Pacific Vortex

Rating:
Summary: Pitt shows his soft side in this non-stop action thriller
Review: "Pacific Vortex", for those of you who don't know, was actually the first book written by Cussler for the Dirk Pitt series. He was afraid to publish it, but friends and fans persuaded him to eventually share it with the rest of the world. I'm glad he did. Even though some of the dialogue was a little cheezy at times, the storyline was very intriguing. To hear Pitt tell the "Bond girl" in this book that he loves her was surprising. After reading six of Cussler's books, I was under the assumption that Pitt used women mainly for sex. It was interesting to finally see Pitt actually care for a woman and express his feelings. Normally, he's a cool cat who rarely shares his deep thoughts with anyone. It was refreshing to see this sensitive side of him, even if it was for a brief time. Overall, the book was entertaining. The whole idea of there being habitable submarine caves is an interesting premise. I wish the book was longer. "Pacific Vortex" still does not top "Cyclops" as Cussler's best novel because of the former's weak dialogue. However, it was still a good read and I know I'll read it again. I'm glad Cussler finally published this book. Clive, if you have any more unpublished stories, please reconsider. They are probably just as enjoyable as "Pacific Vortex".

Rating:
Summary: Pitt shows his soft side in this non-stop action thriller
Review: "Pacific Vortex", for those of you who don't know, was actually the first book written by Cussler for the Dirk Pitt series. He was afraid to publish it, but friends and fans persuaded him to eventually share it with the rest of the world. I'm glad he did. Even though some of the dialogue was a little cheezy at times, the storyline was very intriguing. To hear Pitt tell the "Bond girl" in this book that he loves her was surprising. After reading six of Cussler's books, I was under the assumption that Pitt used women mainly for sex. It was interesting to finally see Pitt actually care for a woman and express his feelings. Normally, he's a cool cat who rarely shares his deep thoughts with anyone. It was refreshing to see this sensitive side of him, even if it was for a brief time. Overall, the book was entertaining. The whole idea of there being habitable submarine caves is an interesting premise. I wish the book was longer. "Pacific Vortex" still does not top "Cyclops" as Cussler's best novel because of the former's weak dialogue. However, it was still a good read and I know I'll read it again. I'm glad Cussler finally published this book. Clive, if you have any more unpublished stories, please reconsider. They are probably just as enjoyable as "Pacific Vortex".

Rating:
Summary: A 'hairy barrel chest' and other traits of a superagent
Review: (...) Dirk Pitt is a star in "Pacific Vortex!," and a star for reasons Cussler never intended. He's rugged, debonair and likes the ladies, to be sure, but he screams 80s louder than a Boy George t-shirt. In the picturesque opening scene, Dirk Pitt is sunbathing in those brief white bathing trunks on a Hawaiian beach. As he naps, "[t]he hairy barrel chest that rose slightly with each intake of air, bore specks of sweat that rolled downward in snaillike trails and mingled with the sand." Oh, my. While I read, I alternately imagined him as Tom Selleck circa "Magnum, P.I." and Ben Stiller in "Starsky & Hutch," the real and the surreal - the yin and yang - versions of the 80s man.

The obvious comparison is James Bond, and it's a fair one. Dirk Pitt is comfortable schmoozing over cocktails. In the most unintentionally hilarious scene of the book, two women are literally fighting over Dirk while he suavely sips scotch. "The bruise beneath her right eye had begun the transformation from red to purple, and a small cut on her lower lip unleashed a few drops of blood that trickled down her chin, falling with precise accuracy down the cleavage between her breasts. Pitt still thought she was the most desirably woman he'd ever seen." Enough said. Oddly, there are no bow-chick-a-wow-wow scenes, but you know Dirk's gettin' some. The "sexy" scenes are usually of the slow-motion-body-shimmering-in-the-moonlight variety. Most are hysterical.

