Any good? Early Cussler "Dirk Pitt" novels

[haertig]

I was thinking of reading Clive Cusslers "Dirk Pitt" series. Would probably take me a few years, there's so many!

But I went searching for them, and for the most part, the early first dozen or so of these novels appear to be out of print, and not available as eBooks either. The later Dirk Pitt novels seem to be readily available, with all my libraries having them in their eBook offerings.

What's the deal with these earlier ones? Are they worthwhile to go purchase as used books? You can find them used on Amazon for around $5 each. I was surprised to find them evidently out of print, and not available as eBooks. I thought this series was highly regarded, but maybe books from the 70's are too old now to continue printing and stocking?

With the Dirk Pitt series, is it necessary to read all the books, and read them in order?

[JSWolf]

The Dirk Pitt eBooks missing in the US. They are available as eBooks in the UK. Go to Kobo and take a trip to the UK and you can buy them. Reading the later books is going to spoil the earlier books.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by haertig

I was thinking of reading Clive Cusslers "Dirk Pitt" series. Would probably take me a few years, there's so many!

But I went searching for them, and for the most part, the early first dozen or so of these novels appear to be out of print, and not available as eBooks either. The later Dirk Pitt novels seem to be readily available, with all my libraries having them in their eBook offerings.

What's the deal with these earlier ones? Are they worthwhile to go purchase as used books? You can find them used on Amazon for around $5 each. I was surprised to find them evidently out of print, and not available as eBooks. I thought this series was highly regarded, but maybe books from the 70's are too old now to continue printing and stocking?

With the Dirk Pitt series, is it necessary to read all the books, and read them in order?

Better idea. Check your local thrift stores. Much cheaper.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The Dirk Pitt eBooks missing in the US. They are available as eBooks in the UK. Go to Kobo and take a trip to the UK and you can buy them. Reading the later books is going to spoil the earlier books.

Not all of them. But they are adding more all the time. I bought Raise the Titanic back in 2013, for a long time that was the oldest that was available, but this year book 2 (Mediterranean Caper) and book 3 (Iceberg) came out. There is a big gap after book 4 (Raise the Titanic). The older books are a bit dated.

[haertig]

I found Mediterranean Caper and Raise the Titanic in one of my libraries eBook offerings (I'm in the USA). They had Iceberg too, but that one was only available in Spanish. Then nothing, until Atlantis Found, which is book 15 of the series.

I have Deep Six and Sahara in paperback. I bought those some time ago, when they were still available on Amazon (I believe Sahara was used, Deep Six new). Deep Six is on my "already read" bookshelf, but darned if I can remember anything about it, even though I evidently read it at some time. I haven't tried to read Sahara yet, it's still on my "to be read" queue bookshelf, but I saw the movie.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by haertig

I found Mediterranean Caper and Raise the Titanic in one of my libraries eBook offerings (I'm in the USA). They had Iceberg too, but that one was only available in Spanish. Then nothing, until Atlantis Found, which is book 15 of the series.

I have Deep Six and Sahara in paperback. I bought those some time ago, when they were still available on Amazon (I believe Sahara was used, Deep Six new). Deep Six is on my "already read" bookshelf, but darned if I can remember anything about it, even though I evidently read it at some time. I haven't tried to read Sahara yet, it's still on my "to be read" queue bookshelf, but I saw the movie.

I have Sahara in paper. Definitely not much like the movie, but that's generally to be expected. Cussler seems of a character. I seem to recall reading that there was a conflict between him and his publisher about the rights to his various books, which may account for the slowness of the ebook appearances of his early works.

[ZodWallop]

All I know about Clive Cussler is that my brother picked up one of his books (Valhalla Rising, I believe) in an airport. He hated it, but was on a business trip to China and was sort of stuck with it. His description of it and the levels of awfulness it reached was hilarious. He also started referring to the character as 'Dork Pott.'

[Pulpmeister]

I've read most of the early Dirk Pitt, from Mediterranean Caper onward, including Pacific Vortex, Vixen, Raise the Titanic! (don't forget the !) Cyclops, Iceberg, and so on. Okay light reading, but Cussler is not a particularly good writer, and the early Dirk Pitt is an arrogant and sexist guy with a tendency to bullying lesser beings such as receptionists.

One of Cussler's weaknesses as a writer is that his characters all sound the same, and when they explain some development to each other they tend to go into lecture room mode. He is no master of dialogue.

On the other hand, he is capable of some seriously wild eyed plotting and improbable action, which can keep you engaged. In Cyclops, Pitt escapes from Cuba in an outboard motor powered bath tub. In another story there is a car chase down a ski run. I rate Vixen 03 as okay, probably the best of the bunch. Opens with a complicated mystery from the past (Cussler's favourite device) and ends with the solution to a murder.

Still, millions of readers don't agree with me!

[gmw]

Pulpmeister nailed it pretty closely. But for all their faults, I rather enjoy most of the early Dirk Pitt adventures ... up until the time Cussler started expanding out and getting others to write for/with him. This was also about the time that Dirk Jr. and Summer Jr. turned up on the scene - someone else raised them, so Dirk managed to miss out on any of the messy stuff - and they arrive as little Dirk clones ready for the next generation to keep writing.

But my advice is to stay away from The Mediterranean Caper. Cussler is never what you might call politically correct, but this first Pitt story (that I only read quite recently) sets a new low - very low. Had I read this first I probably never would have picked up another.

My pick of the earlier books are Cyclops and Sahara. I know it's out-of-date now, but I did rather like his "Raise the Titanic!"; I think this one was my introduction to Dirk Pitt and it was good enough to make me look for more.

