Lost City

CLIVE Cussler tells an exciting story, which saves his works from being relegated to the category of mere Dick-Fic. And despite his tedious attention to unnecessary detail, the story is always riveting. Lost City would be vastly improved were it half the length, but at least the Cussler staples of romance, adventure and archaeology are there. Kurt Austin takes over from Dirk Pitt as the hero — Dirk was getting a little long in the tooth after 30 odd years — but despite the co-writer, the formula is the tried and tested favourite, which made Clive Cussler such a popular writer.

Another Dirk Pitt, oops I mean Kurt Austin novel. If you like Clive Cussler's other NUMA books you'll like this one. If not you won't. I really enjoyed listening to this one on my way to work. Scott Brick is an excellent reader and he seems to read all of Clive's books.

What does a 100 year old mummy, red eyed demons, arms dealers a noxious weed threatening the worlds Oceans and the elixir if life all have in common? Kurt ends up right in the middle of it all and has to sort it all out before it's too late. Lots of fun, action and suspense.

Clive Cussler, from what little I have read by him so far, is the master of escapist fiction. His characters are one-dimensional - the good ones are good in all respects and the bad ones are totally evil; and the good ones always triumph over the evil ones. However, he makes up for this lack of complexity with breathtaking settings and plenty of action.
Lost City is another of his trademark action-adventure thrillers. This time, the settings range from a research centre deep under a glacier in the French Alps to the bottom of Atlantic sea which is home to the Hydrothermal fields popularly known as the Lost City. The action is nonstop, starting with a fighter-plane chase set in the time preceding the first World War. The book touches upon show more bits of history and science including - but not limited to - the history of armours, fighter planes and the part arms-manufacturers played in wars world-over, the quest for immortality, glaciology, ocean geology, and marine biology.
Lost City is a highly entertaining read in the style of a Hollywood Potboiler if only the reader is ready to dive into the action without caring for much logic and reason from this simple, straightforward escapist fiction. show less

This was given to me by a friend who said I would love the book. Unfortunately for me, I thought some of the situations Kurt et al found themselves in seemed to have too easy an escape route. An unlocked door, an aeroplane just being there, friends just waiting in the exact place on an island. However, the book itself was well written and descriptive, and I would read other books by this author.

No new ground in character development is created here and long time readers of the series don't expect any. What one expects and gets is a virtual non-stop action adventure read where the hero gets the girl, saves the world, and lives to fight and love another day. On that score, Cussler delivers and delivers again well which makes this another fun read.

St. Bart's 2016 #2 - Another fun romp with the unflappable NUMA team of Kurt Austin and his associates, quickly globetrotting about trying to save the world from evil megalomaniacs utilizing oceans, lakes, or even glaciers for nefarious means. Way too many unbelievable coincidences and situations and responses to crisis to ever warrant a high-star rating from me, however, a good vacation yarn, nonetheless! Always aircraft, seacraft, and automobile details rarely found in novels that make happy....no regrets.

This was my first Cussler book and I must say I enjoyed it, mainly for the lack of brainpower required to process the adventures and plots. And Lost City certainly has adventure.

After a couple of opening vignettes that aren’t really explained until further in the book, the book launches into a mixture of plot lines that inevitably and predictably converge. We are introduced to a cast of characters including, among others: the hero, Kurt Austin; his wisecracking sidekick Joe Zavala; the damsel-in-almost-continual-distress, Skye Labelle; Angus MacLean, a Scottish scientist with a mysterious background; and the evil Fauchard clan, the dynasty supposedly responsible for most, if not all the wars in the history of planet Earth. Along the show more way, we come across a frozen Fauchard, murderous mutants, exceptionally expanding enzymes, and a plot for permanent, perpetual power. The pace is swift with excitement at every turn of the page.

The story follows our heroes as they try to unravel the mystery behind a frozen man found in a glacier in the French Alps, along with a peculiar helmet. The helmet is apparently important to someone since it becomes the focus of several bad guys trying to steal it and doing whatever they can to ensure it's kept secret. Meanwhile, in an area known as the Lost City (hence the title), underwater scientists have discovered an enzyme with peculair traits. These scientists are kidnapped and forced to join a research team who, along with Angus, are trying to manipulate the enzymes to produce a life-prolonging elixir or philosopher's stone. Unfortunately, previous attempts have resulted in hideous and dangerous mutations in the first human "volunteers." Behind it all is Racine Fauchard, current head of the arms industry dynasty mentioned before. Along the way, we also learn that the enzymes are starting to produce a rather nasty side affect and threaten to take over the entire world's waterways.

The characters and general storyline are very predictable. Austin is every bit the embodiment of Hollywood heroics -- daring, handsome, quick witted, and having a plan for every dangerous spot he or any other character finds themselves. I almost expected him to introduce himself as “Austin -- Kurt Austin.” The Austin-girl, Skye, is smart, beautiful and just as quick witted. The good guys are extraordinarily good and the bad guys despicably evil. You can pretty much guess the ending, including how the ever-spreading water enzymes are battled.

Even though the book is quite predictable, it is enjoyable nonetheless. At the end of a long, stressful day, it’s nice to sit down with a book and disengage your brain for awhile with some good adventure. show less