Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Valhalla Rising (Dirk Pitt #16)

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 10,036 ratings · 239 reviews

The past and the future collide in this "New York Times" bestseller. Confronting an extraordinary series of monsters, both human and mechanical, modern and ancient, NUMA special projects director Dirk Pitt treads upon territory previously known only to legend as he investigates the sinking of a luxury cruise ship, the "Emerald Dolphin."

ebook, 720 pages

Published July 30th 2002 by Berkley (first published January 1st 2001)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Feb 08, 2009 Patrick Gibson rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: preposterous action adventure lovers

Shelves: testosterone

Who in their right mind would name a corporation Cerberus? I would! And so would Clive! So the naming of the evil conglomerate attempting to hoard the worlds oil supply and suppress a new engine that runs on faerie poo after the Janus-challenged guardian pet of hell isn’t a bad idea. Unfortunately that’s where the ideas stop. Unless you have the dark-haired blue-eyed hero meet the green-eyed woman of his dreams who turns out to be a lesbian and forces him to submit to a painless (heros feel no p...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 05, 2010 Joe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of the best organized of the clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt series, that reaches across centuries to create a fiction that is incredibly beleiveable.

The book pulls on history, old fiction, old mysteries, science, science ficition and adventure to create an unforgetable novel that leaves you asking how much of this could be true. In an Alfred Hitchcockish manner, Mr Cussler, weaves himself, his automobiles, his beloved sea craft, and his penchant to be an adventurer into his novel as he a...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 16, 2013 Randal rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People who think the A-Team was a documentary

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Oh dear, where to start?
Perhaps the fact that the highlight of the stupendous, mega-cruise ship was the stupendous, fantastic, indoor shopping mall, whose loss Cussler keeps bemoaning? Would that be petty?
There's clearly a market for this stupidity, as this was Dirk Pitt TM No. 16 and I see in the workroom that the library has just gotten the latest.
I rarely give up on a book, but after a certain number of "miraculous" events, it is clear that Clive Cussler just doesn't care if the book is coher...more

1 like · like · see review

May 03, 2013 Anthony rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Let's all fill out the Clive Cussler Checklist:
Ridiculous Gary Stu hero--check
Ridiculously evil villain ripped from the pages of a Silver Age Comic Book with the corresponding cliche dialogue--check
Scientifically implausible MacGuffin Device--check
Hot, sexy daughter/grandaughter/niece of the MacGuffin Device's inventor--check
Awkward descriptions of ethnicity--"His black face looked like it was carved from ebony. His blackness melded with the black blackety black black."--check
Horribly constructe...more Let's all fill out the Clive Cussler Checklist:
Ridiculous Gary Stu hero--check
Ridiculously evil villain ripped from the pages of a Silver Age Comic Book with the corresponding cliche dialogue--check
Scientifically implausible MacGuffin Device--check
Hot, sexy daughter/grandaughter/niece of the MacGuffin Device's inventor--check
Awkward descriptions of ethnicity--"His black face looked like it was carved from ebony. His blackness melded with the black blackety black black."--check
Horribly constructed expositional dialogue, where casual conversation collides with trivia one-upmanship.--CHECK
What unique elements of hackery could Cussler introduce to 'Valhalla Rising'?
--The amazing Dirk Pitt pilots a plane through a dog-fight in a city. Did I mention the plane was packed with children? In wheelchairs?? The nuns and the puppies were waiting for the next flight.
--When Dirk Pitt is in trouble, who is the one man that pisses enough excellence to mount a rescue using nothing but Deus ex Machina and Awesome? Why, Clive Cussler of course! In his own book!! Rescuing his own characters!!! And, naturally he has the most awesome boat ever that can even impress members of NUMA, who regularly utilize the greatest sea-going vessels constructed.
--Did it strike anybody as odd that Dirk discovers a device that uses QUANTUM TELEPORTATION, but its only novelty is in providing large quantities of oil? Who the hell needs oil when you have teleportation??
--Jammed into the end is a surprise appearence of Dirk Pitt's clone, so Cussler doesn't have to make up a new name or personality once his current characters retire. His daughter is a clone of the long lost woman he loved, who wasn't dead like Dirk thought, and...*sigh* I get the feeling Cussler watched 'Revenge of the Sith' before writing this bit. The most Cusslery part: His son and daughter both have Doctorates in Ocean sciences, because of course they do!