I do find it odd that people (including Cussler) say how different the movie Sahara was to the book. I don't see that. Sure it wasn't a verbatim rendition, but I thought it captured the spirit of the Cussler novel very well. ... It could be that others take the stories more seriously than I ever did. They're good fun gung-ho American hero stuff, with Dirk the indestructible and his plucky sidekick Al facing impossible odds and - of course - coming out on top: battered and bruised and not that handsome, but the women all fall for Dirk anyway, even though they know they can't tie him down - and that last is close enough to a quote from several of the books.

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by Pulpmeister

Still, millions of readers don't agree with me!

I am a Cussler reader, and I do agree with you

He's no great witer, but he does, like you say, the lighthearted 'wild-eyed adventure' very well. He's a one-trick pony who only has one set of characters and one basic plot in him (the 'Dirk Pitt' and 'Kurt Austin' books are an extreme example of this; the two series are pretty much interchangeable), but then, say, Robert Ludlum was no different. He wrote the same book over and over as well. And also sold tons of them.

Mind candy in its purest form

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by gmw

Pulpmeister nailed it pretty closely. But for all their faults, I rather enjoy most of the early Dirk Pitt adventures ... up until the time Cussler started expanding out and getting others to write for/with him. This was also about the time that Dirk Jr. and Summer Jr. turned up on the scene - someone else raised them, so Dirk managed to miss out on any of the messy stuff - and they arrive as little Dirk clones ready for the next generation to keep writing.

But my advice is to stay away from The Mediterranean Caper. Cussler is never what you might call politically correct, but this first Pitt story (that I only read quite recently) sets a new low - very low. Had I read this first I probably never would have picked up another.

My pick of the earlier books are Cyclops and Sahara. I know it's out-of-date now, but I did rather like his "Raise the Titanic!"; I think this one was my introduction to Dirk Pitt and it was good enough to make me look for more.

I do find it odd that people (including Cussler) say how different the movie Sahara was to the book. I don't see that. Sure it wasn't a verbatim rendition, but I thought it captured the spirit of the Cussler novel very well. ... It could be that others take the stories more seriously than I ever did. They're good fun gung-ho American hero stuff, with Dirk the indestructible and his plucky sidekick Al facing impossible odds and - of course - coming out on top: battered and bruised and not that handsome, but the women all fall for Dirk anyway, even though they know they can't tie him down - and that last is close enough to a quote from several of the books.

Yea, I got stuck on the Med. Caper, I got about a third of the way through and couldn't finish it. It's pretty bad. As far as I can tell, Raise the Titanic and Sahara are the two best of the series.

[haertig]

OK, let me ask this next question then. I really like James Rollins. His "individual adventures" (Subterranean, Ice Hunt, Amazonia, etc.) as well as his Sigma Force series. But I've gone through most all of these, with only a few left before I'm all done.

Cussler is an author I was thinking of as a "replacement" for Rollins, once I finish up all Rollins books. Is that a reasonable conclusion? I'm also looking at Matthew Reilly, Jeremy Robinson, Steve Berry, Chris Kuzneski and D.L Golemon. My favorite Rollins books are the ones that go into fantastical places - underground worlds, etc. These are the kind of books/authors I am wanting to find. Cussler may or may not be it.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Pulpmeister

I've read most of the early Dirk Pitt, from Mediterranean Caper onward, including Pacific Vortex, Vixen, Raise the Titanic! (don't forget the !) Cyclops, Iceberg, and so on. Okay light reading, but Cussler is not a particularly good writer, and the early Dirk Pitt is an arrogant and sexist guy with a tendency to bullying lesser beings such as receptionists.

One of Cussler's weaknesses as a writer is that his characters all sound the same, and when they explain some development to each other they tend to go into lecture room mode. He is no master of dialogue.

On the other hand, he is capable of some seriously wild eyed plotting and improbable action, which can keep you engaged. In Cyclops, Pitt escapes from Cuba in an outboard motor powered bath tub. In another story there is a car chase down a ski run. I rate Vixen 03 as okay, probably the best of the bunch. Opens with a complicated mystery from the past (Cussler's favourite device) and ends with the solution to a murder.

Still, millions of readers don't agree with me!

These sound very cartoonish. If so, I might enjoy them.

Well, I've gone all these years encountering his name in airports, in used bookstores, garage sales, and yet never read a word.

But...if ridiculous and cartoonish (although, unlike Austin Powers, unintentionally so), it might still be a fun read just to see the changing sexual politics of the era.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

These sound very cartoonish. If so, I might enjoy them.

Well, I've gone all these years encountering his name in airports, in used bookstores, garage sales, and yet never read a word.

But...if ridiculous and cartoonish (although, unlike Austin Powers, unintentionally so), it might still be a fun read just to see the changing sexual politics of the era.

From what I remember of my brother's description of the book he read, cartoonish would be accurate. Dirk Pitt appears to be a classic Mary Sue (Larry Stu?) character who spends the novel saving countless people and at one point is rescued by Clive Cussler himself. Luxury passenger submarines and a biplane duel. It made James Bond seem grounded in gritty realism by comparison.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

From what I remember of my brother's description of the book he read, cartoonish would be accurate. Dirk Pitt appears to be a classic Mary Sue (Larry Stu?) character who spends the novel saving countless people and at one point is rescued by Clive Cussler himself. Luxury passenger submarines and a biplane duel. It made James Bond seem grounded in gritty realism by comparison.

Your description got me laughing.