The cover blurb really, is not fibbing when it gleefully informs you that this is "Dirk Pitt's greatest adventure!". For, it truly is.Its a one-of-a-kind conception. A unique reading experience in the annals of all paperback thrillers past, present, and future. And--if memory serves--this is the author (Clive Cussler's) first novel. Or at least the first 'Dirk Pitt' novel. I'm not sure. Its certainly the one which brought him international fame. Simply stated, he knocks it out of the dang ballpark. For a new writer's 'first plate appearance', I can't recall when a thriller author has ever made such a debut.As much as I heap scorn on most of the later episodes in the 'Dirk Pitt' story--the unending stream of hackneyed dross which Cussler insists on shoveling into our faces--this is one book where his own lordly opinion of himself, is fully warranted. Quality quickly peters out after this one, sadly--the whole series only has 6-7 books worth glancing at. Cussler's career is one of the grossest examples of a writer 'going downhill' in modern times. Worse than Ludlum in that regard.But in his first effort, this effort--he shines. Dazzles! I vividly remember the thrill of just holding that cover in my hands, as he spun his astounding tale. With that cover-art which literally no other book has-ever-had-before or ever-will-have-again. The massive, spooky afterdeck of the HMS Titanic looming up through the fog and mist. As if hurtling upward to the sky. And a story which took readers into a literary region covered by no other novel: espionage mixed with sea-salvage and treasure-hunting.Its iconic, that cover--audacious, as is the novel's plot itself. That plot--briefly--is this: the intelligence services of three nations realize that the lost-since-April 1912 Titanic was carrying a super-secret scientific discovery in its vault. This 'macguffin' is 'Beryllium', a mineral to make sophisticated new weapons with; a mineral to tip-the-balance-of-global-power-for-whatever-nation-can-recover-it-first; a mineral ore to kill for. It necessitates first the outlandishly difficult pinpointing of--then, the extrication process (via giant sacs of air) upon the doomed ship itself, just to even wrest it from its abyssal trench. There are skeletons of trapped passengers wafting to-and-fro in the undersea current; ghostly apparitions...Cussler is never better than when detailing this fiendishly complex undersea operation. It is a tense sequence described with genuine storytelling magic. Later, there are helicopters and machine guns to follow; ultimatums, standoffs, sabotage, spies; commandos. And yes, a brilliant scene where everyone--including you--will hold your breath at a gorgeous, leggy, stark-naked brunette. Then, as the ship is towed into New York harbor--! Greeted by an armada, the city going nuts, fireboats sheeting the air--makes you want to leap atop the arms of your chair and roar! Boy, let me tell you what: if this does not make your heart race, or put mist in your eyes--find a defibrillator asap, because you have no pulse, no red blood in your veins. But the thing about this novel worth remembering is that 'Titanic-mania' was not always ready-to-hand in our society. It was a sleeping giant. There was a time when there were no Discovery Channel specials on the topic; when the public imagination was completely ambivalent about the whole thing. Decades had passed without anyone sparing more than an occasional fleeting thought to the dusty, historic chestnut that it truly was. Then this book came along, and blew everyone away. So, if anyone today tells you they've been a 'Titanic fan all their life', they're probably fibbing unless they admit the stark, caught-us-unaware upheaval that this book caused for everyone. It came out of nowhere.The crazy plot also precipitated the introduction to readers of the husky maritime adventurer, 'Dirk Pitt'. New, in that we had never seen him before--but old, as in familiar-as-James Bond. Pitt is athletic; hardy; shrewd; and full of quips, as Bond always was. Cussler doesn't break-any-molds with this beefcake. The problem is rather that he never stops using that mold..how many novels are there, now? Lost count.Nevertheless. Even the most discriminating reader of thrillers would be hard put to find a single flaw in this fast-paced book; regardless of how bored we are to become with Pitt in subsequent outings. This one tale, really does offer everything; and its all managed very ably and well. 'Execution'--for once--truly lived up to 'concept' (when one would naturally have every reason to expect that it wouldn't). Pacing, editing, technical details, are all in perfect balance. A delight. As a one-off read, it stands alone and shoulder-to-shoulder with any other single title in its genre. It represents everything that is great in the thriller-genre itself.Its bittersweet now to reflect upon all of this, of course. Can you imagine how fantastic it would have been, had Cussler written more novels as cracking good as this one? But he didn't. That dynamic, promise-rich cover-art doesn't evoke at all, what the bombastic Cussler's follow-through brought to the publishing industry. His later career puts the 'lack' in 'lackluster'--although I'm sure he thought otherwise.But he's wrong. Unfortunately, he wound up spearheading nothing; he barged into our cabin, broke down the door ---only to xxxx through the flooring and sink like a stone. His mediocre books litter the floor of the thriller genre like the ships he has so long written about; while he laughs all the way to the bank.Ah Cussler...we hardly knew ye. Why couldn't you be straight with us? Was there ever a one-trick pony that sired so many bastards as you? No, you're not King Poseidon..you're King of the Facsimiles and Copycats! You copycat yourself. You huff your own choad, sir!
