Customer Reviews

Treasure of Khan (A Dirk Pitt Novel)

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I have to admit, I was VERY skeptical that lightning could strike twice when it came to the amazing talent of one of my all-time favorite authors. Black Wind was fantastic, pure & simple. Light YEARS better than the first two Oregon Files novels (the most recent two co-written by Jack DuBrul have been great) and I would have to say better than the last two Dirk Pitt novels. NOBODY was more shocked than I at this...but shocked I was and thrilled to admit I was wrong, too.

Move along to a very interesting beginning to 'Treasure of Khan'. As usual, Dirk Cussler has followed Dad's sure-fire patented formula which has served so well over the years. The novel begins hundreds of years ago, but not necessarily where you may expect considering the title. Instead of meeting up with the Great Conquerer Khan, we follow along on a ride of his followers bent on defeating the Japanese. I must admit I was left wondering how this particular beginning would end up coming together with the rest of the story, but once again, I gotta hand it to Clive & Dirk for keeping a close watch on the plot and carefully weaving all of the loose strands into one seamless plotline which actually surprised me towards the end.

SOME of the storyline seemed vaguely reminiscent of 'Sahara' only this time Dirk and Al instead of being trapped in the African desert, they find themselves lost in the Gobi. Other than that, everything else was as original as one could hope to expect from the Grand Master of Adventure Fiction, and now his son. We learn along the way about Seiche Waves and how one may conceivably trigger one on purpose. The entire plot and the association between Khan, his descendents and the oil industry makes for some compelling reading...plus I felt that after I finished the book I had learned a few things along the way. I can't think of ANY novel or movie which gave me a fairly decent insight into Mongolia like 'Treasure' did for me.

Unlike 'Black Wind', this time around Dirk Sr. is back at the helm along with Al and eventually Rudy, too. Last time, Dirk Jr. was more or less the main character, and as I recall the ending of 'Trojan Odyssey' I had the distinct feeling that this is the general direction in which the authors wanted to take this series...but welcome back Dirk Pitt Sr! Don't get me wrong, I'll read a Cussler novel regardless of which Pitt is in the drivers seat, but it was nice to see him hit the action after a bit of a vacation behind the desk back at the helm of NUMA. All in all, let's just say a new breath of fresh air has been injected into this series and by the looks of things, Clive's son has the REAL talent in order to continue the series for years to come...which is all I ever wanted anyway. Kudos to Dirk Cussler for his amazing attention to detail and the right *FEEL* of his Father's famous creations.

Ever since it was first published, "Raise the Titanic" has ranked among my favorite heart-pounding action/adventure novels. Now, Clive and Dirk Cussler present the nineteenth Dirk Pitt endurance test, "Treasure of Khan." Like Superman and other fictional heroes, Pitt never leaves behind someone in need or danger, is always gallant to gentleladies (but not necessarily to women up to no good), quips while suffering, and possesses the ingenuity to solve puzzles that stump others. Joining him in "Khan" is the whole gang. Happily, faithful sidekick, Giordino, and Pitt get most of the book space allocated to TFGG (the familiar good guys). The young Pitts -- Summer and Dirk Jr. -- do play a notable role, but aren't as prominently featured as in "Black Wind." That satisfies this reader who wasn't thrilled when these fraternal twins were conjured up a few outings ago, but who is willing to afford them a place in the Dirk Pitt scheme of things as long as they don't usurp their elders. It was also great to see Rudi Gunn have more to do this time around. Too bad Admiral (Vice President) Sandecker got only a cameo.

Like all Dirk Pitt novels, "Treasure" follows the proven formula of our heroes tracking down and confronting a wildly rich private citizen of some country (in this case, Mongolia) whose megalomania and perverted use of cutting-edge science and technology are threatening the world's security. Had my druthers, the Cusslers would make their villains two-dimensional at least. It would add some character robustness. But we're talking action/adventure, so I won't quibble too much. As usual, the book begins in the past; in this case, when Kublai Khan ruled. Then we are whisked to China in 1937, where a British Museum representative tries to safeguard some treasures before the invading Japanese arrive. Thereafter the time is just a bit ahead of present day and our minds can buzz about how these blasts from the past will challenge our heroes. The first time we see Dirk Pitt he is aboard a survey ship on Lake Baikal in Russia. This portion of the book is, to my mind, the most engrossing part of the adventure. Not only is there some superduper action (with a very sharp save by Giordino), but the Cusslers manage to pack in a lot of fascinating facts about the real pristine-water lake without losing plot momentum.

