Scan barcode
alissabar's review against another edition
3.0
I haven't read Cussler in years! I thought it would be fun to pick one up again and give it a try. I remember being very entertained by his books. This one wasn't as engaging as I remember them to be. I was a little irritated by a few things I read. Maybe I've outgrown him? Still, he does know how to pack the story with action and plenty of impossible feats accomplished by Dirk Pitt and his fellow NUMA members. It keeps you turning the pages.
2019 Popsugar Reading Challenge: #35 A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter.
2019 Popsugar Reading Challenge: #35 A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter.
weemadando's review against another edition
3.0
A perfectly passable thriller. It is going so well. Even the sexism seems to have been dialled back from the usual heights that Cussler achieves. And then *bam* with the transphobia. Absolutely out of nowhere like a brick dropped from an overpass.
jfranco77's review against another edition
4.0
A typical Dirk Pitt book. Ruthless supervillains. Beautiful women. Impossible situations that Dirk somehow escapes. Lots of fun - a really enjoyable read. In this particular book, the ruthless supervillain is a diamond mogul who has a plan to destroy the world diamond market, and oh by the way, might accidentally kill a few million people along the way.
As with most (all?) Dirk Pitt books, the first few chapters of the book are a historical accounting of something that happened a long time ago (usually some truth mixed with some fiction) that ends up being relevant. That particular story (about 10% of the book) was 5-star worthy - some of the best reading I've done in a long time. The rest of the book was very good too.
As with most (all?) Dirk Pitt books, the first few chapters of the book are a historical accounting of something that happened a long time ago (usually some truth mixed with some fiction) that ends up being relevant. That particular story (about 10% of the book) was 5-star worthy - some of the best reading I've done in a long time. The rest of the book was very good too.
ankhamun's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure why I continue to torture myself by reading Clive Cussler. I think I just like the idea that we would care, in a America, enough about science that we really would have an NUMA and support it with tons of money. I day dream all the time that war were a thing of the past and instead science was where we spent all of our money. NASA, NUMA, finding cures for disease....
Anyway, I digress, even though this book is old it was funny to check out this article today about Da Beers : https://thehustle.co/de-beers-lab-grown-diamonds/
Timely for the book, the concept of cartels in the diamond business, creating a cheap diamond business to crash the diamond trade...
I wonder if Da Beers has also purchased all of the rare gem mines out there and plans to push rare gems as the newest diamonds are forever :D
Anyway, I digress, even though this book is old it was funny to check out this article today about Da Beers : https://thehustle.co/de-beers-lab-grown-diamonds/
Timely for the book, the concept of cartels in the diamond business, creating a cheap diamond business to crash the diamond trade...
I wonder if Da Beers has also purchased all of the rare gem mines out there and plans to push rare gems as the newest diamonds are forever :D
dsneediii's review against another edition
5.0
I can't believe it but Clive Cussler out did himself with this Dirk Pitt novel. What made this book surpass the other I've read in the series is seeing a different side of Pitt. He actually falls in love with a women and wants to spend the rest of his life with her, this is what separates this book from the others. It added a depth to the Pitt that wasn't there yet even with the Pacific vortex novel. Best book in the series so far!
estherrosedq's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
3.0
This is one my least favorites of the Clive Cussler books I’ve read. The plot and mystery weren’t as engaging as other books and it lacked a lot of the usual mischief and adventures that make me want to read these book. The ending also wasn’t satisfying and it was getting to hard for me to fully suspend my disbelief during moments because they were just so ridiculous. On top of that, there’s the plenty of Cussler’s usual sexism and even transphobia in this book. It’s a fun adventure book but I’d pick other Clive Cussler books over this one
jmcguoirk's review against another edition
3.0
A kite and a grappling hook... need I say more? C. Cussler makes another presence; cheeky, but I still smirk.
jpv0's review against another edition
5.0
[b:Shock Wave|41704|Shock Wave (Dirk Pitt, #13)|Clive Cussler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1349053006l/41704._SY75_.jpg|41240] is yet another crazy book. Par for the course at this point. This time around, we have shipwrecks, sea serpents, diamonds, and a strange 'acoustic plague' that kills every living thing within a hundred kilometers. The bad guys are evil, the good guys are going to win in the end, and it's going to be a crazy story along the way.
Characterwise, it's more of the same. It's fascinating to see a fairly believable love interest for Pitt in Maeve[^fin]. And we have more and more from the side characters, in particular Giordino with Pitt and Rudy Gunn and Admiral Sandecker doing their own part to save the world. Giordino even gets a big show hand to hand fight at the end, although why in the worldhe didn't just shoot her, I'll never know . Also another transgender villain? Why? Again, it's just a few lines, but ... why?
