Pitt Books

I am a fifth grade student at Waldron Mercy Academy (AJPH.) This book is about an eleven year old boy who is over 6 feet tall and can't play basketball. Everyone calls him Xander. Kids make fun of him because he stinks at basketball and because he is tall. He is always the last one picked for basketball. His dad tells him every day to practice basketball, but he doesn't. Xander is frusterated because kids make fun of him and his dad telling him every day to practice basketball. So instead of him playing basketball he enters the City Spirit Art Festival Competition and won first prize. His whole family was proud of him. After the art festival no one made fun of him again. Everyone was so happy at school because he raised so much money.

The book collects chapters by various authors on conflicts often arising out of ethnic bases. Where perhaps one ethnic group, localised in a region within a given country, and an overall minority in that country, might want to secede in order to establish their "own" nation. Examples include the late Yugoslavia, and the series of seccession wars that engulfed it. But it is not the present that is studied. One chapter looks at Europe in the 19th century, and the imperialisms then present. Where these encompassed many minorities. The classic example is Austria-Hungary.

What is not studied are cases where a region wanted succession, but the rest of the country merely waited this out. Like Western Australia in 1933-5. This particular instance was also not ethnic-based, but strictly regional-based.

Some chapters warn of the dangers of ethnic-based politics. Inasmuch as the temptation to unravel a country's neighbour via encouraging the latter's peoples might lead that neighbour to do likewise to the former.

This is a must for the western movie fan. Information is very consise, but a good first step before getting out your other resources.

Great book of poetry from the master of elegies. It's right up there with Winter Stars in my book.

Moretta has illuminated and obscure but imporant figure in Texas history. William Pitt Ballinger Was one of the most active and imporant men in Texas legal circles in the mid-ninettenth century. He left a very significant body of papers both personal and legal which are housed in three archives in Galveston, Houston and Austin, Texas. Ballinger practiced a wide range of law but was best known for his Supreme Count appeals in both the Texas and United States Supreme Courts and for representing railroads. Ballinger was widely respected which led him to be designated as the man to obtain pardons for Confederate officials and soldiers after the Civil War. His life and papers deverve more attention. Moretta has brought Ballinger to light after too many years of obscurity. A very important book in Texas legal and business history.

This is the first book I've read by Clive Cussler and I doubt I will read another. The writing is amateurish at best, the dialog is poorly written, and many of the situations in the plot are ludicrous. Much of the plot reads like a teenage boy's daydream during a boring algebra class, an issue that is exacerbated by Cussler's tendency to write himself into the story in a variety of ways.

The science background that is supplied to support the storyline is full of serious errors and inconsistencies. This I could forgive if the book provided a 'rippling good yarn', but the overall story is pretty lame and highly derivative. By the end I was surprised that the Nazi bad guys weren't also zombies.

One of the biggest problems with this book is that it is just PACKED with inconsistencies and ludicrous statements/situations. Examples of this can be found on almost any randomly selected page of the book, but here are a few samples: (1) At one point in the book a group of special forces soldiers find themselves helpless to deal with an armored snowcat that they don't have enough firepower to damage. The author's solution is to have the hero take out the snowcat by throwing a perforated gas can into the snowcat through its open windows! Apparently the special forces people too dense to shoot through the windows of a snowcat, the nazis are too dense to roll up their windows, and the author is too dense to recognize how ludicrous the whole thing is. (2) Shortly after the snowcat episode, these same special forces are exposed to a suspicious light mist that begins to envelope them. The leader of the soldiers takes a big sniff of the mist and announces it is not poisonous; part of his training is to recognize toxic gas. Yes, I am sure that soldiers are routinely exposed to toxic gases so they can recognize them and that their training tells that to take a big snort of any suspicious gas to identify it! (By the way, there are plenty of toxic gases that have no odor whatsoever, so not only is this approach an incredibly dangerous one, but this is also a approach that can't be counted on to work!)

All-in-all, I'd have been far happier to have left Atlantis Lost.

A friend had recommended Clive Cussler to me. I like to read popular authors and see why the reading public finds their novels so interesting. I picked up "Atlantis Found" to read on a long flight abroad. I assumed that his writing was like Ludlum, Grisham or Follett. I call this genre "airplane books", nothing too heavy, just an interesting plot that keeps my attention during the flight.

