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Trojan Odyssey

Trojan Odyssey

List Price: $27.95
Your Price: $17.61
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Dirk Pitt saves the world...again
Review: Dirk Pitt, special projects director of NUMA, is constantly running around the world, discovering spectacular shipwrecks, solving unusual riddles of the sea, and saving the unsuspecting people of the world from total devastation. He is the James Bond of North America, and like his British counterpart, the books about him are very lightweight, but fun to read. There's always an interesting reversal of world history or literature, this time being the "real" location of Troy, and the "true" route of Odysseus home. It's quite intriguing, and I actually found it fascinating, but it was a mere sideshow to the deadly menace of a group of latter-day female Celtic druids. The action is non-stop, and as long as you don't spend a lot of time thinking about the absurdities of the plot, you'll enjoy the book. Also, like Alfred Hitchcock in his movies, Mr. Cussler insists upon inserting himself in his books. I find it fun to wait for his appearance.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Cussler is Back on Track!!!
Review: Having read Golden Buddha recently (which I was very disappointed with), I wasn't sure I wanted to read Trojan Odyssey, so I let my father-in-law read it first. When he told me he thought it was Clive's best Dirk Pitt book yet, I was intrigued.

I began reading and was soon so entranced with it, I couldn't put it down. Every spare moment I had, I picked this up to continue reading. I have to say that Clive is truly back in form, his writing is superfluous, his research impeccable. He breathes life into every one of his characters, no matter how short a "life" they have. Although fiction, Clive has a knack for making the implausible possible.

The story begins with a hurricane of unheard magnitude that devastates the shores off Nicaragua and almost kills hundreds of people in a luxury floating hotel, not to mention Pitt's twin children, Summer and Dirk, who are conducting research in an underwater enclosure in the hurricane's path. And this is just the beginning. There are evil red-headed women to contend with, a link to the story Homer made famous in The Odyssey, the opposite of global warming (brrr) and a little bit of romance thrown in (but not too much for you diehard Dirk Pitt fans).

I have a soft spot for Night Probe, but Trojan Odyssey is easily the next best Dirk Pitt adventure yet. Thank you, Clive, for making up for the abysmal Golden Buddha. Dirk Pitt fans unite and buy this book!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A Very Slow Start
Review: Trojan Odyssey begins with a barebones recitation of the Iliad and the Odyssey, with minor variations on those familiar stories. Then, Dirk's twin adult children, marine engineer Dirk and marine biologist Summer (who both work for NUMA), find themselves in the pathway of a once-in-a-millennium hurricane after uncovering unexpected artifacts while searching for the cause of what is killing marine life. The same storm threatens a new semi-submersible luxury hotel, which is abandoned to its fate by its secretive billionaire owner. The book begins to get interesting when Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino appear from nowhere to attempt a rescue of the hotel. Later in the book Pitt and Giordino uncover a massive subterranean excavation project for an unknown purpose. Eventually, they discover a connection between all of these elements that has important implications for the world and Dirk's own children.

Mr. Cussler often gives us fascinating mysteries to think about that cause us to see the world differently. In Trojan Odyssey, he opens up new dimensions of how climate is influenced by the ocean and what ancient writings might mean. When the story finally takes fire in pursuing those mysteries around page 320, Trojan Odyssey becomes a typical Dirk Pitt adventure thriller. Until then, I found Trojan Odyssey to be the least satisfying Dirk Pitt book I have read by a wide margin.

Part of the problem seems to relate to adding Dirk and Summer as important new characters. However, Mr. Cussler makes poor use of them in the story. They just pursue activities that Dirk and Al would normally do . . . and do much better. So Dirk and Al just have two more people to get out of trouble. But any characters would have done for that purpose.

The book's ending suggests better things could be ahead, so I suggest giving Mr. Cussler one more chance after this book before abandoning what has been a fun action series for many years.

