What do you think?
Rate this book
Dirk Pitt® #8
Cyclops
Clive Cussler’s bestselling Cyclops is another swashbuckling NUMA Files adventure! When a financier turned treasure hunter vanishes mysteriously, only Dirk Pitt can prevent an international incident that threatens to start a war.
A wealthy American financier disappears on a treasure hunt in an antique blimp. From Cuban waters, the blimp drifts toward Florida with a crew of dead men—Soviet cosmonauts. Dirk Pitt discovers a shocking a covert group of US industrialists has put a colony on the moon, a secret base they will defend at any cost. Threatened in space, the Russians are about to strike a savage blow in Cuba—and only NUMA’s Dirk Pitt can stop them. From a Cuban torture chamber to the cold ocean depths, Pitt is racing to defuse an international conspiracy that threatens to shatter the earth!
A wealthy American financier disappears on a treasure hunt in an antique blimp. From Cuban waters, the blimp drifts toward Florida with a crew of dead men—Soviet cosmonauts. Dirk Pitt discovers a shocking a covert group of US industrialists has put a colony on the moon, a secret base they will defend at any cost. Threatened in space, the Russians are about to strike a savage blow in Cuba—and only NUMA’s Dirk Pitt can stop them. From a Cuban torture chamber to the cold ocean depths, Pitt is racing to defuse an international conspiracy that threatens to shatter the earth!
614 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1986
251 people are currently reading
4607 people want to read
About the author
Clive Cussler
625 books8,472 followersCussler 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 was 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 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 addition to being the Chairman of NUMA, Cussler was also a fellow in both the Explorers Club of New York and the Royal Geographic Society in London. He was 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 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 died at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 24, 2020.
Cussler was 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 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 addition to being the Chairman of NUMA, Cussler was also a fellow in both the Explorers Club of New York and the Royal Geographic Society in London. He was 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 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 died at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 24, 2020.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 387 reviews
April 11, 2022
I always have a thoroughly great time reading the Dirk Pitt series and this Eighth instalment was just as addictive.
The plots are always so over the top that it's difficult not to get invested in them and with Cyclops it felt like Cussler threw the whole lot in.
From a seemingly innocent wandering blimp leading to a discovery of a colony on the moon plus sunken treasure in Cuba friendship and even a KGB threat!
This book had everything you'd expect from the genre whilst the late 1980's setting added to the charm.
The plots are always so over the top that it's difficult not to get invested in them and with Cyclops it felt like Cussler threw the whole lot in.
From a seemingly innocent wandering blimp leading to a discovery of a colony on the moon plus sunken treasure in Cuba friendship and even a KGB threat!
This book had everything you'd expect from the genre whilst the late 1980's setting added to the charm.
April 17, 2021
Loved it! It’s very dated but enjoyable nonetheless.
September 29, 2021
Matthew McConaughey was definitely the embodiment of Dirk Pitt. Not the egotist from the Oscars, or the introspective Lincoln driver from those commercials, but beach-bum, twinkle in the eye McConaughey from ten-ish years ago. I haven't seen "Sahara", but reading this--my first Dirk Pitt novel--I know he was born to play the role.
So about the book: I had high hopes. My friend recommended Cussler to me, and Dirk Pitt in particular, and with that synopsis on the back . . . damn! How could I not read Cyclops? Antique blimp; Cuban waters; Soviet confrontation on the moon? . . . Are you not entertained?!
Well . . . here's the thing: As a POV character, Dirk Pitt was in maybe half of the book. Was he 'The American James Bond' for that %50? No. Was he an appealing character in some other way, or did he just luck out most of the time. No and yes, respectively. The character felt like one of those people you hear about who sits back in his chair, heels on his desk, and is handed everything with a silver spoon. People tell him he's good looking and give him a Masarotti because that twinkle in his eye gives them a funny feeling in their pants.
All that said, the writing was competent and the plot was ambitious. Will I try out another Dirk Pitt adventure? You know, I would be curious to read an early Cussler to see how Pitt started, mostly to compare his beginnings with how he turned out in the 8th. I also quite enjoy watching explorations of shipwrecks on the History Channel, and Cussler's strength is describing underwater wrecks.
So about the book: I had high hopes. My friend recommended Cussler to me, and Dirk Pitt in particular, and with that synopsis on the back . . . damn! How could I not read Cyclops? Antique blimp; Cuban waters; Soviet confrontation on the moon? . . . Are you not entertained?!
Well . . . here's the thing: As a POV character, Dirk Pitt was in maybe half of the book. Was he 'The American James Bond' for that %50? No. Was he an appealing character in some other way, or did he just luck out most of the time. No and yes, respectively. The character felt like one of those people you hear about who sits back in his chair, heels on his desk, and is handed everything with a silver spoon. People tell him he's good looking and give him a Masarotti because that twinkle in his eye gives them a funny feeling in their pants.
All that said, the writing was competent and the plot was ambitious. Will I try out another Dirk Pitt adventure? You know, I would be curious to read an early Cussler to see how Pitt started, mostly to compare his beginnings with how he turned out in the 8th. I also quite enjoy watching explorations of shipwrecks on the History Channel, and Cussler's strength is describing underwater wrecks.
May 31, 2023
Cussler Intermitent Series Read 2023
I don't remember ever having read this book before, and given I had to buy it, probably means I never have.
As ever with Dirk, it is a fun, completely unbelievable, bot nonetheless enjoyable read. As the write up says, adventure just comes looking for him. Whilst participating in a windsurfing contest an abandoned airship floats across his path (as they always do) and so it begins. Add into the mix evil Russians (sorry) , Cuban terrorists and a glamorous wealthy widow, as well as Dirk's normal comrades and you have a fun , well written adventure novel.
I think must be a few years since I read these books, because at the moment I am really enjoying reading them.
I don't remember ever having read this book before, and given I had to buy it, probably means I never have.
As ever with Dirk, it is a fun, completely unbelievable, bot nonetheless enjoyable read. As the write up says, adventure just comes looking for him. Whilst participating in a windsurfing contest an abandoned airship floats across his path (as they always do) and so it begins. Add into the mix evil Russians (sorry) , Cuban terrorists and a glamorous wealthy widow, as well as Dirk's normal comrades and you have a fun , well written adventure novel.
I think must be a few years since I read these books, because at the moment I am really enjoying reading them.
