Rating: 
Summary: Fire Ice
Review: Fire Ice by Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos is action packed entertainment with adventure and intrigue. Clive Cussler is a name that you CAN count on if you want this type of read. This is a novel written with a Romanov mystery and sea adventure with a real notoriously volatile and unstable compound known as fire ice aka methane hydrate. Yes, it is real and is mainly found off the Eastern shore of the United States as a compressed form of methane mixed with ice under extreme pressure and cold. Extreme pressure via the sediment of rock and the weight of the water and cold by the depth of the location under the water.Now, combine these with the Cussler's ability to write a good story and you have excitement that will keep you riveted to the pages till you finish. Cussler is noted for his hero Dirk Pitt, but in this novel we have a more subdued hero Kurt Austin. Austin is as resourceful as Pitt and works for the same government entity, NUMA, with all of the same office people Admiril Sandecker, Hiran Yaeger and his supercomputer the lovely MAX, St. Julian Perlmutter and Rudi Gunn. Austin has his team with Joe Zavala and the Trouts, Gamay and Paul. Of course there is and old adversary turned friend Ivan. Tsunamis, Cossacks, Russians, The Black Sea, Romanov treasure, submarines, oceanographic technology, and the fate of the world as we know it are all in play. A corporate megalomaniac thrown in the mix set to take over Russia with a Rasputin like mad monk. Now, your getting the picture. You won't be disappointed reading this novel. There is great character development along with an interestingly intriguing story that will keep well entertained. Always...
Rating:
Summary: Fire Ice a compelling read.
Review: Fire Ice the third in a developing series of fiction from the NUMA files is without question the best yet. As with the others there is a historic link to the plot that takes the reader a little while to connect the current plotline to. But that in my opinion is the best part of this well paced, thought provoking novel. An excellent vacation read.
Rating: 
Summary: 4 1/2 starts - an enjoyable summer read
Review: Fire Ice, the third installment in the series, is a classic Cussler story of good versus evil. The story pits Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala against a group seeking to create political turmoil and unrest in Russia with a return of the Tsar. The novel is filled with all of the action, suspense, and frequent plot twists that have become Cussler's trademark. Like Serpent and Blue Gold, Fire Ice provides a broader character set from NUMA than the typical Dirk Pitt novel, with each character's personality adding to the depth and breadth of the story. Although Austin and Zavala are at the center of the action, Austin has more of the top billing than in the previous two books. The ongoing inclusion of crossover characters from the Pitt novels (i.e. Admiral Sandecker, Hiram Yeager) also adds substance. All-in-all, the faithful followers of Clive Cussler will find Fire Ice to be an enjoyable summer read.
Rating: 
Summary: No, no, no, no.....
Review: First, I have to admit that I've been a Clive Cussler/Dirk Pitt junkie from the time my grandmother bought me a copy of Raise the Titanic back in 1978. I still have the origonal, well-worn paperback sitting on my shelf. I've read all his work and even began to buy the hardcovers in first edition as soon as I got out of college and could afford them. To me, Cyclops was the pinnacle, but I still keep buying, hoping that ole Dirk can get close to the heights reached in that book. I even could live with the "Dirk meets Clive" bits. After Fire Ice, I can honestly say that I believe Mr. Cussler has lost one of his biggest fans. The book was slow, plodding, and generally unexiting. I'd have to say it was the worst book purchase I've ever made. I really have a feeling that Paul Kemprecos is more than just a "contributor." I have a feeling that like Tom Clancy's Op Center, etc, that he is writing for Cussler. I could be wrong, but that's what I think. This is a huge disappointment, as the Kurt Austin books have been quite terrible. Please, please, please bring back Dirk Pitt. And please start writing on your own again.
Rating:
Summary: This can't be the work of Mr Cussler
Review: How sad, Clive Cussler is my all time favourite author. I have always found his books pure escapism and as my wife calls them "Big boys Hardy Boys" I have read all his works and I must say this is the first one I have closed without even finishing it. I just hope it was Paul Kemprecos and Clive Cussler(Contributor) and not as published on the cover. I hope I have not lost my all time favourite author.
I look forward to his next book....
Howard
Rating:
Summary: Might have a great plot, If Clive ever arrives at it.
Review: I feel that that great author , Clive Cussler has lost his way. I am now up to page 100 and am still looking for a plot. Along the way I have found this book plagued with excess adjectives, adverbs and side issues. I will continue doggedly to find a plot, but I am getting very weary of Kaela and Ivan who really don't contribute much. I suggest if you want to add to your Clive Cussler collection that you buy this used and try it out. I still recommend C.C. , but he is on probation!
