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308th out of 3,520 books
—
683 voters
Pacific Vortex! (Dirk Pitt #1)
Dirk Pitt's first, most terrific adventure! Dirk Pitt, death-defying adventurer and deep-sea expert, is out to the ultimate test as he plunges into the perilous waters of the Pacific Vortex � a fog-shrouded sea zone where dozens of ships have vanished without a trace. The latest victim is the awesome superb Starbuck, America's deep-diving nuclear arsenal. Its loss poses an...more
Mass Market Paperback, 270 pages
Published
January 1st 1983
by Bantam
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Clive Cussler’s Pacific Vortex tells the tale of a strange area in the pacific where ships get lost. The latest victim is a experimental US navy submarine. When Dirk Pitt finds a message buoy from the submarine, he’s drawn into a mystery hidden below the surface of the sea.
The book starts out with an explanation by Clive Cussler that it’s the first adventure of Dirk Pitt, but he hadn’t released it until later because he did not quite like the quality. Knowing that and not expecting too much, the...more
The book starts out with an explanation by Clive Cussler that it’s the first adventure of Dirk Pitt, but he hadn’t released it until later because he did not quite like the quality. Knowing that and not expecting too much, the...more
Mar 16, 2012
Jane Stewart
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
action-adventure-thriller
Weak 3 stars. Too much like an action-adventure movie. Might be good for teen boys or adults in that kind of mood.
STORY BRIEF:
Dirk was a major in the military and can fly planes. Currently he does special projects for an underwater marine agency. For thirty years, ships disappeared in an area called the Pacific Vortex, north of Hawaii. Recently a nuclear submarine named Starbuck disappeared there. Dirk sees a yellow canister floating in the ocean. He grabs it and takes it to Navy headquarters. I...more
STORY BRIEF:
Dirk was a major in the military and can fly planes. Currently he does special projects for an underwater marine agency. For thirty years, ships disappeared in an area called the Pacific Vortex, north of Hawaii. Recently a nuclear submarine named Starbuck disappeared there. Dirk sees a yellow canister floating in the ocean. He grabs it and takes it to Navy headquarters. I...more
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Where the Love Affair Begins
The first Dirk Pitt novel introduces us to a simple, plain man ... on the surface that is. As we delve into the enigmatic, brash, female loving epitomy of masculinity, we witness the birth of a character who takes us on an adventure into the Pacific's version of the Bermuda Triangle.
We see glimpses of a character who bends to the will of no man and yet melts in the presence of a beautiful woman ... but has no reservations about knocking her out when she tries to kill...more
The first Dirk Pitt novel introduces us to a simple, plain man ... on the surface that is. As we delve into the enigmatic, brash, female loving epitomy of masculinity, we witness the birth of a character who takes us on an adventure into the Pacific's version of the Bermuda Triangle.
We see glimpses of a character who bends to the will of no man and yet melts in the presence of a beautiful woman ... but has no reservations about knocking her out when she tries to kill...more
2 likes · like · see review
After finishing The Spy I decided I would attempt to read all of Clive Cussler's books in order. From what I could gather, this is his first so I started with it. Pacific Vortex! is a short but enjoyable read. We meet Dirk Pitt, learn a bit about his background and join him for his first underwater adventure in Hawaii. There is quite a bit of action and excitement. As this is the third Clive Cussler book I have read, I don't have a lot to go on but I did sense that the writing style was differen...more
#6 in the Dirk Pitt, NUMA series. Clive Cussler started what would become this novel in 1965, and though chronologically first in the series it was not published until after #5 - 18 years after it was started. Cussler states in the Foreword that he feels it is not up to his usual standards and should be treated as sort of a historical curiosity.
Dirk Pitt's first adventure! Dirk is put to the ultimate test as he plunges into the perilous waters of the Pacific Vortex -- a fog-shrouded sea zone wh...more
Dirk Pitt's first adventure! Dirk is put to the ultimate test as he plunges into the perilous waters of the Pacific Vortex -- a fog-shrouded sea zone wh...more
Sep 12, 2009
Ruka
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
sequestered jury members, armchair skin divers, people who think Ian Fleming is too hoi-polloi
Shelves:
fiction-lit
Clive Cussler's brand of pulp fiction falls somewhere inbetween the realistic grit of Dell potboilers and the ridiculosity of more over-the-top techno-thrillers. His perennial protagonist Dirk Pitt has no extraordinary abilities, (other than a supernaturally stupid name) and even comes across as a bit of a prude in this, his first canonical adventure.