March 9, 2013
I picked this book up at a charity book swap for a dollar. After that last book, I figured I needed something fun and easy on the brain. I mean, Dirk Pitt is Indiana Jones + James Bond + water! Several Dirk Pitt books have made an appearance as family road-trip fodder, because, while basically predictable (What, this story involves a secret treasure that's probably in the ocean somewhere?! Who would guess!), it's fun. What's not to like?
So when I tell you that I basically enjoyed this book until I hit one completely abhorrent scene 3/4 of the way in and considered dropping the book completely--and that that one scene so disrupted my positive feelings for the rest of the book that I never enjoyed it again from that point onward--you know we've got problems.
Now the book is 30 years old, so I'm not going to bother with spoiler tags (plus I don't think you should really bother with it anyway), but if you don't want to know what happens, turn back now.
...
Okay. So the book somehow manages to combine a secret moon base, a massive lost golden statue (La Dorada), a missing millionaire, CIA agents, and a terroristic plot against communist Cuba and Fidel Castro personally.
It's important to note that this was written in 1983 and set in 1985.
Essentially, these plot lines aren't actually at all related, except that it made the President pretty damn unhappy and almost killed our hero Mr. Pitt at least a half-dozen times. This is one of the reasons I almost dropped the book; once one plot line was resolved, there wasn't a lot of reason to continue. Plus it's hard to believe Pitt made it most of the way through the novel without requiring serious medical attention. But he's Aquaman meets Harrison Ford, so that's not such a big deal.
What was a big deal was the way Cussler treated his ONE female character (seriously. There are, like, 8 prominent male characters. There is one woman with a name who is important; one other appears briefly to give background and returns to her retirement home).
If you think I'm just being melodramatic, consider this scenario:
You're an incredibly beautiful, intelligent woman married to a millionaire (her only fault is her inherent woman-ness. Gag). You can speak 5 languages, are a skilled SCUBA diver, and, oh, yes sure, you can fly the extremely rare and challenging blimp your husband managed to get kidnapped from. You make the mistake of traveling with Dirk Pitt. In the process, you are captured by evil Soviet KGB agents and tortured (the details are fuzzy, but you're naked and thoroughly bruised). Then, your husband is killed in front of you and you make a mad dash for escape. You end up on a beach in Cuba, wearing the wet and stinky uniform of a Cuban militia. You spend the night hiding in a storm drain with Dirk Pitt. What would you do next?
...If your answer isn't "have sex with Dirk Pitt, a man who maligned your dead-not-even-12-hours husband for his adultery," then you clearly are a sane person and not in this book.
There are so many things wrong with that scene!
I threw the book across the room when I read it. It was less than 2 pages, but that scene ruined the entire book for me.
But I'm not one to abandon books, generally, so I finished the danged thing, but wow, it never got better, and Jessie LeBaron (Ms. Richy-Rich herself) just got more ridiculous and whimpering helpless woman the farther I read. If this were the only Cussler book I had ever read, I'd think he'd never met an actual woman.
Now, there were some great things writers could learn from this book. For example, the level of detail for ships and cars was incredible. You can tell where Cussler's real interests lie. That was super! ...it did become a failing when he screwed up some really fundamental information about the moon (like that the "back side" never faces the Earth. And that people couldn't hang out on that side anyway, because it's really freaking cold). I don't know if that information just wasn't available in the 1980s, but I feel like maybe it was; the US had been on the moon for nearly two decades at that point.
Another thing I think I could learn from was the level of brutality that Cussler is willing to throw at his main character. Seriously, Dirk Pitt got hit with everything under the sun. It reads like something out of a soap opera when listed out, but in the book, it's great for keeping things exciting.
But all in all, there are far better Cussler books out there. If you're interested in his writing, go read one of those instead. This one would be better off on the bottom of the sea.
So when I tell you that I basically enjoyed this book until I hit one completely abhorrent scene 3/4 of the way in and considered dropping the book completely--and that that one scene so disrupted my positive feelings for the rest of the book that I never enjoyed it again from that point onward--you know we've got problems.
Now the book is 30 years old, so I'm not going to bother with spoiler tags (plus I don't think you should really bother with it anyway), but if you don't want to know what happens, turn back now.
...
Okay. So the book somehow manages to combine a secret moon base, a massive lost golden statue (La Dorada), a missing millionaire, CIA agents, and a terroristic plot against communist Cuba and Fidel Castro personally.
It's important to note that this was written in 1983 and set in 1985.
Essentially, these plot lines aren't actually at all related, except that it made the President pretty damn unhappy and almost killed our hero Mr. Pitt at least a half-dozen times. This is one of the reasons I almost dropped the book; once one plot line was resolved, there wasn't a lot of reason to continue. Plus it's hard to believe Pitt made it most of the way through the novel without requiring serious medical attention. But he's Aquaman meets Harrison Ford, so that's not such a big deal.
What was a big deal was the way Cussler treated his ONE female character (seriously. There are, like, 8 prominent male characters. There is one woman with a name who is important; one other appears briefly to give background and returns to her retirement home).
If you think I'm just being melodramatic, consider this scenario:
You're an incredibly beautiful, intelligent woman married to a millionaire (her only fault is her inherent woman-ness. Gag). You can speak 5 languages, are a skilled SCUBA diver, and, oh, yes sure, you can fly the extremely rare and challenging blimp your husband managed to get kidnapped from. You make the mistake of traveling with Dirk Pitt. In the process, you are captured by evil Soviet KGB agents and tortured (the details are fuzzy, but you're naked and thoroughly bruised). Then, your husband is killed in front of you and you make a mad dash for escape. You end up on a beach in Cuba, wearing the wet and stinky uniform of a Cuban militia. You spend the night hiding in a storm drain with Dirk Pitt. What would you do next?
...If your answer isn't "have sex with Dirk Pitt, a man who maligned your dead-not-even-12-hours husband for his adultery," then you clearly are a sane person and not in this book.
There are so many things wrong with that scene!
I threw the book across the room when I read it. It was less than 2 pages, but that scene ruined the entire book for me.
But I'm not one to abandon books, generally, so I finished the danged thing, but wow, it never got better, and Jessie LeBaron (Ms. Richy-Rich herself) just got more ridiculous and whimpering helpless woman the farther I read. If this were the only Cussler book I had ever read, I'd think he'd never met an actual woman.