If these books were pulp novels from the '30s-'60s I could forgive how laughably bad they are, but they are simpley inexcusable. How is it possible that I'm seeing 4- and 5-star reviews? Really?? This belongs in the pantheon of great literature??? Dan Brown probably thinks this is crap.

The only explanation I can think of as to why Clive Cussler is an international best-seller, is that writing professors buy up his books to give to students as an example of everything not to do.
(less)

like · see review

Jan 08, 2013 Anthony Orsborn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book because it has a great storyline about an adventurer named Dirk Pitt, who always finds himself in the center of a new mystery or adventure. One of the most prevalent things I liked about the story was the aspect of a strong, charismatic main character. Dirk, though not superhuman, has many heroic aspects that define him and help him survive. All of the supporting characters are also well detailed, but not so much as to the point of boredom. Also, I really liked how the...more I really enjoyed this book because it has a great storyline about an adventurer named Dirk Pitt, who always finds himself in the center of a new mystery or adventure. One of the most prevalent things I liked about the story was the aspect of a strong, charismatic main character. Dirk, though not superhuman, has many heroic aspects that define him and help him survive. All of the supporting characters are also well detailed, but not so much as to the point of boredom. Also, I really liked how the author, Clive Cussler, wrote himself into the book as a minor character that helps Dirk along his journey. At some points, the story could seem lengthy and prolonged, especially during the beginning of the book when Dirk has no idea what is happening or why the all the ship's systems failed. Overall, I thought the book had a great storyline and character development, but could seem prolonged and boring to the impatient reader.

Cussler's style is formal, and he writes in a non-complex but to-the-point way. His writing contains few colloquial or abstract outbursts. An example of his writing is, "Again, the two men inside the rescue vehicle complied without challenging the request. McKirdy gave the order to Turner on the surface, and within two minutes a surge of air began bursting out of the hose into the engine room." Writing with a combination of complex sentences, the author describes the action as it unfolds, though not in a very dramatic or pretentious way. The text itself is split between thoughts and dialogue, and it usually contains much more description of the surroundings and what is happening.

One of the main messages that the book seemed to hint to me is how far people are willing to go for greed and power. In this case, an oil company, called Cerberus, becomes greedy and hatches a plot that contains many radical plans to bomb the U.S., all over the control of oil. Branching off from this, another theme I noticed is the correlation between wealth and corruption. The oil company, Cerberus, held tremendous power within the U.S. government itself, because they had bought off many high-ranking officials. Because of the company's vast resources, it held enormous influence and power over something even as big as the U.S. government itself. Also, another message I noticed is that there are connections that sometimes might not seem obvious. For instance, how could a suspicious tragedy like the one on the Emerald Dolphin, a cruise liner, possibly relate to a threat against the United States? These connections can exist, whether we see them or not.(less)

like · see review

Feb 15, 2011 Rebecca rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed this book a lot for being a thriller and an action adventure but its use of Vikings in the plot proved to be a bit of 'all talk and no substance'.
The very first chapter is about Vikings settling and discovering North America but not an event that has a happy ending.
The rest of the story focuses on new technologies regarding water propulsion on huge luxury cruisers, some scientists new ultimate engine oil and the corruption and power behind many of America's top homeland oil companies....more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 21, 2012 Andrea rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: summer-reads, audiobooks

Dirk Pitt, man...he's ruggedly handsome, mild-mannered, smart, clever, witty, selfless, and so many other things. He saves the day about FIVE TIMES in this book alone. He lives in a hanger by himself and collects antique airplanes and cars...cool. He's dashing and charming all of these other things. Oh, and he's got women all over his balls, too. All I really figured out in this novel was how awesome and good at everything Dirk Pitt was. I listened to this book on audio tape and it was a pretty...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 23, 2009 Roasterx rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Clive Cussler must have some sort of fascination with machinery. I love the odd machines that Dirk Pitt and company use in their troublesome exploits. This is the second book by Cussler and they both used strange or antique planes and vehicles.
Cussler must also have a love of quirky history. He reminds me of Dan Brown in this sense. The old Viking ships and the Skraeling/Viking conflicts were just as much fun to read about as the adventures of Mr. Pitt.
The only way that I could describe this...more

like · see review

Mar 22, 2009 Caroline rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

How many major cruise liners can you sink in one book? And still have the main character come out alive and well? Apparently one is not enough. It does make for lots of action and excitement as you turn pages wondering how he's gonna escape a brutal death this time. My favorite is how the author writes himself into the story to get himself out of corners he's written himself into. Makes me smile.
I quite enjoyed the old airplane fight scene over New York City. Except it's a little too far-fetche...more

like · see review

Aug 06, 2012 Amit Shetty rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cussler-fever

