NUMA and company.

Great Adventures, 01 Dec 2008
Okay so I will freely admit that I am thoroughly addicted to reading Clive Cussler Books. To me this book shows the very welcome return of Cusslers orginal and in my opinion,best duo, Dirk Pitt & Al Giordino. This time they are up against a billionaire environmental philanthropist, well seemingly so as he of course turns out to be anything but. The pace of this book never lets up as with there is always something exciting going on. Boats disappear, boats blow up and a whole menagerie of people get murdered in the midst or should I say in the mist (read the book and you will work out what I mean). Anyway the book is as always well structured and well thought out with a good amount of historical value thrown into boot, so does this book have everything? Well yes it does as it simply takes no effort to hold your attention at a constant 100%. I dare say that if time had permitted I could have easily read this book from cover to cover without stopping. I like many other Cussler fans am glad to see Dirk Pitt and his trusty sidekick Al Giordino back as the main characters in this book. I have been worried that he would gradually phase out his original dynamic duo in favour of Dirk's children Dirk Junior and Summer but it seems that this is not totally the case. This in itself indicates to me a pattern in Cussler's own life of him maybe winding down his involvement in the books. It is well known that his son now forms one of his writing partnerships and Cussler senior is now perhaps passing on his adventure writing mantle to him in much the same sense as Dirk Pitt Senior is passing on his adventure skills to his two children. Nor is this the only similarity between real life and fiction. It is also very well known amongst Cussler fans that he actually fronts NUMA in real life and this gives him a distinct advantage over other authors in that he is using his own personal experiences as a platform for his novels. This does not distract from the fact that his books are also very well researched and as stated earlier gives a pleasant historical backup to the main story. Yes there maybe a bit of wild imagination thrown into his books at times but to me it just adds to the story and this book will definitely get you thinking "What If". There are only a couple of regrets with this book and that is that I have finished it and that Mr Cussler doesn't write faster. Buy this book without delay, you wont be disappointed!

Adventure, action good versus evil, it's all there !, 28 Nov 2008
I have long been a fan of Clive Cussler and he hasn't disappointed. I like how he has brought in a new generation to be involved with the chaos and the battle just has he has introduced his son in recent books. The story is of epic proportions with eco issues, good old fashioned right and wrong and great heros. It even has America and Canada buliding up to a war situation of course Dirk etc will sort them out at his usual painful cost. If a fan, of Dirk Pitt it tell's a terrific tale I am so glad I didn't wait for the paperback !!

cussler reigns supreme, 11 Nov 2008
Have just finished reading this latest book and yes I was not dissapointed. Okay, Dirk gets into loads of scrapes as usual and it was nice to have him back with Al the last few novels have got him retired off so it was a nice surprise to have him back. Nothing unusual about the storyline always some trouble up ahead, it was topical and the homework had been done explicitley as usual. I enjoyed the story and read the book in about four sittings but I am a Cussler fan and if you like easy going 'Indiana Jones' style fiction then this book as his others is going to excite you and keep you wanting more, Well Done Clive!

Cussler family at their best !!, 04 Nov 2008
Bestseller Cussler and son Dirk imagine the U.S. and Canada on the brink of war in their third collaborative Dirk Pitt novel (after Treasure of Khan and Black Wind). In 2011, as the price of gas hits $10 a gallon, President Garner Ward must contend with a corrupt Canadian cabal that's subverting efforts to solve America's energy problems. Pitt barely escapes serious injury when a bomb destroys a D.C. lab along with records of research into an artificial photosynthesis process that could, almost immediately, eliminate the threat of global warming. That discovery may be connected with a legendary failed 19th-century sailing expedition to the Arctic as well as a series of deaths due to the phenomena that the Native Americans of British Columbia know as the Devil's Breath. The Cusslers won't suspend many readers' disbelief, but thriller fans in search of a quick, exciting read should be satisfied. As a series of thrillers the `Dirk` books take some beating, but if you like series thrillers try the `Soft Target` trilogy by Conrad Jones. Lee Child`s Jack Reacher fans will enjoy these Cussler books too. They are a must for action thriller fans.

The chase, 22 Oct 2008
I am amazed at the positive reviews of this book. I have never read a Cussler book before and never will again. The story is convoluted and badly worked out. The characters are very poorly developed and intensely shallow. I had to read it to the end because it was so bad and I will never get that time back again. Do not buy or read this book

Vastly different and possibly my favourite Cussler Novel, 16 Jul 2008
This Novel is about the indefatigable Issac Bell and his relentless chase of the Butcher Bandit. Bell also has time to find love, he lays eyes upon the personal assistant of the Bandit and instantly falls in love, a small sidestory and a different kind of chase, the persuit love.
A well crafted, perfectly balanced Novel incorperating thrills, suspence and just enough romance to make probably the best book Cussler has ever written.
I can't think why anyone could not like this book.
Go on, give it a read, you won't be dissapointed"

Not the normal Cussler, 03 Mar 2008
Bought the book at Heathrow Airport running for a plane. Did not read the cover notes. This one is not a Dirk Pitt story. Instead it is about a private detective in 1906 and the San Francisco earthquake. It's all very old fashioned, slow, needlessly violent, and boring. A poor read. You have been warned.

Different for Cussler (in a good way !!), 18 Feb 2008
I have read all of the previous Clive Cussler novels and some of his co-authored stuff. I really used to enjoy the early Dirk Pitt stories, but I felt that towards the end Cussler went off a bit (maybe my tastes changed - who knows). As the Dirk Pitt plot-line had expired I was interested to see what he had created now. I must say that I found the book very interesting. Cussler's attention to detail was spot-on and the story made the book "unputdownable". The plot line is in a similar vein to one of his earlier Dirk Pitt novels "Night Probe" but with a clever twist. I must presume that due to the way the book has been written that this is a "one-off", unless he jumps back in time to cover the further adventures of the hero "Issac Bell". In all - a good read in the classic Cussler style.

Snakes on a train, 12 Jan 2008
I've always been a fan of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt and NUMA Files adventures, and THE CHASE is the same kind of story. There's a larger-than-life hero who faces impossible challenges and is viciously injured but gets right up. There are fast cars, a discreet liaison with a beautiful woman, loyal associates, and big transportation (in this case trains rather than boats). Oh, and a sociopathic villain.

All that's to the good. Of course we also have writing from the Hardy Boys school of literature and fantastic plot elements. That's no surprise and if you're a fan, you just read around it. Here's an example of an overloaded sentence from the beginning of Chapter 15:

"Cromwell's chauffeur drove the 1906 Rolls-Royce Brougham, made by the London coach maker Barker, with its six-cylinder, thirty-horsepower engine, from the garage to the front of the palatial Nob Hill mansion Cromwell had designed himself and constructed from white marble blocks cut and hauled by railroad from a quarry in Colorado."

Hmmm ... anyone got a red pencil?

The hero is one Isaac Bell, an independently wealthy private detective. The villain is a bank robber-murderer known as "the Butcher Bandit." Bell, through hot detective work and breathtaking good luck, gets on the trail of the Bandit by page 168 (of 404). The rest of the book -- the better half -- involves a lot of fast driving, a locomotive race, some shooting and robbing, and the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Oh, and of course a satisfactory ending.

THE CHASE does have a structural device that kicks it up a notch. While the story takes place in 1906, the book opens and closes with a 1950 underwater salvage operation in a large Montana lake. This is reminiscent of James Cameron's 1997 movie TITANIC, and was a very nice touch.

Cussler's at his best with the action scenes, and THE CHASE has some epic action. The train scenes really are playing to his strength. The story is according to formula but the formula works: familiar and therefore safe style, combined with wild action. This is a very satisfactory offering from Cussler and if you like this kind of book, you'll probably enjoy it as much as I did.

Linda Bulger, 2008

Buy Arctic Drift in Hard Cover and Enjoy a Fine Sea-Going Tale, 01 Dec 2008

Arctic Drift has a lot to recommend it (if you don't get jammed up with Kindle pricing). The plot is an imaginative one about the potential risks to peace and economic stability with the world running out of energy while the ice caps are being melted down by global warming as a greedy billionaire seeks to manipulate the situation to his own advantage (much as Enron did during the electricity shortage in the West a few years ago). Dirk gets out and under the sea to have some unusual adventures which include a most unusual battle. There is a great series of cliff hangers as men's lives are at risk in perilous conditions. Dirk, Jr. and Summer also have some exciting adventures. The story also features a merciless killer who likes to make things go pop. You'll also read an intriguing historical mystery that connects to today's problems and technology. My only complaint is that the story could have used more of Dirk and Al in action.

The book opens on a doomed expedition that is captured in the Arctic ice after trying unsuccessfully to navigate the Northwest Passage through Canada from Europe to Asia. The officers can't keep order as the men seem to be going mad, somehow connected to silvery rocks they have come into contact with.

Moving into the future, the year is 2011 and a mysterious phenomenon called the Devil's Breath is causing mysterious deaths at sea along the Inside Passage in British Columbia. Summer and Dirk, Jr. are taking water samples when they come across a derelict ship that has come into contact with the Breath. In the process, Summer makes friends with a dead fisherman's brother and the three investigate what might be causing large changes in the acid level in the sea.