Now, there were some great things writers could learn from this book. For example, the level of detail for ships and cars was incredible. You can tell where Cussler's real interests lie. That was super! ...it did become a failing when he screwed up some really fundamental information about the moon (like that the "back side" never faces the Earth. And that people couldn't hang out on that side anyway, because it's really freaking cold). I don't know if that information just wasn't available in the 1980s, but I feel like maybe it was; the US had been on the moon for nearly two decades at that point.
Another thing I think I could learn from was the level of brutality that Cussler is willing to throw at his main character. Seriously, Dirk Pitt got hit with everything under the sun. It reads like something out of a soap opera when listed out, but in the book, it's great for keeping things exciting.
But all in all, there are far better Cussler books out there. If you're interested in his writing, go read one of those instead. This one would be better off on the bottom of the sea.
September 24, 2019
Off the coast of Cuba is a small isle and a shipwreck unconnected with one another until a wealthy financier off treasure hunting in his blimp disappears, soon they’ll connect everything from the moon to a lost Amazonian treasure. Cyclops is Clive Cussler’s 8th Dirk Pitt book in which his titular character flies the skies in an antique blimp, escapes then returns to a secret Soviet base, and save the city of Havana from a fiery fate.
A U.S. ship named Cyclops is carrying a legendary gold statue from a fabled Amazonian city when a rogue wave sinks the vessel in 1918, roughly 70 years later financier Raymond LeBaron with his two men crew goes searching for the ship in his antique blimp and disappear. Several weeks later, Dirk Pitt’s sailing race is ruined when LeBaron’s blimp reappears on a crash course towards a beach front hotel that Pitt stops thanks to help from people on the beach. But instead of LeBaron and crew in the blimp, there are three dead Soviet Cosmonauts that Feds quickly get from the Miami police after they learn from Fidel Castro that he put them in the blimp in a secret communique because he wants to separate from the Soviets. This is just something more on the President’s plate as he has just learned that a group of industrialists, government officials, and military officers had for two decades planned, constructed, and ran a colony on the moon with the colonists about to return after six years. Unfortunately for the secret group, the Soviets have found out about the colony and attempt to capture it only for the colonists to kill the Soviet soldiers who had only five days to prepare. Pitt is recruited by LeBaron’s wife to find her husband, but Mrs. LeBaron plans to fly to Cuba to give Castro the President’s answer but the Cuban military attacks the blimp resulting it in crashing into the sea close to the site of the Cyclops demise but they find the treasure is missing after diving the wreck but find a body of a old time diver. Pitt, Mrs. LeBaron, Al Giordino, and Rudy Gunn then make their way to a nearby isle off Cuba only to stumble upon a secret Soviet base. This base is a top secret listen station as well as the headquarters from a planned Soviet takeover the Cuba to install a puppet Communist government while planning the Americans. Pitt escapes, but the CIA spreads the story that he is dead as disinformation to the Soviets as they plan to attack the base and knock it out. But they move up the timetable after they learn the Soviet government wants to use the base to get a suddenly stuffed Space Shuttle to land in Cuba to take all the information from the moon colony. Pitt and the CIA capture and destroy the base just in time for the Shuttle to land in Keys though Raymond LeBaron dies, but on their return to the CIA transport Mrs. LeBaron puts a gun in Pitt’s gut and forces him to head to Cuba and Castro. The two make their way to Havana and the Swiss Embassy where they’re informed of the Soviet plan to assassinate Castro but they can’t find the supposed low yield nuclear, but after learning what the cargos of the three ships the Soviets sent to Havana were Pitt figures out the plan to firebomb the city. Pitt and roughly two dozen CIA agents hijack two of the Soviet ships and get them out as far as they can out of the harbor before the Soviet’s destroy them hours early that results in roughly 3000 casualties instead of essentially the entire city. Castro survives and kicks the Soviets out while accepting aid from the U.S. under the Red Cross then gives Pitt a ship with a crane after figuring out where Raymond LeBaron, who had found the Amazonian treasure to start his financial empire and killed his partner 30 years before, left it.
Unlike the previous two books, Cussler steered clear of Constitutional issues which was a welcome development however there were major chronological issues in connection with events in the last two books but that didn’t really matter much overall. Although due to the time period when this and other novels in the series were published, the Cold War aspect along with the horrible cliché Soviet characters and Communist world takeover agenda just drags down the enjoyment of the novel especially since real life showed that this was a paranoid American idea. Cussler’s characterization of women improved overall, though there were one scene which was gawd awful, with Mrs. LeBaron especially in relation with Pitt. As to the main character, Dirk came off as incredibly lucky throughout the novel though did have moments of brilliance that didn’t come off as Gary Stu.
Cyclops improves in quality over its predecessor as Clive Cussler works together three different story arcs into a fun, intriguing novel. Though the Cold War aspect and associated stereotypes connected with it got annoying, it didn’t ruin the book. Overall this is a fun action-adventure novel for anyone wanting to spend a few days reading.
A U.S. ship named Cyclops is carrying a legendary gold statue from a fabled Amazonian city when a rogue wave sinks the vessel in 1918, roughly 70 years later financier Raymond LeBaron with his two men crew goes searching for the ship in his antique blimp and disappear. Several weeks later, Dirk Pitt’s sailing race is ruined when LeBaron’s blimp reappears on a crash course towards a beach front hotel that Pitt stops thanks to help from people on the beach. But instead of LeBaron and crew in the blimp, there are three dead Soviet Cosmonauts that Feds quickly get from the Miami police after they learn from Fidel Castro that he put them in the blimp in a secret communique because he wants to separate from the Soviets. This is just something more on the President’s plate as he has just learned that a group of industrialists, government officials, and military officers had for two decades planned, constructed, and ran a colony on the moon with the colonists about to return after six years. Unfortunately for the secret group, the Soviets have found out about the colony and attempt to capture it only for the colonists to kill the Soviet soldiers who had only five days to prepare. Pitt is recruited by LeBaron’s wife to find her husband, but Mrs. LeBaron plans to fly to Cuba to give Castro the President’s answer but the Cuban military attacks the blimp resulting it in crashing into the sea close to the site of the Cyclops demise but they find the treasure is missing after diving the wreck but find a body of a old time diver. Pitt, Mrs. LeBaron, Al Giordino, and Rudy Gunn then make their way to a nearby isle off Cuba only to stumble upon a secret Soviet base. This base is a top secret listen station as well as the headquarters from a planned Soviet takeover the Cuba to install a puppet Communist government while planning the Americans. Pitt escapes, but the CIA spreads the story that he is dead as disinformation to the Soviets as they plan to attack the base and knock it out. But they move up the timetable after they learn the Soviet government wants to use the base to get a suddenly stuffed Space Shuttle to land in Cuba to take all the information from the moon colony. Pitt and the CIA capture and destroy the base just in time for the Shuttle to land in Keys though Raymond LeBaron dies, but on their return to the CIA transport Mrs. LeBaron puts a gun in Pitt’s gut and forces him to head to Cuba and Castro. The two make their way to Havana and the Swiss Embassy where they’re informed of the Soviet plan to assassinate Castro but they can’t find the supposed low yield nuclear, but after learning what the cargos of the three ships the Soviets sent to Havana were Pitt figures out the plan to firebomb the city. Pitt and roughly two dozen CIA agents hijack two of the Soviet ships and get them out as far as they can out of the harbor before the Soviet’s destroy them hours early that results in roughly 3000 casualties instead of essentially the entire city. Castro survives and kicks the Soviets out while accepting aid from the U.S. under the Red Cross then gives Pitt a ship with a crane after figuring out where Raymond LeBaron, who had found the Amazonian treasure to start his financial empire and killed his partner 30 years before, left it.
