Trojan Odyssey (Dirk Pitt Book 17) - Clive Cussler

Title: Trojan Odyssey
Author: Clive Cussler
Genre: Adventure
Published: 2003
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook


Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

Review:
"Trojan Odyssey" is one of Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt adventure novels, a series of books which kept me thoroughly entertained as a teenager. I have to admit that over the last 10 years I more or less stopped reading them, not because of a lack of enjoyment, but because I had begun to increase the range of books I was reading. However, when I saw this book in a local library I decided that I may as well try and re-ignite old pleasures.

The story starts with a Hurricane in the Caribbean threatening a floating super hotel in the Caribbean. Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino soon get involved to try and avert the potential tragedy that is brewing and in doing so unwittingly unlock the beginning of an adventure which results in them being pitted against a sinister corporation. I can’t really reveal much more than this without ruining the twists and turns of the story.

I actually found the plot to be a little bit too silly at times. It basically reminded me of some of the more outrageous aspects of the James Bond movies that starred Roger Moore. The comic elements of the Dirk Pitt novels do tend to help the reader to accept the ludicrous plot points but sometimes this novel went a bit too far into the absurd. None of this was helped by the fact that several of the side stories seemed to be very weakly related to each other and I think several of them could easily have been cut without affecting the story. However, one redeeming feature of the plot is that there are some interesting sections of the novel about Homer's Odyssey in which it is claimed that this story was actually set in Britain.

The writing itself is pure Cussler, it is fast paced, action packed and full of humour. The relationship between Pitt and Giordino continues to be thoroughly and I really enjoyed the signs that both of them were now beginning to get older, and that they were equally self-aware of this fact. I am not sure that Dirk’s son and daughter who are obviously being set up to replace the ageing pair are going to engage me in the same manner but I will need to wait and see.

Overall, this was an entertaining entry in the Dirk Pitt series of novels but it was probably one of the least enjoyable. Not because it wasn't engaging, funny or action packed, but because it was just missing the odd element of realism. I can forgive that in a fantasy book, but in a novel set in the real world, it just detracted from the story’s impact. There was still enough here however to ensure that I will likely return to the world of Dirk Pitt sooner rather than later.

Pirate Latitudes - Michael Crichton

Title: Pirate Latitudes
Author: Michael Crichton
Genre: Historical Adventure
Published: 2009
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

Review:
"Pirate Latitudes" is Michael Crichton's final novel and it was released posthumously. I have enjoyed a lot of Crichton's novels so always planned on reading this but as it was a departure from the Science Fiction novels of his that I normally read I never got around to it. However, as I had to read an Adventure novel as part of the 2013 Eclectic Reader Challenge I felt that this was the perfect opportunity to finally get around to reading it.

The story itself is set in the Caribbean during 17th Century and follows the antics of Captain Hunter, a privateer operation out of Port Royal, Jamaica. When Jamaica's governor hears about a Spanish treasure galleon being anchored at a Spanish fortress he enlists Hunter in an quest to attack the supposedly impenetrable fortress and escape with the Spanish treasure. So begins an adventure across the sea in which Hunter and his crew aboard the sloop Cassandra must battle warships, jungle terrain, great storms, cannibals and even the odd sea monster.

I found the book to be a very light and easy read that was very much of the same style as Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean movies. The pace was fast and there was action aplenty as the characters struggled from one issue to another. It really did feel like a Hollywood blockbuster in novel form which is fine if you are just looking for something fun to read but don't got looking for any of Crichton's interesting insights into Humanity and Science in this book as you won't find it. Personally I was thoroughly entertained although I do think the plot suffers from a slight lack of originality due to its comparison with the aforementioned Pirates of the Caribbean movies and the fact that Crichton's death meant it was never fully refined.

One thing that Crichton has done well as usual is in regards to his research into the period and the vivid way in which he has brought it to life in the novel. The world itself feels realistic and I found it incredibly easy to visualize the places and people involved. Crichton also doesn't try and sugar coat anything, the lives of the various characters in the novel are not easy or pleasant as they had to deal with high levels of death, disease and violence.

There is a wide range of characters in the novel and I found them on the whole to be believable and entertaining to follow. What really impressed me though was that I managed to actually keep on top of who everyone was due to Crichton's decision to give everyone, even the minor character's some sort of identifiable trait.

In summary this was a fun and enjoyable read that kept me hooked from start to finish. There are elements of the novel which probably did need refining further but unfortunately this was not possible due to Crichton's death. However I don't think any of that affected my ability to accept the novel for what it was trying to be, a lightweight and entertaining diversion.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne

Title: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Author: Jules Verne
Genre: Sci-Fi/Adventure
Published: 1870
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

"Twenty Thousand League Under The Sea" is a story that I had seen told via the medium of film many times in the past but had never actually read the novel itself. So as part of the Sci-Fi Reader Challenge, I decided that I would read it as my entry in the Steampunk category. I just felt that there is nothing more Steampunk than the Science Fiction actually created in the 19th century.

