Three of A Kind - Clive Cussler (Part 3/3): Treasure

Treasure is a Clive Cussler novel published in 1988. It is another trademark Dirk Pitt adventure. I bought my copy in Mid Rivers Mall, in St. Peters, Missouri, way back 2010. I was on training there for a new job in Manila.

This book is one of those high-adrenaline chases and a treasure hunt worth dying for.

Are you ready to find the treasure?

The Storyline (from the back cover)

An ancient ship found in Greenland's frozen wastes... 

The priceless splendors of a lost civilization...

A plot to plunge the world into bloody chaos!

Charts of lost gold...breathtaking art and rare volumes...maps of hidden oil and mineral deposits that could change the world's balance of power. Now Dirk Pitt discovers that the secret trail to the treasures of Alexandria - a trail that plunges him into a brutal conspiracy for total domination of the globe. Zealots threaten to unseat the governments of  Egypt and Mexico, exposing America to invasion and economic collapse. Suddenly, from East to West, anarchists reach their deadly tentacles into the heart of the United States. And Dirk Pitt, the hard-hitting hero of Clive Cussler's smash bestsellers Sahara and Inca Gold is up against the most feared assassins known to man. An international band of terrorists is making its play for world power on the high seas--and Pitt is the only man alive who can stop them!

My One Cent

This is probably the most complicated and diabolical enterprise Dirk Pitt has to live through. Luckily and because of our hero's incredible powers of deduction, akin to Sherlock, he was able to again save the day and the world, from a possible chaos upon discovery of a long lost treasure. Of course, we can't roll out, not one, but two evil brothers raised from a family of crime, as his nemesis. They were schooled with one goal - to further the family business of greed, sparing no one, not even children as casualty. 

I say complicated because Dirk Pitt is up against two evil villains and their equally fanatical minions. Here is also one deadly and meticulous assassin who Dirk has to deal with. Perhaps, one of the few people who almost outwitted Pitt. Almost. Suleiman is like one of those antagonists that you wish were one of the good guys, as his talents were wasted on the wrong side. I felt sorry for him. As they say, if you live dangerously, death stalks you and deceit is your constant companion. I like how his character ended, at least for him, he gets retribution against the person who hired and betrayed him. I think revenge worked well here, among the bad guys. And to them, it is the only payment for the wrong done like an eye for an eye, life for betrayal, no short-changing. He is one of those worthy opponents of Pitt because of his cunning. 

And because Pitt is up against two devils, he has to call in reinforcements too. Enters, as expected, the partner in crime, the ever reliable Al Giordino and the master in logistics, Rudi Gunn. The powers of Hiram Yaegar's binary mind is also called in to play and help Dirk find the treasure. The US Special Forces also come in to the picture to aid Pitt and NUMA, as four very important people of three nations need to be rescued. This is one of those daring missions that Dirk can't fail as the life of his Senator dad is on the line. He is one of the four that he needs to rescue.

The story takes you to Greenland, Antarctica, the Aztec ruins in Mexico, Egypt and to the US-Mexico border. Really fascinating locales and backdrops. It's a cross-continent action-packed adventure you would not want to miss. Not to mention, the underwater explorations that keep you on edge.

If what this book purports is true, what an accomplishment it would have been. Imagine discovering again an enormous cache of knowledge and information of age-old great people, powerful dynasties and long-lost civilizations. It would have been one of human history's greatest, but I could only wish. That is how you become when you are so engrossed in Cussler's work, most of the time I wish Dirk Pitt were real and his expeditions and finds were real too. There was even a time when I wished Dirk Pitt could come to my rescue and solve one of my problems.

Clive Cussler is a lot like his novel's hero Dirk Pitt. He also loves searching for legendary gold mines and shipwrecks. In fact, he has discovered more than sixty lost ships with historic significance, with the help of his NUMA and its crew of volunteers. He also dotes on classic cars.

Sahara (1/3)
Night Probe (2/3) 

Three of A Kind - Clive Cussler (Part 2/3): Night Probe

Night Probe according to Dirk Pitt, is an old diving term for exploring the darkness of underwater caves.

This book by Clive Cussler was published in 1981 and the fifth book featuring my favorite hero Dirk Pitt.

Come on let's probe.

The Storyline (from the back cover)

Dive to Destiny!

May 1914, Two top diplomats hurry home by sea and rail, each carrying a document of world-changing importance. Then the liner Empress of Ireland is sunk in a collision, and the Manhattan-Line Express plunges from a shattered bridge-- both dragging their VIP passengers to watery oblivion. Tragic coincidence--or conspiracy?