Unlike the previous two books, Cussler steered clear of Constitutional issues which was a welcome development however there were major chronological issues in connection with events in the last two books but that didn’t really matter much overall. Although due to the time period when this and other novels in the series were published, the Cold War aspect along with the horrible cliché Soviet characters and Communist world takeover agenda just drags down the enjoyment of the novel especially since real life showed that this was a paranoid American idea. Cussler’s characterization of women improved overall, though there were one scene which was gawd awful, with Mrs. LeBaron especially in relation with Pitt. As to the main character, Dirk came off as incredibly lucky throughout the novel though did have moments of brilliance that didn’t come off as Gary Stu.
Cyclops improves in quality over its predecessor as Clive Cussler works together three different story arcs into a fun, intriguing novel. Though the Cold War aspect and associated stereotypes connected with it got annoying, it didn’t ruin the book. Overall this is a fun action-adventure novel for anyone wanting to spend a few days reading.
August 14, 2020
Have you ever driven the Autobahn in Germany? Swirling twists and turns around every corner. This Clive Cussler edition is a prime example of speed, thrills & chills! Highly recommend the audio version, available on YT!
December 20, 2018
Cyclops by Clive Cussler
Genres; Action/Adventure, Crime, Mystery, Suspense
3 Stars
Not one of my favorites, but I read it. I liked it. I did not love it.
By the time I read this one I was 33 years old. That was 25 years ago. Already, the steamier the book the more I liked it. The problem I remember about this one was the 'Steam' factor. The adventure part was good. But, I remember being just 'Okay' with this one for numerous reasons.
I understood Dirk Pitt needed the 'get the female' that all book hero types had. But this one threw me in many ways. I really didn't understand why 'The Female' part was written the way it was. It was almost like Mr. Cussler was angry about something in his personal life and it came out in his writing.
This one is not recommended. It was just an 'Okay, I mostly liked it' read.
Genres; Action/Adventure, Crime, Mystery, Suspense
3 Stars
Not one of my favorites, but I read it. I liked it. I did not love it.
By the time I read this one I was 33 years old. That was 25 years ago. Already, the steamier the book the more I liked it. The problem I remember about this one was the 'Steam' factor. The adventure part was good. But, I remember being just 'Okay' with this one for numerous reasons.
I understood Dirk Pitt needed the 'get the female' that all book hero types had. But this one threw me in many ways. I really didn't understand why 'The Female' part was written the way it was. It was almost like Mr. Cussler was angry about something in his personal life and it came out in his writing.
This one is not recommended. It was just an 'Okay, I mostly liked it' read.
January 24, 2019
Amazingly suspenseful book! I started reading and pretty much couldn't put it down. Really enjoyed it.
September 12, 2017
Plot 1: March 9th 1918, Caribbean Sea, a collier ship, Cyclops carrying 11,000 tons of manganese, more than it can carry sinks with treasure and a soul, American consul general to Brazil, Alfred L.Morean Gottschalk.
Plot 2 :Raymond Le Baron and some of his friends who goes in search of the legendary El Dorado in his blimp Prosperteer goes missing. After a couple of days the blimp passes over Florida where our hero Dirk Pitt is taking part in a race stops the blimp and later the body inside the blimp are not of Raymond Le Baron.
Plot 3 : The President of United States comes to know the fact that there is a Moon base called Jersey Colony developed behind the ruling elite by the Inner core consisting of brilliant young scientists, corporate businessman, engineers and politicians. Raymond Le Baron, General Mark Fisher, Clyde Booth, Irwin Mitchell, Steve Busche, Dean Beagle, Daniel Klein, Leonard Hudson and Gunnar Eriksen are the nine members of the Inner Core. As the Soviet Union sends men to land on moon they come to know about the moon base. And the Soviet plans to take over the Jersey colony. The astronauts in moon base skillfully evades the Soviet attack and tries to return to earth. Then the Soviet plans to abduct the space shuttle and make them land in Cuba. In other words "An American space shuttle in Soviet hands the greatest intelligence coup of the century".
Plot 4 : Taking over of Cuban Government by Soviet Agents, assassinating Fidel Castro and placing a Soviet Union loyalist, close confidante of Fidel a charming charismatic, having total backing of the Cuban military, Alicia Cordero the Secretary of the Central Committee and Secretary of Council of State, the operation is code named 'Rum and Cola' according to the plan Havana has to be blown by three ships which are docked in Havana harbour thereby killing Castro.
The author Clive Cussler brilliantly intertwines all the plots without any confusion and finishes off the book in style. An enjoyable Dirk Pitt adventure.
Whereas our hero Dirk Pitt in search of Raymond Le Baron in the blimp is chased by Cuban and gets caught and interrogated by the Soviet officials in Cuban soil. I think around 30 to 40% of the book Pitt is confined and was tortured by the cruel Foss Gly (the hit man from Night Probe) The most tense part in the story is the clever and brilliant plan of Pitt using an old bathtub and a motor from the deflated boat to escape from Cayo Santa Maria. (My standing ovation to Clive Cussler) Pitt a daring action hero who is unable to perform any action as the situation is very less favourable in Cayo Santa Maria. His best friend Al Giordino badly injured and in confinement, no help from his trusted side kick, as the chapters roll by Pitt situation changes from bad to worse until he gets the chance of getting out of the building. The chapters relating to the torture chamber in Cayo Santa Maria, the author cleverly uses Pitt's wit and sarcastic comments to mask the unpleasant situation.