Further south, a pro-environmentalist Canadian M.P. is murdered in a way to make it look like an accident. In the Arctic, a Canadian research station is destroyed by what looks like a U.S. Navy vessel creating international tensions.

In Washington, D.C., a rare element turns out to have unusual properties, and the finding triggers a race to find more of the element and to seize control of the secret. Now the race is on to solve the energy crisis.

I liked the plot very much. It goes well beyond the "we are running out of . . . ." story lines and the "we are going to die from global warming" story lines to come up with an original intersection of the two problems constructed in a way that seems realistic in light of the economic events earlier in 2008 as gasoline prices in the United States spiked above $4.00 a gallon and seemed headed higher until a global recession pricked the balloon.

The story has nice balance as well. There are a lot of characters and several interesting threads. If anything, Arctic Drift is a little too balanced. I could have used more of Dirk and Al at sea and in battle. The new plots where Dirk, Jr. and Summer engage in the ocean-going events aren't nearly as interesting as the more dangerous situations that Dirk and Al used to get themselves into and out of.

There's less swagger here . . . and more intellect. That's okay, but it's not quite as good as the over the top swagger that this series once featured. But I think you'll enjoy your voyage with NUMA and company.

Great Adventures, 01 Dec 2008
Okay so I will freely admit that I am thoroughly addicted to reading Clive Cussler Books. To me this book shows the very welcome return of Cusslers orginal and in my opinion,best duo, Dirk Pitt & Al Giordino. This time they are up against a billionaire environmental philanthropist, well seemingly so as he of course turns out to be anything but. The pace of this book never lets up as with there is always something exciting going on. Boats disappear, boats blow up and a whole menagerie of people get murdered in the midst or should I say in the mist (read the book and you will work out what I mean). Anyway the book is as always well structured and well thought out with a good amount of historical value thrown into boot, so does this book have everything? Well yes it does as it simply takes no effort to hold your attention at a constant 100%. I dare say that if time had permitted I could have easily read this book from cover to cover without stopping. I like many other Cussler fans am glad to see Dirk Pitt and his trusty sidekick Al Giordino back as the main characters in this book. I have been worried that he would gradually phase out his original dynamic duo in favour of Dirk's children Dirk Junior and Summer but it seems that this is not totally the case. This in itself indicates to me a pattern in Cussler's own life of him maybe winding down his involvement in the books. It is well known that his son now forms one of his writing partnerships and Cussler senior is now perhaps passing on his adventure writing mantle to him in much the same sense as Dirk Pitt Senior is passing on his adventure skills to his two children. Nor is this the only similarity between real life and fiction. It is also very well known amongst Cussler fans that he actually fronts NUMA in real life and this gives him a distinct advantage over other authors in that he is using his own personal experiences as a platform for his novels. This does not distract from the fact that his books are also very well researched and as stated earlier gives a pleasant historical backup to the main story. Yes there maybe a bit of wild imagination thrown into his books at times but to me it just adds to the story and this book will definitely get you thinking "What If". There are only a couple of regrets with this book and that is that I have finished it and that Mr Cussler doesn't write faster. Buy this book without delay, you wont be disappointed!

Adventure, action good versus evil, it's all there !, 28 Nov 2008
I have long been a fan of Clive Cussler and he hasn't disappointed. I like how he has brought in a new generation to be involved with the chaos and the battle just has he has introduced his son in recent books. The story is of epic proportions with eco issues, good old fashioned right and wrong and great heros. It even has America and Canada buliding up to a war situation of course Dirk etc will sort them out at his usual painful cost. If a fan, of Dirk Pitt it tell's a terrific tale I am so glad I didn't wait for the paperback !!

cussler reigns supreme, 11 Nov 2008
Have just finished reading this latest book and yes I was not dissapointed. Okay, Dirk gets into loads of scrapes as usual and it was nice to have him back with Al the last few novels have got him retired off so it was a nice surprise to have him back. Nothing unusual about the storyline always some trouble up ahead, it was topical and the homework had been done explicitley as usual. I enjoyed the story and read the book in about four sittings but I am a Cussler fan and if you like easy going 'Indiana Jones' style fiction then this book as his others is going to excite you and keep you wanting more, Well Done Clive!

Cussler family at their best !!, 04 Nov 2008
Bestseller Cussler and son Dirk imagine the U.S. and Canada on the brink of war in their third collaborative Dirk Pitt novel (after Treasure of Khan and Black Wind). In 2011, as the price of gas hits $10 a gallon, President Garner Ward must contend with a corrupt Canadian cabal that's subverting efforts to solve America's energy problems. Pitt barely escapes serious injury when a bomb destroys a D.C. lab along with records of research into an artificial photosynthesis process that could, almost immediately, eliminate the threat of global warming. That discovery may be connected with a legendary failed 19th-century sailing expedition to the Arctic as well as a series of deaths due to the phenomena that the Native Americans of British Columbia know as the Devil's Breath. The Cusslers won't suspend many readers' disbelief, but thriller fans in search of a quick, exciting read should be satisfied. As a series of thrillers the `Dirk` books take some beating, but if you like series thrillers try the `Soft Target` trilogy by Conrad Jones. Lee Child`s Jack Reacher fans will enjoy these Cussler books too. They are a must for action thriller fans.

The chase, 22 Oct 2008
I am amazed at the positive reviews of this book. I have never read a Cussler book before and never will again. The story is convoluted and badly worked out. The characters are very poorly developed and intensely shallow. I had to read it to the end because it was so bad and I will never get that time back again. Do not buy or read this book

Vastly different and possibly my favourite Cussler Novel, 16 Jul 2008
This Novel is about the indefatigable Issac Bell and his relentless chase of the Butcher Bandit. Bell also has time to find love, he lays eyes upon the personal assistant of the Bandit and instantly falls in love, a small sidestory and a different kind of chase, the persuit love.
A well crafted, perfectly balanced Novel incorperating thrills, suspence and just enough romance to make probably the best book Cussler has ever written.
I can't think why anyone could not like this book.
Go on, give it a read, you won't be dissapointed"

Not the normal Cussler, 03 Mar 2008
Bought the book at Heathrow Airport running for a plane. Did not read the cover notes. This one is not a Dirk Pitt story. Instead it is about a private detective in 1906 and the San Francisco earthquake. It's all very old fashioned, slow, needlessly violent, and boring. A poor read. You have been warned.

Different for Cussler (in a good way !!), 18 Feb 2008
I have read all of the previous Clive Cussler novels and some of his co-authored stuff. I really used to enjoy the early Dirk Pitt stories, but I felt that towards the end Cussler went off a bit (maybe my tastes changed - who knows). As the Dirk Pitt plot-line had expired I was interested to see what he had created now. I must say that I found the book very interesting. Cussler's attention to detail was spot-on and the story made the book "unputdownable". The plot line is in a similar vein to one of his earlier Dirk Pitt novels "Night Probe" but with a clever twist. I must presume that due to the way the book has been written that this is a "one-off", unless he jumps back in time to cover the further adventures of the hero "Issac Bell". In all - a good read in the classic Cussler style.

Snakes on a train, 12 Jan 2008
I've always been a fan of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt and NUMA Files adventures, and THE CHASE is the same kind of story. There's a larger-than-life hero who faces impossible challenges and is viciously injured but gets right up. There are fast cars, a discreet liaison with a beautiful woman, loyal associates, and big transportation (in this case trains rather than boats). Oh, and a sociopathic villain.

All that's to the good. Of course we also have writing from the Hardy Boys school of literature and fantastic plot elements. That's no surprise and if you're a fan, you just read around it. Here's an example of an overloaded sentence from the beginning of Chapter 15:

"Cromwell's chauffeur drove the 1906 Rolls-Royce Brougham, made by the London coach maker Barker, with its six-cylinder, thirty-horsepower engine, from the garage to the front of the palatial Nob Hill mansion Cromwell had designed himself and constructed from white marble blocks cut and hauled by railroad from a quarry in Colorado."

Hmmm ... anyone got a red pencil?

The hero is one Isaac Bell, an independently wealthy private detective. The villain is a bank robber-murderer known as "the Butcher Bandit." Bell, through hot detective work and breathtaking good luck, gets on the trail of the Bandit by page 168 (of 404). The rest of the book -- the better half -- involves a lot of fast driving, a locomotive race, some shooting and robbing, and the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Oh, and of course a satisfactory ending.

THE CHASE does have a structural device that kicks it up a notch. While the story takes place in 1906, the book opens and closes with a 1950 underwater salvage operation in a large Montana lake. This is reminiscent of James Cameron's 1997 movie TITANIC, and was a very nice touch.

Cussler's at his best with the action scenes, and THE CHASE has some epic action. The train scenes really are playing to his strength. The story is according to formula but the formula works: familiar and therefore safe style, combined with wild action. This is a very satisfactory offering from Cussler and if you like this kind of book, you'll probably enjoy it as much as I did.

