Rating: 
Summary: Now I remember why I stopped reading Clive Cussler
Review: How many times does Clive Cussler need to remind us of his love for his hero that should have died 10 books ago...."He was a tall man, three inches above six feet, and a lean 185 pounds. His every movement seemed consciously planned. The black hair was wavy, alomst shaggy with a touch of gray beginning to show at the temples. The face was a face that knew the sea above and below. The tanned skin and the craggy features revealed a love of the outdoors. He was obviously someone who spent far more time under sun and sky than under the fluorescent lights of an office." The stories are interesting, the facts melded with fiction capture my interest, but the never ending cavity creating praise for Pitt and constant cliches will prevent me from picking up a Clive Cussler/Dirk Pitt novel again.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant as ever
Review: Cussler may be formulaic but who cares? It works superbly every time. Dirk Pitt is fabulous. The moden James Bond, he foils the baddies, gets the girl, jokes incessantly with his sidekick, flies, drives and still has time to be a antique car buff.
This latest installment sees Dirk meddle with a fearsome Norse corporate head, throws in the Viking discovery of America and Captain Nemo all at once and still comes off as a rollicking good yarn.
Just the thing to read for excitement and adventure. Long may Mr Cussler continue.
Rating: 
Summary: Mr. Perfect!
Review: Thank goodness that Dirk Pitt never makes mistakes. If so, the world would have been obliterated a million times over. You have to give Clive Cussler five stars for creativity. So many close shaves, so many bad guys, so many gorgeous babes! Yes, I know that Cussler's books are little more than cartoons for adults, but I do enjoy them! Dirk Pitt is a man's idea of the ultimate man -- macho, handsome, rich, can't fail, powerful, lots of toys (picture Schwarzenegger without the accent.) But, sorry, it isn't Dirk that attracts me to Cussler's books -- it's the action. The Dirk Pitt series is brimming with one catastrophe after another and, TA DA!!!, it's Pitt to the rescue. It's an imaginative, non-stop fun read with a little surprise (for Dirk and for the readers) at the end.
Rating:
Summary: clive cussler at his best
Review: i found this book too be a very good read clives best work yet once i started reading i couldn't put it down dirk pitt is at his best in this i have read every book and this one has more action then any of the others.
Rating:
Summary: A Process Novel
Review: I have read all of Clive Cussler's novels. Some are better than others, but I love all of them! Why? I have a name for Cussler's books and his style of writing. I call them process novels. A process novel is a book in which the reader has a reasonably good idea of the ending, but nevertheless continues to read. The reader realizes that a surprise ending is irrelevant. The intriguing aspect of the story is the process by which the author "lands" on the last page. Cussler has a crafty way of employing the English language to put his reader on the edge of the chair even while knowing -- in advance -- that the hero (i.e., Dirk Pitt) is going to survive. His characters get into no-win situations and find a way out that has a nonfiction quality. Thus, Cussler's rare talent is making the unbelievable - believable. VALHALLA RISING is a classic example of Cussler's rare talent --- with, and I stress this point - a surprise ending. It goes without saying, that in this story, Dirk Pitt survives. However, I can say with great confidence that none of Cussler's other novels ended in a manner that comes close to VALHALLA RISING. Clearly, the ending is unexpected and uncharacteristic of all his other work. In this respect, it is my opinion that VALHALLA RISING is Cussler's greatest novel. I am anxiously awaiting the next novel in this series. If it is as half as good as VALHALLA RISING, it will be stupendous.
Rating: 
Summary: I am ready for Dirk to retire!
Review: Thank goodness for Dirk Pitt! The reason I started reading books again. These books truly hook you and reel you in. The first 12 or so were great, but now Dirk Pitt has to be in his upper 50's! I don't know if the early books were better written or I am maturing in my thirst for books but this one seems so choppy. Here is the formula for this book, think of 6 impossible scenarios to escape from then link them all together with only a 2-3 page segue in between each. The ending, I won't spoil it if you haven't read it, but if you have read the entire series it is the worse ending ever. I will read the next one Clive writes but I hope it ends with a Dirk Pitt retirement party.
Rating:
Summary: Worst Dirk Pitt ever
Review: I found this book an embarassment. I have loved every Cussler/Pitt novel I've read, purchasing each one on the day it arrives at the store. This was inexplicably horrible. As a Pitt fan, I recommend skipping it - I promise you'll be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining if implausible escapism
Review: Clive Cussler does a good job of weaving impossible scenarios into plausible stories. 'Valhalla' is no exception. As we've seen a dozen time s before, Dirk Pitt is ruggedly handsome, chivalrous, and always one step ahead of a diabolical villain. His friends are brilliant, understanding and well-connected. Every woman he meets is physically stunning (violet eyes, red hair, great figure) and, even in his greying years, find Pitt's looks and politically incorrect behavior undeniable. But there is rarely much sex and, in this case, none at all. In this latest testosterone-filled fantasy, a futuristic cruise ship mysteriously burns and sinks. By no surprise at all to the veteran Cussler reader, Pitt and friends are close by, fast to the rescue, and recognized as heroes. But the intrigue is to be more about oil than ships. And there is an even more incredible, ancient connection to Viking ships and warriors, sitting just outside New York City. Pitt embraces his considerable network and fortune to woo the women and overpower the villains, giving new, if only imagined, hope to men past their prime. I read this on a recent trip to Florida and the time flew by, with one incredible feat of derring do after another. Suspend all claims on credibility and enjoy the time separated from reality. But check it out from the library or at least wait for the paperback. You probably won't keep it in your library and you might feel sheepish passing it along to a friend.
Rating:
Summary: Who says middle aged guys can't be sexy?
Review: Dirk Pitt is the hero of all us middle aged guys. Here's a man who continually saves the world from the bad guys, and does it with style and grace, without even breaking into a sweat doing it. AND he always gets the pretty girl in the end! Vahalla Rising is no eception to Clive Cussler's spell-binding tales of Dirk Pitt and his bigger-than-life adventures. I've read all of Cussler's books and find the Dirk Pitt series by far the best. Now that Dirk has discovered that he has a son and a daughter (twins no less.... whatta man!), the world will be a safer place, in books anyway. You go, Dirk! Do it for all of us older guys!
Rating:
Summary: One of Cussler's best
Review: This one really holds your attention. After having read all of the Dirk Pitt series, this is the best one yet. Just hope he can keep up the good work.
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