Did Pitt finds out the treasure from the Cyclops? How did Pitt saves Jessie Le Baron, Al and Rudi Gunn from Cayo Santa Maria, did Pitt take revenge on Foss Gly? Did the Astronauts of Jersey Colony land in Cuba? Did Pitt saved Fidel Castro in time? all these are answered in the following chapters of the novel.
More of the review with images and one liners in the link below.
www.chromaring.com/2017/09/cyclops-bo...
Plot 2 :Raymond Le Baron and some of his friends who goes in search of the legendary El Dorado in his blimp Prosperteer goes missing. After a couple of days the blimp passes over Florida where our hero Dirk Pitt is taking part in a race stops the blimp and later the body inside the blimp are not of Raymond Le Baron.
Plot 3 : The President of United States comes to know the fact that there is a Moon base called Jersey Colony developed behind the ruling elite by the Inner core consisting of brilliant young scientists, corporate businessman, engineers and politicians. Raymond Le Baron, General Mark Fisher, Clyde Booth, Irwin Mitchell, Steve Busche, Dean Beagle, Daniel Klein, Leonard Hudson and Gunnar Eriksen are the nine members of the Inner Core. As the Soviet Union sends men to land on moon they come to know about the moon base. And the Soviet plans to take over the Jersey colony. The astronauts in moon base skillfully evades the Soviet attack and tries to return to earth. Then the Soviet plans to abduct the space shuttle and make them land in Cuba. In other words "An American space shuttle in Soviet hands the greatest intelligence coup of the century".
Plot 4 : Taking over of Cuban Government by Soviet Agents, assassinating Fidel Castro and placing a Soviet Union loyalist, close confidante of Fidel a charming charismatic, having total backing of the Cuban military, Alicia Cordero the Secretary of the Central Committee and Secretary of Council of State, the operation is code named 'Rum and Cola' according to the plan Havana has to be blown by three ships which are docked in Havana harbour thereby killing Castro.
The author Clive Cussler brilliantly intertwines all the plots without any confusion and finishes off the book in style. An enjoyable Dirk Pitt adventure.
Whereas our hero Dirk Pitt in search of Raymond Le Baron in the blimp is chased by Cuban and gets caught and interrogated by the Soviet officials in Cuban soil. I think around 30 to 40% of the book Pitt is confined and was tortured by the cruel Foss Gly (the hit man from Night Probe) The most tense part in the story is the clever and brilliant plan of Pitt using an old bathtub and a motor from the deflated boat to escape from Cayo Santa Maria. (My standing ovation to Clive Cussler) Pitt a daring action hero who is unable to perform any action as the situation is very less favourable in Cayo Santa Maria. His best friend Al Giordino badly injured and in confinement, no help from his trusted side kick, as the chapters roll by Pitt situation changes from bad to worse until he gets the chance of getting out of the building. The chapters relating to the torture chamber in Cayo Santa Maria, the author cleverly uses Pitt's wit and sarcastic comments to mask the unpleasant situation.
Did Pitt finds out the treasure from the Cyclops? How did Pitt saves Jessie Le Baron, Al and Rudi Gunn from Cayo Santa Maria, did Pitt take revenge on Foss Gly? Did the Astronauts of Jersey Colony land in Cuba? Did Pitt saved Fidel Castro in time? all these are answered in the following chapters of the novel.
More of the review with images and one liners in the link below.
www.chromaring.com/2017/09/cyclops-bo...
February 3, 2013
The battle on the Moon was pretty cool.
July 1, 2025
Wow, to było zajebiste. Chyba nie czytałam jeszcze książki z tyloma wątkami i plot twistami. W tym jednym tomie jest materiału na conajmniej 4 książki, a jednak jest to tak połączone, że wszystko do siebie pasuje.
Moim jedynym zarzutem jest niedobór kobiecych postaci. Jeśli są to bardzo poboczne i jedyne co o nich myśli Dirk, to że mógłby się z nimi umówić na randkę. Wyjątkiem jest jedyna znacząca bohaterka jaką jest Jessie. Kreowana na początku na głupią i pustą, potem okazuje się ciekawą i silną bohaterką, ale czemu jest tylko jedna?
Na pewno przeczytam więcej tomów, bo to była niesamowita zabawa, chociaż postać Dirka jest troche przerysowanym bohaterem, który potrafi prawie wszystko, ma więcej szczęścia niż gwiazd na niebie i masę ciętych ripost w zanadrzu, to czyta się o jego przygodach z zapartym tchem.
Moim jedynym zarzutem jest niedobór kobiecych postaci. Jeśli są to bardzo poboczne i jedyne co o nich myśli Dirk, to że mógłby się z nimi umówić na randkę. Wyjątkiem jest jedyna znacząca bohaterka jaką jest Jessie. Kreowana na początku na głupią i pustą, potem okazuje się ciekawą i silną bohaterką, ale czemu jest tylko jedna?
Na pewno przeczytam więcej tomów, bo to była niesamowita zabawa, chociaż postać Dirka jest troche przerysowanym bohaterem, który potrafi prawie wszystko, ma więcej szczęścia niż gwiazd na niebie i masę ciętych ripost w zanadrzu, to czyta się o jego przygodach z zapartym tchem.
March 26, 2017
An old blimp is restored and then disappears off the shores of Cuba with its billionaire owner. Two weeks later it reappears in Miami with the frozen bodies of three Russian cosmonauts aboard. Dirk Pitt is persuaded to retrace the airship's route and discovers a secret Russian base in Cuba. Meanwhile, American civilians have built a secret base on the moon that is about to be attacked by the Russians.
July 13, 2010
I'm only reading this because the main character is identified as "Dirk Pitt®" on the cover. So cool.
===
There's a big gold statue in the story and the head is carved from a massive emerald. But the book cover designer went freestyle and drew a big gold head with emerald eyes.
I think Clive had three stories on the go. A moon base shoot-out, a search for an ugly gold statue with a big emerald head and a Cuban spy drama. But none of them were going to make the mandatory 500 pages, so he stuck them together. Searching the sea for the statue is actually the lesser part, but I assume he chose “Cyclops” as the title (the name of a shipwreck) because this Dirk Pitt character is supposed to be some sort of maritime explorer. But for most of this book, Dirk's "off-piste" and doing a Bond in Cuba.
