Raise the Titanic

Rating:
Summary: A Grand Slam!
Review: 'Raise the Titanic' is the best of the Dirk Pitt books. Not that I'm slamming the rest of them, but this one has it all: mystery, adventure, espionage, with a dash of romance for seasoning. At the height of the Cold War, America lives under the threat of nuclear attack by the Soviet Union. A brilliant American scientist has designed a defensive shield that can make the U.S. invulnerable to nuclear attack. To make it operational, he needs large quantities of a rare mineral. Unfortunately, the only stockpile large enough went down with the Titanic. To recover it, Dirk Pitt must bring the famously ill-fated ocean liner back to the surface. He must raise the Titanic. Needless to say, the Soviets aren't crazy about the idea. They'll do anything to stop him, including send the Titanic back to her watery grave. The story should feel dated, now that the Cold War has ended and the Titanic really has been discovered. It doesn't, at least not to me. 'Raise the Titanic' is still a good old fashioned page-turner. Speaking of which, it's about time for me to dust off my old copy and read it again...

Jeff Edwards, Author of "Torpedo: A Surface Warfare Thriller"

Rating:
Summary: The book is amazing, written by a great author.
Review: Clive Cussler uses his imagination and combines it with actual events to produce a great novel. In most of his stories, Cussler writes with one main character. That characters name is Dirk Pitt and he is the epitome of a hero. Pitt is a Special Projects Director for the NUMA organization yet seems to get involved in the wildest adventures. Pitt uses common sense, sarcasm, and his intellect to solve the hardest of mysteries. In the novel, Raise the Titanic, Pitt starts out trying to find missing byzanium. According to the last report, the byzanium went down with Titanic when it sank. Pitt and NUMA decide to raise Titanic in order to find this byzanium for it is the main ingredient in the making of a defense weapon. Cussler uses factual information concerning the shipwreck and writes the most compelling story. Cussler is a native of Colorado and in this book, Pitt visits CO. Another interesting point is Cussler's fascination with vintage automobiles. In every one of Cusslers books, Pitt owns or drives a car that Cussler has in real life. Following the idea of past history, the novel Treasure also written by Cussler begins with a fight with the Romans in the time of the Roman Empire. This novel goes on about a lost treasure that is priceless. Pitt must find the treasure but no maps were ever found, only directions on tablets. It turns out that the boat with the treasure sailed up the Rio Grande and ended its journey in Texas. Pitt faces deadly adversaries in this book like all others. Pitt is able to overcome high obstacles with the help of his superior, Admiral James Sandecker and his friends Al Giordino and Rudi Gunn. These three characters are in most of Cussler's stories and the team of Gunn, Giordino and Pitt is unstoppable. They have been shot and hurt numerous times but refuse to be beaten. The attitudes of these men are what make heroes. The novel that is most powerful is Sahara for it seems so real yet so unbelievable. The beginnings of all Cussler's novel begin hundreds of years ago to tell a brief story and then it jumps to the present day. What is amazing about Cussler is that is writing technique allows him to relate the original excerpt with the whole book to make complete sense. In Sahara, the story is about Pitt discovering a highly poisonous toxin. Pitt and Giordino are then captured and put in a pit with others digging for diamonds in Africa. They manage to escape, steal a car and race into the Sahara desert. They come across a downed aircraft flown by a young woman nearly forty years ago. They take her diary and continue on their journey. Near death they come across an intercoastal highway like the one in Alaska. They are rescued and after recovering, they go back and save the other prisoners. Pitt is intrigued by the young woman's diary and discovers that she found a ship when she crashed. Pitt launches a recovery operation that leads them to a confederate ship from the United States with Abe Lincoln's remains on board. Cussler is able to use actual events and then put his own twist on it. A habit of Clive Cussler's is to put himself in the story he's writing. Its always a small part though. For instance, in Sahara Pitt and Giordino come across an old drifter in the desert who guides them in their journey. At the end of their conversation the drifter identifies himself as Clive Cussler. Cussler has a unique writing style that distinguishes himself from other authors. He leads readers to places they have not gone to before and the reader has a sense of experiencing these events for themselves. Cussler always rearches information so false events is unlikely and it is obvious that Cussler has a passion for water and land adventures which mirrors in his Dirk Pitt character.

