Rating: 
Summary: Dirk Pitt and Al Gordino in disguise
Review: It appears Clive Cussler has taken a boiler plate approach to writing his novels. He merely changed the names of his NUMA main characters.The writing was not up to the caliber of previous Dirk Pitt Novels. It appears Clive is just trying to cash in on prior accomplishments. The story lines have become extremely easy to forecast. I have read all of Cussler's novels. However, if they continue in this manner. I will no longer be interested in reading his new novels.
Rating: 
Summary: Kurt Austin's most entertaining adventure -- to date...
Review: It is impossible NOT to notice the overwhelming similarities between the characters of Kurt Austin & Joe Zavala and Dirk Pitt & Al Giordino. As I read the first installment ('Serpent') I couldn't help but think if you substituted the name Dirk with Kurt, and Al for Joe, well, you pretty much had your basic Dirk Pitt adventure. I must admit that it bugged me -- at FIRST. Instead of collecting classic cars, Kurt had classic firearms...and other than that, the differences were slim & none. Al and Joe are virtual clones, too. Both are strong, both love the ladies, and both can sleep at the drop of a hat in almost any possible situation. Did I enjoy running around with Kurt & Joe as much as I did with Dirk & Al? Well I must admit that for the most part, the answer was YES. 'Serpent' was a slam-bang introduction into the life of our newest NUMA hero. While 'Blue Gold' wasn't as all-out entertaining, I have to say that 'Fire Ice' has been Cussler's best bet since 'Atlantis Found' (for ME anyway). This adventure reads like something out of the Cold War ala Robert Ludlum, with an adventure twist that only Cussler could serve up. Russia is on the verge of collapse (actually I can't remember when they weren't...) and a wealthy Russian bad guy who claims royal ancestry with the tsars is poised to make the biggest coup since the Bolsheviks de-throned the original royal family back in the early part of the previous century. There seems to be only one thing standing in his way: The United States. He knows that a takeover of this magnitude can't possibly be ignored by the world's foremost superpower. So he arranges a few surprises in the form of the title of the book, 'Fire Ice'. Unstable pockets of explosive gas trapped in bedrock all over the globe under the seas and oceans. Just a simple trigger of this amazingly powerful stuff can cause waves of incredible force to slam into the coast of America -- giving our Russian bad guy just the sort of diversion he needs to keep
his plans of taking over his country in motion. Along the way we meet Kurt's Russian rival (from the Cold War) who turns out to be a great friend in the fight against the self proclaimed New Tsar of Russia. The pace is frenetic (as you have come to expect from ANY Cussler novel) and while nothing seems to come as a complete surprise, I lapped up this adventure eager to find out how it all tied together in the end. Either Cussler has a great deal of input in the storytelling of these Kurt Austin stories, or Paul Kemprecos has mastered the art of imitating Cussler's style. Without question I felt that 'Fire Ice' is an above-average adventure tale, and better than several
Dirk Pitt stories. Again, this is just MY opinion. I have never been disappointed with Clive's novels, and he seems to be keenly aware that in order to continue his fan base, he must write adventures based upon his tried-and-true formula which he has perfected over the years. A formula which WORKS, I might add. Simply put, I loved this story and very much look forward to many stories to come in the world of Kurt Austin as well as Dirk Pitt. Cussler truly IS a gifted storyteller, and I believe 'Ice Fire' helps to prove it.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoy the experience
Review: Kurt Austin, head of the National Underwater Marine Agency's Special Assignments Team, returns in the third book of Clive Cussler and Paul Kemprecos popular series. Austin is taking a working vacation at the Black Sea after his previous adventure in BLUE GOLD. While taking a test flight on an experimental plane he sees a television crew about to be attacked by a group of Cossacks. Doing his best Mighty Mouse impersonation he goes and saves the day. He will later learn what this attack had to do with a stolen American submarine and a tsunami that destroyed part of a small Maine town. NUMA will once again try to save the planet by having Austin team up with a former Russian enemy in trying to prevent a Russian mining magnate from creating a catastrophic terrorist act. This book is a pleasure to read because the author brings back everything that is familiar to his fans. The authors make good use of well-known supporting characters from Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt series. They include everyone from NUMA chief Admiral Sandecker all the way to computer expert Hiram Yaeger. There is a lot of action and humor throughout the novel and at times it can be educational. If you are not familiar with how tsunamis are formed you will be by the time you finish this book. The villain in this work is stereotypical and one wishes that there were more character development in the story. The ending to this novel seems a lit bland after everything that happens here. The book can be entertaining if you do not over think it. Sit back and enjoy the reading experience.
