Corsair

This is an action packed novel, filled with entirely unbelievable characters, unbelievable plot twists, unbelievable action. In a word, it's great! Things roll along quickly and although you know Cabrillo will triumph in the end, just as they have in the five prior novels, Cussler and Du Brul still manage to keep the tension high. These are two master storytellers at work and they don't miss a beat. This is just a plain, fun read. Suspend your need for credibility - and just enjoy the action.

The sixth book of the Oregon Files opens with a prologue that involves the Barbary pirates versus the American destroyer, Philadelphia, off the coast of Tunisia in 1803. Fans of the series will realize that something in the prologue will fuel the adventures of the modern day, high tech, Oregon team. A recently discovered letter points to a link between the Barbary pirate Suleiman Al-Jama and Henry Lafayette, a seaman captured from the Philadelphia battle. While trapped together, they may have learned tolerance toward each other's religion.

Fast forwarding to modern times, Secretary of State Fiona Katamura is on her way to meet with the Libyan delegation, where the world is hoping for a Middle East peace settlement. Her plane is suddenly show more hit by something, crashes, and all on board are presumed dead. The Oregon team is hired to try to find out what happened and if she's still alive. In a parallel story-line, the team is trying to find terrorist, Al-Jama, who has taken his name from from the Islamic pirate in the prologue.

The Oregon Files always gives the reader a combination of history and fast paced action/adventure. Clive Cussler and Jack du Brul write nonstop action novels that would make great movies. The Oregon team can do it all. They can fire rockets, dodge bullets, and still solve a long lost secret. Readers who want real-life situations in their entertainment should avoid this series. I just love the over-the-top characters, escapes, shoot-outs, last-minute-saves, and a train chase that will blow you away. If you like action adventure novels you have to read Corsair. While this is the sixth book in a series, it can most definitely be read as a standalone novel. show less

I kind of regret reading this book. It was good in that it killed a few hours and I have to admit that I did want to see what happened, but it is one of those ridiculous heroic crap books that Americans like to laugh at when others write them but get gang-ho with teary eyed nationalism when it is about their boys fighting "terrorists".

Anyway, the book:
Corsair is the 6th novel in The Oregon Files by Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul. The book follows the corporation team's mission to recover the US Secretary of State, Fiona Katamora, before the upcoming peace summit. They discover that all is not as it seems and that the plane crash that brought her down may not have been an accident. The corporation must battle terrorists with a foothold show more in the Libyan government while uncovering the identity of their hidden leader. As the journey continues the team uncovers many hidden secrets in the Libyan desert including the entire ex-foreign department of the government and an archeologist, Alana Shepard, who is close to uncovering the key to peace in the middle east. show less

Another in the Oregon Files series, right out of the same mold that seems pretty successful for Cussler and DuBrul. While I like the characters, I’ve got to say I’m getting tired of the interjection of the authors’ politics into the characters. There’s no good reason I should object to this – it’s part of the character they’re creating. However, I do find it very objectionable.

I suppose it has to do mostly with the fact that the political bent that is represented is very different than the one my mind creates for the characters, and that creates dissonance for me as a reader. Just goes to demonstrate how much we invest of ourselves into the characters we create in our minds with the help of authors.

I see I have one more of show more this series to read (actually listen to as it’s on my iPod). I’m guessing this next one will be the last of them I’ll read, just because of this dissonance between what I want the characters to be and what the author turns them into.

All that said, it’s an adventure story, and it’s written as a good and enjoyable adventure story. As Cussler books go, I prefer the Isaac Bell series, followed by the NUMA series. This one probably ranks pretty low in my ranking of his series. show less

Book Description:
When a plane carrying the U.S. secretary of state, en route to a Middle East peace conference, disappears over Libya, the techno-wizards aboard the supership Oregon try to track it down and recover any survivors. Juan Cabrillo and his crew discover a terrorist presence that reaches to the highest levels of the Libyan government.

There was a lot of well-written exciting action and adventure in this story as well as likable characters. I would’ve like a bit more character development and storyline and a bit less action. At times, believability was stretched too far for me. Overall though, it was a fun read.

[Corsair] by Clive Cussler
Oregon Files series
3.5 ★s

The Corsairs (Pirates) prowled the Barbary Coast by what is now Libya. Among these was Al Jama, the most ruthless and powerful. Legend has it that he was buried with something that could change the course of humanity. Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon are called upon to search for the US Secretary of State. Her plane was shot down over the Libyan desert by a faction of terrorists associated with the new incarnation of Al Jama. She had been on her way to a peace conference hosted by the Libyans. If she is not found, the whole conference could be for nothing. Meanwhile 4 archeologists are kidnapped while searching for the grave of the original Al Jama.

This story has nonstop show more action in the manner of the earlier Dirk Pitt novels. I found it a bit dated, due to the referencing of Libyan President for Life Quadafi of Libya. However, even though current threats come from Syria, the terrorist camps and the jihadists are in keeping with today's difficulties. I found that Cussler's thoughts on terrorism to be what many feel and think. All in all a good action packed novel. I particularly enjoyed "The Pig" which was an amazing armored land vehicle straight out of James Bond! show less

Heb dit boek als gesproken boek 'gelezen', en misschien dat daardoor wat van de spanning verdween, maar dit boek is voor mij een van de mindere uit de Dossier Oregon series.

Het boek begint veelbelovend, met een zeeslag tussen Barbarijse zeerovers en twee Amerikaanse oorlogsschepen op jacht om de zeeën van dit ongedierte te ontdoen. Het is de achtergrond van een mysterie dat zijn weerslag heeft op de huidige strijd tegen de terroristen. De Oregon doet zich voor als een prijs voor de hedendaagse piraten, terroristen die gebruik maken van de opbrengst van deze schepen om hun activiteiten te financieren. Er gaat veel verkeerd en eindigt met een zeeslag tussen de Oregon en een marineschip.

Helaas zakt hierna het verhaal drastisch in, en show more lijkt het meer op een krachtmeting tussen de Amerikaanse goede en de overige (slechte) mensen. show less