Everyone's happy at the end, as per. But I think Dirk's friend should face murder charges for downing that Cuban military helicopter. And I want all the scientists charged with manslaughter for the deaths of the cosmonauts in the "unmanned" Russian probes. Perhaps there's no manslaughter in space? But it'd be nice if they felt a bit bad about all the people they've killed.
Classic dialogue, the President and a guy he met in his White House gym:
"Do you miss criminal investigation, Ira?"
"Sometimes."
"You were the best undercover operative the Justice Department ever had," the President said, "until Martha died."
"Gathering evidence on slime for the government didn't seem to matter anymore. Besides, I had three daughters to raise, and the demands of the job kept me away from home for weeks at a time."
"The girls doing all right?"
"Just fine. As you well know, all three of your nieces have happy marriages and presented me with five grandchildren."
"A pity Martha couldn't have seen them. Of my four sisters and two brothers, she was my favorite."
Everyone is white, unless they are described as "a black":
"Manny, a huge black with a deeply trenched face…"
Was this ok, even in the 80s?
===
There's a big gold statue in the story and the head is carved from a massive emerald. But the book cover designer went freestyle and drew a big gold head with emerald eyes.
I think Clive had three stories on the go. A moon base shoot-out, a search for an ugly gold statue with a big emerald head and a Cuban spy drama. But none of them were going to make the mandatory 500 pages, so he stuck them together. Searching the sea for the statue is actually the lesser part, but I assume he chose “Cyclops” as the title (the name of a shipwreck) because this Dirk Pitt character is supposed to be some sort of maritime explorer. But for most of this book, Dirk's "off-piste" and doing a Bond in Cuba.
Everyone's happy at the end, as per. But I think Dirk's friend should face murder charges for downing that Cuban military helicopter. And I want all the scientists charged with manslaughter for the deaths of the cosmonauts in the "unmanned" Russian probes. Perhaps there's no manslaughter in space? But it'd be nice if they felt a bit bad about all the people they've killed.
Classic dialogue, the President and a guy he met in his White House gym:
"Do you miss criminal investigation, Ira?"
"Sometimes."
"You were the best undercover operative the Justice Department ever had," the President said, "until Martha died."
"Gathering evidence on slime for the government didn't seem to matter anymore. Besides, I had three daughters to raise, and the demands of the job kept me away from home for weeks at a time."
"The girls doing all right?"
"Just fine. As you well know, all three of your nieces have happy marriages and presented me with five grandchildren."
"A pity Martha couldn't have seen them. Of my four sisters and two brothers, she was my favorite."
Everyone is white, unless they are described as "a black":
"Manny, a huge black with a deeply trenched face…"
Was this ok, even in the 80s?
May 5, 2017
Dopo aver letto alcuni degli ultimi libri della serie di Dirk Pitt, non posso che essere felice di essere tornata ai primi libri, quelli che non annoiano mai.
La storia prende sin da subito, l’avventura è palpabile ad ogni pagina, sia quelle dove è Dirk a rubare la scena a tutti, grazie ad imprese impossibili e mirabolanti, svolte in situazioni ad ogni pagina più impossibili, sia in quelle dove personaggi di sfondo, come il Presidente, sono i protagonisti.
Ho apprezzato la parte fantascientifica del libro: nulla di particolare, ma il motivo per cui mi è piaciuto è proprio perché non si è cercato di strafare, senza quindi andare oltre alle conoscenze dell’autore e senza dissociarsi da quello che è da sempre la storia di Dirk Pitt.
Particolare come, grazie al fatto che il libro, esattamente come tutti gli altri, è ambientato un paio d’anni nel futuro rispetto a quando è scritto, venga visto il mondo politico: i Russi continuano ad essere i grandi nemici degli Americani, mentre per quel che riguarda Cuba c’è quasi la speranza di un improvviso miglioramento dei rapporti e si parla di argomenti e provvedimenti che, in realtà, sono stati messi in atto solo negli ultimi anni, più di 20 anni dopo rispetto quando il libro è ambientato.
La storia prende sin da subito, l’avventura è palpabile ad ogni pagina, sia quelle dove è Dirk a rubare la scena a tutti, grazie ad imprese impossibili e mirabolanti, svolte in situazioni ad ogni pagina più impossibili, sia in quelle dove personaggi di sfondo, come il Presidente, sono i protagonisti.
Ho apprezzato la parte fantascientifica del libro: nulla di particolare, ma il motivo per cui mi è piaciuto è proprio perché non si è cercato di strafare, senza quindi andare oltre alle conoscenze dell’autore e senza dissociarsi da quello che è da sempre la storia di Dirk Pitt.
Particolare come, grazie al fatto che il libro, esattamente come tutti gli altri, è ambientato un paio d’anni nel futuro rispetto a quando è scritto, venga visto il mondo politico: i Russi continuano ad essere i grandi nemici degli Americani, mentre per quel che riguarda Cuba c’è quasi la speranza di un improvviso miglioramento dei rapporti e si parla di argomenti e provvedimenti che, in realtà, sono stati messi in atto solo negli ultimi anni, più di 20 anni dopo rispetto quando il libro è ambientato.
February 3, 2020
Thirty-four years ago, Ronald Reagan was president, Fidel Castro reigned over Cuba, the USSR was the Evil Empire of the moment, and “Cyclops,” an adventure novel by Clive Cussler that entangles all those now-dated historical elements, was published. Hence a review of Cyclops, written 34 years later, probably needs a little extra context. In Cyclops, the USSR is Cussler’s go-to villain. Times change, as do the manner and methods of villainy, and though we worry less now about Soviets landing on our shores than we might have back then, I still found the story remarkably engaging. Today Cyclops is as much a work of historical fiction as it is a page-turning thriller. Read in that context, the story still works, and supremely so. I read only one Cussler novel previously and found it slightly more imaginative than formulaic, but it held my attention and I awarded it five stars. Cyclops is a very different animal. The plot goes in many fantastical directions, each one a pulse-pounding story unto itself, and crosses many genres. The writing is uniformly superb. Cussler can describe complex action and surreal circumstances convincingly and in fine detail. Action sequences that might have been sufficiently covered in a page or two by other writers may continue for many pages, yet none of those scenes would be better if they were shorter. Chapters are bite-sized and go down easy. Cyclops is an incredible tale told incredibly well. Five-plus stars.