This was my first taste of Clive Cussler. I read this in 1984 as a fourteen year old. As you can imagine I fell hopelessly in love with Dirk Pitt and I still AM. LOL, My Father was a huge Cussler Fan and had every book. I choose this one first because it was about the Titanic (and I love Titanic stuff) after I finished this I read everything by him in a month, my father was very proud of me and we had the most wonderful discussions on every book. C.Cussler's writing is fantastic as a stand ALONE author,I could not read his new co-written works, I put both down unfinished which is unheard off with a Cussler, I just could NOT get into them, to the point I re-read my old Cussler's when I need my Dirk Fix LOL. I've traveled to many places in many time lines due to the historical incidents which are the catalyst for the adventure stories he writes about.Even talking about a Dirk Pitt adventure is exciting.I describe Dirk Pitt as the Underwater 'James Bond'.The film of this,is just too awful to watch, unlike Sahara, I think they done a great job with that and was well cast but only because M.McC is a major Dirk Pitt Fan which is totally understandable.Read ANY Clive Cussler Novel, they are all 5 stars EXCEPT the co-written stuff....sorry but if it ain't broken....Don't fix it !
What do You think about Raise The Titanic! (2004)?
To those of you who will be reading this novel in the future must know that the idea was conceived by the author 10 years before the Titanic was ever found.This novel was nothing short of a breathtaking experience and possibly Cussler's best work. Cussler has wonderfully described the emotions of the salvage crew and the others involved in resurrecting the Titanic. Heart stopping moments such as searching the bottom shelf and viewing the Titanic for the first time, the desperate attempt by Dirk Pitt to salvage the Titanic in under 6 hours rather than 72 just to save the lives of his crew, the first time the Titanic was kissed by the sun ever since 1912 and the heroic attempt by the crew to save the sinking Titanic as it was being whip-lashed by Hurricane Amanda only adds to the mystique of the book.Though salvaging the Titanic doesn't seem plausible in the near future due to the enormous costs involved, I can say without a doubt that events following will be no different than the one described in this book.I will definitely be re-reading this book in the near future.
—Amit Shetty
I think I was in high school when Kate Winslet stood on the bow of the Titanic and let Leonardo DiCaprio take her in his arms as their doomed love affair began onscreen. I saw not only what the Titanic looked like from its final resting place on the bottom of the sea, but also James Cameron's lovingly crafted vision of the Titanic when she sailed on her maiden voyage. This said, Clive Cussler's original imagining of the raising of the Titanic was breathtaking. It was not hard to believe in a world where even her location on the sea floor was as yet undiscovered. The first discovery of debris from the ship elicited excitement, and the final cresting of her decks above the waves brought tears to my eyes. Cussler gave us an amazing interconnected plot and the best crew in the world to undertake the salvaging of the most amazing ship in "Raise the Titanic!" a decade before she was actually located. Could I go back in a time machine to 1975, I would rather had discovered her with Clive Cussler than James Cameron! (My only caveat to my endorsement is this: The character of Dana Seagram could be completely removed from the book with no qualms from me. She's a 1975 vision of what an 1988 independent working woman and wife would be like, and she is a disappointing, selfish, awful human being, much less, woman. Thank goodness that Mr. Cussler has grown past this view of women in subsequent years.)
—Jennifer
Each time I'm tempted to laugh at Cussler, I remind myself that back in '75, Titanic wasn't the world's most over-exposed shipwreck (that would happen ten years later). My knowledge of reality vs, Cussler's assumptions aside, this yarn goes well enough until, for some reason, Cussler seems to lose his mind. He discards a character he's gotten us to invest ourselves in, insures the happiness of one he hasn't, and generally lets the whole thing take a turn downhill. At the end of the novel, I'm le
—Rob
