Black Wind (Dirk Pitt Series #18)

Great read

Cussler's usual excitement, the sea and special stuff

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Junior or Senior? Senior!

I don't care if the elder Dirk is getting the 'special' discount, I still prefer him over Jr. Sure, the adventure was still there and the mega world threatening plot still threatens the world, but I still prefer the eldest Pitt. It could be that I'm biased, having read just about all of Cussler's previous books, but if it ain' broke...you know the rest. Probably a good read for those new to Cussler, but for us long time fans it might not measure up.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

WINDCLAN

Elders den

Typical Cussler lots of action. Dirk Sr & Jr make a great team

I own most of Cusslers books and prefer the Dirk Pitt series the most

Black Wind not so refreshing

I really liked the movie Sahara which is based on Clive Cussler's book. So I decided to check it out. The summary caught my interest. This book was a bit long, it wasn't bad but seemed to go on forever. I don't know what I think of an author using him or herself as a character in the book. To me that kind of took away from the story. I think this felt more like a movie script than a book and probably would be a lot better if it was on the screen. I won't read any more of his books, but if a movie based on one came out, I'd go see it. Want to know what it's about, read the summary.

Good, But Not the Best

I read almost all of the Dirk Pitt novels. This one wasn't as suspenseful as the others, since Dirk and Al are clearly thrown in the background. Clive Cussler's son just doesn't have the skills for the job.

Enjoyable but not noteworthy.

This book was good as are all Dirk Pitt novels but this book just seemed like every other book out there with this genre. At certain points I could of sworn that I had read this book before. Still it is a good pickup for a hardcover bargain book.

Good but not great!

Like others have written I miss the characters Pitt Sr. and Al that Black Wind pushes to the background. They have been a joy to read. Not that Pitt's kids are fun to read to, but they do not have the relationship to the reader as Pitt and Al have developed in Cussler's books. The book holds the readers attention with the threat to the world plot. There is just the loss of characters that we have enjoyed in the spot light that now have moved to background rolls (Al and Pitt), just mentioned (Admiral Sandecker), or completely left out (Congresswoman Loren). They are what made me enjoy the books the most. I have been reading Clive Cussler sense middle school and would have to say that this book is about mid pack in the enjoyment of Cussler¿s novels.

a long and disjointed disappointment!

As a long time Cussler fan, I was very disappointed in Black Wind. Way too much of Jr. and the daughter & not enough of Dirk & Al. Actually gave up on the book with 10% left to read. Only disappointment of all the Pitt novels. Hope the next one rebounds!

Is it me?

I enjoyed the over-the-top action, but the writing seemed strange, as if a computer wrote it. Characters were 'anxiously nervous' or other redundancies. Apparently the author is afraid of using the word 'said' too frequently, so his characters, particulary Summer, are often 'gushing.' In any event, I'm glad the Pitts are still in action.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

SUPERB

Clive Cussler has revealed once again his mastery of adventurous and thrilling stories As usual the plot is fast-paced one, moving so quickly that the reader is not given the opportunity to notice any flaws.

Dirk still on top

Unlike Clancy, who when Jack Jr. came on, Sr. was nowhere to be seen, and I do not count the little paragraph. In black wind both Jr. and Sr. stand together and not getting in the way, all around good book and can't wait to see more from father and son

Disappointing -save your money

Pass on this one and hope that Clive gets back to writing his own stories. Read like Dirk wrote the book and he is not up to his Dad's level. Clive, keep it pure! You write it and I buy it. You collaborate and I pass.

great to learn more about Jr.

Think of what normally would be an ending to a great series and now that this series will continue with 'Dirk's' and Clive's sons. It might not be up to Clive's standards but it gives an excellent start to Dirk's continuing the series. What I have worried about is the series ending with the death of Mr. Cussler or the killing off of the Dirk Pitt character. It will not come--THANK GOD!! Mr. D. Cussler thank you for continuing the most enjoyable book series I have read.