Rating:
Summary: Less than Cussler.
Review: Literary commercialism. I guess, from a pure business point-of-view, commercialism IS the name of the game but that can really leave the reader in an undefined abyss at times. To better define where I'm heading, I fully believe the new impetus relative to second author "contributors" is nothing more than a methodology to put books on the shelf. If Paul Kemprecos can write the meat of a novel and Mr. Cussler can edit the manuscript through cursory review, a publisher has the formula for "best efforts" relative to gross sales. Unfortunately, this formula does not always yield the "best" results for the reader. FIRE ICE is the latest offering from Cussler and Kemprecos and, as is wonderfully expected, centers itself around the latest NUMA adventure. Like VALHALLA RISING (a book I enjoyed immensely), Cussler brings the reader to a different time and place at the beginning of the book, setting the tone for the main theme. The introduction of FIRE ICE begins in Russia in 1918 with the sinking of a rusty merchant ship, the Odessa Star. The reader is then 'transported' to current day, off the Maine coast, fishing with Dr. Leroy Jenkins. Dr. Jenkins, a retired oceanography college professor, feels a shift in the ocean waters suddenly reminding of him of a not so pleasant memory, in another time and place. True to professorial form, he notifies the sheriff of his hometown to evacuate the coastline. What does Dr. Jenkins suspect? A tsunami. Why and what causes it is the darkly-veiled mystery. As the story unfolds, our resident villian comes to the reader in the form of Mikhail Razov. Razov, like the archetypal filthy rich megalomaniac, believes himself to be a direct descendent of the Romanovs. Like the czar, Razov's personal advisor is a mad monk aptly named Boris who, conveniently enough, is an indirect descendent of the infamous mad monk, Rasputin. Our villan has devised a scheme to instigate numerous tsunamis by tapping into the ocean's natural methane hydrates, or Fire Ice. The reason? To shift the planet's climate base and accelerate global warming in an effort to tap into the untold resources in Siberia. The rub? It would turn most of the United States into a vast wasteland. Our hero for this Cussler iteration is Kurt Austin, a bit less outspoken than Dirk Pitt but nonetheless heroic and dashing. Austin and his Special Assignments team must determine the source of this diabolical plan and, with the assistance of his team and another very unlikely character, foil it lest the U.S. perish. Returning characters to the Austin genre include the lovable Joe Zavala, the Trouts, Adm. Sandecker, Rudi Gunn and Hyram Yeager (Max, as always, is 'with' Yeager!). Like the latest collaboration by Robert Ludlum (The Paris Option), FIRE ICE just does not have the same edge expected from Clive Cussler, which leads to one of two conclusions: 1) Cussler is losing his touch or 2) Kemprecos is the writer. I lean toward 2) as I don't think Cussler is considering retirement nor do I believe he's finished enthralling us with NUMA tales nor can I fathom that he's losing his touch. Like most of Cussler's books, FIRE ICE provides the reader with the requisite tutorial in an area of oceanic science and history unlike any other fiction offering. Frankly, from this standpoint alone, learning from a book of fiction what can be considered as extremely boring classroom discussions is something of an unexpected treat. However, this is not the reason a typical reader picks up the latest Cussler thriller. In the end, this is a decent book with some sharp edges but without the typical Cussler brio. Perhaps I'm expecting too much when I see Cussler's name on a "soon-to-be-released" list but still, isn't that one of the reasons we read?
Rating:
Summary: Fairly Good Escapist Literature
Review: Mikhail Razov is a Russian billionaire who claims descent from the Grand Duchess Maria, daughter of the last Russian czar. Razov now seeks to reclaim the Russian throne. His strategy includes the use of underwater earthquakes, tsunamis and a massive release of methane to trigger large-scale global warming. The latter will destroy much of the United States and make Siberia the breadbasket of the world. Razov also wants to locate the original crown of Ivan The Terrible which was reported to be on board the Odessa Star when it sank in the Black Sea in 1918. The Grand Duchess Maria survived the sinking of the Odessa Star.
