Another great series from Cussler

Serpent by Clive Cussler

The book begins in the prologue with a story based on a real shipwreck, the Italian luxury liner SS Andrea Doria, off the shor of Nantucket. Cussler devotes several pages to describing the events up to the collision with the MS Stockholm through the sinking of the Doria, building suspense and creating sympathy for the victims and survivors.

Cussler then whisks us away to Morocco to an archaeological dig including an underwater site. Here we are introduced to Nina Kirov--a tall blond diver who is the owner, president and sole employee of her marine archaeological consultancy firm called Mari-Time Research. While exploring the shoreline and a hidden lagoon, she discovered a carved head with unusual, yet familiar features. She returned to the main camp, reported her findings--except the carved head. That she saved for a friend of hers back home for further research. Nina sent a sketch to her friend at the University of Pennsylvania. Early morning of her third day at the site, Nina narrowly misses being massacred with the rest of the dig team. She escapes by way of the water and is then rescued by ...

Kurt Austin, the Special Assignments team leader in NUMA (National Underwater Marine Agency), is tall with blue eyes and nearly while hair. While rescuing the beautiful Nina Kirov from certain death, Austin unfortunately invites the assassins to finish her off and everyone else aboard the Nereus (a NUMA vessel). With odd of three to nine, Austin, his buddy Joe Zavala and the Captain of the Nereus manage to win against the ninja trained assassins.

Finishing up an assignment in the Yucatan of Mexico, Dr. Gamay Trout--another member of NUMA--has finally arranged a meeting with a VIP from the national anthropological museum in Mexico City. She asked Dr. Chi if there were any archaeological sites in the Yucatan that depicted marine life. Gamay expected to look at drawings of scallops, Dr. Chi showed her instead a nautical scene. While exploring the ruins, they stumbled upon chicleros who loot Mayan ruins and sell the artifacts. These chicleros didn't want their looting business interrupted by curious gringos.

So what does an Italian luxury liner, archaeological dig in Morocco, and chicleros in Mexico have in common? That's what Kurt Austin wants to know.

Enter Don Halcon. He is the owner of Halcon Industries which is an umbrella corporation with many divisions. Halcon is also apparrently a descendant of The Brotherhood--a group of fanatics formed in the 1400s to protect the honor of Christopher Columbus. A rumored artifact on the Andrea Doria, the carved head in Morocco and the nautical scenes in Yucatan all suggested pre-Columbian relations between the East and West. Don Halcon wanted it all eliminated and anyone who got in his way.

Clive Cussler is an excellent writer. I've only read the first two Dirk Pitt adventures, but I think I might prefer Kurt Austin and the NUMA files series. While Dirk Pitt comes across rough around the edges, Kurt Austin seemed more of a gentleman. Don't get me wrong, I will definitely read the rest of the Dirk Pitt series, but then will promptly move on to the NUMA files. I found Serpent hard to put down. Cussler's great style shines through even in a new series.

I think I need a second ...

... read that is. I just finished Clive Cussler's Golden Buddha. Golden Buddha is from the Oregon Files series. I though this was just another series written by Cussler. It is actually a spin-off of the Dirk Pitt adventures. As I read, it seemed as though Juan Cabrillo and his crew may have been introduced at least once if not more in the Pitt series. It seems less James Bond and damsel in distress, and more ethical mercenaries. So though I had some trouble following all the characters and all the action (storyline jumped around alot with simultaneous events), there was plenty of action and kept my interest. Afterall, I had to figure out what happened to two Buddhas, the Dalai Lama, and what was hidden in the secret compartment.

I will finish the Dirk Pitt adventures, then revisit this book in its turn and give it a proper review.

One thing did bug me: if you discover you need batteries, ask for them instead of ham and cheese sandwiches.

Rough around the edges, but a great read

Becoming a Clive Cussler/Dirk Pitt fan, I researched to discover all the titles in the series and in which order I should read them. Though Mediterranean Caper was the first published, and the first one I could find to read, it was not the first Cussler wrote. Though Pacific Vortex was not published until years after Mediteranean Caper, it is supposed to be Dirk Pitt's introduction. Yes, I'm the type of person who wants to read a series in order, so I hunted down the first of the series. Even Cussler himself admits in the foreward to Pacific Vortex that it is still rough around the edges and he wasn't sure if he even wanted to publish it. I read several reviews that said Pacific Vortex was not as good as subsequent Clive Cussler books. Keeping that in mind, I dove in.

Everyone has heard of the mysterious Bermuda Triangle. The Pacific seems to have a mystery of its own--the Pacific Vortex. It has been swallowing ships for years, yet was counted as an unsolved mystery of the sea until a communications canister appears off a beach in Hawaii where Dirk Pitt is relaxing. A former Major in the Air Force, now with NUMA (National Underwater and Marine Agency), Pitt seems to be an expert of transportation of air and sea--planes, helicopters, boats, submarines--which makes him the perfect go-to guy for the assignment of finding the Starbuck. The Starbuck was an experimental nuclear sub on a test run when it went missing in the Pacific Vortex. With nuclear technology on board, Pitt is asked to help find and recover the sub before someone else does and uses the technology against the United States.

I'll admit that there were a couple scenes in the beginning of the book that were a little cheesy, but I pressed on and I'm glad I did. Though a little rough to start the rest of the book was great. The imagery is fantastic. Another adventurous thrill-ride. In fact, it reminded me of things I loved in my childhood--deep sea explorations, discovering sunken ships, a twisting and turning mystery. Just when you think you know what's going to happen next, Cussler adds another twist that keeps you reading.