One of the best Dirk Pitt book I have read in a long time.
This book features the best chase (or should I say a dogfight) I have seen in his earlier books.
Rather than cars the dogfight between Pitt's 1929 Ford Trimotor transport plane and Kanai's 1917
German Fokker triplane was nothing short of amazing.
Brilliant fast paced and a very intriguing story about one of Jules Verne's best fiction works, 20000 leagues under the sea, which after reading this book I desparately wish to be true.
And to top...more

like · see review

Aug 29, 2008 Jeff rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My first Clive Cussler book - and perhaps still my favorite. Dirk Pitt is so much better than Kurt Austin. This was a great, fresh style for me at the time that I read it several years ago, and is the reason I'm a Clive Cussler fan today.

1 like · like · see review

Apr 25, 2011 DutchWaG rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, library

It was very hard for me to rate this book because the idea for the story itself was nice, the action was fast-paced and the way I like it. But then there are things like: How many boats and lives can Dirk Pitt save in one novel? How come that he again beats the best trained people in these books? But what struck me most: Why the heck must the writer of this book be in the story itself? Give me a break!
But I would still have given it a four-star rating. But then the story had to finish and answer...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 02, 2012 Tatorstevie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I adored this novel. It's the very first book I've read by Mr. Cussler, and I must admit I don't think I'll ever be satisfied with another one, not because I didn't like it, but because it left me feeling so at peace with the story that I didn't want it ruined. Reading this was a lot like reading Michael Crichten, but I knew exactly how I felt about the characters and the story. Ok, Dirk Pitt is a little on the too-gorgeous-to-be-true side, even for me, but I was soon able to get past that. Come...more

like · see review

Sep 30, 2012 Bill Bunn rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Mar 10, 2013 Ryan Burt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

1) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

2) Genre: Adventure

3) Synopsis: The Emerald Dolphin, the newest cruise ship in the fleet, goes down in an amazing fire. How in the world did this happen? Luckily, Dirk Pitt was there to save as many of the passengers as possible. Dirk Pitt is roped into the mystery of the fire and risks his life to solve it.

4) Feelings: I like the Dirk Pitt novels. They are a little far stretched but 16 books into the series everyone I have read I enjoyed.

5) Final recommendation: Wish...more

like · see review

Feb 06, 2013 A.R. Voss rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: signed-books

I truly enjoyed this book, the prologue sets you up well in the past and as the book starts it takes on a journey to discover what the prologue spoke of. I did enjoy this book right up to the point that Mr. Cussler appears in his own book. Stephen King does the same thing in his Dark Tower series. Now as authors, I can understand there is a great sense of pride and some times ego involved, in some cases even a bit of a God complex; makes sense you create this world of fiction and characters, so...more

like · see review

May 12, 2011 Kathy Hall rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've just started reading Clive Cussler books. I love them for pure adventure. This one bounces around from continent to continent, as do the other two I've read, and kept me guessing what would happen next. While the concept of an invention that could change the world - a secret I won't reveal here - is a bit outrageous, the story plot fits right in with what's going on today in the oil industry. If you don't actually believe that there's a plot behind our oil prices - you want to and this stor...more

like · see review

Jul 04, 2012 Sonja rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: workrelated, history-adventure

This book started out all right, on a three-star level. There was a lot of action which kept me interested. Pitt saved the day, and then... he did it again. And again. And again. It was just too much, and it grew more unlikely with every time. Furthermore, the story is packed with gorgeous, frightened women who stare up at Pitt in wide-eyed admiration and enjoy cleaning up after him in his a-ma-zing museum of a home. Truly disgusting. And last but not least, every motorized vehicle (and there ar...more

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 24, 2011 Dharmashanti Kelleher rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: no one

The story was decent, but his characters were so nauseatingly cliched that it was an effort to keep reading. Also, there is a lot of info dumping, and much of the early chapters are telling rather than showing. In short, Cussler is just phoning it in.