Linda Bulger, 2008

Great escapism swashbuckling nonsense!!, 29 Aug 2008
Rough-and-tumble adventure at sea with high-tech; Clive Cussler owns the genre. Plague Ship (Oregon Files) is the fourth book of the Oregon series but the first that I've read and it was no surprise to find a fantastic story line and implausible derring-do. Just what I was hoping for!

The Oregon series features Juan Cabrillo and his Corporation. Cabrillo is an ex-CIA operative turned paramilitary mercenary. Along with his hand-picked team he takes assignments mainly from the CIA. Oregon is the Corporation's base ship, a rust bucket refitted for speed, maneuverability and anonymity.

PLAGUE SHIP's plot is built around an organization called the Responsivists, whose aim is to redistribute wealth by population reduction; the plot is too complex to summarize easily but be assured that it's full of wild chases and battles on land and sea. Cabrillo and his Corporation achieve several rescues of team members from impossibly dangerous situations; there are some "MacGyver moments" and some exciting technology. The outcome is never in doubt.

This series is co-authored, in this case by Jack Du Brul, but it bears Cussler's stamp. I`m a big fan of serials, Dirk Pitt, Jack Reacher(Lee Child) Harry Bosch(Michael Connelly) Rebus(Ian Rankin) and more violent `John Tankersley aka `Tank`in the Soft Target books(Conrad Jones) are a source of reading matter that is almost endless as an action thriller genre, Cussler is far more fanciful, but I found it well written and fun, a four-star read. My main issues (besides predictability) were the rather lame "bracketing story" in the prologue and epilogue, and the possibly too-large Corporation team. Juan Cabrillo is no Dirk Pitt, but he does rule his operation with flair. I will definitely read more from this series.


Can't wait for the next one, 16 Jul 2008
Plague ship was even better than Skeleton Coast, I felt restricted in only being able to give this book five stars.
Juan Cabrillo returns on the Oregon with his crew of mercenaries in yet another thrilling adventure.
A must read for Cussler Fans and adventure lovers alike.

Great Escapes Entertain While the Epilogue Lands with an Embarrassing Thud, 08 Jul 2008
I love Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul, but if they don't do better in future books in the Oregon Files series they won't keep me as a reader.

The base story of Plague Ship could have only come from the imaginative mind of Clive Cussler. Jack Du Brul is a brilliant writer when it comes to describing difficult escapes.

Unfortunately, the base story overwhelmed Jack Du Brul so that the book is threadbare in character development, almost devoid of menace derived from the villain's plots, and missing obvious elements to make the book's premises more credible. I found myself wondering why the book was so poorly constructed except in the excellent escape sequences involving the crew of the Oregon.

The book opens with a historical sketch involving a Nazi reconnaissance plane looking for a convoy headed for Russia. I liked the opening. But in the epilogue, Du Brul fails to make enough of a connection between the two sections for the concept to work. I doubt if Cussler even read the two sections. A rookie editor could have made suggestions that would have helped.

From there the book picks up as the Oregon's crew seeks to verify for the CIA that the Russians are selling advanced torpedoes to the Iranians. It
is a grand adventure, and an even grander escape. The book drifts sideways on locating a derelict vessel littered with dead bodies. The book then dives downward quality-wise in describing a cult that favors reducing the world's population. Except for interruptions for interesting escapes, I found the rest of the book to be less and less interesting.

In giving the book three stars, I would say Plague Ship went from five stars down to dribbling along at two stars and ending at one star in the epilogue.

I wouldn't suggest that you avoid this book, but don't have very high expectations either.

Great Escapes Entertain While the Epilogue Lands with an Embarrassing Thud, 08 Jul 2008
I love Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul, but if they don't do better in future books in the Oregon Files series they won't keep me as a reader.

The base story of Plague Ship could have only come from the imaginative mind of Clive Cussler. Jack Du Brul is a brilliant writer when it comes to describing difficult escapes.

Unfortunately, the base story overwhelmed Jack Du Brul so that the book is threadbare in character development, almost devoid of menace derived from the villain's plots, and missing obvious elements to make the book's premises more credible. I found myself wondering why the book was so poorly constructed except in the excellent escape sequences involving the crew of the Oregon.

The book opens with a historical sketch involving a Nazi reconnaissance plane looking for a convoy headed for Russia. I liked the opening. But in the epilogue, Du Brul fails to make enough of a connection between the two sections for the concept to work. I doubt if Cussler even read the two sections. A rookie editor could have made suggestions that would have helped.

From there the book picks up as the Oregon's crew seeks to verify for the CIA that the Russians are selling advanced torpedoes to the Iranians. It
is a grand adventure, and an even grander escape. The book drifts sideways on locating a derelict vessel littered with dead bodies. The book then dives downward quality-wise in describing a cult that favors reducing the world's population. Except for interruptions for interesting escapes, I found the rest of the book to be less and less interesting.

In giving the book three stars, I would say Plague Ship went from five stars down to dribbling along at two stars and ending at one star in the epilogue.

I wouldn't suggest that you avoid this book, but don't have very high expectations either.

Buy Arctic Drift in Hard Cover and Enjoy a Fine Sea-Going Tale, 01 Dec 2008

Arctic Drift has a lot to recommend it (if you don't get jammed up with Kindle pricing). The plot is an imaginative one about the potential risks to peace and economic stability with the world running out of energy while the ice caps are being melted down by global warming as a greedy billionaire seeks to manipulate the situation to his own advantage (much as Enron did during the electricity shortage in the West a few years ago). Dirk gets out and under the sea to have some unusual adventures which include a most unusual battle. There is a great series of cliff hangers as men's lives are at risk in perilous conditions. Dirk, Jr. and Summer also have some exciting adventures. The story also features a merciless killer who likes to make things go pop. You'll also read an intriguing historical mystery that connects to today's problems and technology. My only complaint is that the story could have used more of Dirk and Al in action.

The book opens on a doomed expedition that is captured in the Arctic ice after trying unsuccessfully to navigate the Northwest Passage through Canada from Europe to Asia. The officers can't keep order as the men seem to be going mad, somehow connected to silvery rocks they have come into contact with.

Moving into the future, the year is 2011 and a mysterious phenomenon called the Devil's Breath is causing mysterious deaths at sea along the Inside Passage in British Columbia. Summer and Dirk, Jr. are taking water samples when they come across a derelict ship that has come into contact with the Breath. In the process, Summer makes friends with a dead fisherman's brother and the three investigate what might be causing large changes in the acid level in the sea.

Further south, a pro-environmentalist Canadian M.P. is murdered in a way to make it look like an accident. In the Arctic, a Canadian research station is destroyed by what looks like a U.S. Navy vessel creating international tensions.

In Washington, D.C., a rare element turns out to have unusual properties, and the finding triggers a race to find more of the element and to seize control of the secret. Now the race is on to solve the energy crisis.

I liked the plot very much. It goes well beyond the "we are running out of . . . ." story lines and the "we are going to die from global warming" story lines to come up with an original intersection of the two problems constructed in a way that seems realistic in light of the economic events earlier in 2008 as gasoline prices in the United States spiked above $4.00 a gallon and seemed headed higher until a global recession pricked the balloon.

The story has nice balance as well. There are a lot of characters and several interesting threads. If anything, Arctic Drift is a little too balanced. I could have used more of Dirk and Al at sea and in battle. The new plots where Dirk, Jr. and Summer engage in the ocean-going events aren't nearly as interesting as the more dangerous situations that Dirk and Al used to get themselves into and out of.

There's less swagger here . . . and more intellect. That's okay, but it's not quite as good as the over the top swagger that this series once featured. But I think you'll enjoy your voyage with NUMA and company.

Great Adventures, 01 Dec 2008
Okay so I will freely admit that I am thoroughly addicted to reading Clive Cussler Books. To me this book shows the very welcome return of Cusslers orginal and in my opinion,best duo, Dirk Pitt & Al Giordino. This time they are up against a billionaire environmental philanthropist, well seemingly so as he of course turns out to be anything but. The pace of this book never lets up as with there is always something exciting going on. Boats disappear, boats blow up and a whole menagerie of people get murdered in the midst or should I say in the mist (read the book and you will work out what I mean). Anyway the book is as always well structured and well thought out with a good amount of historical value thrown into boot, so does this book have everything? Well yes it does as it simply takes no effort to hold your attention at a constant 100%. I dare say that if time had permitted I could have easily read this book from cover to cover without stopping. I like many other Cussler fans am glad to see Dirk Pitt and his trusty sidekick Al Giordino back as the main characters in this book. I have been worried that he would gradually phase out his original dynamic duo in favour of Dirk's children Dirk Junior and Summer but it seems that this is not totally the case. This in itself indicates to me a pattern in Cussler's own life of him maybe winding down his involvement in the books. It is well known that his son now forms one of his writing partnerships and Cussler senior is now perhaps passing on his adventure writing mantle to him in much the same sense as Dirk Pitt Senior is passing on his adventure skills to his two children. Nor is this the only similarity between real life and fiction. It is also very well known amongst Cussler fans that he actually fronts NUMA in real life and this gives him a distinct advantage over other authors in that he is using his own personal experiences as a platform for his novels. This does not distract from the fact that his books are also very well researched and as stated earlier gives a pleasant historical backup to the main story. Yes there maybe a bit of wild imagination thrown into his books at times but to me it just adds to the story and this book will definitely get you thinking "What If". There are only a couple of regrets with this book and that is that I have finished it and that Mr Cussler doesn't write faster. Buy this book without delay, you wont be disappointed!

