Rating: 
Summary: Long live the new Tsar!
Review: "Fire ice", scientifically known as methane hydrate is the focal point for the latest plot to dominate the world. Large deposits located off the undersea continental shelves are thought to be the abundant next new energy source. Ataman Industries a huge mega corporation involved in oceanic mining is a leader harvester of this new energy source. Ataman is headed by ruthless, and fabulously wealthy Russian ex-mobster Mikhail Razov, the latest megalomaniacal nemesis of NUMA.The story starts off inimitable Cussler fashion with a tale from the past. A mission, in 1918 to rescue the Tsarina and her four daughters from the Bolsheviks has failed. A rusted old freighter carrying them across the Black Sea to Constantinople has been sunk killing all but one aboard and submerging the priceless regalia of royal riches. One daughter was thought to have
survived. A series of three seemingly unrelated incidents mobilizes Kurt Austin, leader of NUMA's Special Assignments Team to investigate.
A secret Soviet submarine base guarded apparently by fur capped, black booted Cossacks is discovered on the shores of the Black Sea. A U.S. submarine used for underwater salvage and its crew are hijacked. The town of Rocky Point, Maine is partially devastated by a tsunami of unknown origin. Only the quick thinking of retired oceanographic professor Leroy Jenkins, who while asea detected the oceanic surge that resulted in the tidal wave, and radioed ashore averted more major disaster. Austin assembling his team including sidekick, Joe Zavala and under the supervision of red bearded martinet and head of NUMA Admiral James Sandecker, start investigating Ataman Industries. They learn that the powerful magnate Razov, whose Cossack roots have been nurtured by the belief that he is descended from the royal Russian family, yearns for a return to old ways of tsarism.
Bolstered by his advisor a mad, lecherous, Rasputin-like monk Boris and using his vast resources he hatches a plot to set himself up as the supreme ruler of the politically fractionalized Russian empire. Austin and his team learn of his scheme and with help of his ex- KGB counterpart Viktor Petrov attempt to thwart Razov and his cronies. What starts off as a cleverly conceived plot with fascinating scientific background fizzles into a moronically sophomoric conclusion. It was as if Cussler's (or was it Kemprecos) creative flow was extinguished and he hurriedly terminated the story with an implausible and unsatisfying ending.
Rating: 
Summary: Hot & Cold
Review: A wealthy criminal plans to take over Russia. He must demonstrate his ancestry with Czar Nicholas. He also must distract the United States with a major underwater disaster. Only one man - Kurt Austin and his NUMA team can stop them. Clive Cussler -- best-selling author of the Dirk Pitt - NUMA series, and Paul Kemprecos -- oceanographer and past Cussler contributor, developed a hot tale with only a few cold spots. 'Fire Ice' is a great mix of history, technology and adventure. Kurt Austin is an ingenious hero with a courageous and cocky swagger. He is surrounded by well-rounded characters, like Vladimir Petrov -- a former KGM foe turned ally of Austin. The villains for the most part are pretty diabolical with enough evil to drive the plot. Kemprecos' contributions are evident with enough technology to sale an outrageous story line into credible waters. One particular battle scene between "Old Ironsides' versus machine gun toting villains in Boston Harbor illustrates the skill Cussler and Kemprecos deliver in weaving a far fetched idea into a semi-plausible sub-plot. This does not work throughout the book. The key villains, so skilled at the outset, transform from smart Cossacks to Keystone Cops toward the end. A more balanced battle would have heightened the overall satisfaction. Regardless of a few holes in the hull, 'Fire Ice' is a hearty tale that is worth a look. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: This is Cussler?
Review: Are we sure Fire Ice was written by Cussler? I've been fascinated by his imagination since I read Raise the Titanic years ago, and I've read a number of his books since. First, it is too much a reworking of other novels and too little an adventure based on historical possibilities. Second, it appears to be written with Hollywood, not readers, in mind; one can almost read the script's instructions between the lines and the director's voice in the background. Too bad. It really was an idea with possibilities.
Rating: 
Summary: Clive Cussler can do better.
