Blue Gold

This was the first Clive Cussler book I've listened to, and unfortunately it was abridged. It's never good to form too much of an opinion of an author from an abridged work. The abridged audiobook, as you would expect, leaves you feeling like you missed reading something because, in fact, you did.

That being said, the gist of the story is one of corporate subterfuge and unchecked capitalism that threatens all of humanity by placing the supply of the world's fresh water ("blue gold") into the hands of a few individuals, thereby making water a hot commodity available only to the highest bidder.

If you're part of the ever growing, but still small, faction of libertarians who oppose any form of government control, regulation, or oversight, be show more advised you might not like parts of this book. show less

The style is still there...adventure, but the main characters seem like "remakes" of our favorites, Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino. The story line is very good and holds your interest throughout the book. I just kept waiting for Dirk and Al. I'll read more of these, of course, because they are always exciting.

St. Barts 2013 #1 - Another good yarn with the NUMA team. My first vacation book this year and likely the only one with a tropical or island connection. Wow, the life-threatening things these folks go through on a daily basis make me realize just how boring my life really is.....well, not really. It does however bump these books into that unbelievable realm......yet the energy and excitement certainly kept my interest nonetheless. One never expects Pulitzer Prize winning content from these adventure books anyway. The preciousness of fresh water is also one of those things we often take for granted and I appreciated the chance to give that some thought. Some great scenes in this, but my favorite by far is the discovery of a cool old show more wartime machine (I'll not spoil the surprise!). I have a lot of Cussler to go and I eagerly look forward to it all. show less

While this series is published under the banner of the Clive Cussler stable, Mr Kemprecos is an author I’m really coming to enjoy. He has created some wonderful characters here, and this - the second in the series - continues to evolve and enhance these characters.

In this one, Austin and his sidekicks rescue the world’s water supply from corporate domination and control, meeting a new but short-lived love interest along the way.

I’m a fan after two, and will continue to read this series to fill the “adventure novel junkie” inside me.

This is not a Dirk Pitt book--it's the 2nd in Cussler's collaborative series with Paul Kemprecos featuring Kurt Austin--but it's not all that different.

If you've never read Clive Cussler, think James Bond with boats. The villains are over-the-top bad guys, and Dirk Pitt or Kurt Austin has to face impossible odds to save the world on a regular basis.

In Blue Gold, we have a syndicate, headed by an Amazon of a woman, scheming to control "blue gold" (water), and thus, the world. Throw in a scientist who's been lost in the jungle for 10 years after escaping kidnappers (she'd developed a revolutionary desalination technique), the crew at NUMA, and his trusty sidekick Joe Zavala, and you've got a real page-turner.

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip show more into the jungle--the scientist's innovations reminded me of those in Swiss Family Robinson that I was so fascinated by when I was a kid.

Kurt and Joe are no Pitt and Giordino, but then again. Pitt and Giordino aren't themselves much anymore either.

I didn't really see a difference with the collaboration, but then again, the last 2 Cussler books I read were also collaborations--one with Craig Dirgo, and one with Dirk Cussler. The characters are very similar to those in the Dirk Pitt books, as are the situations, and the style of switching story threads between chapters until they all come together at the end (I'm sure there's a term for that, but I don't know what it is--if you do, please enlighten me--thanks!).

At any rate, Blue Gold is exactly what I expected: a solid, 4-star, action-packed adventure. show less

Kurt Austin is the team leader of a special operations team with the National Underwater & Marine Agency (NUMA). He and his team uncover a plot to control the World’s fresh water by a previously unknown multinational corporation. The race is on to stop them before they can succeed. This story was unputdownable - a classic thriller all the way. There were a few minor beefs - like the ridiculous anasazium and the irritating use of desalting rather than desalination. But I was prepared to give it 4.5 stars out of 5.

After reading many Clive Cussler books, I found Blue Gold started out fast but then slowed down in the middle of the book—so much so that I had to skim through many of the pages. It's still a good story, but I wouldn't go on tour promoting it. I hope the next one is better.