"Treasure of Khan" isn't great literature (and I doubt anyone would think that's its goal), but it is rousing, adrenaline-pumping fun. Especially since we readers can sit back comfortably and only vicariously chew our nails over 30-feet water walls, Gobi Desert death marches, or ramming drill ships! Enjoy.

A number of authors tried to extend their franchise as they aged or, as with the lamentable case of Robert Ludlum, died. W.E.B. Griffin, one of the best of the military adventure writers, enlisted his son on his latest work with absolutely disastrous results.

Fortunately for thriller lovers, Clive Cussler has been far more successful for the most part in extending his franchise first with co-authors such as Jack Du Brul. (Cussler had a lamentable outing with Craig Dirgo, though). In "Treasure of Khan," Clive Cussler teams for the second time with his son Dirk and the results are outstanding.

Those familiar with Clive Cussler know he is one of the best adventure/thrille writers of all time. The man develops memorable characters like Dirk Pitt (featured in this novel), Kurt Austin and the crew of the Oregon.

Plots in a Cussler novel are like a coatrack; just a place to hang things temporarily. Anyone hoping for airtight plotting in a Cussler novel will be sorely disappointed; but Cussler fans don't really care because the author(s) keep the action rolling and roiling on every page.

"Treasure of Khan" is richer in its non-plot plot than usual for a Cussler novel. The story begins in the year 1281 as a Mongol invasion fleet gathers off the coast of Japan. Most people with a bare knowledge of history knows that this fleet was ripped asunder by a typhoon. The story continues with a Mongol commander's shipwreck someplace in the Pacific. Of course, the devoted commander makes his way back to the court of Kublai Khan. Moments later, we are in the China of the 1930s with a British archaeologist who makes a momentous discovery as Japanese troops advance.

Flash forward to 2007 and Dirk Pitt, head of the fictional NUMA, an agency charged with maritime research and often enough sideline jobs like saving the world. From this point on, it's pure action. Pitt saves a seismic exploration team from drowning on Siberia's Lake Baikal only to have the ship he's on sunk. Vast oil production facilities are destroyed by mysterious means. Something is brewing in Mongolia. Not fear, Dirk Pitt is on the job with a couple of trusty colleages, well known from earlier Pitt novels.

Oh, one shouldn't forget the Pitt children, twins Dirk and Summer who showed up on dad Dirk's doorstep a few novels back. They're in the family business of underwater adventure too, though they start off in Hawaii this time.

And of course no Clive Cussler novel is complete with the self-referential inclusion of the author himself in a cameo role.

Altogether, "Treasure of Khan" is can't-out-it-down adventure. 552 pages of surprises, history, impossible to believe (but thoroughly exciting) bravado and close calls, heroism and just plain fun. More importantly, the writing is both seamless and perfectly Clive Cussler. You cannot tell where Clive and Dirk begin and end. (If you want to see a truly awful Cussler collaboration, look - if you can stand the pain - at what he did with Craig Dirgo.)

It must be a wonderful thing for Clive Cussler as he ages to know that the characters he has so lovingly created - and who have provided entertainment and vicarious adventures to millions of loyal readers - will prosper for at least another generation in the talented hands of son Dirk.

Jerry

In Treasure of Khan a mysterious Mongolian tycoon is set on cornering the oil market, by destroying oil terminals, using secret technology, thus severly disrupting oil supplies.

My expectations were not too high when I started to read this book, as I found some of this author's more recent novels to be poor, such as Dark Wind and Sacred Stone. Treasure of Khan is something of an improvement on those books.

It is fairly stand Cussler fare, with one-dimensional bad guys, the damsel in distress, the main protagonists having enormous strokes of luck (doors being inconceivably unlocked, guards looking the wrong way at convienient moments etc.), that leave you raising your eyes to the heavens.

However, there is always action going on in the storyline, and it kept my interest, throughout. Not this author's best or worst. Three stars at a push.