Rating:
Summary: How did they do it?
Review: After reading the ending of Valhalla Rising, where Pitt discovers that he has grown children resulting from his relationship with Summer in this novel, I went back and reread this novel carefully several times, and I can't for the life of me figure out how Pitt and Summer were able to conceive children. Nothing explicit is described, and there are no pauses in the action where they are left alone together. Did I miss something?

Rating:
Summary: Astonishing Start to Dirk Pitt Series
Review: An American nuclear submarine vanishes in the North Pacific without a trace. A man finds a floating capsule containing the last known whereabouts of the sub. When the sub is found the Americans have little time or room for error, if they fail they will have a nuclear crisis on their hands. Shock Wave by Clive Cussler is a tale of great importance to the millions living in the United States' major cities

Rating:
Summary: A Pure Gem
Review: At the book's beginning, Cussler points out that this was actually the first Pitt adventure, but that he was afraid of having it published. I see no reason why he should have been. Vortex is one of his finest works and is perfect for someone just getting interested in the Dirk Pitt (registered trademark) series. This book is far shorter than most of Cussler's other fare, which actaully makes it that much more enjoyabe. Cussler has a tendency to pile on the descriptions and histories of whatever the subject may be. Further, he tends also to, right as the action is getting good and tense, detour his readers onto another plot line (equally as intriging) for the next 100-200 pages before turning back to the original story line for the book's remainder. In Vortex, there is no over- describing and the sub plots (if any) take up little time, leaving the majority of the 270 pages for non stop action sequences. Granted, once a reader becomes a fan of a certain series or character, demands of the audience almost require the author to make deep indulgences in the characters and story. For Vortex, Cussler does not do this, making the action quick and believable, without getting the reader too bogged down in sometimes unnecessary details. For anyone interested in Cussler who has never read his works before, I suggest starting here, and moving on to the later, grander escapades of Dirk Pitt (registered trademark) if this one tickles your fancy.

Rating:
Summary: Way back, when Dirk Pitt was still a human being...
Review: Cussler's notes indicate that this is actually "the first" Dirk Pitt adventure novel and that it took much coaxing to get him to publish it. Maybe that is why an original hardbound version is not to be found? I agree with the peers who prompted him to publish the story. Looking back, it is one of his better creations.

Pitt, always the lone wolf chick magnet tries to take a Hawaiian vacation. Wouldn't you know some earth-shattering situation caused by a notorious villain of the world interrupts his rest and relaxation? For this escapade, he's swimming the deep blue Pacific Vortex in search of a top secret nuclear submarine that might find its way into enemy hands if Pitt doesn't find it and bring it home to safety!

Considering Cussler's admissions, "Pacific Vortex" goes to no great lengths to introduce us to Pitt, who at the time, was a new character. Cussler's description of his favorite NUMA super-hero is strangely matter-of-fact and doesn't try to make him impossibly super-human. He's just the dedicated good guy who wins, that dear reader likes to know could possibly exist somewhere in the world. In fact, I would venture to admit that "Pacific Vortex" is a "Pre-Cornball" story, which, by this reading enthusiasts' definition, is a time before Cussler made his super-hero obnoxiously SUPER-invincible.

Rating:
Summary: Fun
Review: Dirk Pitt is the James Bond meets John Wayne character that every guy would love to be. Pitt's a "man's man." He smokes, but he still scuba dives with the best of them. He's no pretty boy, well-mannered and cute, but he gets plenty of women. He's no fame-seeking show off, but he always saves the day. Playboy, Maxim, and GQ only WISH they could have such a chap to plaster on their covers!