If you haven't read any other Dirk Pitt books, go back and read any of the earlier ones. They are all better than this one.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Best since Flood Tide
Review: As a long time Cussler fan I am disappointed to read so many unfavorable reviews. So I thought I would put my two cents in concerning Trojan Odyssey. I thought it was a vast improvement over Valhalla Rising. VR had some good parts, Ono Kanai was a good villian and the plane chase through New York city was amazing, too bad it wasn't in a better book. The plan at the end to blow up the World Trade Center with an LNG tanker was eery considering it came out before Sept 11. I will admit though, that Cussler has a cheesy streak in him that turns up once in a while; that combined with a tendancy to sink into maudlin melodrama, (which doesn't happen regularly in the other books), and my skepticism due to the Captain Nemo story idea started me off on the wrong foot. Though, having been slightly disappointed with Atlantis Found, I was further tainted by skepticism. I am sorry I started that way, because he tied up the story well, and I actually bought the Nemo idea, thanks to Julian Perlmutter. Also I will concede that Cussler's books are formulaic, and not always seemingly original at first scanning the book cover. But, what author doesn't resort to formula, the Grisham books atleast the first three are all very similiar. Boy the mob sure gets around. That aside, I was pleasantly suprised to be pulled in so easily to TO. Cussler's story was interesting, and kept me wondering. Technical details gotten wrong that might have been a glaring error to others didn't bother me. The edge Pitt had in his earlier books, which he had seemed to have lost in the last two incarnations returned. The end scene in congress, as however implausable it might be was just as audacious as anything I have read before in the series. Suffice it to say, the old Dirk was back, as ironically, a page is turning, and we see that the old adventures we have enjoyed all these years, are most likely coming to an end. If this is to be the last Dirk Pitt novel, Mr. Cussler has chosen a high point to end on. So there you go, my two cents. Oh one last thing: Good work Clive! Thanks for bringing back the Dirk we remember.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: What a disappointment...
Review: I've enjoyed Cussler for several years. I admire his work in marine archeology. But he's no longer on my buy vs library list after this one. The one saving grace for the book is it exposes the reader to Iman Wilkens' hypothesis about the location of Troy and the evolution of the Illiad and Odyssey. Beyond that the book is littered with factual errors a sixth grader would spot. The characterizations are the thinnest parody of the worst of the Bond Movies. The tempo is uneven. The dilemmas are so over drawn as to give melodrama a good name. The basic premise is the least plausible one to show up in one of his books. I read it through hoping it would improve, and it just got worse and worse.

At the very best this book is better than being trapped in an airport with absolutely nothing else to read...but only just.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: THE NEXT STEP--PREDICTABLE, BUT FUN
Review: O.K., so Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt novels are formulaic. We can even describe the formula: Begin with an ancient event, real or imaginary, such as the sacking of Troy. Fast forward to a few years from now (in this case, 2006). Invent a cataclysm that threatens to destroy human life in large numbers (in this case, a hurricane that threatens a floating resort). Bring in Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino to rescue equally large numbers of people. In the course of the cataclysm, make sure someone discovers clues to the ancient event. Throw in a menacing organization that is somehow connected to all of this. Have Pitt and his NUMA crew defeat the baddies, while also shining the light of truth on that ancient event. Voila! Another book.

It's all here. What makes Trojan Odyssey interesting is the other stuff. Pitt's heretofore unknown twin children, introduced at the end of Valhalla Rising, are now working for NUMA (surprise!). Pitt, Admiral Sandecker, and Al all make decisions that determine the future direction of the series (We knew that Dirk and Al were going to hand things off to young Dirk and Summer--it was just a question of how. The bigger surprise lies in Sandecker's decision). While those decisions are predictable, they are still satisfying. They also meet the first criterion for series novels--they set the stage for the next book.

Trojan Odyssey isn't the best book Cussler ever wrote, but it isn't the worst, either (that dubious honor goes to Dragon, an incredibly racist diatribe against Japanese economic power). It's a bridge book between Valhalla Rising and whatever's next as young Dirk and Summer take the places of their father and Al in Cussler's adventures. Is that enough to make us come back next year? Only if Dirk and Summer are fleshed out (telling us a LOT more about their upbringing would be a start) and Pitt and Sandecker are believable in their new roles.

