Raise the Titanic - Clive Cussler

Naturally, this story begins on that fateful January night in 1912. When the Titanic strikes the iceberg, a passenger corners one of the porters forces him to be a guide. Near the bottom of the Titanic is the cargo hold this passenger has chosen for his final resting place.

Flash forward to present day. The President has a secret agenda and a legacy that depend on the cargo that went down with the Titanic. Enter our hero, Dirk Pitt. The task of salvaging the cargo falls on his shoulders.

First things first, Dirk must find the Titanic at the bottom of the North Atlantic. The activities of National Underwater and Marine Agency do not go without notice. The Soviet Union are quickly interested in the NUMA ships scouring the sea. Things become more complicated when the CIA makes the President aware of the possibility of capturing one of the USSR's top spies. And all the President has to do is allow information to slip out about what Dirk and his people are actually after.

This fast paced adventure is thoroughly entertaining. Cussler has tapped into a story that captures the imagination and makes time stand still. This is Dirks best tale yet.

King Rat - James Clavell

I reread (sorta) King Rat the other day. Clavell is one of my favorite historical fiction authors. I had a paperback copy that fell apart years ago so, I was excited when I stumbled across it with my torrent program. This time I thought I would let the Stephen Hawking-like Microsoft Reader tell me the story.

I have always found the way Clavell weaves stories together very appealing. In this case, there is no tie to his previous (chronologically) novels. But there is a tie to his next novel, Noble House.

I am very appreciative of the fact that he doesn't go overboard with description. The story is in the characters and he lets them weave the fabric. Very little time is spent describing the environment and yet, I have a vivid image in my minds eye of what Changi prison looks like and how it smells.

Set near the end of WWII, King Rat is a brave exploration of life in a POW camp. The characters are vividly developed and their plight is not glorified. Clavell focuses his attention on the internal battle the individuals wage within themselves. Battling to hang on to their sanity. Balancing their survival needs against their personal morality.

Unfortunately, this brilliant writing does not come through when Microsoft Reader is vocalizing the words. There is no emotion of course and the cadence is so consistent I found myself tiring quickly. After only a few chapters, I gave up on having the story read to me and read it myself. I am sure this feature of the reader has its audience. People who are suffering eye ailments for instance. But if your need for auditory consumption of written material is more long term, I suggest regular audio books.

Sharpe's Triumph - Bernard Cornwell

In the fall of 1803 Richard Sharp is still in Seringapatam India. 4 years after we were introduced to the private he hasn't moved very far. Rewarded with Sargent stripes for his role in freeing prisoner of war Colonel McCandless from the Tippoo's dungeons, he has continued to serve her majesty's army by helping Major Stokes maintain the defenses of Seringapatam.

Our story begins with Sharpe sent on an errand to retrieve and transport back 80,000 rounds of musket cartridges from a nearby fort. While he is there, a surprise attack wipes out the defenders and most of the women and children in the fort. Sharpe survives by accident. Having taken a glancing blow on the head from a musket ball, Sharpe is assumed to be dead given the huge quantity of blood that poured from his head.

When Sharpe returns to Seringapatam and reports what occurred, he finds out that the man who lead the raid, Major Dodd, was recently a Lieutenant in her Majesty's army. Having signed on with the Mahrattas, he was immediately promoted and promised a fortune for his services in helping to defeat the British.

Shortly after Sharpe has settled back into his routine at Seringapatam, Colonel McCandless arrives and takes Sharpe back to the war. McCandless has been tasked with capturing Major Dodd and returning him to the British army to stand trial. Never having seen the man, McCandless requisitions Sharpe to aid him in this perilous mission.

Cornwell continues to paint a vivid and accurate picture of this period in history. Using the backdrop of actual events and battles, he places his characters in situations that allow us to witness the history through the eyes of people involved rather than through the dry recitation of history books filled with dates and names. We get a feel for life at the time.

Sharpe's Tiger - Bernard Cornwell

My library has a number of Cornwell's books. I have read a few of them and enjoyed them all. The Sharpe series is not well represented though. I have a slightly compulsive habit of reading a series in order whenever possible. Fortunately, I have been able to locate and download all but 2 of the books in this series. The missing titles come late in the series so I have hopes that I will locate and acquire them in a timely manner.

Sharpe's Tiger introduces us to Richard Sharpe in 1799. A private in Her Majesty's army who is contemplating desertion. But where can he run to in India? Add in the fact that he is in love with a Sargent's widow and running really isn't much of an option.

Mary Bickerstaff is a beautiful woman. And Sharpe isn't the only one with designs on her. Sargent Hakeswill has already blocked Sharpe's attempt to get permission to marry her. But Hakeswill has no desire to wed rather, he sees a business opportunity. He goads Sharpe into hitting him in front of witnesses. After a verdict of 2000 lashes, Hakeswill is certain he will be able to arrange the sale of marry into a local brothel. With Sharpe dead, there is no one left to protect her.

General Harris has a suicide mission he needs a volunteer for. Sharpe appears made to order for the job. After a mere 200 lashes, he has the punishment stopped and Sharpe brought to his tent. Sharpe agrees to the Generals offer on condition that he be made a Sergeant should he be successful.

The story is told with great detail and admirable attention to historical accuracy. The fact that this is a series and this is the first chronologically, we know that Sharpe will be successful. Watching him attain that success is quite enjoyable.

The Mediterranean Caper - Clive Cussler

This is the second in the Dirk Pitt series. This time Dirk is working. As the Special Projects Director of NUMA (National Underwater Marine Agency) he is en route to check up on one of his subordinates having some difficulty with an assignment in Aegean Sea. Off the coast of a Greek isle, he responds to a mayday from a US Air Force Base.

Despite being in a flying boat (CBY Catalina), Dirk and Al Giordino, his Deputy Special Projects Director, divert their course to save the US Air Force from a World War I biplane. The WWI fighter has already taken out all the fighter jets before they could even get off the ground and is now having its way with the tower. Armed with only a couple of rifles, Dirk and Al decide to fly to the rescue.

Pitt finds the girl within 24 hours and spends an appropriately short amount of time seducing her. During diner he discovers she is the niece of the story's villain. Dirk rescues the girl from the clutches of her evil uncle. Helps Interpol capture a war criminal and straightens out the issues interfering with the NUMA research assignment.

Cussler does a masterful job of keeping the pace moving at breakneck speed. None of the plot lines are forgotten and everything is wrapped up in a neat little bow by the end. Once again I have spent an short afternoon thoroughly entertained.

Pacific Vortex - Clive Cussler

Sometimes I just want to read something that is loosely tied the world I live in. Something filled with cliches, moves at a breakneck pace and requires minimal processing on my part. I guess that is what pulp fiction is all about. A way to relax and enjoy a few moments without worrying about whether everything makes sense.

I am glad I can turn to Dirk Pitt at those times. A handsome, charismatic hero who always knows what to do and how to do it. There is never any doubt as to whether he will get the girl and save the world but, watching him do it is always fun.

Dirk is on vacation in Hawaii relaxing on a beach when he spots something bobbing in the waves. Little does he know that swimming out and collecting the flotsam will propel him into the center of the Pacific Vortex.

The equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle, the Pacific Vortex is a place where ships disappear without a trace. But, is just a freakish coincidence that ships disappear when they enter the vortex or there something more sinister going on?