Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as a Pitt novel, but still great
Review: "White Death" is another of the NUMA franchise books - stories written by Cussler and Paul Kamprecos which star characters from the "National Underwater & Marine Agency" who don't appear in Dirk Pitt Books (though the story follows the formula of just about every Dirk Pitt novel, Pitt never makes an appearance in this one). In "White Death", NUMA hero Kurt Austin runs afoul of Oceanus - a vast corporate hydra that markets genetically modified fish. In true Cussler tradition, the initial confrontation is perfectly accidental - Austin volunteers to save the crew of Danish warship accidentally sunk by a ship belonging to a fringe group of whale-huggers. Too late, Austin learns that the Whale-huggers - led by an opportunist named Marcus Ryan - were set-up by Oceanus. Sneaking into an unusually secure commercial fishery owned by the company and located on the remote Faroes Islands, Austin finds clues to a darker secret than Albacore. On the other side of the Atlantic, Paul and Gamay Trout - married NUMA marine biologists - investigate the waters nearn an Oceanus fishery. For those not working for Oceanus, times are tough. Not that there isn't any fishing, only that there's something in the water that really demands a bigger boat...Connecting the dots on each side, Austin and team link Oceanus with a mysterious and legendarily violent tribe of outcast Inuit known as the Kiolya. Led by a figure known as "Toonook", the Kiolya and Oceanus are poised to unleash a horrifying genetically engineered eco-weapon of mass destruction that will give them a stranglehold on the oceans of the world. On their side, Austin falls back on a wealthy but mysterious Spaniard - a Basque who traces his roots to a 15th century explorer persecuted by the Inquisition. But will they be enough to stop Oceanus? This is only my second "Kurt Austin/NUMA novel - the first being "Serpent". It's still not up to the quality of the Pitt novels, but "White Death" is still quite good. If it holds few surprises, it's a fast read, and the characters seem to come alive much better than they did in the other book. Best of all are the villains - Toonook and the viscious Kiolya are utterly evil, but so formidible that you know they won't go easily. Kamprecos/Cussler gather the respective forces together for a slam-bang finish that gives you faith in the future of the NUMA novels.
Rating: 
Summary: Kurt Austin and the giant, man-eating fish?
Review: A marine disaster brings attention to an area of the world strangely void of fish life in a once-thriving fishing community. The disappearance of marine life seems to coincide with the creation of a secretive fish farm shroud in mystery. Experts speculate that toxins used to cultivate the speedy development of the fish farm stock have somehow contaminated the surrounding area, killing off all of the natural sea life. But little do the locals know exactly what sort of "contaminate" may be involved and why! Enter "Kurt Austin," the man whose presence automatically signals dear reader that something or someone is awry! Single-handedly charming all the ladies, swapping icy stares with the villains and trading blows with the bad guys, Austin solves the crime and saves the day. It's yet another corny escapade where all the right things happen at all the right times to just the right guy. Kurt Austin is well-known for his incredibly good fortune in the face of danger. For those dear readers who have the entertainment demands of a twelve year old boy, we have come to enjoy each formulaic adventure and dismiss any technical inaccuracies. It was difficult to find myself identifying with man-eating aquatic life, but when it comes to Kurt Austin, anything is possible! Enjoy yet another Cussler/Kemprecos adventure!
Rating:
Summary: Same story different words, but each book reels you in again
Review: After reading 20+ Cussler books I pretty much have the formula down we meet girl, girl gets in trouble, hero saves girl, girl and hero go seperate ways, hero has three more close shaves with death, hero meets super vilian, hero and girl cross paths again both trying to foil super vilian, hero and girl win, the end. This of course over 400+ pages. Even knowing this I buy this book the day after it is released and read page after page unable to set it down until I am at the end. Maybe it is just an easier read since I do have the formula down and I know what is coming I can get more relaxed when I go read. Whatever the reason I will keep buying Cussler as long as he keeps writing.
Rating:
Summary: Is this the real Clive Cussler
Review: Although this is an interesting book, I find it hard to believe that Clive Cussler is doing the majority of the writing. The in-depth, can't put it down, never-ending, one after another fantasy related to history aspect that is always so strongly prevalent in the Dirk Pitt novels is just not there. While I would still buy this book again (I am a die-hard Cussler fan) it has just not held my attention (nor did the other co-written book I bought starring Kurt) the way the previous books did. I appreciate that every author wants to vary his/her writing and not just write the same thing over and over, but what normally takes me about 3 days to read has taken almost a month this time. There's just something lacking in the fleshing out of the the storyline and characters.
Rating:
Summary: Could have been better
Review: As a Cussler fan, I was disappointed with his latest, "White Death". Yes, it has all the elements of a good Cussler novel: action, adventure, a bit of romance, some history tied in, travel... but the writing was terrible. The writing was stiff, stilted and at a 6th grade level. I expected better, and I think his fans deserver better.
Rating: 
Summary: White Death
Review: As always Cussler has brought to life someone everyone would like to be. Top grade!
