Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I am happy I discovered this series!, March 22, 2004
I have never been a big fan of military thrillers. The only author I read regularly in this genre is Nelson DeMille and I enjoy him a lot, so I decided to give Clive Cussler a try. I am happy to say I was not disappointed! Even though "Pacific Vortex" was not the first published book in the Dirk Pitt adventures series, it was the first Cussler wrote, so logically, this is the novel I picked to start my journey. I found an interesting character that lives at the edge and is passionate about his work. Also in some aspects he is similar to James Bond, women mainly, and the mix is sufficient to keep the reader thoroughly entertained.For six months the US government has been trying to find the Starbuck, a submarine lost in the Hawaiian (Pacific) vortex. This is an area similar to the well-known Bermuda Triangle. The submarine was lost on its maiden trial and possesses the most advanced equipment, in terms of nuclear capabilities, that the US has developed so far. The last known communication from the nuclear submarine came from captain Dupree, establishing that they were lost without possibilities of recovering themselves and giving the coordinates of their location. While in his holidays in the coast of Hawaii, Dirk finds a communications capsule from the Starbuck addressed to Admiral Hunter in Pearl Harbor. Thus, he is directly involved in the search for the submarine and starts a dangerous journey in which he will face different enemies, conspiracies and uncertainty about who to trust. He also meets a mysterious woman, Summer, who will rock his world and complicate matters further. Cussler has created a very entertaining series, with a character that has an arrogant and pedantic side, but whom also shows his pure emotions and is true to his friends and ideals. This makes the Special Project Director of the National Underwater and Marine Agency a very likable character. This is a book that a reader can breeze through in a few hours making it an enjoyable way to spend a weekend's afternoon. I will surely read the next book in this series hoping for a similar experience.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, February 11, 2004
Dirk Pitt is the James Bond meets John Wayne character that every guy would love to be. Pitt's a "man's man." He smokes, but he still scuba dives with the best of them. He's no pretty boy, well-mannered and cute, but he gets plenty of women. He's no fame-seeking show off, but he always saves the day. Playboy, Maxim, and GQ only WISH they could have such a chap to plaster on their covers!Pacific Vortex! is a quick read since its a rather short book, but that's not a bad thing. A lot of popular novels contain the author's preaching to the reader or cramming pages upon pages full of verbose meandering. Not so with Cussler. Pacific Vortex is the perfect book for anyone who wants to have fun reading. Its difficult to make a novel fun (is Dan Brown a "fun" read? is Sydney Sheldon a "fun" read? are the classics "fun" reads?), but Cussler writes really fun books. I enjoyed Pacific Vortex because it moves quick - Cussler doesn't bore me by telling me every single detail about every room characters are in, what they are wearing, what they are thinking, what they ate for breakfast etc. There's a mysterious "vortex" in the Pacific? A capsule from a missing ship has been awash? Add Dirk Pitt and the story comes to life and there's not much of a pause. The ending is a bit silly (as is the villian), but good triumphs over evil, there were sexy women (but no filthy sex-scenes) involved in the storyline, and there were guns! I'm a happy reader!
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Pure Gem, May 16, 2000
At the book's beginning, Cussler points out that this was actually the first Pitt adventure, but that he was afraid of having it published. I see no reason why he should have been. Vortex is one of his finest works and is perfect for someone just getting interested in the Dirk Pitt (registered trademark) series. This book is far shorter than most of Cussler's other fare, which actaully makes it that much more enjoyabe. Cussler has a tendency to pile on the descriptions and histories of whatever the subject may be. Further, he tends also to, right as the action is getting good and tense, detour his readers onto another plot line (equally as intriging) for the next 100-200 pages before turning back to the original story line for the book's remainder. In Vortex, there is no over- describing and the sub plots (if any) take up little time, leaving the majority of the 270 pages for non stop action sequences. Granted, once a reader becomes a fan of a certain series or character, demands of the audience almost require the author to make deep indulgences in the characters and story. For Vortex, Cussler does not do this, making the action quick and believable, without getting the reader too bogged down in sometimes unnecessary details. For anyone interested in Cussler who has never read his works before, I suggest starting here, and moving on to the later, grander escapades of Dirk Pitt (registered trademark) if this one tickles your fancy.
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