Rating: 
Summary: Great Story
Review: Cussler delivers another really good story and plot for his readers to enjoy. The hero, Dirk Pitt, is faced with a daunting challenge of locating several nuclear bombs that are smuggled into the United States. A highly nationalistic Japanese executive is behind the controls of what could be the biggest terrorist plot in U.S. history. Pitt, Giordino along with a few other intelligence personnel, must also locate this ruthless tycoon's operating center and destroy it before it's too late. Very intense story though Cussler could have done without using racial epithets to describe the Japanese people. I was not really bothered by it initially until our great hero, Dirk Pitt and his sidekick, Al Giordino, began using it also.
Rating:
Summary: Great Story
Review: Cussler delivers another really good story and plot for his readers to enjoy. The hero, Dirk Pitt, is faced with a daunting challenge of locating several nuclear bombs that are smuggled into the United States. A highly nationalistic Japanese executive is behind the controls of what could be the biggest terrorist plot in U.S. history. Pitt, Giordino along with a few other intelligence personnel, must also locate this ruthless tycoon's operating center and destroy it before it's too late. Very intense story though Cussler could have done without using racial epithets to describe the Japanese people. I was not really bothered by it initially until our great hero, Dirk Pitt and his sidekick, Al Giordino, began using it also.
Rating: 
Summary: Dragon: A Novel
Review: Dragon written by Clive Cussler is the tenth novel in the Dirk Pitt series and is an espionage, under sea thriller complete with mixing recent history with some of our deepest fears. As the book progresses, and if you were around when the Japanese tried to buy America in the 1980's, you'll find a very familiar theme running through this book. The villian in this book is a mysterious, vile xenophobe, that has infinite patience, is a ruthless evildoer, relying upon financial power rather than military prowess and goes to great lengths to ensure Japanese dominance of the United States. The head of "Murmoto" a maker of automobiles, Hideki Suma is Dirk Pitt's bad guy is this book. Cussler writes a convincing story as this complex Japanese plot unflods... using atomic weapons, placed in automobiles that are imported and placed in strategic locations throughout the country, ready to release their deadly surprises. This book takes the reader from the high seas to the ocean depths, around the United States from Alaska to Maryland, as Dirk Pitt works to save the day before the United States lies helpless. This book has a complex ruthlessness about it and is brutally thrilling and entertaining as it combines samurai-inspired Japanese fighting with our hero's one-step-ahead ninja-suited thinking. We go to Europe, in the book, looking for Nazi war booty in underground caves, but all the time, keeping skill and daring, Cussler ties all of these threads together making a richly inspired story. The story pitts (no pun intended) cunning and might with vast technological resourses and ancient warrior traditions making this book a real page-turner.
Rating:
Summary: BEST YET
Review: Even if the plot isn't very realistic, I enjoyed every minute of it. The consequence for making a mistake was catastrophic, so they had to make shadowy and smart decisions. Nuclear threat from Japan, which has military history (samurai) makes it easier to add a twist to the story, an assasin who kills with a samurai sword. The constant cat-and-mouse game makes this a great summer reading book.
Rating:
Summary: What got me started
Review: First off, let me say that I owe a lot to this book. It got me started on Clive Cussler, but, more importantly, it is the book that really got me on the path to being a writer. After reading it, I just knew that writing was what I wanted to do. Looking back on this book, over ten years later, it doesn't hold the mystique it did back then. Still, this is a classic Dirk Pitt adventure story, with all the trimmings. The action is tense, the dialog witty, and the overall feel is that of a cozy novel. Cussler's strength lies in his ability to tie seemingly unrelated events together. For instance, the idea of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki going wrong leading to current-day events. It's just interesting how he does it. Dragon's plot is a bit far-fetched. The idea of someone in Japan wanting to wipe out American civilization seems absurd today. Still, written in the wake of cool relations between us and the Japanese, it rings true, if still a bit hard to believe. If you like this sort of novel, the action-oriented mystery, then you will absolutely love this book. Cussler writes with an authoritative hand, and, because of him, I found what I really wanted to do with my life. Thanks, Clive.
