Clive Cussler Fanatic

Dear Me,

Finding Clive Cussler among the high shelves of a local bookstore a long time ago was pure accident. I was on the look-out for new books + authors to read since it was a very "welcoming" payday for me. I had been doing overtime at work and the effort showed in my paycheck. Books being one of my vices, surely gave me outright pleasure to splurge.

I got ahold of one of his books, Vixen 03. It tells about the tale and adventure of Dirk Pitt, special projects director of National Underwater & Marine Agency (NUMA), as he discovers the ruins of Vixen 03.

Vixen 03 is down. The plane, bound for the Pacific carrying thirty-six Doomsday bombs -- canisters armed with quick-death germs of unbelievable potency -- vanishes. Vixen has in fact crashed into an ice-covered lake in Colorado. 1988. Dirk Pitt, who heroically raised the Titanic, discovers the wreckage of Vixen 03. But two deadly canisters are missing. They're in the hands of a terrorist group. Their lethal mission: to sail a battleship seventy-five miles up the Potomac and blast Washington, DC. to kingdom come. Only Dirk can stop them.

Dirk Pitt is such an unusually interesting character of the author Clive Cussler. He is a marine engineer, government agent and adventurer who seems like to have been blessed by the gods - in looks, brains, style and ability. It is no wonder why women drool over him. (Hehehe. Chickboy but a true gentleman at heart!)

I think I will classify Clive Cussler's adventure books into three (3):

1. the Dirk Pitt adventure novels
   
2. the NUMA Files adventure novels
   
3. the Oregon Files

Actually, Cussler also has other books that are categorized as either fiction, non-fiction and even children's books. I am more excited reading the adventures so I guess I am into those three as mentioned above.

In each category of the adventure novels, Cussler created three (3) fictional action heroes. In the Dirk Pitt adventure, it's Dirk Pitt; in the NUMA Files, it's Kurt Austin; in the Oregon Files, it's Juan Cabrillo.

Ranking them according to my interest, Dirk Pitt is my #1 pick and followed by Oregon Files' Juan Cabrillo. NUMA Files' Kurt Austin is my least favorite of the 3 but I still read it. =) Reasons: Dirk Pitt & Oregon Files are fast-paced adventures from the preface till the end while NUMA Files starts with agonizingly slow rhythm and picks its pace after a few pages.

Here is my hitlist:

Dirk Pitt adventure novels

• The Mediterranean Caper (1973)
  
• Iceberg (1975)
  
• Raise the Titanic! (1976)
  
• Vixen 03 (1978)
  
• Night Probe! (1981)
  
• Pacific Vortex! (1983)
  
• Deep Six (1984)
  
• Cyclops (1986)
  
• Treasure (1988)
  
• Dragon (1990)
  
• Sahara (1992)
  
• Inca Gold (1994)
  
• Shock Wave (1996)
  
• Flood Tide (1997)
  
• Atlantis Found (1999)
  
• Valhalla Rising (2001)
  
• Trojan Odyssey (2003)
  
• Black Wind (2004)
  
• Treasure of Khan (2006)

Oregon Files

• Golden Buddha (2003)
  
• Sacred Stone (2004)
  
• Dark Watch (2005)
  
• Skeleton Coast (2006)

NUMA Files adventure novels (co-authored with Paul Kemprecos)

• Serpent (1999)
  
• Blue Gold (2000)
  
• Fire Ice (2002)
  
• White Death (2003)
  
• Lost City (2004)
  
• Polar Shift (2005)
  
• The Navigator (2007)

I have already read the books that are struck off the in the list above. I still have more to go. =)

To papi, thanks for buying these two (2) for me. =)


For those who love reading adventure tales whether you are in your favorite nook in the house, under the breezy shade of a tree in a beach, in a quiet corner in a coffee shop, I dare suggest you check out these books by Cussler. I promise you won't regret it. *winks*

More on Clive Cussler here and here.