From the beginning, I was amazed how utterly ridiculous this story was. I realize this is fiction; but I felt like I was reading a "comic book" staring a very flimsy superhero called Dirk Pitt. The story is populated with Nazi clones and ancient sophisticated civilizations that had traveled all over the globe leaving etchings predicting Armaqgeddon.

Although, I was ready to put this book down soon after starting, I gave all those individuals who highly rated this book a chance-I was also on a long flight- and trudged on. It only became more implausible and painful. The incredibly successful and sophisticated Nazis that are introduced half way through the story had "secretly" built a number of giant ships to serve as "arks" for a select few thousand to populate the earth after the soon to be created "man-made" flood inundated the planet-those diabolical devils. Despite the Nazi clones-from Hitler's DNA no less- sophisticated weapons, security, and man-power our boy Dirk and his wise cracking side-kick Giordino save the day.

By the way ,what is the deal with naming and describing all the vehicles and apparatus that Dirk uses? Like descibing the Bell-Boeing 609, or the 36' Ford Cabriolet or the U.S Diver's Aquarius air regulator and Mark II face mask. Is this some type of product placement or is it supposed to make the story more plausible. I hope that it is product placement because it only makes the story seem more ridiculous.

There are many great fiction writers available in this genre. Save your self the time and money and pass on this book by Clive Cussler. If you want a comic to read pick up something from Marvel.

A Dirk Pitt novel. Intriguing premise ruined by amateurish writing. Barely comic book level plotting, dialogue, grammer, and story telling.

For example, compare the level of writing to a much better entry in the action-adventure genre such as A Skeleton In God's Closet.

I am about half way through this book and I just can't finish it. Its not usual I do that but it is just sucking my will to live.
The dialogue is a joke. I can't stand the main character. I'm mostly just hoping that between dodging 'killers' and bombs, he gets wacked in the process.
It seems every paragraph is just filled with the make and model of every piece of gear he has on. Do I care that he looked down at his x3-500 Supermega watch with intel microprogramming digitalizers? No. And no one else does either.
Sorry but I just dont think I can finish it.

I think for me, one of the allures of the Dirk Pitt series is the nomadic nature of the characters. We start in this book in Colorado and end up someplace quite cold. In between we visit a board room or two and an airplane hangar except there are no planes here. There is a core group that does um research for NUMA. Inevitably Dirk is right in the middle of whatever is going down. Sharp, experience-honed instincts has kept him alive on countless occasions. The group may split up and have two story lines followed until they collide again. The mystery is intriguing and trying to figure it out is half the fun. There is no graphic sex for the sake of it...although Dirk is one lucky son-of-a-gun. The various locales make this another great read from Cussler. One of the most anxious moments is a boat race including small and not-so-small arms fire. Dirk distracts you with one scene only to bring in an element long forgotten from another scene that saves the day...I hope that didn't ruin the ending, but let's face it, if you've looked around, DDD(Dirk Doesn't Die).

I have read every Clive Cussler book. (I feel we're on a first-name basis!) Whether he's written it alone or with another author, they are always entertaining and of the can't-put-down-til-I-find-out-what-happens variety. My biggest praise is that he writes as someone from today, with a heart for the bygone era. He doesn't need to use blatant sex and vulgar swearing to get his message across. Just like the good, old movies, some things should be left to the imagination ... and Cussler does just that ... tastefully. With so much trash being published today, I'd love to meet him and shake his hand in thanks!

While I understand the appeal of formula novels, I was amazed at how bad this one actually is. I am all for suspension of disbelief - I love the ability to delve into unreality on occasion - but here the plot manipulation is pretty silly (though sometimes its fun) while the writing is downright pedantic. Writing oneself into a story is the supreme ego-trip, and to do so in such a strange and useless way just pushes into the absurd. Connecting the mythical/fiction (Jules Verne & Captain Nemo) with the historical (Viking exploration) is fine, but the writing simply doesn't support such an odd pairing. I was so glad to finish the book, just to be done with it.

This is the last Dirk Pitt book that I really liked. Every other book of his I've read after this one has just seemed to go downhill. This book is fun. It's the standard Dirk Pitt formula: something in the past happens for prolog, Dirk gets in way over his head, Dirk comes and saves the day, tons of action, and lots of fun. Good book for those looking for some good action and good story telling.

