VIXEN 03. [Import] [Hardcover]

Clive. Cussler (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 318 pages
• Publisher: VIKING.; 1St Edition edition (1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340234318
• ISBN-13: 978-0340234310
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,108,067 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

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Politics disrupts the flow of Vixen O3, November 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Vixen 03 (Dirk Pitt Adventure) (Mass Market Paperback)

I am a big Cussler fan. I've read five of his books so far, and "Cyclops" is still my favourite. "Vixen O3" is not, in my opinion, one of Cussler's best because many of the chapters deal with the politics of the African Army of Revolution attempting to overthrow the white government in South Africa. These "political sections" of the book tend to take some of the energy away from the overall story. I'm used to reading about Dirk Pitt's undersea and airborne adventures. Every time the story went back to politics, I became somewhat bored and couldn't wait until I reached a chapter that had Pitt and his fellow NUMA comrades in it. As was the case in "Iceberg", one of the male characters in "Vixen 03" turns out to be a woman. I hope Cussler breaks away from this weird pattern in the newer books that I haven't read yet. Despite the weaknesses just mentioned, the politics of the story mesh well with the interesting parts of the story near the end of the book. While some chapters were slow, others were much more intense. After reading "Raise the Titanic", I was really looking forward to reading about the salvaging of the plane (the Vixen 03) at the bottom of a Colorado lake. Unfortuately, the salvage began and ended within a five-page chapter. I really like the undersea adventures that take place in Cussler's books. I felt cheated when the whole salvage operation took place in such a short time. Overall, I think that the real Cussler fans will still enjoy "Vixen 03". For those of you who are new to his work, I suggest you first try one of his other books...I really do recommend "Cyclops". Now there's a page-turner!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best he's ever written!, December 20, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Vixen 03 (Dirk Pitt Adventure) (Mass Market Paperback)

One of Clive Cussler's earlier books, "Vixen 03" is still his best. This novel is great because it combines the wild action sequences Cussler is noted for with a truly interesting story and characters with depth.

The plot of "Vixen" is diverse. There are many different strands of the story, from Cussler's hero Dirk Pitt and his sidekick Al Giordino, to members of an African terrorist organization: from various officials in the United States government to the South African Defense Ministry. All of the storylines eventually blend together seamlessly into an amazing story that makes one wonder how anyone could write such a huge, tight tale.

The best part, however, lies with the depth of the dozens of characters that Cussler creates for this adventure. All the characters in the story have been written with a quality that makes the story, however fantastic, seem realistic. Even the villians are created with human touch, unlike the corny, comicstrip-like evil guys that populate Cusslers early and latest novels.

Simply the best Cussler novel there is. And weirdly prophetic, too. After reading this book, find out what happened to the actual U.S.S. Iowa! The similarity is scary.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but NOT Cussler's best..., October 18, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: Vixen 03 (Dirk Pitt Adventure) (Mass Market Paperback)

I was SO anxious to read this novel when it first came out many years ago, I TRIED to read it all at once...I have to admit it starts off REALLY GOOD. Dirk finds a plane in the bottom of an isolated Colorado lake, and he also uncovers quite a mystery in the process...but then this novel shifts gears in a way that is totally foreign to ALL the other Dirk Pitt novels. Cussler then transports us to South Africa and there you end up embroiled in a political nightmare which seems SO FAR removed from anything else Cussler has written to make one wonder if in fact he had a hand in actually writing it. It seems 100% UNrelated to the events detailed in the beginning of the book. When the two sections of the book begin to run together (and I have to admit I was about to give up on the book when it finally happened) it FINALLY became a good adventure novel. Some bad guys attempt to sail a decomissioned naval ship up to Washington D.C. and launch a few surprises on the Capitol...let's just say the surprises are enough to make things rather unpleasant in D.C. for many years to come--but NO it's NOT a Nuke. At this point the book shifts gears again and turns back into a Pitt novel. So let's re-cap: 'Vixen 03' starts OFF as a Pitt story, turns into an odd mix of politics and protest in South Africa, then comes BACK to America where it turns back INTO a Pitt story. The first third and last third are GREAT, but it's the middle which is almost so strange as to seem like it was written by someone else (not that I would think it actually happened...). All in all 'Vixen 03' is an entertaining story, mixed with a 2nd story that is just barely connected to the rest of the novel. Good, but NOT Cussler's best, that's all I can say.