Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Politically incorrect, historically questionable, but fun!, 4 Oct 2004
I hadn't read any Cussler, let alone any Dirk Pitt novels before. This one caught my attention because the Atlantis theme coincides with my interest in humankind's prehistory.
Fairly early on though I decided I would need to set my disbelief to one side and just go with the flow if I wanted to derive any enjoyment from this book. Anthropologists will surely hurl this pot boiler across the room and issue indignant snorts at the notion that almost the entire human race was wiped out in 7,000 B.C. Furthermore, during the denouement, the tactics employed to thwart the villains are somewhat farcical when a simpler solution is staring us in the face!But Cussler never intended to give us an accurate history lesson, and let's get onto the plot! This is a rollicking adventure where our rugged and handsome hero knocks the preverbial out of sinister foreigners with funny accents and discovers the lost continent of Atlantis, almost without breaking sweat. Dirk Pitt is definitely up there with Indiana Jones and James Bond and probably hasn't got far to go to give Superman a run for his money. He's the kind of mega-tough guy who, if his lungs start to hurt when the going gets tough, he spits them out and gets on with saving civilisation as we know it. He always has a witty line in repartee on his tongue too, and don't the ladies just lap it up! In real life he would probably come over as Leisure Suit Larry's more dangerous brother and would be regarded as rather corny by any streetwise modern woman. The womem in Dirk Pitt's world however are invariably beautiful and frequently in need of rescue by our invincible square-jawed hero, which, of course, he invariably accomplishes in the nick of time. But enough irony and nitpicking! The action (and boy, is there plenty of that!) is very competently described and I defy anyone not to devour this hefty tome (500+ pages) in a flurry of undemanding but enjoyable page turning. I swear you will shiver as Cussler depicts the numbing effects of wind-chill on our hero! So, classic literature this ain't, but I enjoyed it all the same and have no regrets about buying my first ticket into the rather simplistic but pretty damn entertaining world of Dirk Pitt.
|
|
|
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another brilliant adventure, 28 Aug 2008
I have never been a big fan of action thrillers. The only author I read regularly in this genre is Lee Child and his `Jack Reacher` character, and I enjoy him a lot, so I decided to give Clive Cussler a try. I am happy to say I was not disappointed! Even though "Pacific Vortex" was the first published book in the Dirk Pitt adventures series, it was the first Cussler wrote, so logically, this is the novel I picked to start my journey. I found an interesting character that lives at the edge and is passionate about his work. Also in some aspects he is similar to James Bond, women mainly, and the mix is sufficient to keep the reader thoroughly entertained. If you enjoy serial characters then this is a must series for you, also try Michael Connelly`s `Harry Bosh` series, or much more violent is the `Soft Target` thrillers by Conrad Jones. In the Dirk pitt stories Cussler has created a very entertaining series, with a character that has an arrogant and pedantic side, but whom also shows his pure emotions and is true to his friends and ideals. This makes the Special Project Director of the National Underwater and Marine Agency a very likable character. This is a book that a reader can breeze through in a few hours making it an enjoyable way to spend a weekend's afternoon. I will surely read the next book in this series hoping for a similar experience.
|
|
|
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The result of Mixing Indiana Jones, James Bond, and others, 27 Nov 2002
Mr. Cussler's books are great escapist fiction. His newest, "Atlantis Found", I believe is one of the better tales he has told. The other enjoyment that comes with a Cussler novel is watching the professional critics try to trash his work. They don't get it, but as these novels routinely make the best-seller lists, we, the readers, do. The critics do get it, but they prefer books that get the literary equivalent of an Academy Award, while Mr. Cussler takes home The People's Choice Award.
"Atlantis Found" is way over the top, fantastic in what is spread on its' 534 pages, and most importantly, it is pure fun, and a great read. Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino are a combination of, Indiana Jones, James Bond, The Saint, the members of the old and new Mission Impossible teams, and a dash of The Duke, John Wayne, leading the cavalry. Sure the book has its cliché's, but does not every Bond film as well? Mr. Cussler gives his readers what they enjoy, and what may be one person's cliché, is another's cue that he or she is about to embark on an adventure with old friends. If you read Mr. Cussler you have probably read well into this latest work, and if you are not yet amongst his readers, "Atlantis Found", is a good place to start.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by Clive Cussler
by Clive Cussler
by Clive Cussler
by Clive Cussler
by Clive Cussler
