Book Eight in the Dirk Pitt series proved to be Clive Cussler‘s most unusual story yet. I like to think of it as a series of semi-connected novellas rather than a full novel, because each Part has such a unique flavor that it’s hard to view them together. From wandering blimps, to a colony on the moon, to a Cuban friendship and the KGB threat—this book covers so much ground!
Long after I had finished reading the full Pitt series, I recall telling my friend: “I’m certain that in one of the books, Dirk flies to the moon and starts shooting people.” My friend didn’t believe me, which is partly the reason I wanted to go through all the books again. Of course, my buddy proved correct (it’s moon colony members who shoot some Russian invaders, not Dirk Pitt himself), but I’m still glad I’m retracing these adventurous steps.
It’s hard to describe the plot to this tale, so I won’t, but a few interesting ingredients are worth mentioning. For one thing, a villain from a previous novel returns, the assassin Foss Gly who wreaked havoc in Canada in Night Probe! Such a return is quite a rarity for any Cussler series.
Another thing worth mentioning is that, while Hiram Yeager uses his vast computer knowledge to uncover the history of the Cyclops ship, I wondered why Dirk never rang up the gregarious St. Julien Perlmutter. Can’t wait till we see more of him and his library of organized chaos.
One final thing to point out is perhaps Clive Cussler’s most unique scene in all his books. Who can forget Dirk Pitt’s escape from Cuba in his most creative transport yet, a bathtub fitted with an outboard motor? Genius!
Overall I enjoyed this book. Dirk’s continued adultery is an unnecessary evil, but knowing that he’ll eventually settle down is helpful. Witnessing a early showing of the Navy SEALs was cool, but the prize for uniqueness goes to the friendship between Cuba and the US, to the point that the US lifts the embargo and Castro has the opportunity to speak to Congress! Sandecker’s cigars are no longer illegal, and a favorite enemy is no longer such a threat. I’ll enjoy watching Cuba’s role in future novels, to see if Cussler remains consistent to this changing universe of his or not.
Next up for Dirk Pitt: Treasure.
©2017 E.T.
Read More from Clive Cussler:
Dirk Pitt Adventures:
1. Pacific Vortex! (1983)
2. The Mediterranean Caper (1973)
3. Iceberg (1975)
4. Raise the Titanic! (1976)
5. Vixen 03 (1978)
6. Night Probe! (1981)
7. Deep Six (1984)
8. Cyclops (1986)
9. Treasure (1988)
10. Dragon (1990)
11. Sahara (1992)
12. Inca Gold (1994)
13. Shock Wave (1996)
14. Flood Tide (1997)
15. Atlantis Found (1999)
16. Valhalla Rising (2001)
17. Trojan Odyssey (2003)
18. Black Wind (2004)
19. Treasure of Khan (2006)
20. Arctic Drift (2008)
21. Crescent Dawn (2010)
22. Poseidon’s Arrow (2012)
23 Havana Storm (2014)
24. Odessa Sea (2016)
25. Celtic Empire (2018)
Isaac Bell Adventures:
1. The Chase (2007)
2. The Wrecker (2009)
3. The Spy (2010)
4. The Race (2011)
5. The Thief (2012)
6. The Striker (2013)
7. The Bootlegger (2014)
8. The Assassin (2015)
9. The Gangster (2016)
10. The Cutthroat (2017)
11. The Titanic Secret (2019)
12. The Saboteurs (2021)
Kids:
1. The Adventures of Vin Fiz (2006)
2. The Adventures of Hotsy Totsy (2010)
Nonfiction:
1. The Sea Hunters (1996)
2. The Sea Hunters II (2002)
3. Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed (1998)
4. Silent Killer: Submarines and Underwater Warfare (2011)
5. Built for Adventure (2011)
6. Built to Thrill (2016)
NUMA Files:
1. Serpent (1999)
2. Blue Gold (2000)
3. Fire Ice (2002)
4. White Death (2003)
5. Lost City (2004)
6. Polar Shift (2005)
7. The Navigator (2007)
8. Medusa (2009)
9. Devil’s Gate (2011)
10. The Storm (2012)
11. Zero Hour (2013)
12. Ghost Ship (2014)
13. The Pharaoh’s Secret (2015)
14. Nighthawk (2017)
15. The Rising Se (2018)
16. Sea of Greed (2019)
17. Journey of the Pharaohs (2020)
18. Fast Ice (2021)
19. Dark Vector (2022)
20. Condor’s Fury (2023)
21. Desolation Code (2024)
Oregon Files:
1. Golden Buddha (2003)
2. Sacred Stone (2005)
3. Dark Watch (2005)
4. Skeleton Coast (2006)
5. Plague Ship (2008)
6. Corsair (2009)
7. The Silent Sea (2010)
8. The Jungle (2011)
9. Mirage (2013)
10. Piranha (2015)
11. The Emperor’s Revenge (2017)
12. Typhoon Fury (2017)
13. Shadow Tyrants (2018)
14. The Final Option (2019)
15. Marauder (2020)
Fargo Adventures:
1. Spartan Gold (2009)
2. The Lost Empire (2010)
3. The Kingdom (2011)
4. The Tombs (2012)
5. The Mayan Secrets (2013)
6. The Eye of Heaven (2014)
7. The Solomon Curse (2015)
8. Pirate (2016)
9. The Romanov Ransom (2017)
10. The Gray Ghost (2018)
11. The Oracle (2019)
12. Wrath of Poseidon (2020)
13. The Serpent’s Eye (2025)
Dirk Pitt is not an adulterer. I don’t know where you are getting that info from or what your basing your assumption on but you have it all wrong.
I’m not about to read the book again, but I assume he slept with someone’s wife in this book (which would be the definition of adultery). He’s not yet married to the Senator from Colorado, if I remember right.