Three quarters of a century later a chance revelation re-opens the question. In the energy-starved, fear-torn 1980's, those long-lost papers could destroy whole nations--and Dirk Pitt, the man who raised the Titanic confronts his biggest challenge yet. Racing against time, and the hired killers of enemies and allies alike--the horrors of the sea bed--he launches his revolutionary deep-sea research craft in the hunt for the documents. Night probe has begun...

Terror and assassination...deadly international intrigue...drama beneath the waters...Night Probe! is the new Cussler classic giant, pile-driving suspense!

My One Cent

Again, a very classic Clive Cussler novel, one with a prologue set in the earlier days of history, for this one, May 1914. With the war looming in the horizon, the British goes into a secret treaty with the US to survive the hard times. Then, tragically, diplomats carrying the signed copies of the said treaty were killed in separate accidents. Thereby, obliterating evidence of the secret agreement. Just what I applaud. It takes me back to that era way way before I was even conceived and makes me a silent observer in the front lines of the stage set a year before World War I. Then, the story takes you to the near future, eight years after, 1989. Remember, the book was published in 1981 and it was written probably a year or two before that. Ironically, Canada was also set to sever its legal dependence from UK in 1982, which is part of the plot of the novel. Yes, all of Dirk Pitt novels of Cussler has these kind of elements in the plot but they are always different each time. It has never happened that I had experienced a deja vu. Never. Dirk Pitt's adventures are always very singular and outstanding.

Night Probe in short, is a search for the lost signed copies of the treaty as a last resort to save the US from the impending energy crisis. Our hero, Dirk Pitt has to find the last readable copy of the treaty in the depths of a miner's cave in the darkness and race to grab it before a former MI6 agent gets it and destroys it. Then, all hope will be lost for the US. Sounds straightforward, yes? No and that is why, you have to read Clive Cussler. You will never know what hits you. It has always been a stupendous experience. Believe me. I can't describe enough the exhilaration each time I am in a Dirk Pitt undertaking. It's like an out-of-body-experience. It's like I am right there, in each moment, trying to find my way in the dark cave.

Night Probe is one of the novels I have read in my early stages of awe of Cussler. It's probably the second work I have of him. The first sensations I had when I read Sahara were just reinforced and makes me want to savour all of Cussler's work. I became an addict only on my second hit. And from there, there was no looking back. I have become a slave of Cussler and Dirk Pitt and other amazing characters like Kurt Austin and Juan Cabrillo. I have become Cussler's minion. 

With this book, I have decided I have to learn to dive. Unfortunately, it has not come to fruition yet but I will, one of these days. I have mastered snorkeling and scuba diving is just right the next alley. It would be a shame if I would not be able to explore the wonders of the underwater treasures of the Philippines. Right at my doorstep, the waters of Cebu is waiting and I only need to heed its call and plunge.

Sahara (1/3)
Treasure (3/3)

Three of A Kind - Clive Cussler (Part1/3): Sahara

Three of a kind features three books from one of my favorite authors. I was supposed to do all three books in one post but it would be so lengthy and I had to reread them just to make sure that I have them right. So, I decided that I will have them in three parts.

First on the list is Clive Cussler. He is for me the best male fiction-action-adventure writer. I love to travel and this passion has been fueled to burn brighter each time I read a novel of Cussler. He has a penchant for stories that are connected to an ancient epic event complete with a historic icon and a vile villain whose mission in life is revenge, power, greed, and destruction. Best of all, the action takes you to exotic places around the globe which often felt like you have been to the place also. He also describes vividly the locations that they will seem too familiar. My favorite character of Cussler and the most famous is Dirk Pitt, which was named after his son but is more like his alter-ego. Most of the characters in Cussler's novels are based on real persons, like Al Giordino, who in real-life is his friend. Most of his books are about the adventures of NUMA (National Underwater and Marine Agency), a government agency which studies oceans and do explorations. More like NASA but it's about the seas instead of space. Cussler also inserts himself in most of his stories and chances a meeting with the hero. Often, the serendipitous encounter gives the hero a clue or nugget of information which always proved to be helpful in his adventures. Also, very very few good guys die on his books. They only get wounded or the worse is they lose a limb. 

Dirk Pitt

Dirt Pitt is a former Air Force and a master marine engineer who works for NUMA and has a way of finding himself in very delicate and dangerous situations but has an uncanny resourcefulness and wit to extricate himself and save other helpless characters. He also has a love for classic cars, airplanes, and tequila. He has opaline green eyes and wavy black hair.