Adventure, action good versus evil, it's all there !, 28 Nov 2008
I have long been a fan of Clive Cussler and he hasn't disappointed. I like how he has brought in a new generation to be involved with the chaos and the battle just has he has introduced his son in recent books. The story is of epic proportions with eco issues, good old fashioned right and wrong and great heros. It even has America and Canada buliding up to a war situation of course Dirk etc will sort them out at his usual painful cost. If a fan, of Dirk Pitt it tell's a terrific tale I am so glad I didn't wait for the paperback !!

cussler reigns supreme, 11 Nov 2008
Have just finished reading this latest book and yes I was not dissapointed. Okay, Dirk gets into loads of scrapes as usual and it was nice to have him back with Al the last few novels have got him retired off so it was a nice surprise to have him back. Nothing unusual about the storyline always some trouble up ahead, it was topical and the homework had been done explicitley as usual. I enjoyed the story and read the book in about four sittings but I am a Cussler fan and if you like easy going 'Indiana Jones' style fiction then this book as his others is going to excite you and keep you wanting more, Well Done Clive!

Cussler family at their best !!, 04 Nov 2008
Bestseller Cussler and son Dirk imagine the U.S. and Canada on the brink of war in their third collaborative Dirk Pitt novel (after Treasure of Khan and Black Wind). In 2011, as the price of gas hits $10 a gallon, President Garner Ward must contend with a corrupt Canadian cabal that's subverting efforts to solve America's energy problems. Pitt barely escapes serious injury when a bomb destroys a D.C. lab along with records of research into an artificial photosynthesis process that could, almost immediately, eliminate the threat of global warming. That discovery may be connected with a legendary failed 19th-century sailing expedition to the Arctic as well as a series of deaths due to the phenomena that the Native Americans of British Columbia know as the Devil's Breath. The Cusslers won't suspend many readers' disbelief, but thriller fans in search of a quick, exciting read should be satisfied. As a series of thrillers the `Dirk` books take some beating, but if you like series thrillers try the `Soft Target` trilogy by Conrad Jones. Lee Child`s Jack Reacher fans will enjoy these Cussler books too. They are a must for action thriller fans.

The chase, 22 Oct 2008
I am amazed at the positive reviews of this book. I have never read a Cussler book before and never will again. The story is convoluted and badly worked out. The characters are very poorly developed and intensely shallow. I had to read it to the end because it was so bad and I will never get that time back again. Do not buy or read this book

Vastly different and possibly my favourite Cussler Novel, 16 Jul 2008
This Novel is about the indefatigable Issac Bell and his relentless chase of the Butcher Bandit. Bell also has time to find love, he lays eyes upon the personal assistant of the Bandit and instantly falls in love, a small sidestory and a different kind of chase, the persuit love.
A well crafted, perfectly balanced Novel incorperating thrills, suspence and just enough romance to make probably the best book Cussler has ever written.
I can't think why anyone could not like this book.
Go on, give it a read, you won't be dissapointed"

Not the normal Cussler, 03 Mar 2008
Bought the book at Heathrow Airport running for a plane. Did not read the cover notes. This one is not a Dirk Pitt story. Instead it is about a private detective in 1906 and the San Francisco earthquake. It's all very old fashioned, slow, needlessly violent, and boring. A poor read. You have been warned.

Different for Cussler (in a good way !!), 18 Feb 2008
I have read all of the previous Clive Cussler novels and some of his co-authored stuff. I really used to enjoy the early Dirk Pitt stories, but I felt that towards the end Cussler went off a bit (maybe my tastes changed - who knows). As the Dirk Pitt plot-line had expired I was interested to see what he had created now. I must say that I found the book very interesting. Cussler's attention to detail was spot-on and the story made the book "unputdownable". The plot line is in a similar vein to one of his earlier Dirk Pitt novels "Night Probe" but with a clever twist. I must presume that due to the way the book has been written that this is a "one-off", unless he jumps back in time to cover the further adventures of the hero "Issac Bell". In all - a good read in the classic Cussler style.

Snakes on a train, 12 Jan 2008
I've always been a fan of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt and NUMA Files adventures, and THE CHASE is the same kind of story. There's a larger-than-life hero who faces impossible challenges and is viciously injured but gets right up. There are fast cars, a discreet liaison with a beautiful woman, loyal associates, and big transportation (in this case trains rather than boats). Oh, and a sociopathic villain.

All that's to the good. Of course we also have writing from the Hardy Boys school of literature and fantastic plot elements. That's no surprise and if you're a fan, you just read around it. Here's an example of an overloaded sentence from the beginning of Chapter 15:

"Cromwell's chauffeur drove the 1906 Rolls-Royce Brougham, made by the London coach maker Barker, with its six-cylinder, thirty-horsepower engine, from the garage to the front of the palatial Nob Hill mansion Cromwell had designed himself and constructed from white marble blocks cut and hauled by railroad from a quarry in Colorado."

Hmmm ... anyone got a red pencil?

The hero is one Isaac Bell, an independently wealthy private detective. The villain is a bank robber-murderer known as "the Butcher Bandit." Bell, through hot detective work and breathtaking good luck, gets on the trail of the Bandit by page 168 (of 404). The rest of the book -- the better half -- involves a lot of fast driving, a locomotive race, some shooting and robbing, and the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Oh, and of course a satisfactory ending.

THE CHASE does have a structural device that kicks it up a notch. While the story takes place in 1906, the book opens and closes with a 1950 underwater salvage operation in a large Montana lake. This is reminiscent of James Cameron's 1997 movie TITANIC, and was a very nice touch.

Cussler's at his best with the action scenes, and THE CHASE has some epic action. The train scenes really are playing to his strength. The story is according to formula but the formula works: familiar and therefore safe style, combined with wild action. This is a very satisfactory offering from Cussler and if you like this kind of book, you'll probably enjoy it as much as I did.

Linda Bulger, 2008

Great escapism swashbuckling nonsense!!, 29 Aug 2008
Rough-and-tumble adventure at sea with high-tech; Clive Cussler owns the genre. Plague Ship (Oregon Files) is the fourth book of the Oregon series but the first that I've read and it was no surprise to find a fantastic story line and implausible derring-do. Just what I was hoping for!

The Oregon series features Juan Cabrillo and his Corporation. Cabrillo is an ex-CIA operative turned paramilitary mercenary. Along with his hand-picked team he takes assignments mainly from the CIA. Oregon is the Corporation's base ship, a rust bucket refitted for speed, maneuverability and anonymity.

PLAGUE SHIP's plot is built around an organization called the Responsivists, whose aim is to redistribute wealth by population reduction; the plot is too complex to summarize easily but be assured that it's full of wild chases and battles on land and sea. Cabrillo and his Corporation achieve several rescues of team members from impossibly dangerous situations; there are some "MacGyver moments" and some exciting technology. The outcome is never in doubt.

This series is co-authored, in this case by Jack Du Brul, but it bears Cussler's stamp. I`m a big fan of serials, Dirk Pitt, Jack Reacher(Lee Child) Harry Bosch(Michael Connelly) Rebus(Ian Rankin) and more violent `John Tankersley aka `Tank`in the Soft Target books(Conrad Jones) are a source of reading matter that is almost endless as an action thriller genre, Cussler is far more fanciful, but I found it well written and fun, a four-star read. My main issues (besides predictability) were the rather lame "bracketing story" in the prologue and epilogue, and the possibly too-large Corporation team. Juan Cabrillo is no Dirk Pitt, but he does rule his operation with flair. I will definitely read more from this series.


Can't wait for the next one, 16 Jul 2008
Plague ship was even better than Skeleton Coast, I felt restricted in only being able to give this book five stars.
Juan Cabrillo returns on the Oregon with his crew of mercenaries in yet another thrilling adventure.
A must read for Cussler Fans and adventure lovers alike.

Great Escapes Entertain While the Epilogue Lands with an Embarrassing Thud, 08 Jul 2008
I love Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul, but if they don't do better in future books in the Oregon Files series they won't keep me as a reader.

The base story of Plague Ship could have only come from the imaginative mind of Clive Cussler. Jack Du Brul is a brilliant writer when it comes to describing difficult escapes.

Unfortunately, the base story overwhelmed Jack Du Brul so that the book is threadbare in character development, almost devoid of menace derived from the villain's plots, and missing obvious elements to make the book's premises more credible. I found myself wondering why the book was so poorly constructed except in the excellent escape sequences involving the crew of the Oregon.

