Rating: 
Summary: Our Human Timex strikes again!
Review: Talk about takes a licking, but keeps on ticking! As always, Dirk Pitt to the rescue (was there ever a doubt?) At least now we know who Superman's real role model is! I found the book to be impossible to put down - 'course I feel that way about all of Clive Cussler's novels. He has the same ability as Zane Grey to paint a picture with words - he just does it a lot quicker. "Flood Tide" is not the most complicated plot Mr. Cussler has ever created, and I missed having Loren present, but the past was skillfully married with the future, as in all of his books, and the bad guys definitely got what they had coming to them, some more-so than others. The worst thing is, the story ended all to quickly, and now the agonizing wait for the next book to be published begins! [Personal note to Mr. Cussler - PLEASE WRITE FASTER!!!]
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Summary: Dirk Pitt Ad Nauseum
Review: Maybe I'm getting jaded. I used to like these novels back some time ago, with the silly preposterous chases and the historical settings and artifacts. You get everything from a battleship turned into a monument turning its guns on the capital to the ghost of a WW1 flying ace strafing a U.S. Air Force base and getting revenge. I mean everything. The main character is a cross between Jacques Cousteau and Indiana Jones, except he has more sex appeal than James Bond. Everything's always very lurid, with the hero (Dirk Pitt) getting horribly upset and desiring revenge at the expense of the villain.The plot doesn't make much sense, or really matter that much. In this instance, Pitt's vacationing at a lake in Oregon when a billionaire Chinese lunatic tries to use the lake as a dumping ground for useless illegal Chinese immigrants (I kid you not) and of course Pitt rescues them. It turns out that the government wants Pitt and his team to explore the billionaire's operations (by one of Cussler's patented preposterous coincidences) and so off we go. There are many adventurous things in this book, chases involving boats, cars, submarines, ultralight gliders, and so forth. Gunfire and sex abound (though the sex is tastefully done, I will say that) and the humor is kind of lame. If you're into this sort of thing I suppose this was fun. Somehow, I think I've reached my threshhold of disbelief.
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Summary: Dirk Pitt versus the Super-Evil-Greedy Chinese Monster...
Review: A ship carrying priceless Chinese art treasures sinks in a storm in 1948. Decades later, locating this lost ship becomes one of the goals of a super-rich, greedy Chinaman. In walks the infallible super wonder, Dirk Pitt. He just happens upon one of the many dastardly deeds that super greedy evil Chinaman is doing in efforts to amass his immeasurable fortune: the smuggling and enslavement of Chinese immigrants to America. Pitt saves the day by fouling and exposing his smuggling operation and beating the rich, evil scumbag to the location of the lost ship. Dear reader will recognize a predictably formulaic Cussler story, but nonetheless enjoy it, as he has all his other creations. They are a consistent source of non-stop action and adventure! There is never a straight line of chaos in a Cussler story. There always seems to be a multitude of misdeeds going on all at once. Flood Tide remains consistent, since Dirk Pitt manages to play a hand in the corruption of all these dirty deeds and save the day. It is quite an enjoyable story.
Rating:
Summary: "Not the best Pitt book, but still enjoyable"
Review: Cussler comes up with an interesting scheme involving a Chinese shipping king's illegal immigrant smuggling operation and a plan to foul up the Mississippi River. Some good action, especially with the chase on Orion Lake and the battle between a suped up intelligence gathering ship and a Chinese frigate. As usual, Dirk Pitt is Mr. TCOB, Inc. But I thought the characters could have been handled a little better. I also did not hate the main villian, Qin Shang, like I did many other Cussler villians. Plus, Shang lacked a prevalent cadre of henchmen. There didn't seem a real sense of how evil these guys were. Still, an enjoyable read and a very interesting plan for the Mighty Miss. Again, Mr. Cussler gets an "A" for imagination.
Rating: 
Summary: Eye opener
Review: Not my favorite - used to be a fan - i found clive cussler's writing to show how full of himself and dirk he really is very pompus - i now dislike reading him because of his style in this book - his ego has finally exploded!
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable read
Review: A good adventure and an enjoyable read. I am looking forward to reading the next Dirk Pitt adventure.
Rating:
Summary: Our Hero saves the day!
Review: Blowing up the Mississippi River, finding sunken cruise ships, smuggling Chinese immigrants, and more treasure lost at sea, or IS it lost at sea? Just some of the many twists and turns in this dramatic plot of Chinese domination over the US. Where does Clive come up with this stuff!?
Rating:
Summary: Clive Cussler's Flood Tide
Review: This is another of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt novels. While not fine reading, it is extremely entertaining. All the Dirk Pitt novels follow the same basic storyline, but that doesn't mean you know how Dirk will solve the mystery or defeat the bad guy (which he always does)! This story starts out (after the chapter describing a scene from the past that figures into the culmination of the book) with Pitt vacationing on a small lake in Washington State (I especially like that since I am a native Washingtonian). Immediately he is pulled into trying to discover the secret behind a Chinese shipping mogul's secret resort. After finding the lakebed is covered with dead bodies, Pitt predictably tries to find the answer to the mystery. This only pulls him in deeper and he ends up rescuing the heroin of the story, an INS agent posing as an illegal Chinese immigrant who is destined for the bottom on the lake. Through many twists and turns (literally) and close calls, Dirk and Julia (the INS agent) end up breaking the smuggling ring, solving the mystery of lost treasure, and destroying the "bad guy." What more could you ask for? For light reading that gets you away from reality and even gives you a laugh sometimes it's a great book. If you're looking for serious reading I wouldn't recommend it.
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Summary: do the means justify the ends?
Review: I liked this book a lot. It took me FOREVER to read, but that's because I was really busy. The story moved fairly quickly, with the usual background before the actual story. The images that were evoked during the course of this book were hair raising--from Orion Lake to the Great Lakes. In this book, Dirk fights the dastardly Chinese multi-billionaire Qin Shang. Qin Shang is importing illegal Chinese immigrants, and is also in pursuit of priceless Chinese artifacts. Dirk is also fighting the White House, and his injured/tired body. All in all, a good read--sure Cussler has a "formula" going, but that doesn't stop him from crafting a great story with many twists and turns.
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Summary: Flood Tide: A Novel
Review: Flood Tide written by Clive Cussler is the fourteenth in the series of Dirk Pitt adventure novels. Dirk Pitt being the legendary hero who seems to stumble into this adventure as we are taken on a wild ride of adventure and intrigue from Washington State to Louisiana. The villian in this book is a smuggler. A smuggler of human lives to anywhere on the globe he can make a profit. Cussler works in some intricately plotted suspense and some jingoistic slurs that if you can bear aren't too bad. But, if they were missing it would be better. As the plot thickens, Pitt goes from the high seas to the Mississippi River trying to figure out just how this smuggler gets his contraband cargo in to port. Of course, what good Cussler adventure doesn't have some treasure hidden somewhere as a subplot. Well, this has a booty that is very suprising. Set in 1949 when Chiang Kai-shek is leaving the Chinese mainland. Cussler's masterful storytelling, with the main plot and intricately woven subplots bringing the adventure to a fever pitch. The villian is a formidable crafty survivor and Pitt has his hands full with this adventure. Of course, all of the supporting personel from NUMA are at Pitt's disposal spicing the story just right. The story moves quickly as the narrative is straight forward and to the point. The dialog between Pitt and his trusty partner Al Giordino is classic Cussler. I enjoyed this novel as it was entertaining with adventure and intriguing. You will be caught early in this engrossing book and won't be disengaged until the end.
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