Rating: 
Summary: Pretty standard Cussler -- but he's reaching
Review: When I buy the latest Cussler (as I always do), I expect something fun and enjoyable to read, if a bit formulaic. However, this book really started to try my patience. Every Dirk Pitt cliche is overdone in this one. (As for the end, well, Mr. Cussler, are you really planning to drag this out THAT long??) I'll keep reading the Dirk Pitt novels, but I certainly hope that Mr. Cussler injects some new creativity into the series. (And the ending of _Valhalla Rising_ is NOT what I had in mind.)
Rating: 
Summary: Cussler Does It Again
Review: Cussler does it again, weaving history, disparate threads of events, facts and fiction, into another spell-binding, rolicking Dirk Pitt adventure, with enough scrapes and thrills to keep you reading through the night. Reading a NUMA adventures re-intoduces you to a cast of characters that have become old friends. I really enjoy meeting the same characters again and again. The ending was indeed a surprise, albeit a pleaseant one. Raise your glass to many more Cussler Dirk Pitt adventures!
Rating: 
Summary: Always a great read, but needs more work on the villains
Review: I only discovered Cussler about a year ago but have since read the entire Dirk Pitt series. Yes, they are over the top and Dirk and Al are greater than life and the luckiest guys on the planet. But its like going to a great action film -- you adjust your expectations -- and within the context of action adventure there's none better than Cussler. Valhalla Rising was no exception, and one of his better works. The action "scenes" (they are written as if you're watching a James Bond movie, only it would take about a billion dollars to film this book) are plentiful and spectacular. And as usual, he managed to weave in some interesting period historical events (though fictional) with a modern drama.The only thing that drives me crazy, particularly in this latest work, are his villains. They are always Bondesque in their megamonical evilness. No problem. But I'm often not satisfied with the pay-offs after so much build up of hatred. In this case he paints a picture of a corporate exec. so confident in his power base, having spent billions to bribe hundreds of officials, that he's willing to personally host an attempted public assassination of a U.S. Congresswoman. Yet, when Pitt and the gang finally overcome the odds, of course, there is no opportunity to rub his face in his loss of power or control. It would have been so easy. The hole where the scene should have gone, at the end of a Congressional Hearing, was so blatant in its absence. It's as if once his villains have lost Cussler loses all interest in them, not realizing that we want to see them squirm, reduced and humiliated -- we want to see them look Pitt in the eyes in total defeat -- not merely eliminated.
Rating:
Summary: Splendid
Review: For those of us who are Clive Cussler fans, WE will not be dissapointed with this addition for our bookshelves. I was very pleased with the layout (as with all of Clive's books)of the book as well as the story line. As usual Clive spins the tale from the ancient times and works it into the present day story for Dirk and Al to discover. From the depths of the Ocean to the land, Clive does not fail in entertaining his fans with well painted scenes. You do not need to be a member of NUMA to understand the terminology used or the plots that are underfoot. Clive also never fails in tying historical events into his story and the addition of Jules Vernes in this story was very exciting~ it's something like "What Could Have Happened" and tho sometimes far fetched, very entertaining. I do need to say BRAVO on the ending. Very well done with the introduction of those two very special people. I just hope it isn't some sort of cloning tease for his next book. Until then I will be awaiting the next book. Looking forward to reading more from Clive Cussler! I am hooked.
Rating: 
Summary: Pitt to the rescue
Review: Clive Cussler has once again written a fantastical fictional wonderland of watery adventures. He never fails to give his readers exciting situations that bring nautical lore to modern times. I enjoyed his newest novel, Valhalla Rising, but I found Dirk's incredible rescues a few too numerous in this book. His writing style was choppy, and I found that I was predicting rescues and characters before they happened. This novel is recommended reading for all Cussler fans, but Dirk has possibly lived eight of his nine lives already.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reading
Review: I got hooked on Clive Cussler years ago and have collected all of his books. I have never been disappointed and this one I think is the best. He brings back Dirk Pitt admitting that he is getting older and less agile but manages to bring three plots together into one and hold your interest. My son objects to Clive Cussler doing a cameo appearance in each book as self-aggrandizing but I think it is sort of interesting (i.e. alfred hitchcock). This book brought Clive in for a whole chapter taking an active part in a rescue. Could have been anyone with a high tech yacht doing it. If you haven't read the book yet, I won't spoil the ending but was startled myself and see that the saga will continue. Am really looking forward to the next episode and anxious to see how Cussler works in the new characters.
Rating:
Summary: solid
Review: Another great Dirk Pitt adventure. The modern-day stuff is riveting, but when it delves into the past toward the end, it really gets gripping. Probably the best thriller since Craig Furrnas' THE SHAPE. And if you like the viking sections in this book, I also recommend Michael Crichton's EATERS OF THE DEAD.