Review: As much as I have tried I cannot say that I have enjoyed this novel. Fire Ice is shallow and boring which is totally uncharacteristic of most of his previous novels at least the ones I have read. The authors seemed to be following a formula but without the usual believable plot. What a stretch!
I hope for more the next time.
Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: Clive Cussler had run the Dirk Pitt series into a mindless and boring rut, so when his new NUMA files spin-off series appeared it was a welcome change. It was nice to see him give one of his books more than a minute of his attention. Blue Gold was even exciting, like the old Cussler. However, he seems to have run out of steam again. Fire Ice reads just like any other recent Dirk Pitt novel. I wouldn't even care so much that its totally implausible if it was entertaining. But chapter after chapter of what I guess is supposed to be character development...didn't realize there could be so many different characters that I don't care about. Where is the action? If you want mindless excitement, you'll have to check out newer authors like Matt Reilly because Cussler is asleep.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Progression
Review: Clive Cussler has done what some other accomplished writers have tried and failed to do. He started a new series that he co-authors, he has kept the quality of the reading very near that of his own books, and now they have gone from a paperback format to hardcover. The last step is a major one and speaks very well of the care this new series was created with. Other authors have tried the same diversification and they are not worth the soft cover format they were introduced with, and will never see the more expensive binding. The central organization is the same; specifically NUMA, but the central character and the events he is involved in are stepped down from the more outrageous elements that sometimes turn a Dirk Pitt adventure into something akin to Indiana Jones. The famous bathtub escape comes to mind. The Pitt adventures have become classic in the genre and they make for great reading, they also have had occasion to go over the top at times. Kurt Austin is Dirk Pitt on a smaller scale. Austin collects antique dueling pistols while Dirk accumulates World War Two German Jets, railroad cars, and fantastically rare cars. The idea of introducing a Romanov theme into a story is a gutsy decision for it has been used countless times, and in the majority of uses has become an overused cliché. Cussler and Paul Kemprecos handle the idea well, and while it is still a bit fantastic it does not cross the line in to storytelling that really is a pretty wild stretch to suspend disbelief. I don't know the science of the Methane (Fire Ice), but again it strikes me as being credible. These books almost seem to take their cue from some of the countless ships that Mr. Cussler has located in real life, and which history will always owe him a debt. This story has a tragic event, but unlike many of the Pitt series the results are far less dramatic and flamboyant. Austin certainly enjoys the beautiful woman that NUMA scientists seem to have a knack for finding wherever they go, but again it is toned down quite a bit. Whether on his own or in collaboration with another author, if a book has Cussler's name on it you invariable get your money's worth. He is a great teller of tales, and knowledgeable of history, a combination that guaranties good books. This is really escapist fiction at its best. And for those who enjoy the non fiction work of Cussler and his search for old ships there is a second installment of that book on the way as well.
Rating:
Summary: Another great Cussler novel
Review: Clive Cussler is an established author with a proven formula of success in his books. I love the way he takes a historical event, puts a twist on it and then works it into his story. I feel that this particular aspect adds a dash of credibility to his fantastic adventures. The book starts out in Odessa Russia when the Czars family is fleeing persecution from the Bolsheviks. Supposedly the family perishes in a ship while escaping through the Black Sea, but one of the girls survives and leaves the possibility for descendants. The villain of this adventure is a mining tycoon named Mikhail Razov who claims to be descended from the Romanovs. Razov hopes to claim world dominance by creating a series of tsunamis using an unstable methane hydrate compound called fire ice that would wipe out the United States coastlines. This action would weaken Russia's main opponent and leave him free to claim leadership of the Soviet Union and dictate world economic policy. In actuality, I found Razov to be a weak and boring character. His sidekick Boris actually made a better and more interesting villain. It was later revealed that Boris might have been descended from Rasputin himself so I think he would have made a much better antagonist. Kurt Austin proves to be the same womanizing adventurer on the same caliber as Dirk Pitt. The two are very interchangeable. In this adventure, Kurt works in conjunction with one of his cold war enemies by the name of Viktor Petrov. Since the cold war has thawed out, Petrov is now very cooperative and has a new attitude toward the United States. They make a good team and their competitive relationship makes this novel more interesting. Kurt Austin also has a cast of supporting characters such as Joe Zavala, Paul Trout and Gamay. I felt that these characters needed to be developed a little more, their personalities need to be a little more distinctive and unique. Luckily Clive Cussler had a sprinkling of old familiar characters such as Admiral Sandecker, Rudi Gunn, Hiram Yaeger and Julian Perlmutter that strengthened the story. The adventure in Fire Ice is as exciting as you would find in any Clive Cussler novel. I particularly liked the way he included the USS Constitution in a firefight exchange with the bad guys. The one thing that you notice right away is that Cussler did not make his usual cameo appearance in the novel. I thought that the officer on board the Constitution named Josh Slade would have provided Cussler with a good opportunity to write himself in but that does not happen in this book. I was disappointed when I first heard that Clive Cussler had written new novels that starred a different hero by the name of Kurt Austin. I didn't even bother to read "Serpent" or "Blue Gold" but when I saw "Fire Ice" at the bookstore I decided to break down and give it a try. I'll have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Now I'm going to go back and find the other two Kurt Austin novels to see if they are just as good.