The book opens with a historical sketch involving a Nazi reconnaissance plane looking for a convoy headed for Russia. I liked the opening. But in the epilogue, Du Brul fails to make enough of a connection between the two sections for the concept to work. I doubt if Cussler even read the two sections. A rookie editor could have made suggestions that would have helped.

From there the book picks up as the Oregon's crew seeks to verify for the CIA that the Russians are selling advanced torpedoes to the Iranians. It
is a grand adventure, and an even grander escape. The book drifts sideways on locating a derelict vessel littered with dead bodies. The book then dives downward quality-wise in describing a cult that favors reducing the world's population. Except for interruptions for interesting escapes, I found the rest of the book to be less and less interesting.

In giving the book three stars, I would say Plague Ship went from five stars down to dribbling along at two stars and ending at one star in the epilogue.

I wouldn't suggest that you avoid this book, but don't have very high expectations either.

Great Escapes Entertain While the Epilogue Lands with an Embarrassing Thud, 08 Jul 2008
I love Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul, but if they don't do better in future books in the Oregon Files series they won't keep me as a reader.

The base story of Plague Ship could have only come from the imaginative mind of Clive Cussler. Jack Du Brul is a brilliant writer when it comes to describing difficult escapes.

Unfortunately, the base story overwhelmed Jack Du Brul so that the book is threadbare in character development, almost devoid of menace derived from the villain's plots, and missing obvious elements to make the book's premises more credible. I found myself wondering why the book was so poorly constructed except in the excellent escape sequences involving the crew of the Oregon.

The book opens with a historical sketch involving a Nazi reconnaissance plane looking for a convoy headed for Russia. I liked the opening. But in the epilogue, Du Brul fails to make enough of a connection between the two sections for the concept to work. I doubt if Cussler even read the two sections. A rookie editor could have made suggestions that would have helped.

From there the book picks up as the Oregon's crew seeks to verify for the CIA that the Russians are selling advanced torpedoes to the Iranians. It
is a grand adventure, and an even grander escape. The book drifts sideways on locating a derelict vessel littered with dead bodies. The book then dives downward quality-wise in describing a cult that favors reducing the world's population. Except for interruptions for interesting escapes, I found the rest of the book to be less and less interesting.

In giving the book three stars, I would say Plague Ship went from five stars down to dribbling along at two stars and ending at one star in the epilogue.

I wouldn't suggest that you avoid this book, but don't have very high expectations either.

Cool., 18 Oct 2008
Non stop action from start till end.
I would have wished for a better ending but still I really enjoyed reading the book and wouldn t hesitate to recommend it to a friend.

dark watch, 20 Jan 2007
excellant book, unable to put down, and the story really flowed. The follow up book Skeleton coast carried straight with the action, recommended.
The story cuts back and forth in the great Cussler tradition, bringing various scenarios to a gripping conclusion. A real modern pirate story, fantastic.

Buy Arctic Drift in Hard Cover and Enjoy a Fine Sea-Going Tale, 01 Dec 2008

Arctic Drift has a lot to recommend it (if you don't get jammed up with Kindle pricing). The plot is an imaginative one about the potential risks to peace and economic stability with the world running out of energy while the ice caps are being melted down by global warming as a greedy billionaire seeks to manipulate the situation to his own advantage (much as Enron did during the electricity shortage in the West a few years ago). Dirk gets out and under the sea to have some unusual adventures which include a most unusual battle. There is a great series of cliff hangers as men's lives are at risk in perilous conditions. Dirk, Jr. and Summer also have some exciting adventures. The story also features a merciless killer who likes to make things go pop. You'll also read an intriguing historical mystery that connects to today's problems and technology. My only complaint is that the story could have used more of Dirk and Al in action.

The book opens on a doomed expedition that is captured in the Arctic ice after trying unsuccessfully to navigate the Northwest Passage through Canada from Europe to Asia. The officers can't keep order as the men seem to be going mad, somehow connected to silvery rocks they have come into contact with.

Moving into the future, the year is 2011 and a mysterious phenomenon called the Devil's Breath is causing mysterious deaths at sea along the Inside Passage in British Columbia. Summer and Dirk, Jr. are taking water samples when they come across a derelict ship that has come into contact with the Breath. In the process, Summer makes friends with a dead fisherman's brother and the three investigate what might be causing large changes in the acid level in the sea.

Further south, a pro-environmentalist Canadian M.P. is murdered in a way to make it look like an accident. In the Arctic, a Canadian research station is destroyed by what looks like a U.S. Navy vessel creating international tensions.

In Washington, D.C., a rare element turns out to have unusual properties, and the finding triggers a race to find more of the element and to seize control of the secret. Now the race is on to solve the energy crisis.

I liked the plot very much. It goes well beyond the "we are running out of . . . ." story lines and the "we are going to die from global warming" story lines to come up with an original intersection of the two problems constructed in a way that seems realistic in light of the economic events earlier in 2008 as gasoline prices in the United States spiked above $4.00 a gallon and seemed headed higher until a global recession pricked the balloon.

The story has nice balance as well. There are a lot of characters and several interesting threads. If anything, Arctic Drift is a little too balanced. I could have used more of Dirk and Al at sea and in battle. The new plots where Dirk, Jr. and Summer engage in the ocean-going events aren't nearly as interesting as the more dangerous situations that Dirk and Al used to get themselves into and out of.

There's less swagger here . . . and more intellect. That's okay, but it's not quite as good as the over the top swagger that this series once featured. But I think you'll enjoy your voyage with NUMA and company.

Great Adventures, 01 Dec 2008
Okay so I will freely admit that I am thoroughly addicted to reading Clive Cussler Books. To me this book shows the very welcome return of Cusslers orginal and in my opinion,best duo, Dirk Pitt & Al Giordino. This time they are up against a billionaire environmental philanthropist, well seemingly so as he of course turns out to be anything but. The pace of this book never lets up as with there is always something exciting going on. Boats disappear, boats blow up and a whole menagerie of people get murdered in the midst or should I say in the mist (read the book and you will work out what I mean). Anyway the book is as always well structured and well thought out with a good amount of historical value thrown into boot, so does this book have everything? Well yes it does as it simply takes no effort to hold your attention at a constant 100%. I dare say that if time had permitted I could have easily read this book from cover to cover without stopping. I like many other Cussler fans am glad to see Dirk Pitt and his trusty sidekick Al Giordino back as the main characters in this book. I have been worried that he would gradually phase out his original dynamic duo in favour of Dirk's children Dirk Junior and Summer but it seems that this is not totally the case. This in itself indicates to me a pattern in Cussler's own life of him maybe winding down his involvement in the books. It is well known that his son now forms one of his writing partnerships and Cussler senior is now perhaps passing on his adventure writing mantle to him in much the same sense as Dirk Pitt Senior is passing on his adventure skills to his two children. Nor is this the only similarity between real life and fiction. It is also very well known amongst Cussler fans that he actually fronts NUMA in real life and this gives him a distinct advantage over other authors in that he is using his own personal experiences as a platform for his novels. This does not distract from the fact that his books are also very well researched and as stated earlier gives a pleasant historical backup to the main story. Yes there maybe a bit of wild imagination thrown into his books at times but to me it just adds to the story and this book will definitely get you thinking "What If". There are only a couple of regrets with this book and that is that I have finished it and that Mr Cussler doesn't write faster. Buy this book without delay, you wont be disappointed!

Adventure, action good versus evil, it's all there !, 28 Nov 2008
I have long been a fan of Clive Cussler and he hasn't disappointed. I like how he has brought in a new generation to be involved with the chaos and the battle just has he has introduced his son in recent books. The story is of epic proportions with eco issues, good old fashioned right and wrong and great heros. It even has America and Canada buliding up to a war situation of course Dirk etc will sort them out at his usual painful cost. If a fan, of Dirk Pitt it tell's a terrific tale I am so glad I didn't wait for the paperback !!

cussler reigns supreme, 11 Nov 2008
Have just finished reading this latest book and yes I was not dissapointed. Okay, Dirk gets into loads of scrapes as usual and it was nice to have him back with Al the last few novels have got him retired off so it was a nice surprise to have him back. Nothing unusual about the storyline always some trouble up ahead, it was topical and the homework had been done explicitley as usual. I enjoyed the story and read the book in about four sittings but I am a Cussler fan and if you like easy going 'Indiana Jones' style fiction then this book as his others is going to excite you and keep you wanting more, Well Done Clive!

Cussler family at their best !!, 04 Nov 2008
Bestseller Cussler and son Dirk imagine the U.S. and Canada on the brink of war in their third collaborative Dirk Pitt novel (after Treasure of Khan and Black Wind). In 2011, as the price of gas hits $10 a gallon, President Garner Ward must contend with a corrupt Canadian cabal that's subverting efforts to solve America's energy problems. Pitt barely escapes serious injury when a bomb destroys a D.C. lab along with records of research into an artificial photosynthesis process that could, almost immediately, eliminate the threat of global warming. That discovery may be connected with a legendary failed 19th-century sailing expedition to the Arctic as well as a series of deaths due to the phenomena that the Native Americans of British Columbia know as the Devil's Breath. The Cusslers won't suspend many readers' disbelief, but thriller fans in search of a quick, exciting read should be satisfied. As a series of thrillers the `Dirk` books take some beating, but if you like series thrillers try the `Soft Target` trilogy by Conrad Jones. Lee Child`s Jack Reacher fans will enjoy these Cussler books too. They are a must for action thriller fans.

