Dirk Cussler

As a reader of every single book in the Dirk Pitt series, I was more than a little saddened by the passing of author Clive Cussler. I thought, "no Clive, no Pitt". Happily, I was wrong when I saw that Clive's son, Dirk, took up the mantle and is continuing the trials and tribulations of Dirk, Al, the kids, and the various other familiar characters.
"The Devil's Sea" fits right in with other books in the series and, in this reviewer's opinion, it is difficult to pick up any noticeable show more differences in the writing styles between Clive and Dirk. The dual plot points revolve around a hypersonic machine that can create super tsunamis and a supersonic cruise missile under development by the Chinese. Much of the experimental work being done with the wave project is centered in the South China Sea as one of the experimental missiles loses control and crashes into the area. When Pitt and Al are assigned to recover the damaged engine of the missile, the two plots collide and the race is on to keep the Chinese from finding the engine and learning about the wave project. Doing so would enable them to develop two potentially devastating weapons. The younger Pitt and sister Summer join the chase when the power source for the missiles is determined. This takes them to the Himalayas and a meeting with the Dalia Lami.
It's non-stop action throughout the book with only a few slow spots. Sure, there's always a certain amount of suspension of disbelief, but if you're a follower of the series, you already know that. Here's hoping the younger Cussler uses the impetus of this solid start to keep a great series alive. show less

A Pharaonic princess flees a plague-filled Egypt with the disease’s cure, a genetically modified version of the plague appears across the globe in the 21st century and the cure appears to be in Ireland. Celtic Empire is the twenty-fifth of the Dirk Pitt series, the eighth co-written by Dirk Cussler and the last by creator Clive Cussler.

In their last collaboration the Cussler’s once again brought together a fun narrative, but the quality especially the antagonists was a bit lacking show more representing step down from the previous installment. The main antagonist’s execution of deploying her gendercide plan was sound, however how she was able to get the genetically modified virus in the first place with all the males in the laboratory where it was created and how she hid her plan from her own daughter that she sent on missions to further it were problematic. The hint of the Biblical Exodus in the prologue and connecting it with the various versions of Irish/Scottish legends of Queen Scota was interesting, but that ancient subplot was a tad underwhelming compared to previous books. A final annoyance was Dirk Jr. continual “borrowing” of vehicles that he essentially destroys when in chases.

Celtic Empire is the typically average Dirk Pitt book, which given this was Clive Cussler’s last seems about right. show less

Dirk Pitt, director of the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) and his sidekick Al Giordino, are in the Black Sea on a turquoise ship, looking for a lost Ottoman shipwreck, when they responds to an urgent mayday call. The two barely escape with their lives, with the crew of the sinking ship faring worse. Sound familiar? If so, that's how almost all Cussler's books start. Lots of explosions, subterfuge, kidnappings, weapons smuggling, underwater and on water disasters, lost gold, show more etc. So many plots and people, the Cusslers need a character summary before the book even starts, and yet, it's still kinda fun. The highlight of this one is detonating an underwater bomb to release hydrogen sulfide trapped in the Black Sea (and elsewhere) to create a deadly gas bubble to kill an entire city. show less

One of the better paced Cussler father/son duo Pitt novels, this book still features the same playbook, in my humble opinion, of father providing the story and/or guidance and son penning the majority if not all of the novel. The dialogue remains very straightforward and simple, if not dull, as the previous 5 Cussler/Cussler Pitt books, but I enjoyed the plot of this novel more than most of the previous 5. Sidenote: Cussler in his heyday wrote 100 times better plots and dialogue than these show more father/son efforts. Dirk Pitt and his twin children find themselves in the middle of a plot by Cuban nationals to mine the seafloor for minerals/elements that will provide materials necessary for nuclear weapons. The actions of this mining are releasing large amounts of mercury into American waters. Also, the kids are off searching for an ancient Aztec treasure that (of course) ultimately ties in to the problems they face in Cuban waters. I see an improvement in Dirk Cussler's writing efforts with this one, but he still has a long way to go to match what Clive cranked out when he was in his prime. I could recommend this one as a beach book with a favorite beverage as a companion. show less