Rating:
Summary: Sinking Fast
Review: Clive Cussler is, by far, my favorite author. I have enjoyed his books immensely over the years, since I was in elementary school. This book, however, can't be Cussler's. It just has his name on it and a few of his characters. Paul Kemprecos, teamed with Cussler, did well in "Serpent" and "Blue Gold," novels I truly enjoyed while waiting for the latest Pitt novel. But "Fire Ice" is so poor and obviously un-Cussler that I don't even know what to do with it. For the first time ever, I've stopped reading in the middle of a "Cussler" novel and put it down. I have yet to pick it back up, and it's been several months. It's much along the lines of the Tom Clancy Op-Center series - books with Clancy's name on them but with none of his style or skill. The same goes for the latest NUMA Files work. I can only hope that "Fire Ice" won't rub off on the next Dirk Pitt installment.......
Rating:
Summary: Kurt Austin and the giant fart...
Review: Clive Cussler must have been watching the Discovery Channel on cable television and came up with a new idea for a story. Originally aired in 2000, this cable show presented a documentary on the cataclysmic effects of an undersea earthquake off the eastern seaboard of the United States. Interviewees theorized what would happen to the coast should such a natural disaster occur, citing historical proof of similar events several millennia in the past. But if Kurt Austin were involved in such a theory, we all know that this natural disaster would be the result of a corrupt mastermind bent on some evil ploy that will allow him to control the world in some way. What if Cussler invented huge deposits of methane gas strategically-placed just below the seafloor? Evil, corrupt mastermind could plot to detonate this ready source of destruction! He'll never get away with it! Why? Because Kurt Austin is here! Cussler comes up with another fun story that makes we engineers chuckle. His concoctions of scientific theory toy with our educated backgrounds, but to criticize the basis for his adventures would destroy the fun of the story. Get past all the obvious nonsense and enjoy the ride, all you fellow enginerds.
Rating:
Summary: Kurt Austin and the giant fart...
Review: Clive Cussler must have been watching the Discovery Channel on cable television and came up with a new idea for a story. Originally aired in 2000, this cable show presented a documentary on the cataclysmic effects of an undersea earthquake off the eastern seaboard of the United States. Interviewees theorized what would happen to the coast should such a natural disaster occur, citing historical proof of similar events several millennia in the past. But if Kurt Austin were involved in such a theory, we all know that this natural disaster would be the result of a corrupt mastermind bent on some evil ploy that will allow him to control the world in some way. What if Cussler invented huge deposits of methane gas strategically-placed just below the seafloor? Evil, corrupt mastermind could plot to detonate this ready source of destruction! He'll never get away with it! Why? Because Kurt Austin is here! Cussler comes up with another fun story that makes we engineers chuckle. His concoctions of scientific theory toy with our educated backgrounds, but to criticize the basis for his adventures would destroy the fun of the story. Get past all the obvious nonsense and enjoy the ride, all you fellow enginerds.
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