Rating: 
Summary: Action/Thriller That's VERY Far From Reality
Review: This novel finds action hero Dirk Pitt battling a sinister conspiracy that threatens to establish Japanese commercial dominance over the US and the rest of the world. Given Japan's long-standing economic woes, this seems a bit silly now, but back in the late 1980's (when Japan's economy was soaring and many US assets were coming under Japanese control) it doubtless rang truer. The action is non-stop and some of the plot twists are rather ingenious. Many of these twists are far-fetched, however, if not simply outlandish. Much like the old serial thrillers (i.e. Flash Gordon) turned out by Hollywood back in the 1930's. And there's nothing wrong with this. It's good, clean fun. But the adult reader will often find it hard to suspend disbelief to such an extent.Another aspect worth noting here is the quality of the writing. This is the first Cussler novel I've read and one thing that struck me was the relatively poor use of language. The syntax is sophomoric. The text is replete with poor choices of words and clumsy dialogue. This isn't entirely the author's fault, but it detracts from the overall experience of reading the book. I don't know who edited DRAGON, but whoever it was didn't earn their money. Typical of this genre, DRAGON is a fast-paced but far-fetched story. Further, compared to writers like Ludlum, Crichton and others, the quality of the writing leaves something to be desired. Still, it's a light, fun read. Will I read more of Cussler's Dirk Pitt novels? Yeah, I already have two more on my shelf (given to me by others). This one is mediocre, though, and I can't really recommend it. Fans of this series will like DRAGON, but others might want to look before they buy.
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