Rating: 
Summary: Long awaited book somewhat disappointing
Review: It was Clive Cussler all right but just not the book I was waiting for. I have them all from Mediteranian Caper thru Shock Wave, but this one just wasn't quite up to par. I feel like Dirk and Al are family I know tham so well. I miss Loren Smith, I miss the cars, and I miss the bravado. Kurt is too tamed down, not larger than life. Dirk is a man we all want to meet, Kurt is a guy we probably all ready know. I'll buy Clive Cusslers books as long as he keeps writing them, but I hope this was just an experiment and he'll be back to his "real" self in the next book. I miss reading about an old guy in the dessert named Clive Cussler, or an old guy running a bar in the middle of no where named Clive Cussler. Give us back the real Clive Cussler.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic surprise! New characters from my favorite author!
Review: Books by Clive Cussler always promise intrigue, larger than life plots, interesting characters, water, and archaeology. This book does not let us down, and as an added bonus, we have several new and exciting characters to add to the NUMA family. Don't be scared away just because Dirk Pitt has only a cameo appearance in the story. True Cussler fans won't be disappointed. Keep up the good work! I can't wait for the next installment.
Rating:
Summary: a new era
Review: I just read most of the reviews made by other readers. I actually am happy two new characters, have been introduced, first bec/ they're more my age, Pitt is like nearly 50, now, i think :) second bec/ it was needed, Pitt and Giordino couldn't be the ony ones in NUMA who had adventures right. As for all Cussler's novel,s it's fast pace, with the usual ingredients of romance and suspense and contrary to what someone says, there are a lot of people dying : ) And besides shockwave and iceberg, i don't remember anyone dying, so i woud have been surprised if someone important had died. I actually hate when characters died like in shockwave. It's an excellent novel.
Rating:
Summary: New 2-D characters replace the last ones
Review: The main discussion here is, of course, replacing Pitt/Giordino with the Austin/Zavala pair. By seeing just how thinly developed these new characters are it shows that Cussler really should develop some characters with a little depth - and I don't mean bring back Pitt, etc. The original characters were just as manufactured and thin, we'd just gotten used to them. The NUMA mileau Cussler created is excellent. It provides virtually endless schenarios and stories in which NUMA's people can be involved. Just provide some realistic characters to live in it. Leave the supermodel scientists, invulnerable heroes, and unrealistic combinations for television (I still grin when I remember how Cussler described Perlmutter in an earlier book as an eighty year old, 400 pound gourmet in excellent health. Couldn't we all be so lucky!).
Rating: 
Summary: Terrific suspense and adventure
Review: The Triumph and the Glory tops this new one from Cussler, but nothing else I've read this year can match it. Great pacing, terrific plot, solid writing, and a classic Cussler style. You'll enjoy Serpent: The NUMA Files. I did.
Rating:
Summary: I was disappointed that Dirk was gone...before I read this!
Review: OK I am a hard-core Cussler (i.e. Dirk Pitt) fan and thought that Cussler was going the way of Clancey with extra writing help and poor story lines, but not so. Mr. Cussler and his "helper" have pieced together another great book. OK, you could substitute "Dirk and Al" for "Kurt and Joe" and have another Pitt adventure, but the last one bothered me anyway. Maybe the break will be good as Mr. Cussler had Dirk Pitt feeling old, I feel that way but I wanted Dirk to stay as young as the prepetual Bond, James Bond and with Kurt Austin it is possible.
Rating:
Summary: I feel like I lost my favorite uncle.
Review: Whenever I see a new book with Clive Cussler's name on the cover, I grab it and run for somewhere to read it. I didn't notice Kampreco's name on it until I had already opened and started reading it. I noticed the difference in writing style right away, and hoped that the story would be just as good. From the moment I met Kurt Austin I Knew that it would not be. Over the years Dirk Pitt has become like my favorite uncle who visits me once a year to tell me stories about places and people I will never see or meet. I look foreward to the adventures Dirk and Al whole heartedly. I really liked the plot of the book, dont get me wrong, it was a good story. There are just some things that are very hard to improve on. I hope Dirk and Al are okay. (No offense, Mr. Kamprecos)
Rating:
Summary: Where was Dirk and Al?
Review: Serpent was indeed a pretty good book, but where was Dirk and Al? I did not see a need for Cussler to introduce two new characters. Was it because the old series was not doing as well so Cussler needed a different approach to sell books? Serpent had classic Cussler, with shipwrecks, mysteries, people taking over the world, action, etc. However, the action was not quite up to par, the mystery not mysterious, and the plot of taking over the Southwest was plain stupid. Cussler created too many characters in the story, and spent most of the book discussing history instead of giving us action/adventure like in his previous books. The story ended rather abruptly and the book seemed kinda rushed. All in all, Serpent is a pretty good book but not quite up to par with the others. I recommend some of his others such as Sahara and Shock Wave. I'll always continue to buy the next Cussler book but I hope the next is another Dirk/Al classic. Finally, who is this Paul Kemprecos contributor guy?
Rating:
Summary: excellent story if you are a clive cussler fan
Review: i am a huge fan of the works by clive cussler, i have read all his books. i thought that the story was in great tradition with previous novels and that the characters all lived up to the usual expectations. however i have been waiting for this installment from clive for so long that i was ready for Dirk and Al. i was a bit disappointed with the fact they seem to have been pensioned off. the new characters are good and get you involved and, as i have read before they are almost identical to Dirk and Al. The story is not one of clives best stories, in fact i was at one point wanting to skip sections to get to more interesting parts. but above all it was an enjoyable and interesting to read.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty average
Review: This new one from Cussler just can't compare with the best adventure-action books of the year, profoundly moving novels like "The General's Daughter" and "The Triumph and the Glory", which are as fast-paced as anything Cussler has done, but pack an emotional punch to rival anything in print today. Serpent was uneven, very good at times but then flat and listless a few pages later. I don't think Cussler's heart was in this one.
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