It’s time once again for some “reckless American adventurism” (Epilogue)
As prolific as Clive Cussler has become over the years—what with his multiple series, the occasional non-fiction book, and even a few kids’ books—nothing he writes can compete with action from his original hero, Dirk Pitt. I suppose it would be much like if Ian Fleming were to have introduced another suave spy into a second series. No matter what that author could have written, nothing would be as great as his 007. In Poseidon’s Arrow, we meet Dirk Pitt again for his 22nd novel, and the man seems to be just getting started in his role as hero.
This novel begins like a classic Pitt, as a runaway ghost ship cursed by a mysterious plague threatens to burrow into a fully-laden cruise liner. Only one man in the vicinity can help prevent disaster, so grey-haired Dirt Pitt springs into action and does what he does best. Much like in the opening blimp scene of Cyclops, Pitt not only proves himself a hero who can thwart the attacks of even the most non-human threats, but also edges his way into a mystery that has global ramifications. Cussler deserves kudos for having the guts to open this book in such a classically flamboyant way.
Another hark back to the classic Pitt novels is the way that the US government—Vice President Sanddecker in particular—seeks to involve this internationally acclaimed adventurer in the case. Ostensibly tasked with finding a small boat lost at sea, Dirk Pitt leads NUMA on a dark operation to save secret submarine plans from falling in to the wrong, terribly evil hands.
I particularly enjoyed how this book took its sweet time to introduce Pitt’s twin children, Dirk Jr. and Summer. While the pair have grown on me a bit, I certainly don’t look forward to the day when they take over for good. I’m hoping author Dirk Cussler can find a way to keep Dirk Pitt and Al Girodino as ageless as possible, so they can always find their way into and out of the most dangerous of scrapes.
I also enjoyed the unexpected twists and turns of this book, again a shout-out to the books of old. Would anyone expect Dirk Pitt to fight bulls in the rings of Spain, while at the same time trying to stop thugs from stealing a secret US technological marvel? Of course not, which keeps Clive Cussler at the top of my favorites list.
Overall, I will admit, the plot seemed a bit minor in scale, at least when compared to the global threats of past villains. This bad guy, however, hoping only to steal the plans of a secret US submarine, also ran a private forced-labor settlement in Panama in search or “rare earth” and was a kidnapper at heart, murderer at will. He was a stain on humanity that needed swift execution, so who better to call than Dirk Pitt himself?
I’ve got just one more Dirk Pitt novel on my shelf to review, Odessa Storm, though that seems hard to believe! I’m not sure what I’ll do with myself afterwards, though there are many missing novels in the other series as well to read. I think I’ll continue to be entertained for some time to come.
©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)
excellent book! If you’re a fan of military books you have to read the wingman series by Mack Maloney. Imagine there was a war and most of the earth is a desolate Wasteland with few people and someone has his own own F-16 to fly around and try and stop tyrants from causing Havoc! There’s enough books in this series to keep you busy for a year or two and if you’re an aviation buff you’ll be right in the cockpit!