In this first published adventure of Major Dirk Pitt, the aforementioned character travels to the Greek isle of Thasos in the Aegean Sea, only to discover that the U.S. military base on the island is under attack from an authentic World War II German albatross.

He and his partner, Giordino, successfully thwart the attack, but when the old airplane disappears without a trace, Pitt's determination to solve the mystery draws him into a complicated smuggling plot, complete with an evil baron, a femme fatale, and a U.S. research vessel tasked with finding and capturing a mysterious fish that may provide several missing links in the evolutionary chain.

Adventure lovers. Published in the 1970s, this is a quintessential old-fashioned adventure tale, complete with evil bad guys, a ruggedly tough and handsome leading man, a damsel in distress, and a healthy dose of excitement and intrigue.

The pacing and the narrative were both excellent. The mystery in need of solving created a great counterpoint to the exciting action scenes and exotic location.

The book's old-fashioned sensibilities felt a little out of date in places, particularly where Dirk played the part of a big strong man and his love interest played the part of a woman in jeopardy, who needed a man to save her. All in all, though, these parts were few and far between... and mostly excusable, considering this was first published nearly 40 years ago.

This having been the very first Clive Cussler book I've ever read, upon finishing it, I immediately wanted to head out to the library so I could check out some of his other novels.

Clive Cussler is a world famous adventure novelist. He's written multiple best sellers, including Sahara, which was turned into a major motion picture starring Matthew McConaughey as Dirk Pitt.

This book is a fun, entertaining, fast read. It's escapist fantasy at its best, and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who likes to read exciting, over-the-top action stories.

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Created Jul 10, 2009 at 5:28am • Submit your own review...