I didn’t think they made books like this anymore. It reminds me of the seventies adventure thrillers, I used to read by Alistair MacLean and others.

This is a Dirk Pitt novel. Dirk is a kind of invincible protagonist in the mould of James Bond or Indiana Jones. The novel is fast paced and combines a heroic character with cutting edge and even futuristic technology and some old transport gems like a 1938 Packard Town Car. We start with the Vikings making forays into the American heartlands in the 11th century only to be massacred by the natives, leaving just a few runes to allude to their presence. Then there is a luxury cruise liner sank by nefarious means, luckily Dirk’s team of NUMA research scientists are in the vicinity and manage to save thousands from a watery grave. Dirk goes on to have a dogfight in a 1929 Ford Trimotor against a vintage triplane (pictured on the cover), there is a lot of action throughout the book. Dirk’s continual victories against an evil mastermind intent on creating an American oil monopoly, require a little suspension of disbelief, but it is certainly a pageturner. The author himself makes a cameo appearance in a catamaran in the South Pacific, helping Dirk and Al recover the NUMA research vessel Deep Encounter from the bad guys who pirated it.

Pitt studied the old man. “We’ve met before.” “Yes, I suspect we have….I’m Clive Cussler.”

There are some science fiction elements in the book, like a super slick oil, the novel magnetic water propulsion engines of the cruise ship, an appearance of Captain Nemo’s Nautilus and even a teleporter. (“Mysterious Island” by Jules Verne)

An absorbing read with a slightly implausible heroic lead.

My rating 4 out of 5