Atlantis Found [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Clive Cussler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2000

Dirk Pitt discovers Atlantis, in a breathtaking novel from the grand master of adventure fiction.

Clive Cussler has long since proven himself one of America's most popular authors--a master of intricate, audacious plotting and "vibrant, rollicking narrative" (Chicago Tribune). But Atlantis Found may be his most audacious novel of all.

September l858: An Antarctic whaler stumbles upon an aged wreck, its grisly frozen crew guarding crates of odd antiquities--and a skull carved from black obsidian.

March 200l: A team of anthropologists gazes in awe at a wall of strange inscriptions, moments before a blast seals them deep within the Colorado rock.

April 200l: A research ship manned by Dirk Pitt and members of the U.S. National Underwater and Marine Agency is set upon and nearly sunk by an impossibility--a vessel that should have died fifty-six years before.

Pitt knows that somehow all these incidents are connected, and his investigations soon land him deep into an ancient mystery with very modern consequences, up against a diabolical enemy unlike any he has ever known, and racing to save not only his own life but the future of the world itself.

The trap is set. The clock is ticking. And only one man stands between earth and Armageddon. . . .

Filled with dazzling suspense and astonishing set pieces, this is Clive Cussler's greatest adventure novel yet.

"I've always had tremendous fun with Dirk Pitt, but nothing has given me more pleasure than the opportunity to send him to that most fabled of lost lands, Atlantis, and to virtually reinvent aspects of its civilization. I hope you have as good a time reading Atlantis Found as I did writing it!"--Clive Cussler

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Dirk Pitt, indestructible hero of 14 previous Clive Cussler novels and special-projects director of the National Underwater and Marine Agency (which is something like the CIA of the ocean depths), makes James Bond look like a tuxedoed, martini-swilling poseur. Pitt has raised the Titanic, escaped massive volcanic eruptions, ducked nuclear explosions, foiled criminal plans for world domination, saved everyone on earth from germ warfare, and mastered the ins and outs of various electronic gizmos and futuristic vehicles while evading every imaginable form of almost certain death. (Of course, he's also wildly successful with brilliant, beautiful women, but in an admirably circumspect, sensitive-guy way.) It stands to reason Pitt's the right man to handle a crisis of millennial proportions.

When mysterious black obsidian skulls and other artifacts of an exceedingly ancient culture begin to turn up in odd places, Pitt jumps in with both feet. It soon becomes dangerously apparent that a powerful, amoral group of fanatics calling itself the Fourth Empire wants the strange discoveries to remain underground. Pitt teams up with a beautiful red-haired expert in ancient languages to decipher the meaning of the artifacts. They were made 10 millennia ago in a then-temperate Antarctica by a seafaring civilization advanced enough to predict its own destruction by a comet impact. Now the Fourth Empire (whose literal and figurative progenitor comes as no surprise) is predicting a similar disaster in only a matter of months, and preparing to take control of the earth.