If you like stories with "Harlequin romance"-type cardboard characters (i.e. perfect brawny men and timid, fainting women), then you'll love this.

However, if you prefer stories with complex, interesting characters, where scenes develop the plot or...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 03, 2012 Debbie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action-adventure, historical-fiction, dirk-pitt

A classic Cussler story of good versus evil and two seemingly unrelated such events (the Vikings and Captain Nemo) setting the stage for an eventual tie-in to the main story. Dirk & Al find themselves helping rescue people from a burning luxury cruise liner only to be drawn into a battle with a wealthy sociopath where they are repeatedly facing down death. This book is full of action, suspense and plot twists. Even when all the twists and turns have been revealed and the action has been conc...more

like · see review

Jan 11, 2013 Ria rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Absolutely thrilling, a series of cruise ships are sunk at sea but not in any ordinary fashion, the sinking are no tragedies but an act of terrorism due to the ships being a prototype for a new type of engine which could put the oil barons out of business, a conglomerate is behind the atrocities to stop this happening which leads to conspiracy, murder and political intrigue which are all the ingredients Dirk Pitt needs to get involved and launch his own investigation which uncovers more than he...more

like · see review

Sep 15, 2008 Ron rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Fun, but silly.

1 like · like · see review

Apr 18, 2013 Lena Donan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nie je to prvýkrát, čo sa musí takmer obyčajný človek – z núdze hrdina - postarať o to, aby sa svet krútil podľa zabehaných pravidiel. Pre lepší obraz potenciálneho čitateľa, Dirk Pitt je osobnosť podobná takému Robertovi Langdonovi, ktorému vdýchol život D. Brown, a ktorého obyčajnosť (sám Pitt ju nie raz zdôrazňuje) priam drápe oči. Lenže práve to môže byť tým malým ohníkom na veľmi dlhej zápalnej šnúre záujmu...

„Seveřané dokázali žít naplno. Pracovali těžce, žili těžce a těžce i umírali. Moř...more Nie je to prvýkrát, čo sa musí takmer obyčajný človek – z núdze hrdina - postarať o to, aby sa svet krútil podľa zabehaných pravidiel. Pre lepší obraz potenciálneho čitateľa, Dirk Pitt je osobnosť podobná takému Robertovi Langdonovi, ktorému vdýchol život D. Brown, a ktorého obyčajnosť (sám Pitt ju nie raz zdôrazňuje) priam drápe oči. Lenže práve to môže byť tým malým ohníkom na veľmi dlhej zápalnej šnúre záujmu...

„Seveřané dokázali žít naplno. Pracovali těžce, žili těžce a těžce i umírali. Moře bylo jejich celým světem. Muž bez člunu byl pro ně muž v řetězech.“

Nejde však výlučne o prítomnosť. Knihu otvoríme na stránke, ktorá hlási rok 1035 a opisuje pokusy o kolonizáciu Ameriky. Žeby sa niekto pomýlil? Vraj existujú relevantné zmienky o tom, že v tomto období sa Vikingovia naozaj nachádzali na území dnešnej Severnej Ameriky a Cussler si nenechal ujsť príležitosť, aby nepošpekuloval s ich (možno) existujúcim odkazom. To však nie je všetko. Neskôr sa na obohatenie a či pomýlenie stretneme s rokom 1894, v ktorom sa stane zdanlivo nesúvisiaca situácia. Prichádza rok 2003 a tu sa, ako inak, objavuje Dirk.

Treba priznať, príbeh sa začína vo veľkom štýle. Obrovská výletná loď sa za čudných okolností potápa a široko-ďaleko niet nikoho, kto by tomuto nešťastiu zabránil. Aspoň napohľad. Veľmi blízko sa totiž plaví Pitt s posádkou námorných výskumníkov na štandardnom plavidle. Odvaha, um a aj kus šťastia dopomôžu k tomu, aby sa na dne oceánu neocitla ďalšia loď duchov, lež samotný vrak. Po urputnom boji začnú padať otázky. Ako mohli zlyhať systémy ešte aj záložných systémov? Ako mohlo byť blokované aj to, čo by nemalo byť blokované? K tomu sa pridala jedna a či dve podozrivé osoby a sabotáž je na streche. Aj tu zasiahne udatný Pitt, vždy na správnom mieste, prekazí komplot, zachráni krásnu ženu a všetci môžu byť šťastní. Omyl. Prvú salvu nasleduje celá vlna nepríjemností, počnúc korporáciou, ktorá je spolu s ostatným príbehom krásnou alegóriou na dnešné dianie.

