Trojan Odyssey: A Dirk Pitt Novel [Large Print] [Paperback]

Clive Cussler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2005

A New York Times Bestseller

Long hailed as the grand master of adventure fiction, Clive Cussler has continued to astound with the intricate plotting and astonishing set pieces of his novels. Now, with a surprising twist, he gives us his most audacious work yet.

Dirk Pitt recently discovered that he had two grown children - twenty-three-year-old fraternal twins born to a woman he thought had died. Both have inherited his love of the sea: the girl, Summer, is a marine biologist; the boy, Dirk, is a marine engineer. And they are about to help their father in the adventure of a lifetime. A brown tide is infesting the ocean off the shores of Nicaragua. The twins are working in a NUMA(r) underwater enclosure, trying to determine its origin, when two startling things happen: Summer discovers an artifact, strange and beautiful and ancient; and the worst storm in years boils up out of the sky, heading straight for them - and for a luxurious floating resort hotel.

About the author:

• Cussler's books are published in more than 40 languages in more than 100 countries with a readership of more than 125 million avid fans.
• Cussler began writing novels in 1965 and published his first work featuring his continuous series hero, Dirk Pitt, in 1973.
• His first nonfiction, The Sea Hunters, was released in 1996. Because of this work 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 of 1997.
• Clive Cussler divides his time between the mountains of Colorado and the deserts of Arizona.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Adventure tales for boys (and girls) of all ages have no more vigorous champion today than Cussler, who has kept the spirit of Joe and Frank Hardy alive, albeit on a grander scale, in numerous bestsellers. This 17th Dirk Pitt extravaganza finds Cussler (literally, as he makes a cameo at book's end) and his entourage of paint-by-number characters in fine fettle, foiling a dastardly plot by outlandish villains to launch a new ice age, and at the same time demonstrating that the Achaeans were not Greeks but Celts, and that Troy was a town in what's now England. After a prelude set during the Trojan War, the novel proper starts with a roar, as a monstrous hurricane sweeps toward the Caribbean, endangering not only Pitt's twin son and daughter, engaged in undersea exploration, but also the Ocean Wanderer, a luxury floating hotel owned by a mysterious billionaire known as Specter. In a manly manner, Pitt and his longtime sidekick, Al Giordino, both of NUMA (the National Underwater and Marine Agency), save the hotel and Pitt's grown kids, but not before those kids discover a trove of underwater relics that indicate that the Celts, aka Achaeans, reached the New World millennia ago. And the Celts are still here, in the guise of a female Druidic cult linked to Specter and aiming for world domination by altering ocean currents via a vast underground mechanism in Nicaragua, which will plunge the earth into cold, then selling a new type of cheap fuel cell to supply needed heat. The action never flags, the heroics never halt and the bodies pile up as Pitt and Co. take on the villains; some big changes in Pitt's personal life close the book.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The latest Dirk Pitt thriller, like its 16 predecessors, is ready made for the big screen. (Let's hope it makes a better movie than 1980's Raise the Titanic, also based on a Pitt adventure, which gives you some idea of how long the series has been around.) A hurricane threatens an undersea resort hotel; meanwhile, Dirk Pitt's twin offspring are trapped at the bottom of the ocean in Pisces, an underwater laboratory. Oh, and Dirk himself swoops in to rescue the hotel, and its guests--but what about his children? Cussler has written a lot of seabound thrillers, and he clearly knows how to put one together to get maximum excitement from minimal material. Everything is done in shorthand, from the disaster-movie-plot setup to the characters and dialogue. There's the evil-named Specter, the man behind the hotel, "with a heart of cold stone." There are the twins, whose dialogue sounds like it was lifted from a Hardy Boys novel ("I want to take a closer look inside the cavern where I found the urn." "Can you find it in the dark?" "Like a fox to its lair"). In a nutshell, this novel offers precisely what readers have come to expect from a Dirk Pitt adventure: danger, heroics, villains, heroes. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 749 pages
• Publisher: Large Print Press; 1 edition (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594130809
• ISBN-13: 978-1594130809
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (139 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,413,193 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

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dirk Pitt's Swan Song???, November 24, 2003

By 

Jeff Edwards "RadioJeff" (Twin Falls, Idaho) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Trojan Odyssey (Hardcover)

At the end of 'Valhalla Rising' we found out quite by surprise that Dirk Pitt, hero and world-class adventurer has not just one, but TWO children (fraternal twins Dirk Jr. & Summer). This came as quite a shocker, especially for those of us who have known Dirk to be quite the ladies man -- but also a confirmed bachelor. His relationship with Congresswoman Loren Smith has come CLOSE to wedding bells once before, but I personally figured that if it didn't happen THEN, it was probably NOT going to happen at ALL. However, I've learned long ago to NEVER say NEVER.