Rating:
Summary: Worst thing I have EVER read.
Review: Completely unbelievable plot. Total lack of understanding of anything remotely connected with science. Abysmal characterisation, junior-school dialogue, this book almost completely drained me of the will to live. I regret deeply the afternoon I wasted reading this turgid excuse for a novel, as I will never be able to reclaim it. Little wonder the movie based on it sank without trace, how could anyone have been stupid enough to have thought that this noisesome mess was worth more than the effort of pulping all exsisting copies. I had to give this one star to get my review submitted, the form requires that field is filled, but I would really like to give it a massive negative rating.

Rating:
Summary: This might be the worst book I've ever read.
Review: I didn't have a problem with this book for about the first half. The plot was alright, despite being utterly and completely predictable. Then came the terrible ending. If you don't like spoilers, don't read any further.
SPOILERS BELOW!!
Okay, so the whole raising of the Titanic is worthless. Why couldn't they have just found the freaking byzanium in the vault? Would have wrapped up the story nicely and not been the worse ending I've ever read. The whole ending was based on a minute, chance comment made to Pitt, that no one even remembers reading. Also there's the whole "Dana's a whore so we're going to have her have sex" scene. Okay, obviuosly Cussler isn't getting any and just wanted to write it in. Otherwise, it was pointless and really random.

To all the English teachers out there, please don't make the mistake of my teacher and assign this book. It's horrible and your students will hate you all the more for it.

Rating:
Summary: Suspense rises as high as Titanic
Review: In this all time best seller, written before the discovery of the Titanic, Clive Cussler takes us on a roller coaster ride of suspense and intrigue that includes not only finding and raising the "then intact" Titanic, but thwarting off our "at the time" deadly enemies, the Russians who wanted the byzanium for their own wharped use. Dirk Pitt, Mr. Cussler's alter ego, is the man of the hour, as he is in all of Clive Cusslers novels, and figures out where the missing byzanium is and surprises all his readers. This is an enjoyable read for any adventure fan and a must read for any Titanic fan.

Rating:
Summary: very good
Review: Let me get one thing straight: I rate this at 4 1/2 stars, not just 4. The reason I take off 1/2 of this excellent Dirk Pitt novel is because of all the political elements and complicated side stories Cussler adds. The greatest part of this book was the underwater probing, the glorious raising of the Titanic, and it's journey to New York Harbor. Be warned, Pitt doesn't even appear in the story until about the 100th page, the beginning is mainly background, and entryway into the plot. The story is good, though the character of Gene Seagram, and the politics take away from the heart of the story. Nevertheless, it is a great book, and a great read for all!

Rating:
Summary: A Really Fun Read
Review: Never mind that every word in this book about Titanic is now completely outdated, it's still so much fun! Ignore the standard lame Cussler dialogue and just enjoy the ride!

Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: This is an excellent read. My only problem with the book is that it caused me to miss my stop a few times taking the train because I just couldn't look up from the pages. It's a tad on the unbelievable side, but hey, It's fiction. Also, Pitt is made out to be the "perfect" human being, which is also a tad irritating. Give this a read. Disappointment is unlikely.

Rating:
Summary: If Bond had a Brother Dirk Pitt Would be it
Review: This was my first Dirk Pitt novel and it wont be my last. This book was a page turner. There never was a slow part in the book. Clive Cussler does a good job on giving descriptions. I really like how he goes into the past at the beginning of every book. I would recomend this book to anybody who likes action. These books are a lot like bond. It has a really good twist at the end. There is a movie but I wouldn't watch it as it is pretty bad. The movie doesn't go by the book much at all. Just read this book.