I am a very big fan of Clive Cussler. I now am a fan of Dirk Cussler! What a joy it must be forson and his dad to write together (though surely not always so easy!). This said, "Treasure of Khan' is such a thrilling work that I could not and would not put down. With typical Cussler style, the authors use the historical past to bring you right dead smack into the current realities of the world we face today.

With the familiar cast of characters we have come to know and love, readers will be drawn deep into this fascinating story that includes such interesting settings across Asia and Hawaii.

Very well done.

Genghis Khan's grave site is one of the most sought after by archeologists the world over. In Shang-Tu, China, on August 4, 1937, Leigh Hunt discovers an ancient silk painting of a diagram of the hidden burial site of Genghis Khan. It does not remain in his possession for long.

On June 2, 2007, on Lake Baikal, Siberia, a team of geophysicists is engaged in a project to survey a section of the lake for oil seepage. They come upon several anomalies, including a massive earthquake. Avarga Oil Company owns all mining and oil rights on Lake Baikal's eastern territories.

Dirk Pitt, the head of the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA), and his colleagues are tracking the lake's currents when the earthquake hits. "Overnight, nearly a third of Saudi Arabia's oil exporting capabilities were destroyed. A massive earthquake, measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale, had rattled the east coast of Saudi Arabia. Over 90% of Ras Tanura's export infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed."... "When that one-hundred-twenty-five-dollar barrel of oil trickles down to seven dollars for a gallon of gas next week, Joe Consumer is going to park his Hummer and start riding the bus."

Mongolia, a country with virtually no oil, offers to supply China with a million barrels a day of high-quality crude oil. The Chinese Minister of Commerce wants to know who exactly is behind all of this and what they would like in return. It turns out that the Avarga Oil Company is the interested party, and they demand strategic oil pipeline rights in exchange.

Meanwhile, our hero extraordinaire Dirk Pitt, his best friend and teammate, Al Giordino, and Ivan Corsov, special attaché to the Russian embassy, are investigating the company, which owns exploration rights --- coincidentally --- near Lake Baikal. There are also questionable holdings such as Gobi Desert land, where there are no known oil reserves. Owned by Tolgoi Borjin, Avarga Oil Company has no known political ties or financial backing. The Borjin family are members of the Golden Clan: "The history books will tell you that the Golden Clan were direct descendants of Chinggis, accomplished tactician, conqueror, and perhaps the greatest leader of the medieval age, better known as Genghis Khan."

Pitt and Giordino embark on a rescue mission, upon which they have several encounters with Borjin's army of trained horsemen and warriors. In typical Cussler fashion, Pitt manages to outwit all comers, both physically and mentally.

Cussler's novels always showcase at least one exotic vehicle; here, Dirk Pitt drives a 1953 Czech JAWA 500 OHC motorcycle in a daring maneuver. Readers are accustomed to being treated to Pitt's escapades, several storylines coming together and enough history to make his adventures meaningful. TREASURE OF KHAN is no exception!

--- Reviewed by Marge Fletcher

I always buy any new Clive Cussler book the day that it arrives in stores. The last few years, I've been dissapointed with each new addition to the series. Don't get me wrong, Clive Cussler is still my favorite author, but his writing just seems very stale and fomulaic lately.

This book was still very formulaic along the lines of almost all past books, but it had a lot more character to it that made it seem like I was reading an old friend again.

Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino are getting older in the series, but I'm one fan that is hoping they continue to have more adventures in the years to come. The idea of bringing in the kids of Dirk Pitt (Dirk Jr and Summer) seems to be not really coming together well. They are given bit roles and not fully introduced if they are going to be the main characters in future books.

All in all, the Treasure of Khan was a fun read, and it was nice to feel like Clive was back writing with more character.

A good recommendation for all timedivers

"I've never yet found drinking in a bar to be a waste of time....."
(Albert Giordino)

In the year of 1281 a "gods' wind" destroyed the fleet that has been sent by Kublai Khan for an invasion of Nippon.....

.....656 years afterwards the Imperial Japanese Army succeded in forcing ahead from her Chinese satellite state Mandshukuo, that was founded n 1932, to Shang-Tu and occupied the eastern part of the so called "Mongolia Interior".....