I really enjoyed Pacific Vortex and look forward to reading the rest of Dirk Pitt's adventures.

A New Clive Cussler/Dirk Pitt fan

I am working on honing my reviewing skills, so here goes ...

Clive Cussler's Mediterranean Caper is the first Cussler book I picked up to read and I enjoyed it. This is not the first Dirk Pitt story, but it was the first published, I think. Dirk Pitt is a Major transferred from the Air Force to the National Underwater Marine Agency (NUMA). On paper he is the Surface Security Officer. In reality, when an oceanic research project has trouble, Pitt flies in, figures out the problem, fixes it and gets the project back on track.

In Mediterranean Caper, the First Attempt research vessel is in the Aegean Sea looking for a missing link fish. Some unusual accidents take place; Dirk Pitt swoops in for the rescue to run into an apparent ghost plane. While sorting out the problems with the research project and an explanation for the ghost plane, Pitt runs into a drug smuggling scheme, undercover agents, and a traitor. I am no expert when it comes to the Air Force or anything military for that matter, so I have no idea about plausibility. For me it was an exciting story filled with twists and turns.

The point of view did bounce around a bit, but I did not have trouble following it. Cussler does a good job of introducing characters, so I had no trouble keeping track of everybody. I will warn you that Dirk Pitt is very James Bond-esque. In fact the whole story has that feel, but since I'm a fan of James Bond, it works. All in all, a fun, entertaining read and I will be looking for another Clive Cussler/Dirk Pitt adventure to read.

Another Great Book and an unintentional NYR

Well, I seem to be well on my way to reading at least one book per month--not a bad way to spend a year. I finished Mike Angley's Child Finder: Resurrection. Wow! The first installment of this trilogy was really good; and this one is even better. The excitement starts from the very first page and doesn't stop. This time the danger level is increased with a psychic serial killer who can shut out O'Donnell and spy on him and his family. The paranormal activity adds an element of fantasy, but the military angle makes it believable. This is a thrill ride that will keep you hanging on for dear life. I even cried a few times.

Mike Angley is an amazing new author. I have heard that the third installment in the Child Finder trilogy is mind-blowing. Hmm, can I handle it?

Did I mention that I WON Child Finder AND Child Finder: Resurrection? Go to http://www.childfinder.us/ OR http://www.mikeangley.com/ to find out how you too can win a SIGNED Mike Angley book.

Now onto Clive Cussler's Mediterranean Caper ...

A great read!

Normally, I don't blog about books. I am usually wwwaaayyy behind on reading (I finally got around to reading the last 2 books in the Harry Potter series in 2009).

I got a tip from James R. Hannibal (look for him on Facebook--his book Wraith is due out April 2010) that Mike Angley (mikeangley.com OR childfinder.us) was having a contest to give away autographed copies of his book Child Finder (just came out June 2009 I think). FREE BOOK! I was over there as fast as I could click. The catch? Subscribe to his newsletter and comment on blog posts. I can so do that! The drawing is held the following month (name drawn in December, for comments on November posts). So for Christmas I got to open my free book--that's right! I won just for posting comments in November. (and if you go over there right now, subscribe to his newsletter, and comment more often than I do for the month of January, you too can win an autographed copy of Child Finder. The contest continues through the end of 2010)

Now, I'll admit, it took me a little while to get into it--about 3 chapters. But that could be because I had also been trying to read some Chick Lit (Debbie Macomber). I have since discovered Chick Lit is not my thing. Police driven mystery/thriller is definitely more my thing. Once I got into the book, it was hard to put down. The action only slows long enough to catch your breath before it takes off again. There is a moral/religious element to it that is refreshing in today's society. The main character is a family man--loving father and husband. He is a special agent who thrives on facts, proof, evidence and discovers a psychic gift--what a twist! In short, it was a great book. Loved it! And I am looking forward to the next book in this trilogy Child Finder: Resurrection.

Breaking out of the box

One of the things I have learned from working with kids, nobody fits in a box. I got my BA in Elem Ed. I was sure God called me to teach 3rd grade and would never teach preschool. So, I taught preschool for 4 1/2 years. I have watched parents and teachers label children and make predictions and assumptions based on those labels, all under the impression they were helping the child. (Now, I'm not saying kids shouldn't be tested [when necessary] for challenges [such as dyslexia, ADD, etc.] and then help them learn to overcome those challenges)

I have found that people, young and old, can be refreshingly unpredictable. Picture if you will pioneer times when they would cook in a large pot over a fire. We are like that pot on the fire of life. We are a unique, maybe even weird, mix of genes, nature, nurture, and time. When and where I grew up there were limits to what I could try. When and where my girls are growing up, they have so many opportunities: art, sports, dance, gymnastics, etc. And there are teachers out there who are willing to work with students just because they love what they do and are not preoccupied just divine talent. I am trying to be careful not to overwhelm my girls or myself with trying everything; we're pacing ourselves. But there's no reason we should limit ourselves to what we've always done or what our parents or grandparents did or just what everyone else is doing--stretch, grow and have fun!

But, I think sometimes I try to put God in a box, too. I'll be going along, same ol'-same ol', then there's a pleasant surprise. "Wow, God is amazing!"--but then I think about that. Well, of course, God is amazing--He's GOD! As humans we try to keep God in the box of our finite mind, but He doesn't fit. He's God and He's bigger than our finite minds can ever imagine. Maybe what's amazing is what He's been able to do with small, insignificant me.

Let's Breakout!