The chase, 22 Oct 2008
I am amazed at the positive reviews of this book. I have never read a Cussler book before and never will again. The story is convoluted and badly worked out. The characters are very poorly developed and intensely shallow. I had to read it to the end because it was so bad and I will never get that time back again. Do not buy or read this book

Vastly different and possibly my favourite Cussler Novel, 16 Jul 2008
This Novel is about the indefatigable Issac Bell and his relentless chase of the Butcher Bandit. Bell also has time to find love, he lays eyes upon the personal assistant of the Bandit and instantly falls in love, a small sidestory and a different kind of chase, the persuit love.
A well crafted, perfectly balanced Novel incorperating thrills, suspence and just enough romance to make probably the best book Cussler has ever written.
I can't think why anyone could not like this book.
Go on, give it a read, you won't be dissapointed"

Not the normal Cussler, 03 Mar 2008
Bought the book at Heathrow Airport running for a plane. Did not read the cover notes. This one is not a Dirk Pitt story. Instead it is about a private detective in 1906 and the San Francisco earthquake. It's all very old fashioned, slow, needlessly violent, and boring. A poor read. You have been warned.

Different for Cussler (in a good way !!), 18 Feb 2008
I have read all of the previous Clive Cussler novels and some of his co-authored stuff. I really used to enjoy the early Dirk Pitt stories, but I felt that towards the end Cussler went off a bit (maybe my tastes changed - who knows). As the Dirk Pitt plot-line had expired I was interested to see what he had created now. I must say that I found the book very interesting. Cussler's attention to detail was spot-on and the story made the book "unputdownable". The plot line is in a similar vein to one of his earlier Dirk Pitt novels "Night Probe" but with a clever twist. I must presume that due to the way the book has been written that this is a "one-off", unless he jumps back in time to cover the further adventures of the hero "Issac Bell". In all - a good read in the classic Cussler style.

Snakes on a train, 12 Jan 2008
I've always been a fan of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt and NUMA Files adventures, and THE CHASE is the same kind of story. There's a larger-than-life hero who faces impossible challenges and is viciously injured but gets right up. There are fast cars, a discreet liaison with a beautiful woman, loyal associates, and big transportation (in this case trains rather than boats). Oh, and a sociopathic villain.

All that's to the good. Of course we also have writing from the Hardy Boys school of literature and fantastic plot elements. That's no surprise and if you're a fan, you just read around it. Here's an example of an overloaded sentence from the beginning of Chapter 15:

"Cromwell's chauffeur drove the 1906 Rolls-Royce Brougham, made by the London coach maker Barker, with its six-cylinder, thirty-horsepower engine, from the garage to the front of the palatial Nob Hill mansion Cromwell had designed himself and constructed from white marble blocks cut and hauled by railroad from a quarry in Colorado."

Hmmm ... anyone got a red pencil?

The hero is one Isaac Bell, an independently wealthy private detective. The villain is a bank robber-murderer known as "the Butcher Bandit." Bell, through hot detective work and breathtaking good luck, gets on the trail of the Bandit by page 168 (of 404). The rest of the book -- the better half -- involves a lot of fast driving, a locomotive race, some shooting and robbing, and the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Oh, and of course a satisfactory ending.

THE CHASE does have a structural device that kicks it up a notch. While the story takes place in 1906, the book opens and closes with a 1950 underwater salvage operation in a large Montana lake. This is reminiscent of James Cameron's 1997 movie TITANIC, and was a very nice touch.

Cussler's at his best with the action scenes, and THE CHASE has some epic action. The train scenes really are playing to his strength. The story is according to formula but the formula works: familiar and therefore safe style, combined with wild action. This is a very satisfactory offering from Cussler and if you like this kind of book, you'll probably enjoy it as much as I did.

Linda Bulger, 2008

Great escapism swashbuckling nonsense!!, 29 Aug 2008
Rough-and-tumble adventure at sea with high-tech; Clive Cussler owns the genre. Plague Ship (Oregon Files) is the fourth book of the Oregon series but the first that I've read and it was no surprise to find a fantastic story line and implausible derring-do. Just what I was hoping for!

The Oregon series features Juan Cabrillo and his Corporation. Cabrillo is an ex-CIA operative turned paramilitary mercenary. Along with his hand-picked team he takes assignments mainly from the CIA. Oregon is the Corporation's base ship, a rust bucket refitted for speed, maneuverability and anonymity.

PLAGUE SHIP's plot is built around an organization called the Responsivists, whose aim is to redistribute wealth by population reduction; the plot is too complex to summarize easily but be assured that it's full of wild chases and battles on land and sea. Cabrillo and his Corporation achieve several rescues of team members from impossibly dangerous situations; there are some "MacGyver moments" and some exciting technology. The outcome is never in doubt.

This series is co-authored, in this case by Jack Du Brul, but it bears Cussler's stamp. I`m a big fan of serials, Dirk Pitt, Jack Reacher(Lee Child) Harry Bosch(Michael Connelly) Rebus(Ian Rankin) and more violent `John Tankersley aka `Tank`in the Soft Target books(Conrad Jones) are a source of reading matter that is almost endless as an action thriller genre, Cussler is far more fanciful, but I found it well written and fun, a four-star read. My main issues (besides predictability) were the rather lame "bracketing story" in the prologue and epilogue, and the possibly too-large Corporation team. Juan Cabrillo is no Dirk Pitt, but he does rule his operation with flair. I will definitely read more from this series.


Can't wait for the next one, 16 Jul 2008
Plague ship was even better than Skeleton Coast, I felt restricted in only being able to give this book five stars.
Juan Cabrillo returns on the Oregon with his crew of mercenaries in yet another thrilling adventure.
A must read for Cussler Fans and adventure lovers alike.

Great Escapes Entertain While the Epilogue Lands with an Embarrassing Thud, 08 Jul 2008
I love Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul, but if they don't do better in future books in the Oregon Files series they won't keep me as a reader.

The base story of Plague Ship could have only come from the imaginative mind of Clive Cussler. Jack Du Brul is a brilliant writer when it comes to describing difficult escapes.

Unfortunately, the base story overwhelmed Jack Du Brul so that the book is threadbare in character development, almost devoid of menace derived from the villain's plots, and missing obvious elements to make the book's premises more credible. I found myself wondering why the book was so poorly constructed except in the excellent escape sequences involving the crew of the Oregon.

The book opens with a historical sketch involving a Nazi reconnaissance plane looking for a convoy headed for Russia. I liked the opening. But in the epilogue, Du Brul fails to make enough of a connection between the two sections for the concept to work. I doubt if Cussler even read the two sections. A rookie editor could have made suggestions that would have helped.

From there the book picks up as the Oregon's crew seeks to verify for the CIA that the Russians are selling advanced torpedoes to the Iranians. It
is a grand adventure, and an even grander escape. The book drifts sideways on locating a derelict vessel littered with dead bodies. The book then dives downward quality-wise in describing a cult that favors reducing the world's population. Except for interruptions for interesting escapes, I found the rest of the book to be less and less interesting.

In giving the book three stars, I would say Plague Ship went from five stars down to dribbling along at two stars and ending at one star in the epilogue.

I wouldn't suggest that you avoid this book, but don't have very high expectations either.

Great Escapes Entertain While the Epilogue Lands with an Embarrassing Thud, 08 Jul 2008
I love Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul, but if they don't do better in future books in the Oregon Files series they won't keep me as a reader.

The base story of Plague Ship could have only come from the imaginative mind of Clive Cussler. Jack Du Brul is a brilliant writer when it comes to describing difficult escapes.

Unfortunately, the base story overwhelmed Jack Du Brul so that the book is threadbare in character development, almost devoid of menace derived from the villain's plots, and missing obvious elements to make the book's premises more credible. I found myself wondering why the book was so poorly constructed except in the excellent escape sequences involving the crew of the Oregon.

The book opens with a historical sketch involving a Nazi reconnaissance plane looking for a convoy headed for Russia. I liked the opening. But in the epilogue, Du Brul fails to make enough of a connection between the two sections for the concept to work. I doubt if Cussler even read the two sections. A rookie editor could have made suggestions that would have helped.

From there the book picks up as the Oregon's crew seeks to verify for the CIA that the Russians are selling advanced torpedoes to the Iranians. It
is a grand adventure, and an even grander escape. The book drifts sideways on locating a derelict vessel littered with dead bodies. The book then dives downward quality-wise in describing a cult that favors reducing the world's population. Except for interruptions for interesting escapes, I found the rest of the book to be less and less interesting.

In giving the book three stars, I would say Plague Ship went from five stars down to dribbling along at two stars and ending at one star in the epilogue.