These historical facts are serving the authors for two opening short stories and background of the 19th adventure around Dirk Pitt, meanwhile married an head of the "National Underwater & Marine Agency" an his buddy Al Giordino. At the beginning of the plot (Which starts, regarding the publication of the novel, in the near future, namely June 2007) the two NUMA-veterans are saving a patrol exploration team from an enormous wave on the sibirian Baikal Lake. The overnight disappearance of the rescued explorers is followed by several mysterious earthquakes in the Gulf of Persia, which cause a big loss of petrol production and a huge rise in prizes. Meanwhile Dirk Sr. an Al pickup the trail that leads them in the Republic of Mongolia, Pitt Jr., his sister Summer and their colleague Jack Dahlgren are discovering an archeological sensation in the Keliuli Bay of Hawaii....

With "Treasure of Khan" Clive Cussler and his son Dirk again are presenting a plentiful action and tension loaded thriller that connects three different time levels in an intelligent way. Beside usual technical details and ironic elements the original and logical story this time also shows a cameo scene with Clive Cussler (together with his "Dachshund") as a bus driving development aid worker. Apart from Admiral James Sandecker, meanwhile US-Vice President, also heavy weighted St. Julien Perlmutter, NUMA-Vice President Rudi Gunn and computer freak Hiram Yeager are appearing as old acquaintances.

A good recommendation for all timedivers and fans of Cussler, Pitt, NUMA etc. or those who are still willing to become...
4 Amazonstars.

I believe I have read all the novels Clive Cussler has written. These include: THE MEDITERRANEAN CAPER, ICEBERG, RAISE THE TITANIC!, VIXEN 03, NIGHT PROBE, PACIFIC VORTEX, DEEP SIX, CYCLOPS, TREASURE, DRAGON, SAHARA, INCA GOLD, SHOCK WAVE, FLOOD TIDE, ATLANTIS FOUND, VALHALLA RISING, BLACK WIND and THE TREASURE OF KHAN. I also read three novels he coauthored with Paul Kemprecos which include: SERPENT, BLUE GOLD, and FIRE ICE. In addition, I read THE GOLDEN BUDDHA coauthored by Craig Dirgo. His most recent novels (particularly the ones he coauthored) fail to meet the richness found in his earlier work. I was particularly disappointed with GOLDEN BUDDHA and, as a result, I vowed never to waste my time reading another Cussler novel. So, I lied. After my GOLDEN BUDDHA vow, I received BLACK WIND as a Christmas gift and felt obligated to read it. I am glad I did. I decided to take another chance and read THE TREASURE OF KHAN. Again, glad I did.

THE TREASURE OF KHAN follows the formula found in all the Dirk Pitt novels. Hey, I like the formula and I have not yet tired of it. In fact, I just completed a book which addressed the application of ethical theories to modern life. Needless to day, reading THE TREASURE OF KHAN was a relief. I enjoy observing Dirk Pitt age. The relationship he has with his children is an endearing quality. Dirk's children entered the storyline as the surprise ending in VALHALLA RISING. In BLACK WIND and THE TREASURE OF KHAN, they emerge as major characters. However, both Summer and Dirk, Jr. have cardboard personalities. Cussler needs to spend more time developing their personalities. Currently, they're flat, but there is plenty of time for Cussler to make them more interesting.

If you're familiar with the Dirk Pitt series, you know that character named Clive Cussler plays a minor role in these novels. Within THE TEASURE OF KHAN, Clive Cussler is the bus driver.

If you like the Dirk Pitt series, you will like this novel. Sometimes, we're just lucky.

Dirk Pitt took a slight vacation in the last book in the series, 'Black Wind,' making only what, to me, was a cameo role in an otherwise very good novel featuring mainly his long, lost children: Dirk and Summer.
This time Dirk and his pal Al Giordino are back, and as good as ever, showing no signs of their older age. They're tracking a cadre of baddies this time across Mongolia, and the Gobi Desert in search of the people who they know caused a sieche wave on Lake Bakail.
Reminiscent of Sahara in parts, Treasure of Khan tells another great Dirk Pitt story leading to a Clive Cussler solvation of one of history's greatest surviving mysteries: where are Ghengis Khan, and the vast fortune that he accumulated during his conquests located?
A resounding winner!