Binding: Hardcover EAN: 9780718154592 ISBN: 0718154592 Label: Michael Joseph Manufacturer: Michael Joseph Number Of Pages: 528 Publication Date: 2008-11-05 Publisher: Michael Joseph Studio: Michael Joseph
Customer Rating: Summary: Good but not outstanding Comment: I have also been an avid reader of the Cussler books and always look out for a new novel featuring what another reviewer has described as the best duo in the series - Pitt and Giordino. I would agree. The usual build up is there, which draws the story beautifully together. All the regular references are in there as well - Tequila - Doxa dive watch etc that those who are fully familiar with the novels, look for like welcome companions. I totally agree with one reviewer who states that there is a possibility that the reins are being passed onto Clive's son. I detected something about the way it was written that suggests this. I felt the storyline didn't really hot up until three quarters through - I was expecting an 'Indiana Jones' mega battle that didn't materialise.
Yes all the banter is in there and the usual last minute twists and turns - even good ol' Clive Cussler makes his regular appearance as a prospector. Dirk and Summer (Pitt's kids) although playing a vital role, never really connect with Pitt and Giordino in the story. Even at the end they are a bit distanced. Other characters, although mentioned as usual, didn't play as wholesome a role as in previous novels. It would be great to see Austin and Zavala play a part as well - no mention of them even in passing in this novel. The absence of Pitt's repaired car at the end of the novel, along with a token item brought back from his adventures to put in his hangar collection were noticeable. All in all a great read and definately one for the dedicated like me - but it just lacked the sparkle that other previous novels had. Let's hope this is not the last we see of Pitt and Giordino as it wouldn't be the right book to end the series on. Customer Rating: Summary: Buy Arctic Drift in Hard Cover and Enjoy a Fine Sea-Going Tale Comment: Arctic Drift has a lot to recommend it (if you don't get jammed up with Kindle pricing). The plot is an imaginative one about the potential risks to peace and economic stability with the world running out of energy while the ice caps are being melted down by global warming as a greedy billionaire seeks to manipulate the situation to his own advantage (much as Enron did during the electricity shortage in the West a few years ago). Dirk gets out and under the sea to have some unusual adventures which include a most unusual battle. There is a great series of cliff hangers as men's lives are at risk in perilous conditions. Dirk, Jr. and Summer also have some exciting adventures. The story also features a merciless killer who likes to make things go pop. You'll also read an intriguing historical mystery that connects to today's problems and technology. My only complaint is that the story could have used more of Dirk and Al in action.
The book opens on a doomed expedition that is captured in the Arctic ice after trying unsuccessfully to navigate the Northwest Passage through Canada from Europe to Asia. The officers can't keep order as the men seem to be going mad, somehow connected to silvery rocks they have come into contact with.
Moving into the future, the year is 2011 and a mysterious phenomenon called the Devil's Breath is causing mysterious deaths at sea along the Inside Passage in British Columbia. Summer and Dirk, Jr. are taking water samples when they come across a derelict ship that has come into contact with the Breath. In the process, Summer makes friends with a dead fisherman's brother and the three investigate what might be causing large changes in the acid level in the sea.
Further south, a pro-environmentalist Canadian M.P. is murdered in a way to make it look like an accident. In the Arctic, a Canadian research station is destroyed by what looks like a U.S. Navy vessel creating international tensions.
In Washington, D.C., a rare element turns out to have unusual properties, and the finding triggers a race to find more of the element and to seize control of the secret. Now the race is on to solve the energy crisis.
I liked the plot very much. It goes well beyond the "we are running out of . . . ." story lines and the "we are going to die from global warming" story lines to come up with an original intersection of the two problems constructed in a way that seems realistic in light of the economic events earlier in 2008 as gasoline prices in the United States spiked above $4.00 a gallon and seemed headed higher until a global recession pricked the balloon.
The story has nice balance as well. There are a lot of characters and several interesting threads. If anything, Arctic Drift is a little too balanced. I could have used more of Dirk and Al at sea and in battle. The new plots where Dirk, Jr. and Summer engage in the ocean-going events aren't nearly as interesting as the more dangerous situations that Dirk and Al used to get themselves into and out of.
There's less swagger here . . . and more intellect. That's okay, but it's not quite as good as the over the top swagger that this series once featured. But I think you'll enjoy your voyage with NUMA and company. Customer Rating: Summary: Great Adventures Comment: Okay so I will freely admit that I am thoroughly addicted to reading Clive Cussler Books. To me this book shows the very welcome return of Cusslers orginal and in my opinion,best duo, Dirk Pitt & Al Giordino. This time they are up against a billionaire environmental philanthropist, well seemingly so as he of course turns out to be anything but. The pace of this book never lets up as there is always something exciting going on. Boats disappear, boats blow up and a whole menagerie of people get murdered in the midst or should I say in the mist (read the book and you will work out what I mean). Anyway the book is as always well structured and well thought out with a good amount of historical value thrown into boot, so does this book have everything? Well yes it does as it simply takes no effort to hold your attention at a constant 100%. I dare say that if time had permitted I could have easily read this book from cover to cover without stopping. I like many other Cussler fans am glad to see Dirk Pitt and his trusty sidekick Al Giordino back as the main characters in this book. I have been worried that he would gradually phase out his original dynamic duo in favour of Dirk's children Dirk Junior and Summer but it seems that this is not totally the case. This in itself indicates to me a pattern in Cussler's own life of him maybe winding down his involvement in the books. It is well known that his son now forms one of his writing partnerships and Cussler senior is now perhaps passing on his adventure writing mantle to him in much the same sense as Dirk Pitt Senior is passing on his adventure skills to his two children. Nor is this the only similarity between real life and fiction. It is also very well known amongst Cussler fans that he actually fronts NUMA in real life and this gives him a distinct advantage over other authors in that he is using his own personal experiences as a platform for his novels. This does not distract from the fact that his books are also very well researched and as stated earlier gives a pleasant historical backup to the main story. Yes there maybe a bit of wild imagination thrown into his books at times but to me it just adds to the story and this book will definitely get you thinking "What If". There are only a couple of regrets with this book and that is that I have finished it and that Mr Cussler doesn't write faster. Buy this book without delay, you wont be disappointed! Customer Rating: Summary: Adventure, action good versus evil, it's all there ! Comment: I have long been a fan of Clive Cussler and he hasn't disappointed. I like how he has brought in a new generation to be involved with the chaos and the battle just has he has introduced his son in recent books. The story is of epic proportions with eco issues, good old fashioned right and wrong and great heros. It even has America and Canada buliding up to a war situation of course Dirk etc will sort them out at his usual painful cost. If a fan, of Dirk Pitt it tell's a terrific tale I am so glad I didn't wait for the paperback !! Customer Rating: Summary: cussler reigns supreme Comment: Have just finished reading this latest book and yes I was not dissapointed. Okay, Dirk gets into loads of scrapes as usual and it was nice to have him back with Al the last few novels have got him retired off so it was a nice surprise to have him back. Nothing unusual about the storyline always some trouble up ahead, it was topical and the homework had been done explicitley as usual. I enjoyed the story and read the book in about four sittings but I am a Cussler fan and if you like easy going 'Indiana Jones' style fiction then this book as his others is going to excite you and keep you wanting more, Well Done Clive!