I wouldn't suggest that you avoid this book, but don't have very high expectations either.

Cool., 18 Oct 2008
Non stop action from start till end.
I would have wished for a better ending but still I really enjoyed reading the book and wouldn t hesitate to recommend it to a friend.

dark watch, 20 Jan 2007
excellant book, unable to put down, and the story really flowed. The follow up book Skeleton coast carried straight with the action, recommended.
The story cuts back and forth in the great Cussler tradition, bringing various scenarios to a gripping conclusion. A real modern pirate story, fantastic.

Entertaining, 30 Jun 2008
Clive Cussler is on the front cover and really no more else needs to be said. It's entertaining if not slightly ridiculous. This deviation from reality can be forgiven as it adds immesurably to the story and achieves that goal of tearing us from the daily routine and enriching our lives with a tale that rips along at 80 Knotts.
Entertainment aside, however, this NUMA files (Kurt Austin) adventure Didn't match the excitement of the Juan Cabrillo story Skeleton Coast.
A fan of Clive Cussler won't be dissapointed if they read without the preconception that Dirk Pitt is the alpha and the omega of Cussler's empire of literature.
Anyone contemplating a new book, and not having read a Cussler novel before, this isn't a bad place to start, it will leave you gasping for another like a fish taken from his favourite stretch of sea starved of the oxygen it provides.

The usual formula - just more tired than usual, 15 Apr 2008
With a Cussler novel, you know what you're going to get ... impossible links between the past and the present glory of good old America. This time we have a bull-necked villain of cartoon and cardboard type villainy; a baby-faced psychopathic assassin; a heroine of exotic features; sable hair and a strong streak of independence which doesn't stop her leaping into bed with our all-action hero. The theme naturally leads to the discovery of ancient treasures and the solving of equally ancient mysteries based upon the improbable fact that the Phoenicians travelled all the way to America to hide a precious artefact.

So if you like your adventure books to be written to a totally predictable formula (the villain keeps going on about the fires of hell - so guess how he dies) with characters that lack all semblance of believability, then you'll enjoy this book.

On the other hand, if you want a bit of depth and believable intrigue, try the novels of David Baldacci or Stephen Leather.

Typically brilliant, 24 Mar 2008
Rough-and-tumble adventure at sea with high-tech; Clive Cussler owns the genre. the Oregon series that I've read have all been fun, and it was no surprise to find a fantastic story line and implausible derring-do. Just what I was hoping for!

The Oregon series features Juan Cabrillo and his Corporation. Cabrillo is an ex-CIA operative turned paramilitary mercenary. Along with his hand-picked team he takes assignments mainly from the CIA. Oregon is the Corporation's base ship, a rust bucket refitted for speed, maneuverability and anonymity.

This series is co-authored, in this case by Jack Du Brul, but it bears Cussler's stamp. I found it well written and fun, a four-star read. My main issues (besides predictability) were the rather lame "bracketing story" in the prologue and epilogue, and the possibly too-large Corporation team. Juan Cabrillo is no Dirk Pitt, but he does rule his operation with flair. I will definitely read more from this series.
Another exciting read from one of the masters of action fiction. A great plot as usual, packed with energy and enthusiasm for the reader to enjoy.His writing style is so simple and easy to read, it`s a pleasure to pick up the book. I enjoyed the books from his oregon files series more, but that doesnt detract from this novel, it is excellent. I am a Lee Child fan, his Jack Reacher character is addictive reading, as is Harry Bosch, (Michael Connelly but the more novels he produces the more padded out they become, unlike Cussler who seems to keep them as exciting as ever. If you like serial books like Cussler look at Conrad Jones and his trilogy called `Soft Target` its similar genre but more violent, and a fantastic read.

This one is a `Truly great read.

The Author is Back on Track with This One, 25 Jul 2007

Clive Cussler was born in 1931 and grew up in Alhambra, California. He attended Pasadena City College before joining the Air Force. He went on to a successful advertising career, winning many national honours for his copywriting. He has also explored the deserts of the American Southwest in search of lost gold mines, dived in isolated lakes in the Rocky Mountains looking for lost aircraft and hunted under the sea for shipwrecks of historic significance, discovering and identifying more than sixty. He is married with three children, and divides his time between Colorado and Arizona. His credentials as a best selling author cannot be doubted and he has a large `stable' of best selling adventure novels.

I found this to be a much better book than the Lost City, the last book I read of Clive Cussler's. This one is full of the usual adventure and mayhem that are a feature of the author's books.

Many years ago, an ancient Phoenician statue known as the Navigator was stolen from the museum in Baghdad. There are men throughout the world who would do anything to get their hands on the priceless object and that includes murder. Their first victim is a shady antiques dealer who is murdered in cold blood. Their second attempt almost sees the demise of a UN investigator who, if not for the timely intervention of Austin and Zavala would now be experiencing a watery grave.

Why is there so much interest in a statue lost to mankind so many years ago? The search for the answer will take the NUMA team on an astonishing adventure through time and space. An adventure that encompasses no less than the lost treasures of King Solomon, plus a mysterious package of documents personally encoded by US President, Thomas Jefferson and a secret scientific programme that could change the world . . .

Plenty of Action Built Around Locating Ancient Objects, 24 Jul 2007
The Navigator is a beach read . . . and a pretty entertaining one. Mix in a little history, add a few Biblical references, season with a maniac villain, fold in a little sexual byplay, and tilt the odds in unexpected ways and you've got The Navigator.

The ancient Phoenicians had a valuable secret that they decided to hide away, far from where anyone would find it. Later, Thomas Jefferson caught a whiff of the secret and decided to track it down. Both the Phoenicians and Jefferson left behind coded clues.

Into this labyrinth enter Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala of NUMA when they encounter a high seas hijacking aimed at stealing a statue called the Navigator that had earlier been taken from the Baghdad museum during American invasion in 2003. In the process of foiling the theft (and other, more major, harms), Austin makes the acquaintance of the bewitching Carina Mechadi, an Italian expert in recovering stolen art works.

At the same time, an assistant librarian in the archives for the American Philosophical Society, finds misfiled some papers that seem to have been written by Thomas Jefferson. Before long, others are riveted by this find.

Austin and Mechadi take on the challenge of tracking down the Navigator after it is stolen again. At the same time, they sense the deeper riddle involving the Phoenicians and work on that puzzle as well.

Before the book's end, both will be severely tested and unexpected secrets will be revealed.

The ancient sea-going references make this book unmistakably a Clive Cussler creation. The NUMA technology and experience double that certainty. The presence of Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala convince you this is a Clive Cussler plot. From there, the book has a strong seasoning of tongue-in-cheek as the villain shows his preferences for jousting and ancient religions. I felt at times like this was "The Wild Wild West" meets the 21st century.

Although not as good as the earliest Dirk Pitt books, The Navigator is a book worthy of your time if you are looking for some light action-based reading with an occasional "what if?" thought injected.

As I read the book, I was concerned for some time that it was going to end up with some anti-Christian plot development or message. But the resolution of the story seemed to me to fall within the real of what is possible and still fit in with mainline Christianity. I only mention that point because some fiction these days chooses to plot out stories that are anti-Christian.

Have fun!

Buy Arctic Drift in Hard Cover and Enjoy a Fine Sea-Going Tale, 01 Dec 2008

Arctic Drift has a lot to recommend it (if you don't get jammed up with Kindle pricing). The plot is an imaginative one about the potential risks to peace and economic stability with the world running out of energy while the ice caps are being melted down by global warming as a greedy billionaire seeks to manipulate the situation to his own advantage (much as Enron did during the electricity shortage in the West a few years ago). Dirk gets out and under the sea to have some unusual adventures which include a most unusual battle. There is a great series of cliff hangers as men's lives are at risk in perilous conditions. Dirk, Jr. and Summer also have some exciting adventures. The story also features a merciless killer who likes to make things go pop. You'll also read an intriguing historical mystery that connects to today's problems and technology. My only complaint is that the story could have used more of Dirk and Al in action.

The book opens on a doomed expedition that is captured in the Arctic ice after trying unsuccessfully to navigate the Northwest Passage through Canada from Europe to Asia. The officers can't keep order as the men seem to be going mad, somehow connected to silvery rocks they have come into contact with.

Moving into the future, the year is 2011 and a mysterious phenomenon called the Devil's Breath is causing mysterious deaths at sea along the Inside Passage in British Columbia. Summer and Dirk, Jr. are taking water samples when they come across a derelict ship that has come into contact with the Breath. In the process, Summer makes friends with a dead fisherman's brother and the three investigate what might be causing large changes in the acid level in the sea.

Further south, a pro-environmentalist Canadian M.P. is murdered in a way to make it look like an accident. In the Arctic, a Canadian research station is destroyed by what looks like a U.S. Navy vessel creating international tensions.

In Washington, D.C., a rare element turns out to have unusual properties, and the finding triggers a race to find more of the element and to seize control of the secret. Now the race is on to solve the energy crisis.