Terrible Disappointment

This book is terrible! I have read and re-read all of Clive Cussler's previous books; each one was packed full of suspense and intrigue, and they had plots that were grounded in reality. It was a real pleasure to watch the characters of Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino grow, mature and move through different crises and adventures. This book, on the other hand, was a complete waste of time. The writing is rushed; the characters are shallow--many of them are never really developed before they are killed off quickly; the plot is unbelievable; the writing is stilted and it's often hard to tell which Dirk Pitt (Senior or Junior) Cussler is writing about if you read a little at a time and come back to it. There is the obligatory car chase in the vintage car that gets all shot up by the bad guys who--predictably--die in the car chase because--of course--20-something-year-old Dirk Pitt Jr. is a more experienced driver than professional killers. This book reads to me like Clive Cussler let his son write the book and just used his name and fame to launch his son's writing career. Dirk Cussler should go find another career; usurping his father's hard-won characters and books is clearly not working; future collaborations between father and son are guaranteed to ruin any interest in future Dirk Pitt Sr. stories.

Dirk Pitt Sr. and Al G. are greatly missed!

The few passages worth reading in this book concerned Dirk Pitt Sr, Al G, & the other characters enjoyed in the initial Pitt series. Advice: go back to what worked! Pitt Sr. can do without Loren or 'the kids' (how to get rid of them I will leave to the imagination of Cussler).

Better than counting sheep

I am a fan of Clive Cussler's writing and have read almost all of his novels. Every one of his novels have kept me in suspense and left me with the anticipation of the next novel. Black Wind however is the first novel of 'his' that I have had to fight off falling asleep. Nothig like his other works, it could be that his son is a rotten storyteller...hopefully he ditches his son and picks up writing where he left off. Get this book if you have trouble sleeping.

Navigation Ain't What It Used to Be!

I have to agree with others that the main characters - junior grade - just don't interest me like the seniors, whose adventures have been so good I've read all of the series. And yes, the brother/sister act is slightly creepy. But what is confusing in this book is the navigation. On page 402 our boys in the blimp decide to intercept a couple of ships 45 miles due EAST of Long Beach, California. Is there an ocean in Riverside that we don't know about? Maybe the ships are running up the 91 freeway. Later, on the same page, we read that the Odyssey continues due WEST to get closer to the California coastline. Say what? Did a geographically-challenged intern write this section of the book? Finally, the concept 'suspension of disbelief' is often used concerning fiction, but in this particular story it's a little hard to do. Here we have the NUMA folks fighting an international terrorist who's launching a rocket just off the Los Angeles coast toward L.A. and we're suposed to forget that there is no military intervention handy in one of the most heavily patrolled areas of the world. As the bad boys spend hours and hours getting the rocket ready to fire, it's hard to imagine that only the NUMA people are able to defend the coast while we know that fighter jets can be on site in minutes to destroy the rocket . All in all a good story, but not a great one.

Very disappointing

The collaboration between Clive and his son Dirk doesn't work. The writing is stilted. The plot is absurd. To expect that normal intelligence gathering wouldn't uncover inklings of this scheme is unbelieveable. And the use of the word 'gush' thruout is laughable. He-men don't gush! Dirk Cussler simply does not have his father's ability. How sad to see Clive Cussler's reputation suffer because of an ill-advised collaboration. cussler

This one is a Stinker!

The plot is familiar, as expected from CC. They still work, but this one is a little too predictable. There is confusion between DP Sr. and Jr. When the book is set aside it is not obvious who is being described when the book is picked up again. That is what sets Black Wind apart from his earlier works - it can be set aside. It was obviously dictated, likely in a hurry. The editing is non-existent - for all that money surely a junior editor could have fixed the homonyms that crept in when it was transcribed. The rocket sequence was detailed and mostly accurate, but a half-fueled rocket will not rise slowly or majestically, but likely will accelerate itself apart!