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billiehouse's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
If you are looking for an exciting adventure or a real life like escape from this reality any of Cussler’s books would be for you. I personally am the most fond of his character Dirk Pitt and this eighth Pitt book was the best recipe for exciting, out of this world adventure. Think James Bond meets Mitch Rapp. When it comes to Pitt nothing is impossible even if it may be impossible in real life (but if we wanted real life we would just go outside instead of cracking open an awesome book wouldn’t we?). All I need to say about this one is boats, blimps, bruisers, and buried treasure. Go find out the rest for yourself!
littlelady_28's review against another edition
4.0
This book started out kind of slow, but about halfway through, it quickly pulled me in. A couple of complaints though. One, the whole concept of a moon colony just seemed a little far out there, especially for a book taking place in the 1980s. Also, there were two different plot lines going on, and I think Cussler should have just stuck with the moon colony plot, instead of adding the missing treasure of La Dorada into the mix. I also got a little overwhelmed with some of the technical jargon he used when describing the ways Dirk Pitt saved the day. Despite these flaws, the book was entertaining and enjoyable. I give it a B-.
mxsallybend's review against another edition
4.0
A wealthy American financier disappears on a treasure hunt in an antique blimp. Okay, that sounds cool.
From Cuban waters, the blimp drifts toward Florida with a crew of dead men—Soviet cosmonauts. Whoa, now you've got my attention.
Dirk Pitt discovers a shocking scheme: a covert group of US industrialists has put a colony on the moon, a secret base they will defend at any cost. You've got to be shitting me!
Threatened in space, the Russians are about to strike a savage blow in Cuba—and only NUMA’s Dirk Pitt can stop them. This sounds awesome!
Cyclops was a thoroughly enjoyable read, as cheesy and as far-fetched as Cussler got during Pitt's early days, but that's hardly a complaint. This is a vintage 80s thriller that I've only discovered because of the new edition, and that cover blurb sold me immediately. I didn't care if it was a republished classic or a new throwback, but I had to read it. No question.
As I read through this, one word kept coming to mind - Moonraker - and that's a good thing. If you remember Bond's most preposterous mission as fondly as I do, then this is the book for you. All that Cold War paranoia, American/Russian/Cuban politics, Space Shuttle excitement, macho sexism, and cartoon violence is here in spades. I loved the idea of a secret USA moonbase that not even the President knows about, and the high-stakes plan to assassinate Castro, destroy Cuba, and frame the CIA was just preposterous enough to be entertaining. Throw in an antique blimp that's as a clever plot-point as it is self-indulgent, and you've got the makings of a kick-ass adventure.
Personally, I would have liked more Space Shuttle action, but given that this hit shelves not long after the Challenger disaster, I'm surprised it was published as-is. The threat of a fatal crash is key to the book's final act, and that had to have made for an awkward read at the time.
Anyway, as much as I loved the Shuttle angle, I would have trimmed the final story arc, as it strays too far into politics, at the expense of the treasure hunt that began it all but, otherwise, Cyclops delivered exactly what I was looking for.
From Cuban waters, the blimp drifts toward Florida with a crew of dead men—Soviet cosmonauts. Whoa, now you've got my attention.
Dirk Pitt discovers a shocking scheme: a covert group of US industrialists has put a colony on the moon, a secret base they will defend at any cost. You've got to be shitting me!
Threatened in space, the Russians are about to strike a savage blow in Cuba—and only NUMA’s Dirk Pitt can stop them. This sounds awesome!
Cyclops was a thoroughly enjoyable read, as cheesy and as far-fetched as Cussler got during Pitt's early days, but that's hardly a complaint. This is a vintage 80s thriller that I've only discovered because of the new edition, and that cover blurb sold me immediately. I didn't care if it was a republished classic or a new throwback, but I had to read it. No question.