As usual, 'Trojan Odyssey' begins with an interesting re-telling of Homer's Odyssey, a version that is apparently gaining in popularity. How does it tie-in with events from today? As is always the case, finding out is half the fun. Summer & Dirk Jr. are busy attempting to examine a tide of brown crud that has infested waters in the Carribbean when they stumble upon something extraordinary (well Summmer does, at first). Suddenly things take a nasty turn as the Mother of ALL Hurricanes begins to form and head directly towards Summer & Dirk Jr. and also towards the most unique floating Hotel ever designed. Can they all safely escape before the Hurricane arrives? Maybe, maybe not. Along the way Dirk Sr. and Al make an appearance and suddenly as a direct result, their plans for the next few weeks are set in motion. Are massive tunnels being excavated underneath Central America, and if so, for what purpose? Once Dirk & Al figure it out, an all-out race is on to avert an incredible disaster of amazing proportions.

Along the way, Dirk Sr. and Al discover one of lifes more unfair absolute rules: we cannot remain young forever. Getting shot at and risking your life can only remain fun for so long. Dirk realizes that with the sudden appearance of two grown children his death defying exploits are no longer a challenge, and more of a major hindrance to his ultimate goals. Dirk does a LOT of soul searching, and along the way it wasn't hard to figure out where it would eventually end up. Is 'Trojan Odyssey' the last outing for Dirk Sr. as a souped up version of James Bond? Maybe. I can't answer that for certain, but with a son named Dirk Jr. it can safely be assumed that Dirk Pitt adventures WILL continue.

Along the way I found a few genuine surprises (Admiral Sandecker's New appointment for one) and a few genuine sad moments for us die-hard Dirk Sr. fans. Unlike James Bond who will forever remain youthful, Clive has treated us fans to one simple reality: we ALL grow older, and so did Dirk. He no longer can do all the stunts he used to without serious repercussions. Healing from wounds no longer are as quick as they used to be, and the thought of leaving his two children without a Father begins to seriously force Dirk to re-think his life. I finished 'Trojan Odyssey' with mixed emotions. Did I enjoy it? Absolutely. Did it make me excited about what was on the horizon for Dirk & Co.? Again, yes. But it also saddened me at the same time. You will just have to read it for yourself to figure out what all of this means, and why.

Clive continues to be the BEST action/adventure author writing today, and no matter WHAT it is, if his name is on it, you can be rest assured that I WILL be reading it. Long Live Clive & Dirk Pitt, both senior & junior.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Cussler, but beginning to get old, December 7, 2003

By 

A. Burchfield (Conway, Missouri USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Trojan Odyssey (Hardcover)

Like all of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt novel's this one has our heroe's battling some dastardly plot to destroy or take over the world. This one is somewhat different from the others in that the adult son & daughter that Pitt learned he had in the last page or two of Valhalla Rising are now working at NUMA.
The book starts with what has become Cussler's formula of some great event occuring at some point in the past and then moving forward to the present day,in this case Aug-Nov 2006. A super hurricane is about to wipe out some fantastic floating hotel when Dirk Sr. and Al Giordino arrive to save the day,kind of a wasted story element as it is only lightly linked to the rest of the book (D.Sr. & Al don't even appear until chapter 8 by the way).
The rest of the novel switches back and forth between Pitt's children and the older generation, sometimes together but more often not. You'll find the usual mix of a great old car or two, narrow escapes and explosions tempered by Pitt (you'll almost need a score card to keep track of which Dirk you're reading about, Sr. is usually referred to as Pitt, Jr. as Dirk) and Al referring to the years getting to them.
The stories have been going on for almost 25 years now and it seemed to me that at times Cussler was ignoring past story plot lines although many times he'd put something in about a lot of the past adventures. A couple of times there was a problem with the timeline - Valhalla was set in 2003 but Trojan Odyssey, set only 2 years later, is set in 2006. Another time warp occurs when a man is sacrificed by the evil Druid group, the way subsequent events regarding the man's holdings are related far to much time goes by to fit into the general storyline.
In the end all ends well with Pitt marrying longtime love Congresswoman Loren Smith, and it looks like he and Al will have job promotions at Numa. Cussler himself makes his usual appearance in the story but this time only in the last page or so.
Mr. Cussler may be planning to retire, I kind of wonder from the tone of this book. I wonder if someone else will write some Dirk Jr. & Summer Pitt novels, perhaps Paul Kemprecos whose Kurt Austin & Joe Zavala characters are very briefly in this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not one of his better Dirk Pitt books..., December 9, 2003

By 

R. Morris (La Habra, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Trojan Odysey (Dirk Pitt Adventure) (Audio Cassette)

I am always excited when I see a new Dirk Pitt novel (not one of those poor "Kurt Austin" collaborations).

However, almost right off the bat I sensed that this was not going to be one of Cusslers better Dirk Pitt adventures.
The action was slow to develop and had none of Cusslers great "feel like you are there" narrations. The action sequences were flat, average and predictable.
Cussler just could not pull me into the action on this book.
Cussler spent way too much time on technical details in this book and the plot was transparent and obvious.
At times, Dirk Pitt seemed to be remarkably "slow to catch on" to events in the story. The good humor "give and take" with AL seemed "forced" and uninspired.

At times, this book seemed to be like the lame "Kurt Austin" books and if I did not know better, I'd say that Cusslers co-writer in those books had a hand in this one as well.

This book was an "Ok" Dirk Pitt novel, but not one of the better ones.