In my rush to finish the full Dirk Pitt Series for a second time, I blew through this one and started the next without giving myself ample time to breathe and review. For that reason, I’m a bit miffed that I cannot recall a whole lot from this story, though I’ve read it twice, once only a month ago!
This of course is an important point to make, not for Black Wind itself, but for the series as a whole. When you’ve got heroes defying all the odds decade after decade, beating every evil criminal family who’s hell-bent on destroying the world for their own selfish gain, it gets old. Not quickly, but eventually. That’s where I’m at with Dirk Pitt. It’s wonderful that Clive Cussler introduced new blood into his plots, with Dirk Jr. and Summer Pitt, but I’m old school. I prefer the studs of the past.
In Black Wind, Dirk Jr. finally puts on his big-boy pants all by himself, and now I can finally say “it’s about time.” His dad and Al still prove themselves to be active heroes in this one, but Dirk Jr. and Summer have slowly eased themselves into the mix without appearing too superhuman. Where Dirk Jr. earned his Special Forces training, though, I’m not quite sure. Because he’s the new guy crashing his old man’s party, I’m not willing to let that one slide. Clive, explain yourself.
As for plot, the small-pox acquisition from a sunk WWII sub is a great idea, especially that it’s coming from a closet North Korean. That the world thinks the enemy might actually be Japan is pushing it, though. Who hears from Japan anymore? Who fears Japan? Are they even still a country? (I kid, I kid.)
I also found it strange that the assassin played a far more prominent role in this adventure than did the main villain. That’s not normal for Clive Cussler, but maybe it’s a thing for Dirk Cussler. Time will tell. Next up for the Pitts” Treasure of Khan.
©2018 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)