Pacific Vortex! is a quick read since its a rather short book, but that's not a bad thing. A lot of popular novels contain the author's preaching to the reader or cramming pages upon pages full of verbose meandering. Not so with Cussler. Pacific Vortex is the perfect book for anyone who wants to have fun reading. Its difficult to make a novel fun (is Dan Brown a "fun" read? is Sydney Sheldon a "fun" read? are the classics "fun" reads?), but Cussler writes really fun books. I enjoyed Pacific Vortex because it moves quick - Cussler doesn't bore me by telling me every single detail about every room characters are in, what they are wearing, what they are thinking, what they ate for breakfast etc. There's a mysterious "vortex" in the Pacific? A capsule from a missing ship has been awash? Add Dirk Pitt and the story comes to life and there's not much of a pause. The ending is a bit silly (as is the villian), but good triumphs over evil, there were sexy women (but no filthy sex-scenes) involved in the storyline, and there were guns! I'm a happy reader!

Rating:
Summary: A 'hairy barrel chest' and other traits of a superagent
Review: Dirk Pitt. Seriously. If this book hadn?t been written 30 years ago ? and ten years before it was finally published ? I would swear that Clive Cussler?s name of his lead character Dirk Pitt was an obvious wink to Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg in ?Boogie Nights?) and Brad Pitt (in anything). I can?t think of another ?Dirk? or ?Pitt? that comes anywhere close. He?s suave, he?s cool, he?s ? updated for the 80s ? wearing ?brief white bathing trunks? when first we meet him. And he?s sunbathing, no less.

Mr. Pitt ? Dirk, not Brad ? has starred in 17 of Cussler?s swashbuckling adventure thrillers. (Cussler wrote ?Pacific Vortex!? first, though it was not published until 1982 when Dirk Pitt was a fixture on the best seller?s list. According to ?Dirk Pitt Revealed,? Cussler?s 1998 concordance/encyclopedia of all things Dirk Pitt, ?Pacific Vortex!? was initially deemed a weak first effort.) I was tempted to start with ?Flood Tide? (1997) or ?Atlantis Found? (1999), recent best sellers that are plentiful in paperback and in the remainder bins, but I like my genre novels to unfold in the order the author intended.

But enough exposition: Dirk Pitt is a star in ?Pacific Vortex!,? and a star for reasons Cussler never intended. He?s rugged, debonair and likes the ladies, to be sure, but he screams 80s louder than a Boy George t-shirt. In the picturesque opening scene, Dirk Pitt is sunbathing in those brief white bathing trunks on a Hawaiian beach. As he naps, ?[t]he hairy barrel chest that rose slightly with each intake of air, bore specks of sweat that rolled downward in snaillike trails and mingled with the sand.? Oh, my. While I read, I alternately imagined him as Tom Selleck circa ?Magnum, P.I.? and Ben Stiller in ?Starsky & Hutch,? the real and the surreal ? the yin and yang ? versions of the 80s man.

The obvious comparison is James Bond, and it?s a fair one. Dirk Pitt is comfortable schmoozing over cocktails. In the most unintentionally hilarious scene of the book, two women are literally fighting over Dirk while he suavely sips scotch. ?The bruise beneath her right eye had begun the transformation from red to purple, and a small cut on her lower lip unleashed a few drops of blood that trickled down her chin, falling with precise accuracy down the cleavage between her breasts. Pitt still thought she was the most desirably woman he?d ever seen.? Enough said. Oddly, there are no bow-chick-a-wow-wow scenes, but you know Dirk?s gettin? some. The ?sexy? scenes are usually of the slow-motion-body-shimmering-in-the-moonlight variety. Most are hysterical.

Rating:
Summary: Standard Cussler, Entertaining but not spectacular
Review: I enjoy reading the Dirk Pitt novels. Like the James Bond books you have to suspend your belief during the course of the book and not wonder how this guy could survive so many near death experiences from book to book. As with his other books this goes quick and provides ample entertainment. If you have read his other books you'll enjoy this one as well. This however doesn't deserve any more than 3 stars because it really is Cussler just getting started. The story isn't as good as his other future books. I think that "Deep Six" and "Raise the Titanic" were better. No less outlandish, but kept you at the edge of your seat all the more. So don't take this rating as anything bad, but just know it's not his best book and there's more you can expect out of him.