Unfortunately, there's not even a hint of the salvage that I particularly like about these series, although there are shipwrecks, building your way out of bad situations, and island survival, so I guess I'll take it. Also, wasn't Canada part of the United States at one point? That seems to not have been a thing any more. Perhaps to tie more tightly to real history? They don't mention the Titanic as much either. On the other hand, the unit conversions that so plagued [b:Inca Gold|198332|Inca Gold (Dirk Pitt, #12)|Clive Cussler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1172611303l/198332._SY75_.jpg|191850] are gone as well, with different characters using the units they would mostly likely know, so that's a good thing.
Womanwise, Cussler still has some really weird sections at times:
Progress? Still bizarre.
You certainly have a way with words Mr. Cussler.
This is solidly among my favorites of the series thus far, which actually surprised me. It's a solid adventure story and really shows how far Cussler had come in his craft by this point.
Intentionally, Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt share a lot of the same spirit. On top of 80 books in 85 years, Cussler started a real life analogue to NUMA and has found quite a number of shipwrecks. With his passing, this quote hits even harder. Quite the life and quite the legacy.
Leaving on a more humorous note:
[^fin]:So of course she has to die. Come on. :(
Characterwise, it's more of the same. It's fascinating to see a fairly believable love interest for Pitt in Maeve[^fin]. And we have more and more from the side characters, in particular Giordino with Pitt and Rudy Gunn and Admiral Sandecker doing their own part to save the world. Giordino even gets a big show hand to hand fight at the end, although why in the world
Unfortunately, there's not even a hint of the salvage that I particularly like about these series, although there are shipwrecks, building your way out of bad situations, and island survival, so I guess I'll take it. Also, wasn't Canada part of the United States at one point? That seems to not have been a thing any more. Perhaps to tie more tightly to real history? They don't mention the Titanic as much either. On the other hand, the unit conversions that so plagued [b:Inca Gold|198332|Inca Gold (Dirk Pitt, #12)|Clive Cussler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1172611303l/198332._SY75_.jpg|191850] are gone as well, with different characters using the units they would mostly likely know, so that's a good thing.
Womanwise, Cussler still has some really weird sections at times:
He also felt a disconcerting desire for her that angered him. Not now, he thought, not under these circumstances. He turned away so she wouldn't see the rapt expression on his face.
Progress? Still bizarre.
This time she screamed, a high-pitched scream such as only a female could project.
You certainly have a way with words Mr. Cussler.
This is solidly among my favorites of the series thus far, which actually surprised me. It's a solid adventure story and really shows how far Cussler had come in his craft by this point.
Sandecker offered to drive Loren to her townhouse, and she gladly accepted, having arrived at Pitt's welcome-home party in a cab. They sat in reflective silence until the car passed over the bridge into the city.
"I've never seen Dirk so dispirited," said Loren, her face sad and thoughtful. "I never thought I'd ever live to say it, but the fire has gone out of his eyes."
"He'll mend," Sandecker assured her. "A couple of weeks of rest, and he'll be champing at the bit again."
"Don't you think he's getting a little old to play the daring adventurer?"
"I can't think of him sitting behind a desk. He'll never stop roving the seas, doing what he loves to do."
"What drives him?" Loren wondered aloud.
"Some men are born restless," Sandecker said philosophically. "To Dirk, every hour has a mystery to be solved, every day a challenge to conquer."
Loren looked at the admiral. "You envy him, don't you?"
Sandecker nodded. "Of course, and so do you."
"Why is that, do you think?"
"The answer is simple," Sandecker said wisely. "There's a little of Dirk Pitt in all of us."
Intentionally, Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt share a lot of the same spirit. On top of 80 books in 85 years, Cussler started a real life analogue to NUMA and has found quite a number of shipwrecks. With his passing, this quote hits even harder. Quite the life and quite the legacy.
Leaving on a more humorous note:
"Then I'll walk out of here in my bathrobe and this stupid hospital gown. Whoever invented these things, by the way, should have them stuffed up his anal canal until the strings in the back come out his ears."
"I can see arguing with you is wasting my other patients' time." The doctor shrugged. "It's a bleeding wonder your body still functions. I've seldom seen so many scars on one man. Go if you must. I'll see the nurse finds you some decent street clothes so you won't be arrested for impersonating an American tourist."
[^fin]:
fyodoralekseyev's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
So this is now my favourite Cussler book, but the goddamn subplot about Maeve and Pitt liking eachother or whatever, O Lord, I hated it. The bit where they're stuck on a boat was amazing. Also, in the introduction a character is mentioned to be gay. Thank you Cussler, very cool.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Transphobia
Oh also at the end someone says like "Boudicca was actually a man". I am still incredibly confused about that. Was that like a joke "oh she's just very strong!!" or... what?