As has been true with most of Cussler's Pitt books, Trojan Odyssey suffers from poor editing. Verb tense disagreements, dangling participles, and introductory clauses that don't agree with sentence subjects abound. These errors are so elementary that one wonders if a high school junior English student shouldn't do the next editing job. On the other hand, folks like me have turned NUMA into a money machine for Cussler and his publishers, so why should they bother?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Pitt Family Unites.
Review: Cussler has finally developed another interesting novel. While he continues to use a template to his writing that is consistent with every Dirk Pitt novel, the subplots were well developed and interesting.

The Celtic history and questioning Homer's Odessey were very entertaining.

Anyone who is a fan of Dirk Pitt is ready for his near death-defying feats. Cussler uses Dirk's introspective very well. I do believe that Dirk Jr. & Summer characters need to be much more developed.

If Cussler is ending the Dirk Pitt saga, I hope that he greatly improves his other series. The Golden Buddha was far from entertaining.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: TROJAN HORSE DOESN'T DELIVER.
Review: THOUGH MUCH BETTER THAN HIS "GOLDEN BUDDHA" WHICH I TORE UP IN DISGUST, CUSSLER SEEMS TO REWRITE THE SAME FORMULAIC STORY LINE, OVER AND OVER. THOUGH WE ENJOY READING ABOUT OUR ENIGMATIC HERO DIRK, IT TENDS TO GET OLD, FAST.
THE PART WITH THE HURRICANE WAS ENTERTAINING, IF A BIT SUSPICIOUS AS TO IT'S ORIGINS.
I JUST HOPE CUSSLER ISN'T PLANNING ON REPLACING DIRK SR. AND AL WITH SUMMER, AND DIRK JR. CAUSE THEY JUST DON'T HAVE THE FLAIR TO BE SUPERHEROES, AS WE AS READERS HAVE GROWN TO EXPECT OF DIRK PITT, AND AL GIORDANO.
OVERALL, THOUGH FAR FROM HIS BEST, NOT A BAD NOTE TO RETIRE ON.
THE BEST DIRK PITT NOVELS ARE;
1. INCA GOLD
2. FLOODTIDE
3. SHOCKWAVE
4. SAHARA
5. VALHALLA RISING

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Cussler, probably not
Review: Who wrote this trash? It seems like Mr. Cussler may have written the outline, and left the details to folk who have no clue.

The plot is obvious, the technical details absurd. Even the geographic details lack any realism. Go north fron Nicaragua and find Key West? Not on any map I've ever seen.

Maybe it's time for Mr. Cussler to retire along with Dirk. Either that or start writing the whole story again.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Yuck
Review: What a very disappointing wrap up to Dirk's career. I have never seen the NUMA crew be so incredibly dumbfounded by the clues that are so apparently staring them in the face. How many times can you say "Not Odyssey, again" after the reader has figured it out 50 pages ago. The whole Spectre debacle at the end was obvious from the first introduction of the amazonian women early in the book. The editing on this book was done with an obvious attempt to get the book to market instead of a concerted effort to make the book readable. The time warps are ridiculous. I have recently read the Buddha book and found it somewhat enjoyable. Then Cussler introduces the same supersecret propulsion system (or one very similar) into one of NUMA's vessels. Then a little later we have the fishing smack that has all the earmarks of a smaller Oregon with its fancy decor supposed to fool even the hardiest of fishermen. Then we have the special jetski deigned by NUMA to penetrate covertly into enemy territory. Why would NUMA make this machine. No reason except to have a new toy for Dirk and AL. The kids are ridiculous and serve no purpose in the story line. I hope we do not see them as the new Pitt Al duo.

What a shame to release this book. This was an obvious attempt to make some quick cash and it worked because all of us Pitt fans will read it even after reading these reviews. Shame on you Clive Cussler. GO back and read your own work some time and bring back the glory days of old. And to think I even named my cat Dirk Pitt.

Shame on you.


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