Raise The Titanic! by Clive Cussler

Raise The Titanic! by Clive Cussler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Raise The Titanic! is perhaps the most well known Dirk Pitt adventure thanks in part to the failed movie which in hindsight never really stood a chance in depicting the events in the book to any accurate degree. Of course many years later another Clive Cussler Pitt novel was adapted and while technology has evolved to meet the demands of narrative action it too failed at the box office.
However Raise The Titanic! is a solid if not quite spectacular action/adventure story with intrigue and spy craft twists and turns. I was mildly surprised that it wasn't as complex as I recall but Clive's writing style evolved over the series of the novels and this was fairly early on in the adventures of Dirk Pitt.
So a highly secret "think tank" have come with a viable anti-missile defence system but the radioactive element required to power the system is a rare earth mineral called Byzantium. The only known source was believed to have illegally mined on Russian soil in 1912 and ultimately shipped to the states on board the RMS Titanic. The cold war and threat of soviet ICBM's explains the President providing huge resources to NUMA to raise the sunken cruise liner but the Russian intelligence services gain wind of the defence system and put into motion a plan to steal the ship (if and when she is raised) and worse case to destroy the ship and the mineral.
So that's the basic story which thankfully is written and paced well, the characters are all interesting without too much depth being required and the interaction between the main plot elements worked pretty well. I enjoyed reading the book once again but it did lack the complexity of later novels which isn't a negative but underlines the growth of the author's writing and maturing of the characters over time.

View all my reviews

Iceberg by Clive Cussler

Iceberg by Clive Cussler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Iceberg is perhaps the first of the Dirk Pitt novels that feels like it's built on a solid foundation, that's not to say the first two are weak but they feel in comparison less complex and structured. Iceberg once again provides the reader with an adventure undertaken by Dirk Pitt, this time pulled off a beach to ferry a NUMA scientist to investigate a mysterious ship locked within an iceberg. It turns out that NUMA are just one organisation trying to obtain a revolutionary mineral probe designed by Fyrie industries who also owned the boat trapped in the ice but the boat had been gutted by fire and the crew were dead. Thus a bloody trail of destruction grows as the forces behind the theft of the probe maneuver themselves in a global endeavour that could reshape the world. Pitt finds himself committed to finding those responsible for the violence that follows him, his journey takes him from California to Iceland back to the states and finally to Disneyland for a less than happy encounter.
Iceberg was an enjoyable read, still issues with the language and certain aspects that don't fit into the modern world of storytelling which would have passed unnoticed when originally published but are a little blatant these days. Still, I spent some quality time reading this Dirk Pitt adventure and that's all I require from a novel, an entertaining story with compelling characters and Iceberg delivered.

Mildly amusing to not that after Iceberg the next novel was Raise The Titanic.


View all my reviews

The Mediterranean Caper by Clive Cussler

The Mediterranean Caper by Clive Cussler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I originally read The Mediterranean Caper under the title Mayday and to be honest the word Caper should not be used in anything but a spoof, of course many would say the adventures of Dirk Pitt are firmly tongue in cheek:)
In this novel Dirk and Al come to the rescue of a US Airforce base under attack from what looks like a WW1 biplane, after fending off the attack with their own PBY they find themselves knee deep in a smuggling operation that has been ongoing for decades. Caught between the US Federal Bureau of Narcotics, Greek Gendarmerie and a very Bond like villain Dirk has to discover and expose the secrets being kept while protecting the NUMA research vessel and his own skin.
The novel is a fairly easy going adventure story, over the top of course but each of the events are within the scope of reality, when all put together there is a lot going on and that is when the reader either goes along with the narrative or not. I don't think this novel or the series will ever be a casual read but the early novels were certainly not demanding and for me this is just an enjoyable tale of action and intrigue with a lead character that in the real world doesn't really exist.

View all my reviews

Pacific Vortex! by Clive Cussler

Pacific Vortex! by Clive Cussler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've been a huge fan of the Dirk Pitt novels since my sister bought me a paperback of Vixon 03 for my birthday many years ago, it was perhaps the most productive present she ever bought me as I went on to read the Clive Cussler novels for years to come.
I was browsing my ebook apps on the ipad and realised the cloud being what it is my digital Pitt novels were ready to go so I started reading the first one namely Pacific Vortex. An enjoyable introduction to the man of all seasons Dirk Pitt with action and adventure aplenty, initial introductions to long running characters and theme were on offer but as you would expect the novel lacked the complexity of those that would come later yet also lacked the over the topness of the latter novels as well. I may just continue reading the series as a cleanser between my current Star Trek marathon and regular scifi series I am invested in since they do offer some excellent escapist fun for the reader.

View all my reviews