The Silent Sea [Hardcover]

Every time a new Cussler book comes out, I have to have it! I very much enjoy how he interjects humour into the action and mystery of his novels.

"If we say, 'We will enter the city,' the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die." And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses--the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, "Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!" -- 2 Kings 7:4-6 (NKJV)

I've been a fan of the Oregon Files series from the beginning as well as the earlier Dirk Pitt books that Clive Cussler wrote. In the formula for these books, you start with a historical mystery or two and go on from there to meet some present-day evil-doers . . . with the various story elements totally related. Usually, you can figure out in a few seconds what the connections are among the story elements. That's not the case in The Silent Sea, which made the plot much more appealing to me.

I would rate the book more highly, but I found the action sequences to be less effective than the plot. There was a predictability about most of them that made the book seem a little flat in places, just when it was intended to be most exciting. The advanced technology of the Oregon is also more than a little over the top at times.

I did like it that the evil-doers and their motives didn't seem nearly as far-fetched as they are in some of the Cussler books.

It's all good fun, one of the best books in the Oregon Files series. Don't miss it!

As the book opens, a group of brothers are poised to probe a treasure pit rumored to contain pirate booty. Because of scientific reasons, they take the plunge on December 7, 1941 . . . with ramifications that shake their world. You'll also visit some other locales that probably aren't totally familiar to you. What could the link be?

I really enjoy the Oregon Files series created by Clive Cussler and now co-written with Jack DuBrul. Unlike other joint ventures, this book feels like Cussler did more than wave a bottle of Tequila over a scribbled plot idea. It's a good read that is a real fast mover with interesting twists and a more believable story than in some other novels. It brought to memory Jack Higgin's Exocet that also included members of the Argentine military and a not completely dissimilar story of land seizure by a totalitarian regime. Cussler's mistrust of the Chinese government reappears, although this book's characterizations are less stereotypical. I liked it and if you like fast moving action uncluttered by a bunch of soft "feelings" you will too.