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failbarge's review against another edition
3.0
You can't beat a book that randomly culminates in a shootout in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland. I don't even know what to say.
sharksfan32's review against another edition
3.0
I love Clive Cussler, however this was not one Dirk Pitts finest adventures.
redgates0742's review against another edition
1.0
I quite enjoyed Clive Cussler as a youngster - a Tom Clancy, James Patterson or Lee Child of his day. I've bought what feels like a metric ton of his vast catalogue of books very cheaply in local charity shops over the last year or so and think my bookshelf is about to collapse under the weight. So I'm going in…
This book, whose title sounds like a placeholder, was written in 1976 and ye gods does it constantly show it. Plenty of mentions of typewriters, big old computers and of course everyone smokes. Plus much of the book’s dialogue was… ‘of its time’.
All of the men were chiefly sex pests with our hero Major Dirk Pitt (yes, really), the most toxic. He was pretty much a supermarket own-brand James Bond and essentially Pepé Le Pew in human form. The few women characters were written terribly and treated appallingly. They were little more than weak damsels in distress to be rescued and purely there to be ogled, insulted, harassed and abused.
There were a couple of sequences where Pitt pretended to be an artist for reasons I can’t even care enough to remember and it was very difficult to read. Think of every stereotypically gay character from 1970s sitcoms and you are getting close.
The twist ending felt like it was quickly written on the bus on the way to the publishers. It made no sense and added nothing to the story, but was actually treated with more subtlety than anything else in this wretched potboiler.
I have just shy of a dozen of these to read and I intend to grit my teeth and carry on in chronological order. I’m actually fascinated to see if there is any progression and improvement over the decades - there has to be, surely? I make no promises though, many more like this and I will certainly end throwing in the towel very early.
This book, whose title sounds like a placeholder, was written in 1976 and ye gods does it constantly show it. Plenty of mentions of typewriters, big old computers and of course everyone smokes. Plus much of the book’s dialogue was… ‘of its time’.
All of the men were chiefly sex pests with our hero Major Dirk Pitt (yes, really), the most toxic. He was pretty much a supermarket own-brand James Bond and essentially Pepé Le Pew in human form. The few women characters were written terribly and treated appallingly. They were little more than weak damsels in distress to be rescued and purely there to be ogled, insulted, harassed and abused.
There were a couple of sequences where Pitt pretended to be an artist for reasons I can’t even care enough to remember and it was very difficult to read. Think of every stereotypically gay character from 1970s sitcoms and you are getting close.
The twist ending felt like it was quickly written on the bus on the way to the publishers. It made no sense and added nothing to the story, but was actually treated with more subtlety than anything else in this wretched potboiler.
I have just shy of a dozen of these to read and I intend to grit my teeth and carry on in chronological order. I’m actually fascinated to see if there is any progression and improvement over the decades - there has to be, surely? I make no promises though, many more like this and I will certainly end throwing in the towel very early.
lejenkins's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jesssika's review against another edition
3.0
Frozen inside a million-ton mass of ice -- the charred remains of a long-missing luxury yacht, vanished en route to a secret White House rendezvous. The only clues to the ship's priceless -- and missing -- cargo: ornately carved rings and the horribly burned bodies of its crew.
Although an easy read, it was predictable. The plot followed a basic layout that the others have followed. It makes the climax virtually nonexistent. It also lacked Al, one of my favorite characters. He's Pitt's Watson,and without him Pitt was not as bright. I find the female characters to be nothing more than mindless toys for Pitt. His regard of them is so low that I'm certain he's scum. Aside from his mysterious deduction skills and womanizing, he's a solid character with room to grow. I hope that Cussler has made him grown with the rest of series.
Although an easy read, it was predictable. The plot followed a basic layout that the others have followed. It makes the climax virtually nonexistent. It also lacked Al, one of my favorite characters. He's Pitt's Watson,and without him Pitt was not as bright. I find the female characters to be nothing more than mindless toys for Pitt. His regard of them is so low that I'm certain he's scum. Aside from his mysterious deduction skills and womanizing, he's a solid character with room to grow. I hope that Cussler has made him grown with the rest of series.
balthazarlawson's review
2.0
Front start to finish, nothing is as it seems. This is part thriller, action and spy drama. It all gets confusing and this is the biggest draw back about the book. The explanation at the end that is suppose to tie everything up and explain it all is just as confusing as the story is in parts.
As for the story, it really is illogical, full of improbable situations and actions. Presidents of countries don't slip out the toilet window to avoid their security while at Disneyland. There is so much that is wrong with the story. But it's another adventure in the life of the indestructible Dirk Pitt and one that can be soon forgotten.
As for the story, it really is illogical, full of improbable situations and actions. Presidents of countries don't slip out the toilet window to avoid their security while at Disneyland. There is so much that is wrong with the story. But it's another adventure in the life of the indestructible Dirk Pitt and one that can be soon forgotten.
thisbookishcat's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
2.0
bookhawk's review against another edition
3.0
Iceberg is a decent action adventure thriller at its foundation that really shows its age in the way it treats women and homosexuality. Published in 1973, the third book in Cussler’s Dirk Pitt series has a good action premise and characters. The series reminds me of a ocean and military centered Indiana Jones story. The book was good enough to move on to the fourth book in the series.
edwardcooknz's review against another edition
2.0
The adventurous aspects are great, but this is severely overshadowed by the misogyny and homophobia that haunts the book. The fact that it was written in the 1970s does not justify it. I'm a Cussler fan but the early works do not stand the test of time.