Rating:
Summary: His best with Kemprecos
Review: I have read every novel that Clive Cussler has written and thoroughly enjoy his writing style. All of his novels have been an `escape from reality' for me. Yet, I must admit that all of his published work is not of equal quality. Or perhaps a better way of articulating it, all of them are not equal in the quality of "escapism." For example, I have read the other two novels that Cussler has co-written with Kemprecos. These include BLUE GOLD and SERPENT. They were OK, but they were not able to achieve the quality of Cussler's other novels. For example, I don't think that BLUE GOLD and SERPENT were nearly as well written as VALHALLA RISING and ATLANTIS FOUND. However, I think FIRE ICE is a great improvement and has that `escape from reality' quality that I found in VALHALLA RISING and ATLANTIS FOUND. To be more precise while reading FIRE ICE, I felt like I was watching a movie rather than reading a book. When a book takes me away to a different place, it is a grand experience and my favorite type of reading. I don't know what writing skills enable an author to accomplish this task, but feel sure that it has something to do with the disposition of the reader. For example, Cussler and Kemprecos are able to make a highly implausible plot a plausible plot. When this happens, I am locked into the novel and will not be able to put it down. ICE FIRE and most all of Cussler's novels have this important quality - the implausible becomes plausible. The bottom line is FIRE ICE has a quality far superior to BLUE OLD and SERPENT. Let me know if you agree with me.
Rating:
Summary: His best with Kemprecos
Review: I have read every novel that Clive Cussler has written and thoroughly enjoy his writing style. All of his novels have been an 'escape from reality' for me. Yet, I must admit that all of his published work is not of equal quality. Or perhaps a better way of articulating it, all of them are not equal in the quality of "escapism." For example, I have read the other two novels that Cussler has co-written with Kemprecos. These include BLUE GOLD and SERPENT. They were OK, but they were not able to achieve the quality of Cussler's other novels. For example, I don't think that BLUE GOLD and SERPENT were nearly as well written as VALHALLA RISING and ATLANTIS FOUND. However, I think FIRE ICE is a great improvement and has that 'escape from reality' quality that I found in VALHALLA RISING and ATLANTIS FOUND. To be more precise while reading FIRE ICE, I felt like I was watching a movie rather than reading a book. When a book takes me away to a different place, it is a grand experience and my favorite type of reading. I don't know what writing skills enable an author to accomplish this task, but feel sure that it has something to do with the disposition of the reader. For example, Cussler and Kemprecos are able to make a highly implausible plot a plausible plot. When this happens, I am locked into the novel and will not be able to put it down. ICE FIRE and most all of Cussler's novels have this important quality - the implausible becomes plausible. The bottom line is FIRE ICE has a quality far superior to BLUE OLD and SERPENT. Let me know if you agree with me.
Rating: 
Summary: EH
Review: I listened to the unabridged audio edition, read by crisp-voiced Scott Brick. He did a decent job of acting out the characters, though his accents sometimes lapsed.
There's a lot of threads winding through this book, and though the writing was sometimes predictable and repetitive (every time someone dials a phone, they "punch out a number" and every time someone thinks, they tent their fingers, etc.), I found myself caught up in the story, absurd though it became at times.
There was a good helping of suspense though I was never on the edge of my seat. I often found the plentiful action sequences hard to follow (remember this was an audiobook; I couldn't easily flip pages), but I got the gist.
I did think the story itself was intriguing, and it seemed to be based on some real history and real science that I wouldn't mind reading more about. The facts about methane hydrate, the Black Sea, the Russian history-all that was the best part of the book.
But it was as if the author had picked up interesting tidbits here and there and when he'd gathered enough, he assembled them into a story, using whatever silliness he needed to string them together.
The preposterous factor ran off the chart when a computer genius has a computer that can not only converse with him, but actually flirts with him. How stupid. Another short sequence in a Russian disco (said to be modeled after "Club 54" in NY; oops! I think he meant Studio 54?) is utter nonsense. And the battle in Boston Harbor is pathetic. A gun battle between power boats and Old Ironsides in Boston Harbor? Where they're nearby a major media event, and not one other boat gets involved? No Coast Guard, no Navy, no police? Okaaay.
And don't look for a lot of characterization. People are mere one-dimensional cutouts, propped in place to propel the plot. There is zero emotional depth. Like many action stories, Fire Ice is a fast trip to nowhere.
Rating:
Summary: bad real bad ...
Review: I was surprised and pleased to see this book out, so I quickly bought it and raced home to read it. Now I wished I had that time spent reading it back! This is one of the least developed stories I have ever read. Mr. C has run out of gas, this is nothing but a Pitt novel with the names changed, and not a good one at that.
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