Rating:
Summary: My First...
Review: Let me start off by saying I hate reading a book out of order when its part of a series. This was my first book by Clive Cussler and was instantly hooked! I picked up the book off a "freebie" shelf at work and was blown away. Cussler grabs hold of the reader and throws them around the world and under the water then spits them out onto a sandy beach at the end ... breathless! This was the start of a long standing relationship of reading all the Dirk Pitt books as they came out.
Rating:
Summary: 4th protcol for the modern age.
Review: Maybe it was the excitement of finding a great new author in Treasure but this book just missed the level of enjoyment of Treasure. However having said that this book is a masterpiece in suspense and almost all too believable for its own good. Tales of smuggling bombs and second world war bombers the action never lets off. Another great book from a great author.
Rating: 
Summary: A great book, but not a great Cussler novel
Review: The 10th book in the Dirk Pitt series finds Pitt battling a Japanese enemy intent on taking over the US's economy through the threat of nuclear explosives hidden in hundreds of cars around the US. As usual with Cussler novels, it starts out with a disastrous event that Pitt finds himself coincidently in the middle of. As far as Pitt novels go, this one wasn't bad, but definately not the best. All the usuals are here, including Pitt's relationship with Loren Smith, his best friend Al Giordino, and James Sandecker. The great things about this book is that it's long and filled with action. As usual with Pitt novels, 500+ pages that are filled with action is enough to keep you entertained for a long time. Too long unfortunately. I thought that they could have done without 100-150 pages in this book. It actually took me 3 months to read. Usually when I get a good book, especially a Pitt novel, I'm done in a week. I think I was bored with this one because Pitt was facing a human enemy and searching for a human threat. The past novels have always featured some strange phenomenon or Pitt discovering some famed treasure, which make for a great read. Facing off against the Japanese made it just like any other novel. My other problem with Dragon is Pitt's love interest. In the past novels, Pitt is always introduced to some new woman. The same goes here, but her character was really poorly developed. It pretty much amounted to nothing more than a single sexual encounter, which isn't like Cussler. The last few pages of the novel do feature enough intrigue and suspense though to make me want to pick up the next novel right away. If you're a fan of the series, I definately suggest picking up "Dragon." But if you're looking for a good Cussler novel to wet your teeth with, I'd suggest skipping this one and going straight to "Pacific Vortex."
Rating:
Summary: Classic Cussler action
Review: This is one of those books that looks like it was written to be made into a movie, which is more or less how all the Dirk Pitt novels are. That said, as with most adventure on paper and in film, one must learn to swallow reality at times during the action. Some have offered complaints about the way author Clive Cussler seems to pay little heed to the laws of physics, plate tectonics, electronics, the real-life military and government, and technology in general. These almost without exception, however, are readers unfamiliar with the series. Cussler is not trying to be Michael Crichton or Tom Clancy, and the fun of the Dirk Pitt series is, well... Dirk Pitt! That said, the canny old adventurer is up to his usual tricks- rescuing damsels in distress, killing bad guys, and of course saving the world. Dragon has a somewhat different taste from most of the other novels in that, save for a few scenes astride the main action, there isn't any hidden treasure involved. There's also more skulking around than is typical for Cussler's writing. Despite this, there is no doubt that this is classic Dirk Pitt, now placed in opposition to the gaunt specter of Japanese businessmen out to conquer the free world. Naturally, they don't stand a chance. The outcome is pretty decided in any Cussler novel, but getting there is all the fun. I couldn't put this book down- the pace just doesn't let up. And if a bit of reality-swallowing was necessary to get through, it was a small price to pay for yet another swashbuckling adventure with Dirk Pitt.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: This is the first book I've read by Clive Cussler. Every other book I've read by him are just as great! All Dirk Pitt novels are action movie type books. Dirk Pitt and Giordino(character) are two of my favorite characters of all time. Clive really out-does himself. Magnificent peice of work.
| 