May 23, 2019
Not as good as the last one I read (Vixen 03). To be honest, the most exciting part of this book was the emergency landing of the space shuttle; something Dirk Pitt had nothing to do with. Everything was there for a good Cussler novel, but it was like looking at a jigsaw puzzle where all the little pieces were put together, but it was in four or five large sections that didn't quite fit.
Dirk was there in full derring-do mode, but his lieutenants, Monk and Ham (that's a deliberate reference), had little to do except serve as punching bags. Literally in this case. It made even the exciting parts a little underwhelming. The femme fatale/damsel in distress was OK, but not much more than a plot, and pilot, device.
A decent action book, but not much else.
Read it.
Dirk was there in full derring-do mode, but his lieutenants, Monk and Ham (that's a deliberate reference), had little to do except serve as punching bags. Literally in this case. It made even the exciting parts a little underwhelming. The femme fatale/damsel in distress was OK, but not much more than a plot, and pilot, device.
A decent action book, but not much else.
Read it.
March 27, 2024
The main character’s name is Dirk, what more do you need to know? This is a fast-paced, rather dated, mystery, adventure, mission, Cold War era novel. There are the Soviets, the Cubans, the Americans, a treasure, a trip to the moon, spies, explosions, and ridiculously amazing death defying moments featuring Dirk Pitt. Overall, an entertaining read, with a storyline that moves quickly through the book!
February 28, 2018
With such snapping writing as Bad Guy: "Dirk. May I call you Dirk? Dirk replies "That's my name", like he is a 6yr on the playground. I don't know how to think about this. I enjoy Cussler's writing but it can be so cheesy and I don't know if its because this is from the 1980's or that's just how he writes. I will learn as I continue this series.
March 10, 2018
I always enjoy the reading of a Clive Cussler novel.
June 29, 2018
Clive Cussler does it again with another captivating, thrilling, NUMA story involving politics, adventure, and mystery intertwined. Thanks for making reading your stories such fun, Mr. Cussler!
August 5, 2025
Los libros de Pitt son siempre garantía de disfrute. No hay quien se crea una trama, pero está bien escritos y estás deseando ver qué pasa después de cada página para avanzar en la trama. Tengo que reconocer que en esta nueva lectura de todos los libros, este va en cabeza de locura, por el momento. Meter en una coctelera un tesoro del Amazonas, un dirigible en 1989, Cuba, rusos, Castro, colonias en la Luna, un malo de otro libro…, uff, muy top.
October 27, 2016
Any writer of fiction has to be allowed some license. Some take less than others and research the (technical) details of their subject. Others are allowed more, because they are clearly dealing in fantasy. Cussler is clearly one of these, and I suspect his tongue is quite firmly in his cheek as he writes much of this. We all know that what James Bond does is humanly impossible and the same is true of Cussler's Dirk Pitt. I can accept most of that; for instance, it's fine to accept that one man, with just a little help, could leap off a sailboard and bring a rogue airship to a halt by hanging on to one of its ropes. However, there is scope for him to be a bit more careful, to do a bit of research. For instance.
The midnight to 4am watch on a ship is not a dog watch.
How did those people who dived out of a crashed airship survive without wet- or dry-suits?
There is no night and day on the moon, and anyone living on its dark side would not be able to communicate with earth.
Okay, apparently it is possible to shoot a gun on the moon. (http://www.livescience.com/18588-shoo...). However, anyone there, wearing a pressure suit who was shot would die instantly after depressurization. They would not be able to be brought back to earth, injured.
There are others …no doubt.
Why did I continue to read? I suppose I was giving him license, not taking anything too seriously and curious as to how it would turn out. I determined never to read another Dan Brown, after 'Digital Fortress' because of his lazy inaccuracies, but then he takes himself rather more seriously. I am not sure how much I wanted to know how the romance would proceed, because it was immediately obvious when the two first met that it would.
The midnight to 4am watch on a ship is not a dog watch.
How did those people who dived out of a crashed airship survive without wet- or dry-suits?
There is no night and day on the moon, and anyone living on its dark side would not be able to communicate with earth.
Okay, apparently it is possible to shoot a gun on the moon. (http://www.livescience.com/18588-shoo...). However, anyone there, wearing a pressure suit who was shot would die instantly after depressurization. They would not be able to be brought back to earth, injured.
There are others …no doubt.
Why did I continue to read? I suppose I was giving him license, not taking anything too seriously and curious as to how it would turn out. I determined never to read another Dan Brown, after 'Digital Fortress' because of his lazy inaccuracies, but then he takes himself rather more seriously. I am not sure how much I wanted to know how the romance would proceed, because it was immediately obvious when the two first met that it would.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2012
It wasn't bad, very actiony-adventurey, but it was kind of dated and out there. I think it is interesting to read from a historical perspective of what society was feeling and thinking at the time the book was written. It was published in 1986, written as if it was 1989. I enjoyed the flashback to the political issues and tensions. Same issues, just different players. I like to read Cussler books in order, to see how the women are written differently as society's view of women and their role in society changes and for the timeliness of the political feelings for the day. Yes, Dirk Pitt is America's deep sea diving version of 007 and his adventures are amazing and fun, but that isn't the only draw for me. Cussler is actually a very intelligent writer, capturing the feelings of the moment as well as entertaining the reader with the death-defying ability of our hero and his close friends.
I do admit to rolling my eyes whenever our hero "romances" the lady of the moment, but that's to be expected I suppose.
Cussler also has a turn of phrase that I find at time hysterical. His description of the "romance" in Inca Gold is priceless. That's the only one I read out of sequence and I will be reading it again once I get to it in the timeline.
Anywho, this was an enjoyable vacation read. It doesn't take too much to follow the plot line and it moves along at a steady clip.
I do admit to rolling my eyes whenever our hero "romances" the lady of the moment, but that's to be expected I suppose.
Cussler also has a turn of phrase that I find at time hysterical. His description of the "romance" in Inca Gold is priceless. That's the only one I read out of sequence and I will be reading it again once I get to it in the timeline.
Anywho, this was an enjoyable vacation read. It doesn't take too much to follow the plot line and it moves along at a steady clip.