Every writer puts a little bit of themselves into their work, and most writers can only write best about what they know; in Cussler's case, he know...more
Every writer puts a little bit of themselves into their work, and most writers can only write best about what they know; in Cussler's case, he know...more
The carbon dioxide hissed as it unleashed its immense pressure into pliant, human flesh. The man's body instantly bloated in a distorted monstrosity of ugliness, the stomach protruding together with the small balloonlike pieces of skin that formed between the ribs. The abject look of horror on the face was wiped out in half a second as his greyish-green innards shot from his nose and ears in a fine spray coating the deck for six feet in each direction, and the mouth contorted to twice its size a...more
I'm going to have to admit I semi-abandoned it 3/4 through. By "semi-abandoned" I mean I put it down and went back to the book I really wanted to read, but curiosity will probably make me pick it up again later - or at least, a different book in the series. This one is due tomorrow and requested, so I might as well pass it along and find a book in the series that readers have rated higher.
Typical action movie in a book, it follows the usual formula:
Strange event happens, folks are about to inves...more
Typical action movie in a book, it follows the usual formula:
Strange event happens, folks are about to inves...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This is the first Dirk Pitt novel. When Pitt finds the journal of a submarine that was lost in the Pacific, his first thought is to return it to the Navy. Instead of leaving it there, he finds himself attacked by a beautiful woman, then he is almost run of the road and suddenly the mystery becomes personal. The submarine isn't the first boat to go missing in the same area, and with tales of supernatural fogs and eerie silent attackers, Pitt may have bitten off more than he can chew.
A right rip r...more
A right rip r...more
Definitely A good read, having read all of the other Dirk Pitt Novels it is much smaller and faster paced. Although the author having written much less at the time was obviously not as sophisticated a writer. He introduces the characters well in the very beginning of the book and goes right on to the actual storyline. Dirk Pitt starts out lying on a beach in Oahu when he see's an object floating out at sea. His decision to retrieve that object is the start of many great adventures he has through...more
This book was about exactly what I thought it would be. I watch the movie Sahara often, it's one of my guilty pleasures. Since I love the movie so much I figured I would take a look at the books about him.
Pacific Vortex is the first novel about Dirk Pitt and NUMA.
The plot was interesting enough to make me over look a few character disappointments. The relationship between Summer and Dirk was grasping at straws I felt. I enjoyed the brief relationship between Dirk and Al much more. I thought the...more
Pacific Vortex is the first novel about Dirk Pitt and NUMA.
The plot was interesting enough to make me over look a few character disappointments. The relationship between Summer and Dirk was grasping at straws I felt. I enjoyed the brief relationship between Dirk and Al much more. I thought the...more
1 like · like · see review
This is the first ever Dirk Pitt novel. I've read a couple here and there, but out of order and thought, I should begin at the beginning. It says at the beginning of the book that the author didn't want to release this because he was just starting out and didn't find it his best work, but the publishers wanted him to, so he did, belatedly. I can see it's a little more direct than his more mature works, but i liked it. No filler, just go go adventure. This causes some sort of plot holes or jumps...more
Nov 20, 2008
Auntbrat
added it
If your a Clive Cussler fan, this is a must read this is where we first meet Dirk Pitt and you can see the changes from choice of drink to friendships.
1 like · like · see review
I thought this book was very good, It was quite intriguing all the way through. Some inappropriate parts but not that inappropriate. I thought it had a very good ending, nothing gave me a shock, but it was interesting. Dirk, the main character, was very entertaining. Sort of sad ending because the girl he comes to love, Summer, even though she tried to kill him, she went back into the rubble of Kanoli with her evil father, main antagonist, Delphi. One of the reviews on the back said, "Dirk Pitt...more
Interesting plot... but the writing was absolutely terrible. I can only hope Cussler's writing significantly improved after this one since he wrote, what, 20 more Dirk Pitt books?