„Tvář, jakou může milovat jen jeho matka.“

V tomto prípade nejde len o veľkolepú tému spracovanú nič nehovoriacim spôsobom. Cussler sa zdá byť zručným pánom pera a dokáže opísať aj tie najzarytejšie termíny, ktorých je po textovej ceste neúrekom. Tým pádom by od pána „terminologického“ človek hádam ani nečakal humor, ale aj to je len predsudok. Dávkuje ho primeraným spôsobom, zrozumiteľne a čulo.
Ako bolo spomínané, pod dobrodružným povrchom sa skrýva poznanie, že systém je ľahko napadnuteľný machináciami zo strany korporácií a takzvaných filantropov. Preto možno knihu označiť za nie úplne prvoplánovú a od braku má tiež hodné kusisko. Dokonca ponecháva čitateľovi tú radosť, keď až postupným spôsobom odhaľuje, o čo vlastne ide, má z knihy nejaké dojmy, svoje konštrukty a nedostáva nič na podnose. Musí sa však niekedy zmieriť s tým, že treba dávať naozaj dobrý pozor na sled udalostí a celý príbeh, lebo je možné, že by mu mohlo niečo podstatné ujsť. Týmto sa dosť líši od odpočinkovej literatúry, akou často tá dobrodružná býva.

„Jsme uprostřed ekonomické války. Nepotřebujeme žádné generály nebo admirály ani tanky, ponorky a nukleární bombardéry. K vítězství nám stačí jenom nasytit věčnou, neukojitelnou žízeň široké veřejnosti po pohonných hmotách.“

Podtrhnuté a podčiarknuté, v tejto knihe si človek nájde mnoho. Od avizovanej dobrodružnosti, zdanlivej jednoduchosti, rozmanitých osôb, cez spletité osudy lásky až po ukrutné prestrelky a boje. A určite ocení nadrámcový vklad spisovateľa. Preto, kto sa nebojí načrieť do týchto tajov, dvere má otvorené. (less)

like · see review

Mar 23, 2013 Ann Keller rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action-adventure, crime-drama, suspense, thriller

The luxury liner, Emerald Dolphin, was unsinkable. She was so opulent and spacious that her passengers basked in the height of luxury, being pampered by an attentive staff of officers and stewards too numerous to count. Suddenly, a fire ignited in her chapel, racing through the bowels of the ship with astonishing speed. Fire extinguishers and back-up systems failed and the lifeboats proved useless in the firestorm.

The NUMA vessel, Deep Encounter, races to the rescue. Dirk Pitt, the captain and h...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 06, 2011 Andy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An evil oil baron is set to take over the US via bribery and the creation of panic in the US. Pitt and Giordino, of course, are there to save the day. Along the way they meet the daughter of a scientist who has developed not only an engine that uses sea water as a source of power and the oil needed for it to run effectively - Super Slick 66 that doesn't breakdown as quickly as regular oil - but also a way to tele-port the oil, cutting down on the need for pipelines or tankers. Oh, and by the way...more

like · see review

May 26, 2012 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

May have slight spoilers.

In author Clive Cussler’s sixteenth Dirk Pitt novel, Valhalla Rising, Dirk aboard a NUMA ships spots a ship on fire, and when they race to her aid they are confronted with the horror that has become the Emerald Dolphin a curse ship on her maiden voyage with thousands of passengers on board her facing a fiery death.

When the ordeal is past and Dirk is sent to investigate after the ship sinks—the question that goes through everyone’s head is why the Emerald Dolphin’s fire-c...more May have slight spoilers.

In author Clive Cussler’s sixteenth Dirk Pitt novel, Valhalla Rising, Dirk aboard a NUMA ships spots a ship on fire, and when they race to her aid they are confronted with the horror that has become the Emerald Dolphin a curse ship on her maiden voyage with thousands of passengers on board her facing a fiery death.

When the ordeal is past and Dirk is sent to investigate after the ship sinks—the question that goes through everyone’s head is why the Emerald Dolphin’s fire-control systems work and is it possibly linked to the new and revolutionary engines that powered the ship. Was it a terrorist act?