As I read through this, one word kept coming to mind - Moonraker - and that's a good thing. If you remember Bond's most preposterous mission as fondly as I do, then this is the book for you. All that Cold War paranoia, American/Russian/Cuban politics, Space Shuttle excitement, macho sexism, and cartoon violence is here in spades. I loved the idea of a secret USA moonbase that not even the President knows about, and the high-stakes plan to assassinate Castro, destroy Cuba, and frame the CIA was just preposterous enough to be entertaining. Throw in an antique blimp that's as a clever plot-point as it is self-indulgent, and you've got the makings of a kick-ass adventure.
Personally, I would have liked more Space Shuttle action, but given that this hit shelves not long after the Challenger disaster, I'm surprised it was published as-is. The threat of a fatal crash is key to the book's final act, and that had to have made for an awkward read at the time.
Anyway, as much as I loved the Shuttle angle, I would have trimmed the final story arc, as it strays too far into politics, at the expense of the treasure hunt that began it all but, otherwise, Cyclops delivered exactly what I was looking for.
failbarge's review against another edition
3.0
Cussler is usually kind of ridiculous, but this plot was utterly ridiculous.
amanda071's review against another edition
2.0
Niets voor mij! Het onderwerp kon me niet interesseren en ook de schrijfstijl sprak me niet aan. Kon mijn aandacht totaal niet bij het verhaal houden...
bieneina's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-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? Yes
2.0
thisbookishcat's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
Yet another Clive Cussler book that's just okay, yet entertaining enough for me to consider continuing the series. I think this one probably took me the longest to finish in large part because I didn't find it as interesting as some of the other ones. It may be because I wasn't alive during the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis, but it just didn't suck me in.
latas's review against another edition
3.0
The plot is extremely ridiculous and over the moon (sic). There are so many seemingly unrelated scenes, the super-hero Dirk Pitt in the middle of everything. As in every other Dirk Pitt- novel, he gets nearly killed at least 6 times.
Cussler makes space travel sound like a joke. The climax on the moon was the greatest comedy I have ever read. He compares the lunar surface to the Afghanistan landscape. And according to him only 1 week of preparation is sufficient to travel to the moon and fight the colonists there. Really? I wonder why the astronauts take so long to prepare for space travel in the real world.
Cussler makes space travel sound like a joke. The climax on the moon was the greatest comedy I have ever read. He compares the lunar surface to the Afghanistan landscape. And according to him only 1 week of preparation is sufficient to travel to the moon and fight the colonists there. Really? I wonder why the astronauts take so long to prepare for space travel in the real world.
wickedplutoswickedreading's review against another edition
2.0
Well....I finished it.
Some of the action parts were good but......it felt very....lacking. The sarcastic quips and banter, the ingenuity of Pitt and the, at times, cheesy romance bits were missing. Even the historical pieces fell a little flat. This was filled with run on sentences, a plot that jumped all over the place and a hell of a lot more Deus Ex Machina than is normal in this series. Yes Pitt does save the day and survives death on more than one occasion. But in this case, it was like he just got up and walked away like he was friggen Deadpool or something. And.....I didn't really care if he was ok or not. Its so weird. Normally, he's a decent character with an insatiable curiosity, a witty sense of humor and a strong sense of justice. In this.....he was too flat, cold and unfeeling.
Fairly disappointing, overall.
Some of the action parts were good but......it felt very....lacking. The sarcastic quips and banter, the ingenuity of Pitt and the, at times, cheesy romance bits were missing. Even the historical pieces fell a little flat. This was filled with run on sentences, a plot that jumped all over the place and a hell of a lot more Deus Ex Machina than is normal in this series. Yes Pitt does save the day and survives death on more than one occasion. But in this case, it was like he just got up and walked away like he was friggen Deadpool or something. And.....I didn't really care if he was ok or not. Its so weird. Normally, he's a decent character with an insatiable curiosity, a witty sense of humor and a strong sense of justice. In this.....he was too flat, cold and unfeeling.
Fairly disappointing, overall.