Here's a typical cringe-inducing passage:
"Pitt stared in rapt fascination at both pairs of rounded hips as they rotated in a fluidlike motion that was, or so Pitt imagined, suggestive of two beach-balls caught in the same swirling whirlpool."
So our hero is staring at the sexy hips of two lovely ladies and he compares th...more
Here's a typical cringe-inducing passage:
"Pitt stared in rapt fascination at both pairs of rounded hips as they rotated in a fluidlike motion that was, or so Pitt imagined, suggestive of two beach-balls caught in the same swirling whirlpool."
So our hero is staring at the sexy hips of two lovely ladies and he compares th...more
Two stars is pushing it. This was really cheesy. I was expecting Tom Clancy with more cigars and right hooks. It was more like a slightly butcher James Bond with Mike Meyers in the role of the villain and R. Lee Ermey playing all the senior military officers. Then at the end it jumps off the rails as the main characters falls in love with a woman apparently because 1) she tried to kill him, and 2) she's hot. WTF? This was a really amateurish dollop of cheese. I enjoyed the themes enough to get m...more
This is the first book I read of Cussler's way back in high school, recommended to me by the librarian in the school. It was so good I couldn't put it down. I remember reading it in the back seat of my parents car as we were on a road trip one weekend on the east end of Long Island. I couldn't care less where we were or what was going on outside that car. Since then I've read almost every Dirk Pitt in the series, even reread my favorites several times including this one; and have started on the...more
This was the first adventure with Dirk Pitt that Cussler ever wrote. The book is about this state of the art nuclear submarine named Starbuck that disappeared in the Pacific Vortex... this kind of Bermuda Triangle type place. Dirk is brought aboard to investigate... as the book progresses Pitt learns that there is nothing unnatural about the losses, its a pirating business run by a man named Delphi. He uses his fathers invention of a human gill for his pirates to swim up on boats that happen to...more
Picked this up for a holiday read and it's probably one of the lesser books I've read in recent memory. The characters are two-dimensional, and the dialogue is wooden and pretty much just used as a way of dispensing technical points rather than developing relationships. On the one plus side the plot is fairly pacey, so you'll never get bored waiting around for the smarmy, hilariously sexist Pitt to make his next inexplicably brilliant logical move to save the day.
Not really keen to continue with...more
Not really keen to continue with...more
This was an okay story, and a quick read. Considerably shorter and more straightforward than the other Dirk Pitt novels I've read. Some parts were kinda slow, some parts were really good, and the whole thing was pretty unbelievable. Clive Cussler initially didn't even want to publish this first Dirk Pitt adventure, so I guess we shouldn't expect too much from it. All in all, it's a decent way to spend a few hours without having to think too much, but with so many better books out there, I wouldn...more
This is the first Dirk Pitt adventure, and its terrific. It takes place in Hawaii, and Dirk finds this mysterious canister floating in the ocean. Naturally he swims out to get it and brings it back to shore.
The inside contains papers, and so he reads them. He is astounded and takes these papers to an Admiral and from there things really start taking off. Its a terrific mystery/addventure novel. If you want to read a great adventure, you cant go wrong with Clive Cussler. This is his introductory...more
The inside contains papers, and so he reads them. He is astounded and takes these papers to an Admiral and from there things really start taking off. Its a terrific mystery/addventure novel. If you want to read a great adventure, you cant go wrong with Clive Cussler. This is his introductory...more
Light reading, action adventure. This is my first Clive Cussler book and it's close to what I had imagined. The main character, Dirk Pitt, is sort of a mix between Magnum P.I. and James Bond.
The brief love story (the author may have added as an afterthought) had me scratching my head; I was thinking: Why bother with this? He literally sees this girl a couple times then as the sea cave crashes in around them they are proclaiming everlasting love for one another? What's the point? It adds nothing...more
The brief love story (the author may have added as an afterthought) had me scratching my head; I was thinking: Why bother with this? He literally sees this girl a couple times then as the sea cave crashes in around them they are proclaiming everlasting love for one another? What's the point? It adds nothing...more
This is the first Book in the Dirk Pitt Adventure series. It wasn't too bad. It involved an area of the Pacific Ocean where ships go missing - much like the Bermuda Triangle in the Atlantic Ocean. In reality, there is an area like this in the Pacific, but it's closer to Japan (the Devil's Sea) as opposed to the area in the book (near Hawaii).
