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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
So, three of Cussler's Dirk Pitt books have been on my shelf since I returned from the Peace Corps 14 years ago. Two guys I served with had become huge fans since discovering Cussler in the otherwise-discriminating volunteer library at the Peace Corps office in Santo Domingo, and I had read two or three Pitt tales in high school after our SAT prep teacher started reading one aloud to us once the test was over and we had nothing left to study for. As a teacher now myself, I'm a little unclear on how she got away with that. Anyway, the three of us created a running gag where we were the three protagonists in the series -- dashing and debonair Dirk, streetwise but somehow aw-shucks Al, and Admiral Sandecker, the old curmudgeon (I think I was him most of the time). Warm memories of that friendship -- which since has mostly lapsed -- has meant those books have stayed right there on my shelf since Krissy and I moved into this house eight years ago. No longer, says Krissy. Read 'em and weep, she says. Or maybe just get rid of 'em. That's probably more like it.
At any rate, I'd known Cussler's stories to be fast-paced and fun, and this one wasn't so far from either of those targets. What I hadn't known as a younger reader was just how misogynistic they were, or just how flat all the dialogue was. Those two drawbacks were near constants in this one, so prevalent that I'm not even going to go into examples. Just open the book to any page; you'll find an example of one, the other, or probably both.
I had also remembered Pitt stories dealing with villains or scenarios that somehow seemed consequential on a societal level. You know, nuclear weapons and such. Know what the issue was in this one? Drug smuggling. They were all bent out of shape about one submarine full of heroin. Maybe I'm jaded here in the era of the opioid crisis, and maybe I should have more compassion for families affected by addiction. But this drug ring wasn't even violent! They had three federal agencies and some Marines involved in the takedown by the end of the book. Somehow I wasn't buying it.
I'm going to read the next two on the shelf because Krissy's going to toss them if I don't. Here's hoping they're more worth the wait than this one was.
At any rate, I'd known Cussler's stories to be fast-paced and fun, and this one wasn't so far from either of those targets. What I hadn't known as a younger reader was just how misogynistic they were, or just how flat all the dialogue was. Those two drawbacks were near constants in this one, so prevalent that I'm not even going to go into examples. Just open the book to any page; you'll find an example of one, the other, or probably both.
I had also remembered Pitt stories dealing with villains or scenarios that somehow seemed consequential on a societal level. You know, nuclear weapons and such. Know what the issue was in this one? Drug smuggling. They were all bent out of shape about one submarine full of heroin. Maybe I'm jaded here in the era of the opioid crisis, and maybe I should have more compassion for families affected by addiction. But this drug ring wasn't even violent! They had three federal agencies and some Marines involved in the takedown by the end of the book. Somehow I wasn't buying it.
I'm going to read the next two on the shelf because Krissy's going to toss them if I don't. Here's hoping they're more worth the wait than this one was.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Sexist main character runs around naked in an adventure/mystery that is pretty obvious in the first quarter of the book.
adventurous
funny
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Best book i have ever read! It kept you on the edge of your seat and wanting to read more. Highly recommend.
Comme d'habitude, Cussler écrit avec ce livre un bon petit roman d'aventure avec beaucoup d'action. Cependant, on peut voir que ce livre commence à être vieux par la façon dont le personnage agit avec les femmes. Certains passages comme celui où il giffle une femme parce qu'elle a un deuil qui dure depuis 8 ans ne passerait pas aujourd'hui.