October 2, 2014
Even for expecting an over the top action/adventure, this one took it just a little too far. While the plot points were interesting, there were too many for one book. A secret colony on the moon; the lost El Dorada statue; several concurrent plots by the Communists in Russia to attack said secret moon colony, have their one secret manned island near Cuba that was basically a giant antenna with a beach, assassinate Fidel Castro, and then blame the CIA for it; secret talks between the Fidel and the American president with some very unconventional and extremely inefficient communication methods - and it all culminates in three ships exploding in a harbor in Havana, the aftermath of which leads Cuba to sever its ties with Russia and the US to drop the trade embargo. And let's not forget Pitt's multiple dues ex machina near death experiences. Yet some how I found myself bored. Or possibly just confused because it was difficult to keep track of which plot point we were on.
I probably would have raved about this book 10 years ago, when I was young and green and liked everything I read because I didn't know the difference between good and not so good. But now, the best I can give it is meh. Do yourself a favor and just wait for the movie.
I probably would have raved about this book 10 years ago, when I was young and green and liked everything I read because I didn't know the difference between good and not so good. But now, the best I can give it is meh. Do yourself a favor and just wait for the movie.
September 18, 2021
I don't expect much from these types of books...just entertain me. I can pretty easily suspend disbelief while I'm reading, but Dirk Pitt's sex life is very poorly written. It is impossible to believe for even a nano second. Pitt saves a woman who had been held prisoner, beat, starved and raped. When he saves her, she is naked, and being terrorized. It isn't explicitly stated, but the reader has to assume that this woman has been raped repeatedly as well. An hour or two after her rescue, she takes him prisoner and forces him to swim with her through shark infested waters from some unknown island to Cuba. The very next day, after finding safety in a cave, this woman sexually propositions him evidently because she finds him irresistible. He accepts, and they have sex in a hole. This is really bad writing. If it were at all believable, I'd hate Dirk Pitt because this woman is obviously not capable of giving consent. Why would Cussler have Pitt have sex with a woman who was starved and tortured less than 24 hours before. This is just bad. Otherwise the book was fine, but this can't be overlooked.
April 13, 2011
I should open by stating I picked this up in a charity store while on holiday...which is a good thing as the charity got some money and I didn't have to pay normal price for what is basically pulp.
Sorry to be scathing - it does spin along at a brisk pace, but the characters are thin to non-existent, when not completely unbelievable (which matches the overall plot).
Our main "hero" is beaten up so badly he is passing blood, yet still has the strength to climb four stories of underground bunker (yes, really) to escape through a conveniently large airvent (doing this quietly enough that he doesn't disturb two guards playing chess below him), then is able to bend slightly rusty security bars, then carry an outboard motor (ok, so he gets a little tired while lifting the motor)? And then he goes back in!? C'mon, please!
I'm only continuing it as I have nothing else until my next delivery from Amazon arrives tomorrow sometime...it at least helps me go to sleep.
Sorry to be scathing - it does spin along at a brisk pace, but the characters are thin to non-existent, when not completely unbelievable (which matches the overall plot).
Our main "hero" is beaten up so badly he is passing blood, yet still has the strength to climb four stories of underground bunker (yes, really) to escape through a conveniently large airvent (doing this quietly enough that he doesn't disturb two guards playing chess below him), then is able to bend slightly rusty security bars, then carry an outboard motor (ok, so he gets a little tired while lifting the motor)? And then he goes back in!? C'mon, please!
I'm only continuing it as I have nothing else until my next delivery from Amazon arrives tomorrow sometime...it at least helps me go to sleep.
May 31, 2013
Dirk Pitt has been beaten to death, swam in the middle of the night across a vast body of water, arrived on the beaches of Cuba with no hope of survival and first thing in the morning he had sex in a drainage pipe????? WTF!! I like Clive Cussler's adventures, especially Dirk Pitt's, but this has been the most weird and outlandish one yet. The story barely holds together as the main plot points are only connected by pure luck. Not the best of Cussler but at least an enjoyable read.
As a typical Cussler book, it has multiple weak plots to reach the 500 pages Cussler likes to write. The only way I was able to keep reading was because I support his books. The only main character that was a woman was charictorized for her body, and not much else. Pitt and Giordino have fun, but it is very hard to follow tis meandering book.
As a typical Cussler book, it has multiple weak plots to reach the 500 pages Cussler likes to write. The only way I was able to keep reading was because I support his books. The only main character that was a woman was charictorized for her body, and not much else. Pitt and Giordino have fun, but it is very hard to follow tis meandering book.
August 18, 2017
Well....I finished it.
Some of the action parts were good but......it felt very....lacking. The sarcastic quips and banter, the ingenuity of Pitt and the, at times, cheesy romance bits were missing. Even the historical pieces fell a little flat. This was filled with run on sentences, a plot that jumped all over the place and a hell of a lot more Deus Ex Machina than is normal in this series. Yes Pitt does save the day and survives death on more than one occasion. But in this case, it was like he just got up and walked away like he was friggen Deadpool or something. And.....I didn't really care if he was ok or not. Its so weird. Normally, he's a decent character with an insatiable curiosity, a witty sense of humor and a strong sense of justice. In this.....he was too flat, cold and unfeeling.
Fairly disappointing, overall.
Some of the action parts were good but......it felt very....lacking. The sarcastic quips and banter, the ingenuity of Pitt and the, at times, cheesy romance bits were missing. Even the historical pieces fell a little flat. This was filled with run on sentences, a plot that jumped all over the place and a hell of a lot more Deus Ex Machina than is normal in this series. Yes Pitt does save the day and survives death on more than one occasion. But in this case, it was like he just got up and walked away like he was friggen Deadpool or something. And.....I didn't really care if he was ok or not. Its so weird. Normally, he's a decent character with an insatiable curiosity, a witty sense of humor and a strong sense of justice. In this.....he was too flat, cold and unfeeling.
Fairly disappointing, overall.
June 17, 2017
Cyclops, by Clive Cussler, is one of many books in the Dirk Pitt series. Cussler does an amazing job including many fantastical elements in his story, yet keeps a sense of realness throughout. The story goes from an antique blimp vanishing over the open ocean, to a sunken ship with a priceless statue, to a battle for a space shuttle and a moon colony, and everywhere in between. Join Dirk Pitt as he tangles with both the Russians and the Cubans, in an effort to save hundreds if not thousands of lives. I would recommend this book for those who like fast paced, edge of your seat action, but also those of you who appreciate attention to detail, because Cussler places intricate detail everywhere, but without interrupting the flow of the story. This story also contains a mystery aspect, as the U.S. President tracks down the ‘Inner Circle’, the mysterious group behind the moon colony.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 387 reviews