Rating:
Summary: The End of an Era??
Review: In an interview after his previous Dirk Pitt novel, Clive Cussler stated that "Atlantis Found" might be his last novel featuring Pitt. Fans everywhere mourned. So, I was surprised and overjoyed to see that "Valhalla Rising" was due out this August. I went to the bookstore the day it was due, and grabbed one of the first copies, and, by using incredible fortitude, managed to not finish the book until today (26 hours, a new record--I can never make Dirk Pitt stories last that long). As always, the plot of "Valhalla Rising" is exciting and fast-paced--full of hair's-bredth rescues and daring escapades. The characters, as always, are somewhat bigger than life, with beautiful women, sociopathic maniacs as villains, and slightly super-human heroes (which is why we love them!). If I make the book sound somewhat melodramatic--well, what can I say, of course it is. Dirk Pitt stories always are. But, of course, as usual, I could barely put the book down until the final page. Fans of Cussler's hero will be as satisfied with this book as with any of the previous few. I don't think I'll spoil anything if I mention that Cussler's real life interest in the Hunley (a US confederate submarine from the Civil War) definately finds its way into these pages. As usual, the denoument will require the fictional historians to rewrite their text books yet again--something Dirk Pitt loves to instigate. The end of the book will have readers recognizing shades of Travis McGee, but it was a good twist regardless. I won't insist that this book is great literature, and I won't pretend that I always found the plot believable (but a certain amount of suspension of disbelief has always been required for Cussler's novels), but, as always, an evening with Dirk Pitt is an enjoyable evening, indeed.
Rating:
Summary: Great Fun
Review: Mr. Clive Cussler has entertained readers with Dirk Pitt through what is now a collection of eighteen novels. It is a remarkable run by any measure and while some of the novels are better than others, they are all great fun. Mr. Cussler created a main character that not only he clearly would like to be, but an individual that all his male readers would like to claim a piece of for their own. I would imagine most of his readers are male, however he has also included remarkable female characters that while often the target of cliché male observations, give as good as they get. And he carries on the tradition of the good guys winning, and often has the villains get their comeuppance in a stylish manner at the hands of the hero. Judge, jury, and executioner may not be constitutional, but it is a great deal of fun. Prior to starting, "Valhalla Rising", it would not hurt to refresh your memory with many of the major themes of past books. It is not imperative, but several references are made and it adds to the enjoyment if the details are fresh in the reader's mind. This should not put off anyone from making this his or her first Dirk Pitt adventure, quite the contrary. While everyone would rank his or her favorites differently, I think this latest work from Mr. Cussler would make anyone's short list. For those aware of the real life exploits of Mr. Cussler and his work of salvaging ships, he brings some of this into his novel, which added a dimension I greatly enjoyed. If you have read Jules Verne it again will add to this book's reading experience. When I first read the jacket I was inwardly groaning when I read the word monsters. I had trouble imagining how that word would play out in the book. However have no fear, while this book like all of Mr. Cussler's work requires a suspension of disbelief, there is nothing any more outrageous than earlier works. There are some minor points in the book that are weak, and the author did not endear himself to the Air National Guard, but again the points are very minor. There was one error, however it can be rationalized, and again is not detrimental to the book. The book starts with not one, but multiple historical events which are all neatly tied together at the conclusion. The book is a lengthier novel and every bit of space is required to bring this latest round the world adventure to readers. Had he so chosen he could have easily extended the book by an additional one to two hundred pages. For when he starts this saga, it is millennia in the past, not a century or two. With fiction conventional issues like time do not restrict the Author. He can write about his characters and their adventures indefinitely. Many Authors continue to write long after their characters should be retired, they don't know when to stop, like a great boxer that leaves not as a champion but as a beaten memory. Mr. Cussler clearly has no plans to retire this series, but he has also taken a step that is not only believable but will allow for this series of novels to continue for as long as he writes. I think he deserves a great deal of credit for this, and he brings it to pass with a slick ending to this book. In fact, I find myself looking forward to the next installment with greater interest than I have for some time. For great fun, and pure escapist fiction, there are few who compare with Mr. Cussler.
Rating:
Summary: Okay, so it's trash... but it's GOOD trash!!!
Review: Clive Cussler has once again placed our hero (Dirk) and his buddy (Al) into one or more impossible situations. (I'm not giving anything away!) Is any of it remotely plausible? NO!!! Is it entertaining as all get-out? YES!!!! This is brain candy for those who want to read a thinking man's James Bond. Sure it's trash, but it's good trash, and it hit the shelves of your favorite bookstore in the Dog Days of summer, right when it was needed the most. If you've read any of Cussler's previous works, you know the plot before you get in the car to drive to the bookstore. If you don't, then buy it and wallow in this most enjoyable of modern cliff-hanger novels.
|