Cussler's known for hands-on research--his hobbies are the backbone of Pitt's adventures: flying, climbing, diving, racing. The scientific and historical riffs that fill in the background of Atlantis Found are the weakest parts of the book--they're Pitt-less, and they give every discovery in the book away early. But what the heck--Cussler's not the king of suspense, he's the emperor of nonstop action. Atlantis Found bounces along on a good-humored techno-joyride, and for Cussler's legion of fans, that will be more than enough. --Barrie Trinkle --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Dirk Pitt, Cussler's larger-than-life hero, butts heads with an army of elite killers seeking to destroy the world in another wickedly engrossing yet predictably scripted tale of bravery against all odds. As the story begins, artifacts from a previously undiscovered civilization, ancient but highly advanced, are popping up all over the globe. Pitt himself is on site in a Colorado mine when archeologists come across strange carvings and mysterious inscriptions. But then an explosion traps the party below ground, and a band of black-suited terrorists arrive at the scene with guns blazing. Though Pitt saves the day, the incident points toward a wider network of evil schemes. Working for the National Underwater & Marine Agency, Pitt finally identifies the terrorists as members of the Fourth Empire, an organization headed by the diabolical Wolf family, a secret clan of genetically engineered people who worship the Nazi Third Reich. But it's only after Pitt and his able sidekick, Al Giordino, battle old German U-boats, dodge surface-to-air missiles and narrowly escape death on a remote island off Australia that they find out what the Fourth Empire is up to. The neo-Nazis aim to prevent the world from discovering the artifacts of this previously unknown seafaring culture because they tell of a catastrophic event that wiped out civilization 9000 years ago and reveal when the next cataclysm will hit. The Wolfs plan to accelerate the date through their own scheme to destroy Earth, meanwhile sheltering themselves and their thousands of followers on enormous, disaster-proof ships. Pitt knows his assignment: save the world--a tall order, but one he's filled many times before. Cussler's 15th Pitt adventure (after Flood Tide) is a rampaging story of history, technology and heroism, written with Cussler's typical make-no-apologies enthusiasm. For muscle-flexing, flag-waving, belief-suspending fare, he has no equal. 750,000 first printing; $750,000 ad/promo; BOMC main selection; simultaneous audio; author tour.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 892 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (March 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786222832
• ISBN-13: 978-0786222834
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (371 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,552,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Clive Cussler began writing novels in 1965 and published his first work featuring his continuous series hero, Dirk Pitt(R), in 1973. His first non-fiction, The Sea Hunters, was released in 1996. The Board of Governors of the Maritime College, State University of New York, considered The Sea Hunters in lieu of a Ph.D. thesis and awarded Cussler a Doctor of Letters degree in May, 1997. It was the first time since the College was founded in 1874 that such a degree was bestowed.
Cussler is an internationally recognized authority on shipwrecks and the founder of the National Underwater and Marine Agency, (NUMA) a 501C3 non-profit organization (named after the fictional Federal agency in his novels) that dedicates itself to preserving American maritime and naval history. He and his crew of marine experts and NUMA volunteers have discovered more than 60 historically significant underwater wreck sites including the first submarine to sink a ship in battle, the Confederacy's Hunley, and its victim, the Union's Housatonic; the U-20, the U-boat that sank the Lusitania; the Cumberland, which was sunk by the famous ironclad, Merrimack; the renowned Confederate raider Florida; the Navy airship, Akron, the Republic of Texas Navy warship, Zavala, found under a parking lot in Galveston, and the Carpathia, which sank almost six years to-the-day after plucking Titanic's survivors from the sea.
In September, 1998, NUMA - which turns over all artifacts to state and Federal authorities, or donates them to museums and universities - launched its own web site for those wishing more information about maritime history or wishing to make donations to the organization.
In addition to being the Chairman of NUMA, Cussler is also a fellow in both the Explorers Club of New York and the Royal Geographic Society in London. He has been honored with the Lowell Thomas Award for outstanding underwater exploration.
Cussler's books have been published in more than 40 languages in more than 100 countries. His past international bestsellers include Pacific Vortex, Mediterranean Caper, Iceberg, Raise the Titanic, Vixen 03, Night Probe, Deep Six, Cyclops, Treasure, Dragon, Sahara, Inca Gold, Shock Wave, Flood Tide, Atlantis Found, Valhalla Rising, Trojan Odyssey, Black Wind, Treasure of Kahn and Arctic Drift (the last three with his son, Dirk Cussler) as well as The Chase; the nonfiction books The Sea Hunters, The Sea Hunters II and Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt (R) Revealed; the NUMA(R) Files novels Serpent, Blue Gold, Fire Ice, White Death, Lost City, Polar Shift, The Navigator and Medusa (written with Paul Kemprecos); and the Oregon Files novels Sacred Stone and Golden Buddha (written with Craig Dirgo) and Dark Watch, Skeleton Coast, Plague Ship and Corsair (written with Jack Du Brul).
Clive Cussler lives in Arizona.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

87 of 90 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Grandmaster's Best!, December 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Atlantis Found (Dirk Pitt Novel) (Hardcover)

"Atlantis Found" is Clive Cussler's best work since the terrific "Sahara" came out in 1992. The plot is one of his best, the action is non-stop and there are also several pleasant surprises in the book that will make you smile when you're not rooting for the dynamic duo of Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino.

I had enjoyed his most recent novels ("Flood Tide", "Shock Wave" and "Inca Gold") but they didn't grab me like his previous novels. But "Atlantis Found" leaves no doubt that the "Grandmaster of Adventure" hasn't lost his touch at the keyboard. A rip-roaring read!

55 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The result of Mixing Indiana Jones, James Bond, and others., December 8, 1999

By 

taking a rest - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Atlantis Found (Dirk Pitt Novel) (Hardcover)

Mr. Cussler's books are great escapist fiction. His newest, "Atlantis Found", I believe is one of the better tales he has told. The other enjoyment that comes with a Cussler novel is watching the professional critics try to trash his work. They don't get it, but as these novels routinely make the best-seller lists, we the readers do. The critics do get it, but they prefer books that get the literary equivalent of an Academy Award, while Mr. Cussler takes home The People's Choice Award.

"Atlantis Found" is way over the top, fantastic in what is spread on its' 534 pages, and most importantly fun, and a great read. Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino are a combination of, Indiana Jones, James Bond, The Saint, the members of the old and new Mission Impossible teams, and a dash of The Duke John Wayne leading the cavalry. Sure the book has its cliché's, but does not every Bond film as well? Mr. Cussler gives his readers what they enjoy, and what may be one person's cliché, is another's cue that he or she is about to embark on an adventure with old friends. If you read Mr. Cussler you have probably read well into this latest work, and if you are not yet amongst his readers, "Atlantis Found", is a good place to start.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A great book but Cussler is losing his magic, December 14, 1999

By 

Mike L. (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Atlantis Found (Dirk Pitt Novel) (Hardcover)

I'm sorry to say but I am disappointed in Atlantis Found. Cussler is known for his brilliant plot twists and his ability to weave unrelated ideas into a suspenseful journey through a modern day treasure hunt. Inca Gold for example is one of Cussler's finest works of literature. He combines the death of two unrelated heroes and the idea that the Earth will be destroyed by a deadly microbe. The final outcome is both suspenseful and energetic. You would expect his strengths to only get stronger, but Cussler seems to have lost some of his creative genius. Atlantis found has virtually no plot twists or in-depth characters. We see none of see none of Pitt's legendary ability to pick up any woman he wants. Each character is only summarily described with no emphasis placed on their strengths or ability's. I recommend you read this book, but a library is a much better place to get it. This is one of the few Cussler books that when you put it down at the end, you may never want to pick up again.