Brick is Brilliant!

Great story, Dirk is full of fun and Al as well. Loved hearing the Oregon story. Please get the other dozen or so books on audible as soon as possible.

7 people found this helpful

background stories covered

this book is very good. it contains background stories for the Oregon series. which helped a ton.

7 people found this helpful

What a FABULOUS book - Clive Cussler at his BEST!

Scott Brick was absolutely at the top of his performance! Adventure after adventure - WOW! I love Clive’s little performance - really clever! His mind is an ABSOLUTE AMAZEMENT! How can one human being imagine all the tales? He is certainly ONE OF A KIND!

4 people found this helpful

I was a bit confused, but then, it’s a re release

Juan Cabrillo is in this one too, and he had both legs....for a while. A 486 computer was dating it so now I knew something was up. Looking back it I found out it was first released 9-97. That being said it was a very good listen, just think prequel if you didn’t read it before and you’ll be fine.

4 people found this helpful

Unnaturally predictable

Scott Brick at his usual best
Unfortunately the story line was not the normal cussler.
Yes, some great moments
Yes, the usual laughs
But the heroin - talk about a naive women unable to read the writing on the wall. And dirk pitt seems to fall for her anyway - despite losing his love just 1 month earlier.

Most cussler stories start with some historical reference, or even an Archeological find - not this one. In flood tide we get right into the evil provacateur and his evil ways, only to have the major archeological discovery come, and get wrapped up in a chapter or two near the end.

Still love cussler, and if this is the worst it gets, then I'm grateful

2 people found this helpful

Topical, excessive details, bad decisions, silly

Obviously, I like this author and the series (I’ve listened to all the previous books).

Quick review:
If you want a campy, out of touch with reality, predictable story in which the main character routinely performs impossible feats and the universe meets every need, this is the book for you.

Overly long and critical review:

The amount of overly excessive details and bad decisions are infuriating. I'm only on chapter 5 and have probably skipped no less than 15 minutes of the story because it gets so frustrating. Over, and over, and over we hear something along the lines of: "...s/he knows s/he shouldn't do this but s/he does..." or "...s/he knows s/he should do this instead, but doesn't ..." or ... s/he is injured/tired/incapacitated etc. and shouldn’t be used/called upon etc. but, eh, who cares make them (Dirk, Giardino, Rudy, etc.) do it anyway. Additionally, there are times when the characters are portrayed as silly or simpletons.

Together, these take the story further away from reality and somewhere between Scooby Doo™,©,® to the Marvel Universe™,©,® than any of the previous stories. The story becomes infuriating and one is left to wonder if Clive is being paid by the word.

Pointed examples below.

**Slight Spoilers**

At one point in time Dirk is investigating a massive underwater gravesite, but when bodies start falling into the water all around him he says "What is going on?" - really, these events can't be comprehended despite the physical context of the story? My 13-year-old son looked at me, crinkled his face and shrugged as if to say really he doesn't get it… <sigh>

Dirk says something like: the house is bugged and woman argues (for a few moments) until she finally comprehends that the house is bugged...

"Dirk failed to hear the silenced pair of bullets that smashed into his rental car..." He didn’t hear the shots fired, fine, but failing to hear plastic being smashed and metal being torn apart by said bullets defies all logic, especially when he's near the car.

Woman shoots at moving target and misses, Dirk (for some reason is condescending and asks) "Haven't you ever hunted ducks?" Then, in response to her answer in the negative (again consentingly thinks) "Feminine logic, can't hunt ducks but has no problem shooting people..." - Seriously, how are these even related?

If this was a choose your own adventure book, you would choose the worst possible option in every situation. Situation: Underwater, in bad-guy territory, nearly out of air, and the submersible battery running in the red.
Do you: A) head back for safety, B) decide to work another hour and 15 minutes and move further away from help (by a lot) and think you can deal with any bad-guys without a problem (despite having no weapons and stuck in a submersible).
Your choice: B, it’s clearly the worst so that’s what Dirk does.

They only have 2 hours to get something done. One hour later they are finally ready to go. This won’t end badly. 🙄

Hey, there’s nobody around, there should be a lot of people here… Doesn’t seem too suspicious, we need to go in. Now! 🙄

After driving up to a helicopter, with moving blades, Dirk bewilderedly asks “We aren’t taking a boat to the ship”?
- Really…

Why would a bad guy send a big ship out to sea with nobody aboard…. Seriously, they have no insights that the bad guy might do something bad with said ship…

Oh look, we wasted time and now the bad guys found and are chasing us…

After killing a number of people already in the story, Dirk suddenly grows a conscious. When confronting a number of bad guys who are intent on killing him, Dirk asks someone something like “are you worried about what we’re about to do?” — Really???

Good guy to Dirk, I’ve read up on you, and you seem good in a fight, go get ready. Same guy 5 minutes later yells “You traitor!!!”

I’m going to stop here despite having 12+ hours to go. I doubt the writing for this story will improve.

** Sorry, I just have to add more **
Coming home to baddies waiting to ambush him: Dirk is first prepared to to stay stock-still until backup arrives but, as we already know, he won’t and 30 seconds later “it is imperative that he move.”

Every interaction with the “woman of interest“ for Dirk in the story is exceptionally cringe worthy. Moreover, Dirk’s condescension towards the woman, in nearly every situation, is unbelievably infuriating.

For a couple of people who are investigating a world renowned figure, for months and months, the fact that they don’t know what s/he looks like he’s completely unbelievable. Even police detectives develop a picture of what their suspect looks like.

Oh, let’s go into the lion’s den and then meet with the big baddie all by ourselves without anybody knowing where we are and having no way to defend ourselves. — This won’t end badly…

** Final updates **
Sadly, I’m losing respect for the main character. Beginning early in the book, Dirk acts very condescendingly toward the “woman of interest“ in this story, which is a sad change in his personal conduct. Unfortunately, his behavior near the end of the story becomes worse (in my opinion). After dozens of people work tirelessly for days to retrieve ancient artifacts of immeasurable value Dirk becomes hostile and demands that they be opened on the ship rather than in a controlled environment. This seems completely out of character (on multiple levels) and makes no sense in anyway. Why work so hard for so long only to run the risk of ruining the very items everyone sought to retrieve? Moreover, why become hostile and demanded it be done right now?

Dirk waits alone for bad guy to arrive knowing the bad guy will also arrive alone. However, he has no plan on how to defend himself from said bad guy, none whatsoever; nor does he have a plan on how to take down the bad guy. He must rely on unforeseen and unexpected events to save the day. What an unbelievable way to end a ridiculous story.

1 person found this helpful

good from start to end

one of my favorite books in the series. good action through the whole book.

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The Best So Far

This was a real good story with a lot of tentacles of the story converging into one. Cussler always tells a story from history and ties to the present. This one was a good one and made for a great end.

Dirk Pitt Series #14

Amazing adventure…..i feel like I’m in Clive Cussler,s adventures. Scott Brick who narrates the book is Dirk Pitt nobody tells the Clive Cussler series of Dirk Pitt better.

Enjoy

This was one of the best for me. It keeps moving forward. Read on.