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Title: White Death by Clive Cussler, Paul Kemprecos, Scott Brick, James Naughton ISBN: 0-399-15065-X Publisher: Putnam Pub Group (Audio) Pub. Date: 20 June, 2003 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 14 List Price(USD): $44.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.45 (29 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Summer Read
Comment: I've just finished reading the latest Kurt Austin adventure by Clive Cussler called White Death (my thanks to Duncan for sending it to me).
If you have never read a Cussler novel let me explain the plot. (The same plot covers all his books.)
Prologue, a historical tale of how hundreds of years ago an old boat sinks.
The first couple of chapters cover inexplicable happenings across the oceans of the world with no known explanation.
Then our hero, Kurt Austin, enters to save a group of people who are trapped on the seabed in a sunken vessel with only ten minutes of oxygen to last them three days.
The wide-shouldered, grey-haired, sun-tanned-Adonis rescues the group with his able sidekick Joe. Joe can fly/drive/fix any mechanical contraption known to mankind while shooting all the baddies at the same time.
While all this is happening the gorgeous woman with the long legs and pouting lips makes her entrance. Kirk spars with her during the whole book and by the time he gets to go to bed with her the publishers run out of pages so we don't get to read the juicy bits.
The evil megalomaniac is trying to kill Kurt and Joe by any means possible. Usually, with lots of baddies falling by the wayside.
Once Kurt finds out where the baddies lair is situated he heads that way and disposes of the head honcho. The lair always ends up in flames of mass destruction.
The world is then safe until the next nutcase decides to use his vast wealth to take over the world.
The story is peppered with sarcastic/witty/satirical comments made by the immortal heroes.
Not Clive's best effort but still an enjoyable read on a summer's day in the garden.
Rating: 4
Summary: Facing Down Death---Again!
Comment: Greedy mega corporations bent on ruling the world and a love for the sea and adventure have long been hallmarks of Clive Cussler's large body of work. Whether his main character has been Dirk Pitt or more recently, Kurt Austin in a series of novels co written with Pail Kemprecos one always expects the same basic formula. The good guys are so very good while surviving multiple near death experiences that would kill any lesser man or woman. The bad guys are incredibly bad and driven by megalomania of a grand scale, which will ultimately play a large role in their complete and total destructive downfall. The read will be a good one and the good guys will win, saving the world once again. One does not read Clive Cussler for deep plots, complicated characters, or philosophical musings on life. Not to be taken seriously, one reads Cussler for the sheer thrill of adventure and he does not disappoint.
A case in point is his most recent release, which opens as so many of the Kurt Austin novels do. A ship sinks taking people down with it and Kurt Austin leader of the NUMA ® Special Assignments Team must try to do everything he can to save them. In this case, Kurt and his friend and colleague Joe Zavala make the rescue using an untried submersible and soon perform another feat of heroic daring do.
In the aftermath, it becomes clear that one of the ships involved in the incident was sabotaged by outside forces. Kurt begins to investigate and before long begins to feel hunted by a shadowy mega corporation led by a maniacal leader bent on taking over the world. To do so he will use genetic manipulation as well as anything else necessary to achieve an incredible power grab that would change the sea forever.
Blending in the relics of the Basques, a German Zeppelin and the culture of various Inuit (commonly referred to incorrectly as Eskimo) tribes, the authors once again create another grand adventure where the bad guys get a fatal dose of their own medicine in the end. While no new ground is plowed in terms of character development there are not any nasty surprises either. Kurt is still loved by all the women of the world, hated and fearfully respected by his enemies, and calm and collected in the snarling face of danger. He easily compares to Stuart Wood's recent signature character of Stone Barrington, but he does not have as much money. Such is the life of a government employee.
The other usual characters make brief appearances. Admiral Sandecker is rarely seen or mentioned at all in this novel, which is a change from previously books in this series. He has little to do until the very end as opposed to the Trouts, who are given plenty to do in a secondary story line, which eventually peters back into the main storyline where they become sideline players.
Additionally, there is certain choppiness to the novel over the course of its more than 400 pages. In the past, the works flowed seamlessly and it was impossible to determine which part one of the authors write. That is not the case here where the sentence structure shifts from chapter to chapter and while one can't tell precisely who wrote what, one does get a sense who might be responsible.
For what it is, this is another very enjoyable book. As in the others of this series, it is not filled with deep characters, or philosophical musings. Instead it is pure action and adventure and serves as a great break from all the serious pretentious literary stuff. In other words, it is fun and by all means, don't take it seriously.
Rating: 3
Summary: Better than the last Pitt novels
Comment: Having read all of the Pitt and Austin novels, I would put this in the middle of the road, not as good as the early Cussler adventures, but not nearly as flat as the last couple of Pitt stories. Fortunately, Kemprecos spares the readers of Cussler's annoying cameos and doesn't spend too much time describing the outfits of the characters. Otherwise, its your basic Pitt novel with some some superficial changes to the lead characters.
I have to give the author(s) credit for turning Eskimos into an army of murderous thugs, just when I thought they were running out of ethnic groups to slander. I'll never look at another igloo without wondering if there's a 1930s airship loaded with mutated fish inside. And speaking of mutated fish, wasn't this a scene from Austin Powers?
All kidding aside, its not a bad diversion, though it is a predictable one.
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Title: Trojan Odyssey by Clive Cussler ISBN: 0399150803 Publisher: Putnam Pub Group Pub. Date: 24 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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Title: Golden Buddha by Clive Cussler, Craig Dirgo ISBN: 0425191729 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: 07 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: The Teeth of the Tiger by Tom Clancy ISBN: 039915079X Publisher: Putnam Pub Group Pub. Date: 11 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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Title: Bad Company by Jack Higgins ISBN: 0399149708 Publisher: Putnam Pub Group Pub. Date: 30 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
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Title: The Sea Hunters II by Clive Cussler, Craig Dirgo ISBN: 0399149252 Publisher: Putnam Pub Group Pub. Date: 02 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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