Treasure, by Clive Cussler

Reviewed by: The Goose
Saturday, February 27, 1999

Here is another review in the ‘fun’ category (No cat calls from the upper story thank you very much!) Cussler, as you may know, writes adventure stories. (And yes Blind Monkey, it does seem as though he has the unabridged OED next to his computer so that he can toss out new words when the mood strikes him).

Treasure is another Dirk Pitt adventure. So who the heck is Dirk Pitt? Dirk is an Air Force major on permanent loan to the National Underwater Marine Agency. That doesn’t answer the question! All right, take Bruce Willis at his action movie best and then mix him up with McGyver and the whole A-Team and you’ve got it.

Cussler takes extreme delight in devising impossible scenarios, plots, and goals and then putting Pitt and his buddies through the proverbial wringer to see how it comes out. Like I said it’s a lot of fun.

In Treasure Pitt saves the beautiful Secretary-General of the United Nations three times from a genius assassin, and that’s just a subplot!

The real plot starts when Pitt et al discover a Greco-Roman merchantman ship off the coast of Iceland. There’s also the mastermind, criminal brothers set on disrupting the Balance of Power in the world. Not to mention, Alexander the Great’s remains and his Golden Casket. Follow Dirk from Iceland to the States, down to Tierra Del Fuego and back again. This guy is like a Timex, he takes a lickin…

This is not for Intellectual Snobs like the Blind Monkey who will decry Cussler’s poor use of fancy words, but hey, at least he is trying. And if you don’t like a good action movie where people get beat up, shot, or flayed then it isn’t for you either. But if you are first in line to see the latest Bruce Willis action extravaganza then this book is for you.

Want to know the really funny part? These stories have all the components of what BM says constitutes a good book. Twisted antagonists, sharp plot turns, unexpected outcomes, romance, and in the end somebody gets WHACKED! I think his major complaint is that Cussler is a dilettante when it comes to word choice. He likes to throw out big fancy words even if they don’t really fit in the context of what he is writing.

If you like this and want to read more, check out my other favorites: Inca Gold, Sahara, Raise the Titanic!, and Shockwave.

Mass Market Paperback Reissue edition (November 1988) Pocket Books; ISBN: 0671704656 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.91 x 6.71 x 4.15