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Arctic Drift (A Dirk Pitt Novel, #20) (Dirk Pitt Novels) |  | Authors: Clive Cussler, Dirk Cussler
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Category: Book
List Price: $27.95
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as of 9/3/2010 11:31 CDT details
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Seller: betterworldbooks_
Rating:  99 reviews
Sales Rank: 58474
Media: Hardcover
Edition: First Printing
Pages: 528
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.6
ISBN: 0399155295
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780399155291
ASIN: 0399155295
Publication Date: November 25, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
As with all Clive Cusslers dazzling Dirk Pitt novels, critics said Treasure of Khan amazes, informs and entertains (Publishers Weekly), the action zipping along until a final powerhouse showdown (Entertainment Weekly). Whats not to like? proclaimed the Los Angeles Timesand hundreds of thousands of readers agreed.
In his new novel, howeverthe twentieth Dirk Pitt adventure Cussler may have topped even himself.
A potential breakthrough discovery to reverse global warming . . . a series of unexplained sudden deaths in British Columbia . . . a rash of international incidents between the United States and one of its closest allies that threatens to erupt into an actual shooting war . . . NUMA director Dirk Pitt and his children, Dirk. Jr. and Summer, have reason to believe theres a connection here somewhere, but they also know they have very little time to find it before events escalate out of control. Their only real clue might just be a mysterious silvery mineral traced to a long-ago expedition in search of the fabled Northwest Passage. But no one survived from that doomed mission, captain and crew perished to a manand if Pitt and his colleague Al Giordino arent careful, the very same fate may await them.
Filled with the breathtaking suspense and audacious imagination that have become his hallmarks, this is a tour de force further proof that when it comes to adventure writing, nobody beats Clive Cussler.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 99
 Intrigue and Suspense in the Frozen North September 1, 2010
Ann B. Keller (Cleveland, OH USA)
Our story begins in the nineteenth century, as two sailing ships, the Erebus and Terror, battle frigid temperatures, starvation, scurvy and a strange madness that besets the men as they struggle to breach the cold Northwest Passage. Eventually, the two vessels separate with the pack ice and open water, and the doomed men stand silent vigil as the arctic slowly freezes all of their hopes and dreams of riches.
Over one hundred fifty years in the future, the Earth stands poised on the brink of global disaster. A shortage of oil and accumulation of greenhouse gases has brought the world to a turning point. An evil opportunist takes advantage of this predicament, cloaking himself in a pristine image while dumping carbon dioxide beneath the cold waters of the north. The "Devil's Breath", as it is called, brings death to all within its chilly grasp.
Dirk Pitt, Jr. and Summer are innocently taking water samples when they run across a series of strange events, including a boat upon which all hands mysteriously died of asphyxiation and strange temperature readings from the surrounding water. Meanwhile, a Canadian outpost is rammed and destroyed by a U.S. Navy ship bearing the number 54 on its bow and someone keeps trying to kill Ms. Lane, the researcher who may have just discovered the solution to global warming - ruthenium.
With ruthless determination, a hired assassin stalks the men stationed aboard the research vessel, Narwhal, a killer who will trail Dirk Pitt and his companions across miles of frigid landscape to the wrecks of the Erebus and Terror in a frantic search for the valuable mineral ruthenium. Fast-paced and bursting with suspense, this novel captured me from the first few pages. In my humble opinion, Clive Cussler has just become the new Ian Fleming.
 Strong adventure but painfully bad writing July 26, 2010
Timothy Masters (Brackney, PA USA)
Okay, this guy is a best-selling author who probably made more from this book than I'll make in ten years. And he's gotten many rave reviews here. So who am I to criticize it?
Well, I'm a bit of a literary snob in that I like a novel that has a great plot, compelling characters, and solid writing. This novel has an almost linear, predictable plot, cookie-cutter characters, and easily some of the most painfully bad writing I've ever encountered. I claim that a good writer takes the rules of grammar seriously. Cussler fractures our language. For example...
Basic grammar states that when you begin a sentence with a present participial phrase, the action of that phrase is concurrent with the action in the main clause:
Clutching the book to his chest, he slipped in the door.
But Cussler repeatedly uses sequential action of this sort (not from the book, but an example):
Frantically tying his shoes, he rushed from the room.
I laughed out loud several times at his incredible wording.
And oh, does he ever love to dangle participles. This gem is from the first page of Chapter 14:
The warm morning still felt comfortable, driving in a convertible.
Some of his supposed sentences made me stop dead and reread them to see if I had read them correctly. This is from the first page of Chapter 18:
They sailed in darkness for several miles until navigating a wide bend in the channel.
Some of his chapter endings were hysterical. This is how Chapter 10 ends:
"That, I'm sure, will be the least of our problems," Bob said with a hint of prophecy.
And here is the end of Chapter 5:
Somehow, she told herself, she would figure it out.
I tell ya, I haven't read writing like that since The Hardy Boys and Tom Swift.
I won't bother with characterization other than saying that the bad guys were completely, totally, one hundred percent bad. And the good guys (and gals) were so perfectly wonderful that it was sickening. Flat stereotypes in every way.
Why am I making such a big deal out of an issue that obviously means nothing to many readers? Simply because I want to save other literary snobs from making the same mistake I did. I picked up this book in an airport bookstore and was trapped in an airplane with it for ten hours. It was painful. If you like fine writing along with your adventure, stay away from this book.
Tim
 It's Time For Dirk and Al (and Clive) to Retire April 13, 2010
C. E. Hull (Perth Amboy, New Jersey USA)
Without a doubt, this is the worst book in the Dirk Pitt series. Normally I would finish a Dirk Pitt story in 4 days, this one became almost an endurance contest that took me a month to complete - it just didn't have that "can't put it down" appeal.
Although the novel follows the usual Cussler formula it seems to bog down, as someone else said, after about 50 pages. Some of the usual supporting cast, like Hiram, Rudi, Loren and even the Admiral, only seem to be in the story because the author(s) felt the reader expected to find them there, not because they added any real value to the plot. The usual "will Al and Dirk survive the crisis" portion of the formula seems boring and quickly resolved, and lacks the tension in other books, like the trek in the desert in Sahara. Without giving anything away, even the death of the (as usual) super rich bad guy seems contrived and pointless. Pitt's kids, Dirk Jr. and Summer, start off the story, but eventually almost disappear from it entirely - it wasn't until the next to the last page I remembered they were in it.
Maybe that's the problem - it's almost like it's two separate books written by two separate people with different writing styles who collaborated on the ending and the experiment failed. Whatever, this is one book you'll quickly forget, and not want to waste shelf space on your bookcase with.
 I miss the older Dirk April 7, 2010
Gregory Clark (Miami Beach, FL)
I'm a huge Cussler fan and hope he continues to add to his collection of Dirk Pitt adventures. I really enjoyed this story more than the Oregon stories. I read the kindle addition on my iPad which is well worth the price Of 7.99 btw it's 19.99 on the apple book store for some reason.
Political blather March 27, 2010
M. Hettmann (Wisconsin)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I put this book down and stopped reading it on page 42. I read fiction to relax and get away from the world's troubles, including politics. Setting the stage using environmental opinions and political finger pointing is a prelude to a story I know I will not enjoy. If Cussler wants to make his political opinions known then he should save it for an appropriate literary platform!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 99
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