Rating: 
Summary: A major improvement from recent Dirk Pitt's adventures
Review: Improvement? What improvement???
To hormone-charged adolescent, Dirk Pitt is the ultimate G-Guy.
To critics, Cussler has put Pitt on the ultimate pedestal from
which there is no meaningful challenge left.
Fortunately, all these has changed in Valhalla Rising.But to begin at the beginning, should a book review consider the
merits of the book on its own, or should it be considered in the
light of the previous books in the same series. This is a tough
question, and it would not be fair to be dogmatic either way.
A more meaningful way would be to try to achieve a balance of
both. Clive Cussler's formula of integrating historical events into
significant impact into the present day is a good formula. A
sense of being something more than "just a modern-day anomaly"
is introduced, the anomaly being a big baddy waiting to be
taken down. New readers would get a sense of being shown just
a glimpse of something which is part of a very much larger picture. While Cussler repeated that formula in Valhalla Rising, this time
incorporating Norsemen ventures into Northern America in the 11th
century, followed by a "Captain Nemo and the Nautilus" in the 19th century. In his previous adventures, historical events seldom have gone beyond mere historical significance awaiting discovery into scientific significance, but this time it did. There was a shift in the villains through the history of Dirk Pitt adventures from political foes (internal and external) to corporate megalomaniacs. The only problem about this is if they are part of a series, surely these evil corporate overlord-wanna-be would have stumbled over each other in infiltrating the government and staking their claims. But to make the story interesting, it could not of course be allowed to happen, and hence the sense of continuity in Dirk Pitt's adventures is never established. Thus has been the problem with recent Pitt's stories that one wonder why I said this book has major improvement. Well, the improvement lies in the characterisation. Dirk Pitt has descended from superman into a more normal fellow.
He gets tired, he no longer can beat Mike Tyson single-handedly, and he makes deductive (not intuitive) mistakes, he no longer try
to bed attractive women, but shows certain loyalty to his long-time friend Congresswoman Loren Smith. And also, towards the
end of the book, his age showed with a definite stamp. Another major change is villains are no longer all-pervasive and completely shielded by anonymity, private armies and more layers of defences than Bin-Laden. There was no final assault on the
ultimate fortress. More time was also given to the supporting characters, besides the usual suspects. Of course, it was disappointing to see how easily the baddies could take out the normal cops, Cussler should make them more than cannon fodder. Nonetheless, more return to realism, less glamour and more brainwork put into writing novels by Cussler is a welcome move. Authors get to get megalomaniac over their heroes, like Tom Clancy's. It might be good for them to change to new characters and story lines to develop new perspectives, and when they return to their old characters, they bring refreshing innovations.
Rating: 
Summary: Valhalla Rising
Review: I have read all of Clive Cussler's books. Valhalla Rising did not exactly match my expectations. Dirk Pitt seems to be getting old and the pace of his adventures slowing down. Yet Clive Cussler remains one of my favorite authors, and I look forward to reading Cussler's next novel.
Rating:
Summary: Suspensful,Enjoyable, But Unsatisfying Climax
Review: This book is for the most part very suspensful. However it has sleeper chapters mixed in which should either be rewritten or left out. Then, after reading 55 chapters , the reader is now ready to see the evil & monstous culprit, Zales, sentenced to a thousand hideous deaths or dragged 10 miles down the road by his tongue. Instead Clive allows him to escape by committing suicide. Very unsatisfying. Punish him unmercifully. Also after the climax Clive dribbles on for four more chapters about Jules Vernes submarine,& etc. which subjects are only slightly related & boring. However, in general , a great suspensful book.Loved it.
