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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
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
A good read, overall. For the most part, well written. Some unusual twists and turns I did not expect. Not the most compelling Dirk Pitt adventure and certainly not the most entertaining. A little confusing at times. I don't think I would recommend this one.
Main character decided to pretend to be gay and it was just bad taste. Same chapter contained a menopause joke and my reaction is fuck all these men
Overall, it was a fast-paced and enjoyable read. It was almost like watching a movie unfold and had a fairly typical action-adventure plot line. Dirk Pitt is a shallow individual, not as developed as Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, but he is a likable fellow with wit and fighting skills, which is just what you need in this genre. Cussler stumbles a bit when trying to convey regrets or remorse or other philosophical issues. I just didn't believe that Dirk stayed up at night when one of his companions was killed. The nightmares and reminiscences seemed strained and unrealistic for the main character, Dirk isn't capable of having real feelings.
The. Worst.
I picked this 1970s cis-het man beach read up from a little library thinking, "this will be a laugh," and it was occasionally, but not enough for me to actually finish the book. So, with about a fifth of it left, I'm called it quits.
I began to dread picking it up every night and suffering through typos (even characters' names were misspelled on occasion!), bad grammar and punctuation, and syntax that was confusing out of idiocy, not creativity. (Who edited this?!)
And then there was the expected, and what I intended to enjoy sardonically, toxic macho man, and weak-willed, weak-minded and weak-bodied woman crap... Which maybe I could have, but the cherry on top was was the violent homophobia.
All this culminated in a poorly written, and unsurprisingly brutal beating of Captain Macho (a.k.a. Dirk Pitt... I kid you not) for being a snoop AND "a gay" (it's a disguise, of course, and he's complely revulsed by it). After which, he is dumped in a ravine and (successfully!) drags his concussed, broken ribbed and nearly blind body up a cliff. *Eyeroll*
I picked this 1970s cis-het man beach read up from a little library thinking, "this will be a laugh," and it was occasionally, but not enough for me to actually finish the book. So, with about a fifth of it left, I'm called it quits.
I began to dread picking it up every night and suffering through typos (even characters' names were misspelled on occasion!), bad grammar and punctuation, and syntax that was confusing out of idiocy, not creativity. (Who edited this?!)
And then there was the expected, and what I intended to enjoy sardonically, toxic macho man, and weak-willed, weak-minded and weak-bodied woman crap... Which maybe I could have, but the cherry on top was was the violent homophobia.
All this culminated in a poorly written, and unsurprisingly brutal beating of Captain Macho (a.k.a. Dirk Pitt... I kid you not) for being a snoop AND "a gay" (it's a disguise, of course, and he's complely revulsed by it). After which, he is dumped in a ravine and (successfully!) drags his concussed, broken ribbed and nearly blind body up a cliff. *Eyeroll*
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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
Content Warnings
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book is VERY much a product of its time. Certainly not my favorite Cussler!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny
With my reading habits thrown off by a broken e-reader, I've been forced to delve into the towering stacks of paperbacks that clutter my shelves. It's not nearly as convenient, and has certainly put me a bit behind with those titles I've been sent for review, but it's kind of nice to catch up on some of my pleasure reading. That's not to say the arrival of a replacement e-reader wouldn't be a HUGE relief, but I'm coping.
Plucked from the dusty depths this weekend was Iceberg, a very early Dirk Pitt adventure by Clive Cussler. Notable for marking the transition to a more complex story line and a larger cast of characters than The Mediterranean Caper, it's also the only Dirk Pitt novel not to feature one of my favourite literary sidekicks, Al Giordino.
What immediately struck me about the novel (and I realize it was published in 1975), is how extremely dated and politically incorrect it is, almost to the point of parody. Dirk's attitude towards women is atrociously sexist, with a few comments directed towards Admiral Sandecker's secretary that actually left me gaping. In addition, there's an extended subplot where Dirk pretends to be a mincing, prancing, lisping 'faggot' (as he refers to himself) that hits on just about every flamboyant, over-the-top, gay stereotype. What's most perplexing about it all is the fact that a character who is revealed as transsexual in the last few chapters comes across very well, and is granted a significant amount of dignity and respect.
Social issues aside, this was a fun book. The ruse that Dirk pulls to commandeer the Coast Guard boat is played out perfectly, with some real moments of tension. The exploration of the burned-out hull of the luxury yacht, trapped as it is inside an iceberg, is creepy and claustrophobic. In terms of heroics, I'm not sure there's a scene in any of the subsequent novels that can compare with a brutally injured Dirk Pitt making his way across the frozen tundra, with only a homemade compass to guide his way. Also, as much as Cussler is know for his crazy climaxes, complete with elaborate settings and frantic action, the attempted assassinations and underground battles at Disneyland are a notch above his usual work.
There are some nice twists and turns to the book, with mistaken identities, betrayals, and double-crosses galore. It takes a while before the entire diabolical scheme is revealed, but even if it's a bit too elaborate to be entirely realistic, it's ambitious and exciting. I was a bit shocked by the brutal violence, which is more extreme than I can remember in any other Cussler novel, but it does set up that heroic tundra trek that I mentioned previously.
While it may not be the best Dirk Pitt novel, it's still a Dirk Pitt novel - and that always makes for a good read.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Plucked from the dusty depths this weekend was Iceberg, a very early Dirk Pitt adventure by Clive Cussler. Notable for marking the transition to a more complex story line and a larger cast of characters than The Mediterranean Caper, it's also the only Dirk Pitt novel not to feature one of my favourite literary sidekicks, Al Giordino.
What immediately struck me about the novel (and I realize it was published in 1975), is how extremely dated and politically incorrect it is, almost to the point of parody. Dirk's attitude towards women is atrociously sexist, with a few comments directed towards Admiral Sandecker's secretary that actually left me gaping. In addition, there's an extended subplot where Dirk pretends to be a mincing, prancing, lisping 'faggot' (as he refers to himself) that hits on just about every flamboyant, over-the-top, gay stereotype. What's most perplexing about it all is the fact that a character who is revealed as transsexual in the last few chapters comes across very well, and is granted a significant amount of dignity and respect.
Social issues aside, this was a fun book. The ruse that Dirk pulls to commandeer the Coast Guard boat is played out perfectly, with some real moments of tension. The exploration of the burned-out hull of the luxury yacht, trapped as it is inside an iceberg, is creepy and claustrophobic. In terms of heroics, I'm not sure there's a scene in any of the subsequent novels that can compare with a brutally injured Dirk Pitt making his way across the frozen tundra, with only a homemade compass to guide his way. Also, as much as Cussler is know for his crazy climaxes, complete with elaborate settings and frantic action, the attempted assassinations and underground battles at Disneyland are a notch above his usual work.
There are some nice twists and turns to the book, with mistaken identities, betrayals, and double-crosses galore. It takes a while before the entire diabolical scheme is revealed, but even if it's a bit too elaborate to be entirely realistic, it's ambitious and exciting. I was a bit shocked by the brutal violence, which is more extreme than I can remember in any other Cussler novel, but it does set up that heroic tundra trek that I mentioned previously.
While it may not be the best Dirk Pitt novel, it's still a Dirk Pitt novel - and that always makes for a good read.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins