Customer Reviews
Good but not outstanding - By: A. Smith, 02 Jan 2009 
I have also been an avid reader of the Cussler books & always look out for a new novel featuring what another reviewer has described as the best duoin the series - Pitt & Giordino. I would agree. The usual build up is there, which draws the story beautifully together. All the regular references arein there as well - Tequila - Doxa dive watch etc that those who are fully familiar with the novels, look for like welcome companions. I totally agree with one reviewer who states that there is a possibility that the reins are being passed onto Clive's son. I detected something about the way it was written that suggests this. I felt the storyline didn't really hot up until three quarters through - I was expecting an 'Indiana Jones' mega battle that didn't materialise.
Yes all the banter isin there & the usual last minute twists & turns - even good ol' Clive Cussler makes his regular appearance as a prospector. Dirk & Summer (Pitt's kids) although playing a vital role, never really connect with Pitt & Giordinoin the story. Even at the end they are a bit distanced. Other characters, although mentioned as usual, didn't play as wholesome a role asin previous novels. It would be great to see Austin & Zavala play a part as well - no mention of them evenin passingin this novel. The absence of Pitt's repaired car at the end of the novel, along with a token item brought back from his adventures to putin his hangar collection were noticeable. Allin all a great read & definately one for the dedicated like me - but it just lacked the sparkle that other previous novels had. Let's hope this is not the last we see of Pitt & Giordino as it wouldn't be the right book to end the series on.
Buy Arctic Drift in Hard Cover and Enjoy a Fine Sea-Going Tale - By: Donald Mitchell, 01 Dec 2008 Arctic Drift has a lot to recommend it (if you don't get jammed up with Kindle pricing). The plot is an imaginative one about the potential risks to peace & economic stability with the world running out of energy while the ice caps are being melted down by global warming as a greedy billionaire seeks to manipulate the situation to his own advantage (much as Enron did during the electricity shortagein the West a few years ago). Dirk gets out & under the sea to have some unusual adventures which include a most unusual battle. There is a great series of cliff hangers as men's lives are at riskin perilous conditions. Dirk, Jr. & Summer also have some exciting adventures. The story also features a merciless killer who likes to make things go pop. You'll also read an intriguing historical mystery that connects to today's problems & technology. My only complaint is that the story could have used more of Dirk & Alin action.
The book opens on a doomed expedition that is capturedin the Arctic ice after trying unsuccessfully to navigate the Northwest Passage through Canada from Europe to Asia. The officers can't keep order as the men seem to be going mad, somehow connected to silvery rocks they have come into contact with.
Moving into the future, the year is 2011 & a mysterious phenomenon called the Devil's Breath is causing mysterious deaths at sea along the Inside Passagein British Columbia. Summer & Dirk, Jr. are taking water samples when they come across a derelict ship that has come into contact with the Breath. In the process, Summer makes friends with a dead fisherman's brother & the three investigate what might be causing large changesin the acid levelin the sea.
Further south, a pro-environmentalist Canadian M.P. is murderedin a way to make it look like an accident. In the Arctic, a Canadian research station is destroyed by what looks like a U.S. Navy vessel creating international tensions.
In Washington, D.C., a rare element turns out to have unusual properties, & the finding triggers a race to find more of the element & to seize control of the secret. Now the race is on to solve the energy crisis.
I liked the plot very much. It goes well beyond the "we are running out of . . . ." story lines & the "we are going to die from global warming" story lines to come up with an original intersection of the two problems constructedin a way that seems realisticin light of the economic events earlierin 2008 as gasoline pricesin the United States spiked above $4.00 a gallon & seemed headed higher until a global recession pricked the balloon.
The story has nice balance as well. There are a lot of characters & several interesting threads. If anything, Arctic Drift is a little too balanced. I could have used more of Dirk & Al at sea &in battle. The new plots where Dirk, Jr. & Summer engagein the ocean-going events aren't nearly as interesting as the more dangerous situations that Dirk & Al used to get themselves into & out of.
There's less swagger here . . . & more intellect. That's okay, but it's not quite as good as the over the top swagger that this series once featured. But I think you'll enjoy your voyage with NUMA & company.
Great Adventures - By: Pete A, 01 Dec 2008 
Okay so I will freely admit that I am thoroughly addicted to reading Clive Cussler Books. To me this book shows the very welcome return of Cusslers orginal &in my opinion,best duo, Dirk Pitt & Al Giordino. This time they are up against a billionaire environmental philanthropist, well seemingly so as he of course turns out to be anything but. The pace of this book never lets up as there is always something exciting going on. Boats disappear, boats blow up & a whole menagerie of people get murderedin the midst or should I sayin the mist (read the book & you will work out what I mean). Anyway the book is as always well structured & well thought out with a good amount of historical value thrown into boot, so does this book have everything? Well yes it does as it simply takes no effort to hold your attention at a constant 100%. I dare say that if time had permitted I could have easily read this book from cover to cover without stopping. I like many other Cussler fans am glad to see Dirk Pitt & his trusty sidekick Al Giordino back as the main charactersin this book. I have been worried that he would gradually phase out his original dynamic duoin favour of Dirk's children Dirk Junior & Summer but it seems that this is not totally the case. Thisin itself indicates to me a patternin Cussler's own life of him maybe winding down his involvementin the books. It is well known that his son now forms one of his writing partnerships & Cussler senior is now perhaps passing on his adventure writing mantle to himin much the same sense as Dirk Pitt Senior is passing on his adventure skills to his two children. Nor is this the only similarity between real life & fiction. It is also very well known amongst Cussler fans that he actually fronts NUMAin real life & this gives him a distinct advantage over other authorsin that he is using his own personal experiences as a platform for his novels. This does not distract from the fact that his books are also very well researched & as stated earlier gives a pleasant historical backup to the main story. Yes there maybe a bit of wild imagination thrown into his books at times but to me it just adds to the story & this book will definitely get you thinking "What If". There are only a couple of regrets with this book & that is that I have finished it & that Mr Cussler doesn't write faster. Buy this book without delay, you wont be disappointed!
Adventure, action good versus evil, it's all there ! - By: C. smith, 28 Nov 2008 I have long been a fan of Clive Cussler & he hasn't disappointed. I like how he has broughtin a new generation to be involved with the chaos & the battle just has he has introduced his sonin recent books. The story is of epic proportions with eco issues, good old fashioned right & wrong & great heros. It even has America & Canada buliding up to a war situation of course Dirk etc will sort them out at his usual painful cost. If a fan, of Dirk Pitt it tell's a terrific tale I am so glad I didn't wait for the paperback !!
cussler reigns supreme - By: Mr. C. Shaw, 11 Nov 2008 Have just finished reading this latest book & yes I was not dissapointed. Okay, Dirk gets into loads of scrapes as usual & it was nice to have him back with Al the last few novels have got him retired off so it was a nice surprise to have him back. Nothing unusual about the storyline always some trouble up ahead, it was topical & the homework had been done explicitley as usual. I enjoyed the story & read the bookin about four sittings but I am a Cussler fan & if you like easy going 'Indiana Jones' style fiction then this book as his others is going to excite you & keep you wanting more, Well Done Clive!