I liked the plot very much. It goes well beyond the "we are running out of . . . ." story lines and the "we are going to die from global warming" story lines to come up with an original intersection of the two problems constructed in a way that seems realistic in light of the economic events earlier in 2008 as gasoline prices in the United States spiked above $4.00 a gallon and seemed headed higher until a global recession pricked the balloon.

The story has nice balance as well. There are a lot of characters and several interesting threads. If anything, Arctic Drift is a little too balanced. I could have used more of Dirk and Al at sea and in battle. The new plots where Dirk, Jr. and Summer engage in the ocean-going events aren't nearly as interesting as the more dangerous situations that Dirk and Al used to get themselves into and out of.

There's less swagger here . . . and more intellect. That's okay, but it's not quite as good as the over the top swagger that this series once featured. But I think you'll enjoy your voyage with NUMA and company.

Great Adventures, 01 Dec 2008
Okay so I will freely admit that I am thoroughly addicted to reading Clive Cussler Books. To me this book shows the very welcome return of Cusslers orginal and in my opinion,best duo, Dirk Pitt & Al Giordino. This time they are up against a billionaire environmental philanthropist, well seemingly so as he of course turns out to be anything but. The pace of this book never lets up as with there is always something exciting going on. Boats disappear, boats blow up and a whole menagerie of people get murdered in the midst or should I say in the mist (read the book and you will work out what I mean). Anyway the book is as always well structured and well thought out with a good amount of historical value thrown into boot, so does this book have everything? Well yes it does as it simply takes no effort to hold your attention at a constant 100%. I dare say that if time had permitted I could have easily read this book from cover to cover without stopping. I like many other Cussler fans am glad to see Dirk Pitt and his trusty sidekick Al Giordino back as the main characters in this book. I have been worried that he would gradually phase out his original dynamic duo in favour of Dirk's children Dirk Junior and Summer but it seems that this is not totally the case. This in itself indicates to me a pattern in Cussler's own life of him maybe winding down his involvement in the books. It is well known that his son now forms one of his writing partnerships and Cussler senior is now perhaps passing on his adventure writing mantle to him in much the same sense as Dirk Pitt Senior is passing on his adventure skills to his two children. Nor is this the only similarity between real life and fiction. It is also very well known amongst Cussler fans that he actually fronts NUMA in real life and this gives him a distinct advantage over other authors in that he is using his own personal experiences as a platform for his novels. This does not distract from the fact that his books are also very well researched and as stated earlier gives a pleasant historical backup to the main story. Yes there maybe a bit of wild imagination thrown into his books at times but to me it just adds to the story and this book will definitely get you thinking "What If". There are only a couple of regrets with this book and that is that I have finished it and that Mr Cussler doesn't write faster. Buy this book without delay, you wont be disappointed!

Adventure, action good versus evil, it's all there !, 28 Nov 2008
I have long been a fan of Clive Cussler and he hasn't disappointed. I like how he has brought in a new generation to be involved with the chaos and the battle just has he has introduced his son in recent books. The story is of epic proportions with eco issues, good old fashioned right and wrong and great heros. It even has America and Canada buliding up to a war situation of course Dirk etc will sort them out at his usual painful cost. If a fan, of Dirk Pitt it tell's a terrific tale I am so glad I didn't wait for the paperback !!

cussler reigns supreme, 11 Nov 2008
Have just finished reading this latest book and yes I was not dissapointed. Okay, Dirk gets into loads of scrapes as usual and it was nice to have him back with Al the last few novels have got him retired off so it was a nice surprise to have him back. Nothing unusual about the storyline always some trouble up ahead, it was topical and the homework had been done explicitley as usual. I enjoyed the story and read the book in about four sittings but I am a Cussler fan and if you like easy going 'Indiana Jones' style fiction then this book as his others is going to excite you and keep you wanting more, Well Done Clive!

Cussler family at their best !!, 04 Nov 2008
Bestseller Cussler and son Dirk imagine the U.S. and Canada on the brink of war in their third collaborative Dirk Pitt novel (after Treasure of Khan and Black Wind). In 2011, as the price of gas hits $10 a gallon, President Garner Ward must contend with a corrupt Canadian cabal that's subverting efforts to solve America's energy problems. Pitt barely escapes serious injury when a bomb destroys a D.C. lab along with records of research into an artificial photosynthesis process that could, almost immediately, eliminate the threat of global warming. That discovery may be connected with a legendary failed 19th-century sailing expedition to the Arctic as well as a series of deaths due to the phenomena that the Native Americans of British Columbia know as the Devil's Breath. The Cusslers won't suspend many readers' disbelief, but thriller fans in search of a quick, exciting read should be satisfied. As a series of thrillers the `Dirk` books take some beating, but if you like series thrillers try the `Soft Target` trilogy by Conrad Jones. Lee Child`s Jack Reacher fans will enjoy these Cussler books too. They are a must for action thriller fans.

The chase, 22 Oct 2008
I am amazed at the positive reviews of this book. I have never read a Cussler book before and never will again. The story is convoluted and badly worked out. The characters are very poorly developed and intensely shallow. I had to read it to the end because it was so bad and I will never get that time back again. Do not buy or read this book

Vastly different and possibly my favourite Cussler Novel, 16 Jul 2008
This Novel is about the indefatigable Issac Bell and his relentless chase of the Butcher Bandit. Bell also has time to find love, he lays eyes upon the personal assistant of the Bandit and instantly falls in love, a small sidestory and a different kind of chase, the persuit love.
A well crafted, perfectly balanced Novel incorperating thrills, suspence and just enough romance to make probably the best book Cussler has ever written.
I can't think why anyone could not like this book.
Go on, give it a read, you won't be dissapointed"

Not the normal Cussler, 03 Mar 2008
Bought the book at Heathrow Airport running for a plane. Did not read the cover notes. This one is not a Dirk Pitt story. Instead it is about a private detective in 1906 and the San Francisco earthquake. It's all very old fashioned, slow, needlessly violent, and boring. A poor read. You have been warned.

Different for Cussler (in a good way !!), 18 Feb 2008
I have read all of the previous Clive Cussler novels and some of his co-authored stuff. I really used to enjoy the early Dirk Pitt stories, but I felt that towards the end Cussler went off a bit (maybe my tastes changed - who knows). As the Dirk Pitt plot-line had expired I was interested to see what he had created now. I must say that I found the book very interesting. Cussler's attention to detail was spot-on and the story made the book "unputdownable". The plot line is in a similar vein to one of his earlier Dirk Pitt novels "Night Probe" but with a clever twist. I must presume that due to the way the book has been written that this is a "one-off", unless he jumps back in time to cover the further adventures of the hero "Issac Bell". In all - a good read in the classic Cussler style.

Snakes on a train, 12 Jan 2008
I've always been a fan of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt and NUMA Files adventures, and THE CHASE is the same kind of story. There's a larger-than-life hero who faces impossible challenges and is viciously injured but gets right up. There are fast cars, a discreet liaison with a beautiful woman, loyal associates, and big transportation (in this case trains rather than boats). Oh, and a sociopathic villain.

All that's to the good. Of course we also have writing from the Hardy Boys school of literature and fantastic plot elements. That's no surprise and if you're a fan, you just read around it. Here's an example of an overloaded sentence from the beginning of Chapter 15:

"Cromwell's chauffeur drove the 1906 Rolls-Royce Brougham, made by the London coach maker Barker, with its six-cylinder, thirty-horsepower engine, from the garage to the front of the palatial Nob Hill mansion Cromwell had designed himself and constructed from white marble blocks cut and hauled by railroad from a quarry in Colorado."

Hmmm ... anyone got a red pencil?

The hero is one Isaac Bell, an independently wealthy private detective. The villain is a bank robber-murderer known as "the Butcher Bandit." Bell, through hot detective work and breathtaking good luck, gets on the trail of the Bandit by page 168 (of 404). The rest of the book -- the better half -- involves a lot of fast driving, a locomotive race, some shooting and robbing, and the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Oh, and of course a satisfactory ending.

THE CHASE does have a structural device that kicks it up a notch. While the story takes place in 1906, the book opens and closes with a 1950 underwater salvage operation in a large Montana lake. This is reminiscent of James Cameron's 1997 movie TITANIC, and was a very nice touch.

Cussler's at his best with the action scenes, and THE CHASE has some epic action. The train scenes really are playing to his strength. The story is according to formula but the formula works: familiar and therefore safe style, combined with wild action. This is a very satisfactory offering from Cussler and if you like this kind of book, you'll probably enjoy it as much as I did.

Linda Bulger, 2008

Great escapism swashbuckling nonsense!!, 29 Aug 2008
Rough-and-tumble adventure at sea with high-tech; Clive Cussler owns the genre. Plague Ship (Oregon Files) is the fourth book of the Oregon series but the first that I've read and it was no surprise to find a fantastic story line and implausible derring-do. Just what I was hoping for!

The Oregon series features Juan Cabrillo and his Corporation. Cabrillo is an ex-CIA operative turned paramilitary mercenary. Along with his hand-picked team he takes assignments mainly from the CIA. Orego