If you haven't read any of Cussler's work, this light read is a great starting place. There are elements in every Cussler text that every fan knows to look for. Dirk's autos, his ladies and that elusive appearance by Clive himself. I never miss a word. I am almost disappointed at the making of Sahara into a movie, that is not at all how I pictured Dirk.

At first I thought Vahalla Rising was going to be a great story, but then it went downhill from there. In the story Mr. Cussler creates the evil corporate CEO who is trying to get a monopoly on the oil industry by sinking or sabotaging rival imports. Then there is the account of how Vikings colonized New York. I could not find any connection between the plot and the Vikings. I plotted through the story looking for a connection that just wasn't there and the "magic" briefcase had me wondering if this was going to be a sci-fi story. If you haven't read any of Cussler's books I wouldn't recommend starting with this book. Overall, I was disappointed in the story, but I'll keep on reading others works by this creative writer.

Good historical information as well as maps, etc. Good overall information about the new China

Although the 10th Edition provides useful information, I found its coverage of Western China extremely dated. Indeed, the information was so stale that a resident expat in Kashgar questioned whether LP visited Xinjinag prior to releasing the new edition.

I used this book only in Beijing and Shanghai, so I can only vouch for those two sections. The maps of Beijing were great, when they were there. Because the book appears not to have been copy edited, there are lots of references to more detailed maps there are not actually in the book.

Also, the Beijing section doesn't include some of the most interesting areas for tourists to visit. It seems like someone just did a google search on Beijing and listed the first few things that come up, regardless of their interest or relevance to tourists. A major park walking distance to the forbidden city surrounded by cafes, museums and excellent souvenir shops is simply not listed.

Shanghai was a little better.

It is a good book for dreaming though. I am keeping my copy so I can plan ahead for next trip. Before I actually go though I will be buying a different book.

We are independent travelers who usually travel with Lonely Planet. China is changing so fast it is hard to keep any guide up to date, but the travel and site information here was generally accurate and very helpful. I was disapointed in some of the restaurant recomendations.

An exceptional travel guide. Do not count on the prices being accurate but the big picture is spot on.

There are two problems with the Lonely Planet guide: it is too heavy for a traveler; it is on the banned books list in China (but my copy was not taken in my last two trips).

Death by Lonely Planet refers to guiding thousands of tourists to a once untouched spot. The Lonely Planet guide is a blessing and a curse.

Clive Cussler really can write an interesting book, so this is a particularly disappointing effort. Its principal virtue is that it reads with merciful brevity, hardly surprising since the plot is twisted and improbable, the characters are shallow and familiar, and the dialogue is hackneyed and unimaginative.

WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
Centuries ago, a freak storm, a "divine wind" repulses Kublai Khan's great fleet from invading the island kingdom of Japan. One of the ships floats helplessly across the Pacific until making landfall on an inhabited island. Though initially assimilating into the island's population, the power of the Khan cannot be ignored, and the crew eventually finds its way back to Shang-tu, Kublai Khan's fabled capital with tales of the strange new land. Centuries later, with the Imperial Japanese army conquering China, a British archaeologist discovers the ruins of Shang-tu, and there a map leading to the burial place of Chingis, the great Khan also known as Genghis. Between treachery and the fateful meeting with a Japanese bomber, the secret is lost again.

Or so it seems.

In the present day, Dirk Pitt links a series of seemingly unrelated anomalies triggering earthquakes and tidal waves to a larger conspiracy. The catastrophes cripple large segments of the world's petroleum-industrial complex, sending markets into a freefall. Signs point to a small but sinister Mongolian oil company run by a power-hungry arch-criminal determined to corner the market for oil. His immediate target is China, but he has bigger plans in store for the rest of the world.