Having watched the movie 'Sahara', which is based on the Dirk Pitt Adventure book of the same name, I couldn't help but picture Matthew McConaughey as the...more
Having watched the movie 'Sahara', which is based on the Dirk Pitt Adventure book of the same name, I couldn't help but picture Matthew McConaughey as the...more
I had read a couple of Cussler books before this from the NUMA series. I thought they were good, fast paced adventure stories, so I thought I would go back to read the rest in order starting with this one. I had read reviews stating that this was his first and that they get better, even Cussler admits it was one of his worst.
I couldn't get into the plot or the main character, Dirk Pitt. I have managed to get through it - just, but I must admit I did speed-read most of it (2 days). Some of the di...more
I couldn't get into the plot or the main character, Dirk Pitt. I have managed to get through it - just, but I must admit I did speed-read most of it (2 days). Some of the di...more
Feb 25, 2011
Bernard Doddema Jr
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
thriller,
action-adventure
Although published years later, this is considered the "first" Dirk Pitt book. The book is an easy read and gives the readers a brief glimpse into the world of our suave hero. He almost reminds me of the old James Bond where he has no problem loving the ladies or smacking them upside the head if they're about ready to clock him.
Don't expect the intricate plots that you've come to expect from the other Pitt books. Cussler admits this isn't it and it was actually hard for him to release this book...more
Don't expect the intricate plots that you've come to expect from the other Pitt books. Cussler admits this isn't it and it was actually hard for him to release this book...more
This first Dirk Pitt adventure was not published until after many of the others. In the intro the author acknowledges that this was his first attempt and therefore not very polished. It was only published after lots of requests from his publisher and fans. Out of print for quite some time I think as I had to find a copy on EBay.
Not a bad little adventure and stands up well on it's own I think. Most of the NUMA plot elements and characters are introduced in later books, so there is not much new...more
Not a bad little adventure and stands up well on it's own I think. Most of the NUMA plot elements and characters are introduced in later books, so there is not much new...more
Fast introduction to Dirk Pitt, Special Projects Director of the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA)- with the best part being, Pitt’s impromptu- practically naked- meeting with the assembled Brass of the military. I’ve read coupla Cussler’s Dirk Pitt novels before this one and I gotta tell ya, if I had read this one first I might have been a little more enthusiastic with carrying on with the series.
A bit dated- (See reference to Mark Spitz rather than Michael Phelps, author stating th...more
A bit dated- (See reference to Mark Spitz rather than Michael Phelps, author stating th...more
Dirk Pitt. Seriously. If this book hadn’t been written 30 years ago – and ten years before it was finally published – I would swear that Clive Cussler’s name of his lead character Dirk Pitt was an obvious wink to Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg in “Boogie Nights”) and Brad Pitt (in anything). I can’t think of another “Dirk” or “Pitt” that comes anywhere close. He’s suave, he’s cool, he’s – updated for the 80s – wearing “brief white bathing trunks” when first we meet him. And he’s sunbathing, no less...more
There should be a literary subgenre composed entirely of books with excalamation points in the title. In the last month I've read both Submarine! and Pacific Vortex! It's hard to resist an author who's that excited about his book. Would you rather read The Brothers Karamzov or HOLY CRAP! IT'S THE F'ING BROTHERS KARAMAZOV!? See?
I picked up this, the first Dirk Pitt adventure, after reading Shadow Divers. I find shipwrecks really fascinating, so I was looking forward to a nice pulpy novel about de...more
I picked up this, the first Dirk Pitt adventure, after reading Shadow Divers. I find shipwrecks really fascinating, so I was looking forward to a nice pulpy novel about de...more
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Cussler began writing novels in 1965 and published his first work featuring his continuous series hero, Dirk Pitt, 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...more
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