During the investigation Dirk is put through hell and though he comes out a live once again everything has changed now.

Another wonderful Dirk Pitt novel!

It has been quite some time since my last Dirk Pitt novel but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it felt like I had only read it just the other day.

As with all the past Dirk Pitt novels Cussler gives us more than one main plot to intrigue us that are somehow wound up together. That also holds true for this book as well in the form of Vikings in 1035 and mystery submarine sighted in 1894.

We get quite a few characters that we have become familiar with in past books—Admiral Sandecker, Al Giordino, Congresswoman Loren Smith and St. Julien Perlmutter. All wonderful characters that is very ingrained into this series by this sixteenth book, especially the first two.

The ending of this novel far surpasses any of the others I can not say why without giving the whole things away but I will say this—someone Dirk loved more than anyone kind of comes back into the picture and Dirk’s life—and the life of this series I believe—has changed forever.

Action packed, suspense filled and all around another great novel in this series—a must read for Dirk Pitt fans, if you have not picked it up yet but read all the previous book in this series, then I beg you—pick up this one! The ending alone makes it worth the read.(less)

like · see review

May 02, 2011 Angela Myers rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Classic cars and aircraft, boats, ships and submarines, evil oil barons, science-fiction, Vikings and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea--and Cussler manages to tie it all together. What more could you ask for? Needless to say, it's a looong book. That's part of the problem, and I'm going to repeat something I've said in many of my reviews--it would have benefited from being carefully edited.

Cussler's writing style is rather formal and his dialogue tends to be stilted. He describes everything in amazi...more

like · see review

Aug 31, 2008 Susan Kelley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Clive Cussler once again brings Dirk Pitt to life in the adventure thriller Valhalla Rising. Pitt comes to the rescue when the luxury liner The Emerald Dolphin catches fire and sinks. Among the survivors is Kelly Eagan, who is being hunted down for her scientist father's secrets. As Pitt and his compatriots at NUMA provide their assistance to Eagan, the organization is being drawn into a mysterious game of hijacked ships, sinking submarines and revolutionary technology.

This was my first Cussler...more

like · see review

Jan 03, 2013 Alissa rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I would have enjoyed this one more if the language wasn't so out of date - a woman diver is proudly declared to be "as good as a man!" by her husband, a female pilot says all the male pilots she knows will be jealous of her flying Pitt's plane, a missile launcher is so easy to use that it can be operated by a "retarded terrorist" and then we get it pointed out to us that boy/girl twins are fraternal and don't need to look alike. A good adventure story, but the above language issues annoyed me.

like · see review

Aug 22, 2010 Brian rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cussler-dirk-pitt

Cerberus, an evil oil cartel led by Curtis Zale, attempts to corner the oil market by bribing government officials, causing shipping accidents and eliminating rivals. Pitt comes to the rescue when the luxury liner The Emerald Dolphin catches fire and sinks. Among the survivors is Kelly Eagan, who is being hunted down for her scientist father's engine designs. Elmore Eagan's water driven engine is inspired by Jules Verne's Nautilus and a Viking settlement that is location under his up state New Y...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (41)

More editions...

Genres

Adventure

160 users

Thriller

84 users

Action

48 users

Mystery

42 users

Suspense

26 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

18 users

Historical Fiction

13 users

Adult

7 users

Novels

7 users

Mystery > Crime

6 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Clive Cussler

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 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 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. (www.numa.net).

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 and Black Wind (this last with his son, Dirk Cussler); the nonfiction books The Sea Hunters, The Sea Hunters II and Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt r Revealed; the NUMA® Files novels Serpent, Blue Gold, Fire Ice, White Death and Lost City (written with Paul Kemprecos); and the Oregon Files novels Sacred Stone and Golden Buddha (written with Craig Dirgo) and Dark Watch (written with Jack Du Brul).

Clive Cussler lives in Arizona. (less)

More about Clive Cussler...

Books by Clive Cussler

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Valhalla Rising

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Valhalla Rising
avg rating	preview: Valhalla Rising Goodreads rating: 3.83 (10036 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7986165-valhalla-rising?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355868688l/7986165.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7986165-valhalla-rising?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Valhalla Rising by Clive Cussler[/url]

Valhalla Rising (Dirk Pitt #16)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website