Critical Conditions [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos (Author), Scott Brick (Narrator)

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Books on Tape (2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 073664184X
• ISBN-13: 978-0736641845
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,359,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Progression, June 5, 2002

By 

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

This review is from: Fire Ice: A Novel from the NUMA Files (Hardcover)

Clive Cussler has done what some other accomplished writers have tried and failed to do. He started a new series that he co-authors, he has kept the quality of the reading very near that of his own books, and now they have gone from a paperback format to hardcover. The last step is a major one and speaks very well of the care this new series was created with. Other authors have tried the same diversification and they are not worth the soft cover format they were introduced with, and will never see the more expensive binding.

The central organization is the same; specifically NUMA, but the central character and the events he is involved in are stepped down from the more outrageous elements that sometimes turn a Dirk Pitt adventure into something akin to Indiana Jones. The famous bathtub escape comes to mind. The Pitt adventures have become classic in the genre and they make for great reading, they also have had occasion to go over the top at times. Kurt Austin is Dirk Pitt on a smaller scale. Austin collects antique dueling pistols while Dirk accumulates World War Two German Jets, railroad cars, and fantastically rare cars.

The idea of introducing a Romanov theme into a story is a gutsy decision for it has been used countless times, and in the majority of uses has become an overused cliché. Cussler and Paul Kemprecos handle the idea well, and while it is still a bit fantastic it does not cross the line in to storytelling that really is a pretty wild stretch to suspend disbelief.

I don't know the science of the Methane (Fire Ice), but again it strikes me as being credible. These books almost seem to take their cue from some of the countless ships that Mr. Cussler has located in real life, and which history will always owe him a debt. This story has a tragic event, but unlike many of the Pitt series the results are far less dramatic and flamboyant. Austin certainly enjoys the beautiful woman that NUMA scientists seem to have a knack for finding wherever they go, but again it is toned down quite a bit.

Whether on his own or in collaboration with another author, if a book has Cussler's name on it you invariable get your money's worth. He is a great teller of tales, and knowledgeable of history, a combination that guaranties good books. This is really escapist fiction at its best. And for those who enjoy the non fiction work of Cussler and his search for old ships there is a second installment of that book on the way as well.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't go wrong with Cussler, June 10, 2002

By 

Konrad Kern (OFallon, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fire Ice: A Novel from the NUMA Files (Hardcover)

See storyline above.

Kurt Austin returns for another adventure that's sure to keep you pumped till the last page.

When Cussler teams with Kemprecos, you get the Dirk Pitt clone known as Kurt Austin. An original character on his own but still as tough as they come. This time around Austin and his regular partners-including Joe Zavala-- must stop a Russian mad man, who claims to be a Romanov descendent, from destroying the United States and becoming the new Tsar of Russia.
I am never disappointed with a Clive Cussler novel. The entertainment value is unbeatable. The subjects he writes about are well researched, as are the locales (Black Sea, Istanbul). Even though the good guys always miraculously win, it's still darn good storytelling.

Highly recommended.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another great Cussler novel, July 29, 2002

By 

R. Aguilar (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fire Ice: A Novel from the NUMA Files (Hardcover)

Clive Cussler is an established author with a proven formula of success in his books. I love the way he takes a historical event, puts a twist on it and then works it into his story. I feel that this particular aspect adds a dash of credibility to his fantastic adventures. The book starts out in Odessa Russia when the Czars family is fleeing persecution from the Bolsheviks. Supposedly the family perishes in a ship while escaping through the Black Sea, but one of the girls survives and leaves the possibility for descendants. The villain of this adventure is a mining tycoon named Mikhail Razov who claims to be descended from the Romanovs. Razov hopes to claim world dominance by creating a series of tsunamis using an unstable methane hydrate compound called fire ice that would wipe out the United States coastlines. This action would weaken Russia's main opponent and leave him free to claim leadership of the Soviet Union and dictate world economic policy. In actuality, I found Razov to be a weak and boring character. His sidekick Boris actually made a better and more interesting villain. It was later revealed that Boris might have been descended from Rasputin himself so I think he would have made a much better antagonist.

Kurt Austin proves to be the same womanizing adventurer on the same caliber as Dirk Pitt. The two are very interchangeable. In this adventure, Kurt works in conjunction with one of his cold war enemies by the name of Viktor Petrov. Since the cold war has thawed out, Petrov is now very cooperative and has a new attitude toward the United States. They make a good team and their competitive relationship makes this novel more interesting. Kurt Austin also has a cast of supporting characters such as Joe Zavala, Paul Trout and Gamay. I felt that these characters needed to be developed a little more, their personalities need to be a little more distinctive and unique. Luckily Clive Cussler had a sprinkling of old familiar characters such as Admiral Sandecker, Rudi Gunn, Hiram Yaeger and Julian Perlmutter that strengthened the story.

The adventure in Fire Ice is as exciting as you would find in any Clive Cussler novel. I particularly liked the way he included the USS Constitution in a firefight exchange with the bad guys. The one thing that you notice right away is that Cussler did not make his usual cameo appearance in the novel. I thought that the officer on board the Constitution named Josh Slade would have provided Cussler with a good opportunity to write himself in but that does not happen in this book. I was disappointed when I first heard that Clive Cussler had written new novels that starred a different hero by the name of Kurt Austin. I didn't even bother to read "Serpent" or "Blue Gold" but when I saw "Fire Ice" at the bookstore I decided to break down and give it a try. I'll have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Now I'm going to go back and find the other two Kurt Austin novels to see if they are just as good.