Okay, it sounds cool, but this story basically follows all the grooves of a standard NUMA story. Even though this was the 1st Dirk Pitt novel I've read in 4 years (last one was the superior "Valhalla Rising"; not counting "White Death" a "NUMA Files" story and "Black Watch" a streamlined and efficient, if not rousing "Oregon Files" story), "Khan" makes me feel as if I've been drowning in them, recycling typical "Dirk Pitt" story element, following well-tread story patterns (right down to introducing Pitt by having him rescue a bunch of strangers from a mysterious attack - one of the strangers being a beautiful woman; sheesh, Pitt's married and well on in years, but Cussler makes Pitt a perennial babe-magnet) and tossing in stand-by villains. Between his reliance on the basic pieces of a Pitt story, Cussler doesn't do much to make this a very meaty story. "Valhalla" had our heroes hopping the globe, piecing together pieces of a huge puzzle - "Khan" has us doing very little of that. Instead, he stalls the beginning of the story by dwelling on the specific ramifications of the petro-industrial disasters, and then taking a nosedive with an extended scene explaining the oil crisis by having an analyst explain the situation to a bunch of other clueless (and annoying) analysts. It's like an FAQ turned into a script, with few attempts to inject any drama and all parts played by clueless nebbish pencil pushers. The exotic locales and much of the action of previous books is gone here. For fans of the previous books (The Rotten Review has been deep into Pitt since cracking "Cyclops" in 1986), Cussler gives us Pitt and trusty sidekick Al Giordano peaking in his own trademark swashbuckler derring-do, but then brings in a subplot involving Dirk Pitt's adult kids Dirk & Summer (introduced in "Valhalla", there mother was Summer Moran from "Pacific Vortex") and they speak pretty much the same way. The modern day Mongol warriors are just serviceable here, no war of words between them and Pitt before things go all pear-shaped for them. Ever since Cussler widened his franchise to include other NUMA characters, and then created the "Oregon Files", the Dirk Pitt stories remained the crown jewels in terms of sheer fun - hopefully that's still the case, but not because of "Khan".

I'm a Clive Cussler fan, so it pains me to say that this one was an awful disappointment. There was way too much description & not enough dialogue. I wound up skimming a lot of it & then lost interest in the characters & the plot. I finally gave up about halfway through. This one just didn't engage me at all.

This story is not like lightening, but lacks behind. Dirk Pit and Giordiono face a hoard of Mongols without weapons, without being shot to pieces. Thent they fac the Gobi Desert without proviant and tell to live about it, they are acting stupid on every turn of the story, like total imbasols, and when Dirk does not tell you about the vehicle you don't know whether is it adiside down or forward or backwards,

A fast moving story line that is typically Cussler. Story line background and characters well described and integrated into the story.

A co-worker told me about Clive Cussler's books and I started out by reading, Flood Tide, Atlantis Found, Trojan Odyssey, and Black Wind. All of these were great books that I had trouble stepping away from. Next, I read Iceberg. Iceberg was originally released in 1975 and is one of Cussler's earliest works. It was okay but not even close to being as good as the other books I had read to that point. Cussler's skills have obviously improved over time. I would suggest to anyone new to Cussler to start out with his later work and then go back to his earlier work if you are still interested.

Nobody writes em like Clive Cussler...sort of like James Bond meets Jacque Cousteau. Excellent book for history and science lovers...and there is always a twist...can you spot Clive Cussler's character in the book? I love that part...he always inserts himself into his work. I know of no other author who does that. Hope you enjoy the read! This is my 2nd time around :o)

You can definitely tell this is early Dirk Pitt. His character isn't as refined as in later novels and he's a little arrogant. Still a must for DirK Pitt readers.

This was my first trip into the "NUMA files" and I have to say it was a very fun read. The plot held my attention and kept me turning page after page, I ended up reading it in about three days...becuase I couldnt put it down.

There was a bit of a sexest attitude toward women..."DOnt worry your pretty little head, and go make me some coffee" attitude throughout. But, it was still a good book. I am going out to get the rest of the Dirk Pitt novels.

Cussler's books are usually well driven plot-wise, but his actual writing has improved since this turkey was published.

I've read several of Cussler's works (and enjoy the NUMA files more than Pitt, by the way), and found them to be fairly standard adventures with facinating plot twists. But the characters often are a bit flat.

This is by far the worst of the Cussler works I have read. Even for its time, the misogyny is overpowering and the (not so)latent homophobia is annoying as well. Many of the characters are as flat as the paper they are presented on.

Cussler got better in his writing and his characterizations (if only a bit), and his works make for good beach/down time reading. But give this early work a miss.