I believe most people should be aware of the general premise of the story but I shall give a brief description anyway. It follows the adventure of Professor Aronnax who has joined the crew of the US ship, the Abraham Lincoln to try and capture a mysterious creature that has been sinking ships. However, when the ship is attacked by the very creature they are hunting, Aronnax, his servant Conseil and a master harpooner named Ned Land are thrown overboard. These three men find themselves stranded on top of the creature, only to discover that is actually a submersible vessel. They are taken on board where they meet Captain Nemo, captain of the vessel, known as the Nautilus. The men are treated well, but from the first are told they will never be able to leave the submarine for the rest of their lives. Therefore they are taken on a tour of the world where they witness and learn about many of the ocean's wonders.

The first observation I made about the book was that Verne appears to have made the decision to try and ensure that the readers are fully versed in the science and detail of marine life. The book is full of scientific analysis and lists of marine creatures to the point that by mid way through the novel I found myself just skipping these rather exhaustive and rather boring sections. I am sure some people may find it interesting, but all filling an entire page about algae did for me was slow the book down to the point that it became a bit of a slog to get through. In all honesty I think some of my physics text books from University were less dry than some of this novel.

However, there is no denying that some elements of this novel are fun and full of adventure to the point that I was really getting drawn into the individual events. In particular, I really loved the journey into the Antarctic which was one of the few events that covered multiple chapters in the novel and was full of thrills, action and suspense. In addition it was enjoyable to witness the dreams and visions of someone from the 19th century looking to the future and there is no denying that Verne has a superb ability to describe and paint fantastic pictures with his words, from the beauty of the ocean to the complex and interesting Nautilus itself.

In regards to the characters, I also feel that most of them were very limited in scope and development. Annorax is basically the thoughtful scientist, Conseil is the loyal manservant and Ned is a brash and down to earth Canadian. I don't really think there was much more to their characteristics beyond that. Only Captain Nemo appears to have any real depth to his character with his idealism, temper and bravery all competing to make a rather complex person that I found to be both interesting and enjoyable to follow.

Overall, there is no denying that this is a great historical work that has inspired many of today's Science Fiction work. For that reason alone I would probably recommend this book to fans of Science Fiction, Adventure or Steampunk novels. However, whilst I found the novel enjoyable enough to read I did feel that the novel was let down by Verne's obsession with describing fish.

Available at:
Project Gutenberg (Free Ebook)
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Ebook Reading Challenge (Workaday Reads)
Speculative Fiction Challenge
Sci-Fi Reader Challenge

The Jaguar's Heart - James Morgan Ayres

Title: The Jaguar's Heart
Author: James Morgan Ayres
Genre: Adventure
Published: 2009
Formats: Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Apple iBookstore US
Smashwords
Amazon UK
Apple iBookstore UK

When I first started reading this book I really wasn't sure what genre to describe it as: at times I would have said thriller, then I would think it was more fantasy. Finally though I have settled on describing it as a fast paced exciting adventure story that reminded me of the Indiana Jones franchise. For example, the book is set in an historical setting and there are exotic locations, archaeological discoveries, political intrigue, occult sorcery & some really enjoyable action scenes.

The story itself follows Jesse J. Rideout, a former covert operative who is hiding in Mexico after an altercation with his US governmental employer. His amateur interest in archaeology leads him to uncover a secret society full of politicians and criminals who believe in the sorcery once practised by the pre-Columbian natives in Central America. The reader then gets taken on an enjoyable journey across Mexico as Jesse attempts to get revenge for the death of a close friend and understand what this secret group are really up to and why they seem determined to get a hold of an artefact he has uncovered.

I have to say that I really enjoyed this book; it was delivered brilliantly with a superb mix of thrills, mystery, fantasy, action and drama. More importantly though, it had a gripping plot that was fun to read: I struggled to put it down several times and found that it really was a page-turner. In addition, it really felt like the author knew Mexico, it was wonderfully detailed and there was a love and warmth for the country that really came through in the novel.

The characters were well defined and quite memorable with Jesse himself really coming across like a mix of Indiana Jones and James Bond. But it was more than just him, all the characters seemed to have clear motivations that made sense with everyone having a purpose and specific drive. There were no ornamental characters; the female characters especially were strong, independent women who knew what they wanted and how to achieve it which was nice to see as sometimes I have seen adventure books use the women screaming, moaning side-kicks.

In summary, this book was an enjoyable, entertaining, fast paced adventure story that has me turning the pages with anticipation. In addition, the writing itself was decent and the author has crafted some superb characters. Simply put, if you like adventure stories then I think you would love this book and should therefore pick it up for a read.