Rating: 
Summary: Tried and tested "Dirk Pitt formula" works once again
Review: "Valhalla Rising" starts off like most Cussler novels with a trip to the past to set the tone and plot for the novel. In this book, we are transported back to the early 11th Century and spend times with Vikings who have begun to explore the North American continent 400 years before Columbus. When we are shot back to present day, we soon find Dirk Pitt, Al Giordino, and friends battling an evil CEO determined to control the world's oil supply with the ultimate goal of taking over the United States. Pitt calls on all of the reserves of National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA)to thwart the plan. Cussler shares his vivid imagination with us throughout the book painting numerous word pictures as he introduces us to some absolutely fantastic water craft and villians. OK, like most Dirk Pitt novels, logic and believability can be "checked at the door". But that's why Cussler continues to be so successful with this formula. Many, many people read novels to ESCAPE from their humdrum world and I'm sure that most Cussler fans fall into that category. All of the familar characters are present in "Valhalla Rising" and some have larger roles than normal. The same large doses of action, techno-gimmicks, and fantastic cars and ships abound in this book. For those of you who are fans of this series, you'll not be disappointed and will find "Vahalla Rising" as comfortable as your favorite old pair of tennis shoes. If you're new to the world of Dirk Pitt, you'll either find him totally enchanting (kind of a cross between Indiana Jones and James Bond) or so unbelievable that you'll have difficulty swallowing the fantastic adventure found in each Cussler novel.
Rating:
Summary: You either Love this stuff or You Hate It - I Love it !!!!
Review: A classic Cussler yet again. As you'll see from some of the reviews, some people find these stories all schlocky and formulaic - well yes they are. But it is all great fun. being a scientist I love the intricate weaving of some arcane, but ancient historical drama such as the Vikings along the Hudson River. Well, if you ever have beed in the area he refers to, it is very plausable. There are areas along the Hudson just north of NYC that could easily accomodate the story. Beyond that, the story is fast paced and has all the great threads of his many previous novels. There were one or two of his most recent novels that seemed a little less than his ususal, but here I feel he is back to the trasiditional Clive we have learned to enjoy for years. I can't wait till his next book.
Rating: 
Summary: valhalla rising
Review: Okay am I the only one that missed the point with this book? Is it written intentionally to strain the limits of credibility, ala the old 'boys own adventure' books? This is the first book of Cussler's that I've read, so maybe I need to subject myself to another bout of awfulness to determine if the style is for real. If one considered the inclusion of the author as a character as unbelievable trite, it got even worse with the saccharine ending - the arrival of Pitt's long lost children curiously named..Dirk and Summer, duh!
Rating:
Summary: A successful pattern repeated
Review: Having read most of Pitt's adventures, I find Valhalla Rising typical in format: exciting, riveting action tied in with historical speculations and discoveries in a James Bond way. A simplistic, predictable format that is writen in ways that keep it an interesting and fun read.
The story start out with Vikings exploring America before Columbus, establishing a settlement, get massacred, and then have their travels lay undiscovered for many centuries. The plot then jumps forward to a seemingly unconnected drama of a sinking ship. Pitt singhandedly discovers the drama, and saves 2,000 passengers (especially the beautiful daughter of the brilliant scientist) with his ingenuity, courage, and physical prowess. Pitt then has suspicians of what caused the ship's problems, focuses the full power of NUMA (a US goverment agency for which he is a director of) to investigate the accident. Along with his trusty sidekick Al, he faces and conquers hijackings, assasinations attempts, and terrorism with his vintage cars and planes, while discovering speculative history and impressing the many women he encounters.
There have been subtle changes in the plot over time, for example, Pitt's victims fall quicker and easier with every new book. I found this one a little less complicated than some of his previous books such as Inca Gold.
Rating: 
Summary: Sigh. Underwhelmed Again, I'm Afraid.