Pitted against Razov are Kurt Austin of the National Underwater & Marine Agency and his old KGB rival Viktor Petrov. Petrov is still working for the Russian government.
FIRE ICE reminds me in some ways of a Tom Clancy story. It is loaded with technological descriptions and explanations. This will be a big plus for many readers. My main criticism is that the book's characters lack depth. In addition, the plot is based on bizarre and incredible possibilities reminiscent of a James Bond novel. In spite of these shortcomings I consider FIRE ICE to be fairly good escapist reading - particularly if the reader has an interest in high tech gadgets.
Rating:
Summary: Not the best Kurt Austin story but still ok
Review: Not my most favorite Clive Cussler book. I listened to the abridged audio version and didn't think it flowed as well as it could have. I thought things were a bit to choppy. In this story you are given a possible link to the last days of the Czar's of Russia and the Kazaks that protected them. Along comes the modern day Russian who wants to relive the rule of the Czar's and sees himself as the one to make it happen. How does this involve NUMA? Well as usual the story entangles a disappearing submarine, some underwater caverns and a fuel source from the ocean (Fire Ice) which can be more powerful than all other fuels we know if harvested correctly, it could also cause the east coast of the US to be under water after a title wave hits if it is done wrong. A lot of your familiar characters are in this one though I do miss Dirk. But I do like Kurt Austin. If you are a Cussler fan I recommend this one thought it is not one of his best.
Rating:
Summary: Not the best Kurt Austin story but still ok
Review: Not my most favorite Clive Cussler book. I listened to the abridged audio version and didn't think it flowed as well as it could have. I thought things were a bit to choppy. In this story you are given a possible link to the last days of the Czar's of Russia and the Kazaks that protected them. Along comes the modern day Russian who wants to relive the rule of the Czar's and sees himself as the one to make it happen. How does this involve NUMA? Well as usual the story entangles a disappearing submarine, some underwater caverns and a fuel source from the ocean (Fire Ice) which can be more powerful than all other fuels we know if harvested correctly, it could also cause the east coast of the US to be under water after a title wave hits if it is done wrong. A lot of your familiar characters are in this one though I do miss Dirk. But I do like Kurt Austin. If you are a Cussler fan I recommend this one thought it is not one of his best.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not great
Review: One would hope for better from Cussler. The writing was stiff, almost formula. I was pretty disturbed at the way the authors treated women (yes, I know the character Gamay has been in other books, and she is treated as a brain, not a woman). But look at the relationship between Austin and Kaela... her character is only sketched in, and the interaction between them is purely sexual. I hope Cussler gets a clue - lotsa of women read your books - and would like to see women treated as human, heroes, with emotions and brains, and as sexual beings.
Rating:
Summary: Fire Ice-Sometimes Hot and Sometimes Cold
Review: Probably the best of the Kurt Austin series, with enough action, and adventure to keep the reader interested. Classic Cussler, with plenty of Swashbuckling adventure, rescuing damsels in distress, and all, but what can I say? I'm a Dirk Pitt fan. In Dirk Pitt, Cussler created a character us older readers could identify with; suave, debonaire, lady's man we wish we all were. Unfortunately Kurt Austin, Cussler's new main character lacks two of the traits that made Pitt so enjoyable to read about-his sense of humor, and pazazz. I'm not asking Cussler to create a clone of his Dirk Pitt character, but I wish he'd put a little more time into creating a likable personality for his new hero. Still, all in all, Cussler being my favorite author on the market-(he lives the adventures he writes about, minus the James Bond exploits, of course!) I will definitely read future Cussler novels.
Rating:
Summary: Can't go wrong with Cussler
Review: See storyline above. Kurt Austin returns for another adventure that's sure to keep you pumped till the last page. When Cussler teams with Kemprecos, you get the Dirk Pitt clone known as Kurt Austin. An original character on his own but still as tough as they come. This time around Austin and his regular partners-including Joe Zavala-- must stop a Russian mad man, who claims to be a Romanov descendent, from destroying the United States and becoming the new Tsar of Russia.
I am never disappointed with a Clive Cussler novel. The entertainment value is unbeatable. The subjects he writes about are well researched, as are the locales (Black Sea, Istanbul). Even though the good guys always miraculously win, it's still darn good storytelling. Highly recommended.
| 