Rating:
Summary: MASTERFUL READING
Review: Clive Cussler is unequaled, surely unexcelled in the field of eco-thrillers. His real life experiences and gift with words have given new meaning to the action/adventure genre. The fourth in his mesmerizing series The NUMA Files is sure evidence that Cussler is a master at his game. "Master" might also apply to voice actors James Naughton and Scott Brick who render electrifying readings of "White Death." Naughton has received various honors during his theatrical career, among them are Tony Awards for his performances in Chicago and City of Angels. With film television, radio and stage appearances to his credit Brick is an accomplished veteran of audio book readings. As readers and listeners of earlier works in this series know hero Kurt Austin heads NUMA's Special Assignments Team. Now, along with his working buddy Joe Zavala, the two have saved a shipload of men. These men were trapped after a head-on between a Danish cruiser and a radical environmental group. But, true to Cussler's suspenseful form, that's not the end - just the startling beginning as Austin and Zavala discover that a sinister multinational corporation wants control of the seas, and will kill anyone who stands in the way of its total rule. Austin's ship explodes but he survives - just barely. What must he do to make sure that he doesn't become a target again? This is vintage Cussler which means action at its best. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: Tepid fish tale
Review: Clive Cussler's latest offering in his Kurt Austin adventure series certainly isn't one of his best. He seems to be having difficulty conjuring up exilirating plots with interesting new characters. As per usual the story begins with some historical occurrences which will have an impact later in the novel. These involve a Basque born sea captain sailing across the Atlantic in the 1500's and a German zeppelin making a secret trip to the North Pole in 1935. A collision between a Greenpeace type organization ship and a Danish cruiser off the Faroe Islands propel Kurt Austin and partner Joe Zavala onto the scene. They supervise an underwater rescue of sailors trapped in the capsized Danish ship. This puts them in the sights of Oceanus, a huge corporation involved in large scale fish farming based nearby. Oceanus is headed by Cussler's latest megalomaniac villain the brilliant and diabolical geneticist Dr. Frederick Barker. Barker is creating monstrously sized, ravenous and predatory types of fish to fulfill some warped plan. The corporation is protected by a criminally aberrant and violent Eskimo tribe called the Kiolyans who worship Dr. Barker. Austin and Zavala with aid from other members of the NUMA organization and a mysterious Spanish multi millionaire Balthazar Aguirrez must thwart the aspirations of the Oceanus corporation. Cussler in White Death makes little use of the many interesting characters extensively developed in previous novels such as head of NUMA, Admiral Sandecker, NUMA computer wiz, Hiram Yager and naval historian St. Julien Perlmutter. His latest bad guys and Austin love interest are rather transparent and frankly Austin is nowhere near as compelling as Dirk Pitt. I still read everything he writes but am becoming less and less satisfied with the experience.
Rating: 
Summary: This story was too much...
Review: Clive if you would have left out the Basques and the Germans then the balance of the story would have been enough. I would have loved to read about a huge corporation trying to corner the salmon market. You could have even fit in a murder or two and made it interesting. This fish story doesn't hold water with me...I gave it a two out of respect. This novel could have had the ridiculous title of James Bond and the Killer Salmon. It would have worked for the die hard James Bond fan. Not for me.
Rating:
Summary: Facing Down Death---Again!
Review: Greedy mega corporations bent on ruling the world and a love for the sea and adventure have long been hallmarks of Clive Cussler's large body of work. Whether his main character has been Dirk Pitt or more recently, Kurt Austin in a series of novels co written with Pail Kemprecos one always expects the same basic formula. The good guys are so very good while surviving multiple near death experiences that would kill any lesser man or woman. The bad guys are incredibly bad and driven by megalomania of a grand scale, which will ultimately play a large role in their complete and total destructive downfall. The read will be a good one and the good guys will win, saving the world once again. One does not read Clive Cussler for deep plots, complicated characters, or philosophical musings on life. Not to be taken seriously, one reads Cussler for the sheer thrill of adventure and he does not disappoint. A case in point is his most recent release, which opens as so many of the Kurt Austin novels do. A ship sinks taking people down with it and Kurt Austin leader of the NUMA ® Special Assignments Team must try to do everything he can to save them. In this case, Kurt and his friend and colleague Joe Zavala make the rescue using an untried submersible and soon perform another feat of heroic daring do. In the aftermath, it becomes clear that one of the ships involved in the incident was sabotaged by outside forces. Kurt begins to investigate and before long begins to feel hunted by a shadowy mega corporation led by a maniacal leader bent on taking over the world. To do so he will use genetic manipulation as well as anything else necessary to achieve an incredible power grab that would change the sea forever. Blending in the relics of the Basques, a German Zeppelin and the culture of various Inuit (commonly referred to incorrectly as Eskimo) tribes, the authors once again create another grand adventure where the bad guys get a fatal dose of their own medicine in the end. While no new ground is plowed in terms of character development there are not any nasty surprises either. Kurt is still loved by all the women of the world, hated and fearfully respected by his enemies, and calm and collected in the snarling face of danger. He easily compares to Stuart Wood's recent signature character of Stone Barrington, but he does not have as much money. Such is the life of a government employee. The other usual characters make brief appearances. Admiral Sandecker is rarely seen or mentioned at all in this novel, which is a change from previously books in this series. He has little to do until the very end as opposed to the Trouts, who are given plenty to do in a secondary story line, which eventually peters back into the main storyline where they become sideline players. Additionally, there is certain choppiness to the novel over the course of its more than 400 pages. In the past, the works flowed seamlessly and it was impossible to determine which part one of the authors write. That is not the case here where the sentence structure shifts from chapter to chapter and while one can't tell precisely who wrote what, one does get a sense who might be responsible. For what it is, this is another very enjoyable book. As in the others of this series, it is not filled with deep characters, or philosophical musings. Instead it is pure action and adventure and serves as a great break from all the serious pretentious literary stuff. In other words, it is fun and by all means, don't take it seriously.
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