To know more about Dirk Pitt and his epic adventures, here we go:

The first book I read was Sahara and I was so impressed. After that, I made it my life's mission to read all of Clive Cussler's books. Every time I go to a bookstore, the first thing I check is a book by Cussler. 

Yes, you guessed it right. Sahara, the desert and it's where the story culminates. The backdrop of the story is 1865, during the Civil War in the United States. 

A Civil War gunboat that vanished in 1865...

 A world famous Australian aviatrix who disappeared in 1931...

 A deadly tide of poison that threatens the entire world...

 While searching for a treasure on the Nile River, Dirk Pitt thwarts the attempted assassination of a beautiful UN scientist investigating a disease that is driving thousands of North Africans into madness, cannibalism, and death. The suspected cause of the epidemic is vast, unprecedented pollution that threatens to extinguish all life in the world's seas. Racing to save the world from catastrophe, Pitt and his team run a gauntlet between a billionaire industrialist and a bloodthirsty West African tyrant. In the scorching desert, Pitt finds a gold mine manned by slaves and uncovers the truth behind two enduring mysteries--the fate of a Civil War ironclad and its secret connection with Lincoln's assassination, and the last flight of a long-lost female pilot. Now, amidst the shifting sands of the Sahara, Dirk Pitt will make a desperate stand-in a battle the world cannot afford to lose!

I love adventure stories, especially those dealing with intrigue, conspiracies, and scandals. I also love stories that keep me on the edge and pique my curiosity. One wherein I would not know what to expect next and I would have to finish reading in one go so I would have a goodnight's sleep. And sure enough, Sahara did not disappoint. As I have said, this started my almost-obsession with the works of Clive Cussler. I love that he can take an event in the past and turn it into something more interesting. If History textbooks were written this way, it would have been my favorite subject in school. I love history but only when it's written in a way that would intrigue me. I am a curious person and I love learning new things especially about something very historic, like a conspiracy on a US President's assassination or scandal about the Catholic Church.

I am all praises for Sahara. The first chapter alone has me glued. I have to read the book again for this post and it still felt like I've read it for the first time. Though I know the gist of the story, but still, going through each and every page has been a confirmation of high praises for Cussler's talent to spin tales. His ability to take past events, an exotic locale, and a modern-day issue into one cohesive story is very phenomenal. He makes it appear like the story is real and not fiction at all. 

Dirk Pitt. I think of him as my elder brother who would be there when I need rescuing. He is a man of many talents and interests. A man of really solid character and convictions. He was never swayed by greed or wealth, though he has a weakness for damsels in distress. A true example of a knight in a shining armor. How I wish he was real.

I love that Dirk Pitt is not portrayed as a one-man-army. Though he is a fictional character and often in fiction, the feats performed by the main character are too good to be true. But not in Pitt's case. His adventures often wound and injure him. He also needs help from time to time. He does not assume or pretend that he can take a whole battalion alone and unaided. And in comes, Al Giordino, the best friend since grade school. I don't want to call Al a sidekick, he is definitely not. He is Dirk's partner and he often comes to Dirk's rescue. Al and Dirk's personalities combined, make up a really good tandem. I love that they can find humor even in the midst of a very serious life-threatening situation. They often have an exchange of witty banters that make me giggle in delight. Dirk is like McGyver (my favorite action TV series character), very creative and resourceful. And as true as in the real world, when faced with a very serious situation, the brain comes up with creative and even hilarious ways to ensure survival. This is one of the most admirable traits of Pitt. Often, the villain is caught blind-sided and never knew what hit him. 

Sahara. The story does not only talk of one great event in history but two- a history-book-altering event during the Civil War in the US and that of a great and courageous woman bent to set records in aviation history. I like that it also talked about red tide and its effect to the depletion of oxygen and earth life. This book might seems in a way a dooms-day-tale but it holds a near-to-reality scenario that might actually happen if we continue to abuse the world for gain. The book is relevant especially now that we are in the midst of global warming and climate change. Let's all be reminded that industrialization and advancement has also its ill effects to the environment. And like in the story, the world is filled with gifted scientists and brains and in order to extend our existence on the planet, we must all come together as one solid force to come up with a brilliant solution. I also like that the book ends well, the villains were stopped and made to suffer the way they dole out punishment to others. Call it poetic justice.

This book has been made into a movie starring Matthew McConaughey as Dirk Pitt and Penelope Cruz as Dr. Eva Rojas. I would say, you have to read the book, it is always a lot better than the movies. And I would have preferred someone else to portray Pitt, no offense to McConaughey.

Part 2/3: Night Probe.
Part 3/3: Treasure.




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