Review: I keep trying to like Clive Cussler's writing. He has a certain Hardy Boys knack for coming up with everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink adventures, but his stuff is just so derivative and ludicrous. And his prose is just plain clumsy. I had to reread the very first sentence of the novel three times in order to catch the image correctly (are the SHIPS moving through the mist like ghosts, Mr. Cussler, "silent and eerie"...or is it the people ON the ships?) And how can you describe the longships in terms of their growling dragon heads, "teeth bared menacingly"--and in the very next sentence come up with a simile that equates them with "trout in a peaceful brook?" We're all over the place here, Clive, image-wise. After a short Viking intro chapter, we jump eight hundred years or so to a virtual carbon-copy of the opening conflict of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I couldn't believe it. I was expecting Ned Land to fling his harpoon and have it clunk off the metal monster as it rams the wooden ship. Clive Cussler is one of the most successful writers in the world. More power to him and his underwater superhero, the ever witty and sexually potent Dirk Pitt. For those of you who want something more original and substantial, underwater-wise, try David Poyer's Tiller Galloway series and/or John McKinna's Ben Gannon series. These both feature realistic heroes who are commercial divers,plausible situations, and writing that won't bang on your ear every other sentence.
Rating:
Summary: Dirk Pitt by the Numbers
Review: Having been a fan of Clive Cussler's novels for many years, I must advise that this book is the first major disappointment I have encountered with him. The story starts out with a pair of what has become a Cussler trademark, excellently written and fascinating prologues. However, they are symptomatic of where Mr. Cussler seems to have fallen down with this book: They are totally extraneous to the story, have nothing to do with the plot and are unrelated to each other. The story is written with Mr. Cussler's usual flair and moves along well for about three quarters of the book, but something pops up that warns the reader that Mr. Cussler wrote this book on autopilot: He doesn't exhibit his usual attention to detail. Clearly there was no research on how submarines operate, as evidenced in more than one episode. For example, at one climactic point, Dirk drives down to the local marina where he conveniently appropriates just what he needs-a submersible yacht than can dive to over 1000 feet (with portholes, yet!), travel at 45 knots on the surface and 25 submerged, and can use diesels underwater. The US Navy should have such a sub! Elsewhere we see a Navy fighter make a flight that no Navy fighter can after departing from a Naval Air Station that is specifically named but that actually closed around 10 years ago. The Air National Guard is later insulted when they fail to sink a ship and their leader turns tail and runs. Possibly the worst bit of sloppiness is when Mr. Cussler moves San Pedro, California from South of Los Angeles to the San Francisco waterfront in a crucial plot event. BTW, there are no supertanker docks on the SF waterfront. In antother trademark Mr. Cussler makes a cameo. Unfortunately the recent trend of Mr. Cussler not just appearing but appearing out of nowhere and actually saving Dirk and Al is repeated. Still, Mr. Cussler's writing skills are enough to keep you along for the ride until you hit the "blurt". The "blurt" comes from older TV detective and mystery shows. It's where the story is reaching the end of the episode and the writer suddenly realizes that there is no way the hero is going to figure out what's happening in time save the day. So, the writer simply has someone "blurt" out the answer ("That's not a photo of Mary! Didn't you know that's her twin Alice??"). The ruthless bad guy is going to pull it off and Dirk & Co. are way behind, so one of the villian's partners just decides to go to the authorites and give everything away. Further, the villian's fiendish plot only will work if the authorities don't know he's really behind it, but now they do, and he knows they know--yet he continues anyway! I know Mr. Cussler usually does a lot better with these adult comic books. That's why I gave it two stars. I suspect this one was produced for the same reason as the final Monty Python album, the desccriptively named "Contractural Obligation". I do think people are overreacting to the very end of the book. Yes, it's a surprise, but that's because it has nothing to do with the rest of the book. It's there for the same reason the Kurt Austin adventures are appearing: Cussler realizes that Dirk's character in real time will soon be too old to continue to do what he does. So, he's setting up for the "next generation's" adventures.
Rating:
Summary: NOT Clive Cussler's usual standard
Review: I happen to love Clive Cussler and probably have read and own mostly every book he has written. I look forward to each new book and have found them all enjoyable and sometimes even special. This one did not live up to his usual standards. It read as if he wrote it in a hurry, and the ending, especially, was a cheap contrivance. Dirk was very shallowly portrayed in this book, contrary to the care that Cussler puts into his characterization in the other Dirk Pitt books. I was very disappointed in this book, and hope that Clive Cussler takes the time and trouble to write a better book on his next outing.
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