Type of bind: Hardcover
Format: Bargain Price
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 531
Printing Date: August 01, 2001
Sale Popularity Level: 825726
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
It is July, 2003. In the middle of its maiden voyage the luxury cruise ship Emerald Dolphin suddenly catches fire and sinks. What caused it? Why didn't the alarms go off? What was its connection to the revolutionary new engines powering the ship? NUMA special projects director Dirk Pitt races to rescue the passengers and investigate the disaster, but he has no idea of the bizarre chain of events about to engulf him. In the subsequent few weeks, Pitt will find himself confronted by an extraordinary series of monsters, both human and mechanical, modern and ancient. He will tread upon territory previously known only to legend. At the end of it all, though many lives will be lost, and many saved, it is Pitt's own life that will change for ever ...
Amazon.com Review:
Dirk Pitt, Clive Cussler's aging but still potent superhero, returns in the 16th adventure in this popular series about the director of special projects for the National Underwater Maritime Administration (NUMA). Pitt's NUMA survey ship happens to be in the vicinity when the world's newest and biggest cruise ship founders and sinks, giving Pitt the chance to stage the daring rescue of nearly 2,000 passengers. Among those who perish is a famous scientist whose revolutionary engines powered the ship to her watery grave; while Pitt is unable to save Dr. Egan, he rescues his beautiful daughter Kelly from the sea, and later from a murder endeavor aboard the rescue vessel.
Pitt and his trusty pal Al Giordino track the sinking to the boardroom door of a multinational conglomerate called Cerberus, whose evil CEO has designs on the world's oil supply. He'll do anything to keep Egan's advanced engines and secret formula for frictionless oil off the market--even sabotage another vessel, this time a luxury passenger submarine. By the time our heroes have foiled the mastermind's nefarious plots, they've also uncovered the existence of a working submarine nearly a century before one actually existed--irrefutable proof of a Viking landing on the Hudson River--and the remains of the British sailour who inspired Jules Verne's Captain Nemo. A solid page-turner that even features a cameo appearance by the author himself, Valhalla Rising snaps, crackles, and pops with Cussler's usual brio. --Jane Adams
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Rated by buyers 
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I have read every Clive Cussler book. (I feel we're on a first-name basis!) Whether he's written it alone or with another author, they are always entertaining and of the can't-put-down-til-I-find-out-what-happens variety. My biggest praise is that he writes as someone from today, with a heart for the bygone era. He doesn't need to use blatant sex and vulgar swearing to get his message across. Just like the good, old movies, some things should be left to the imagination ... and Cussler does just that ... tastefully. With so much trash being published today, I'd love to meet him and shake his hand in thanks!
Rated by buyers 
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While I understand the appeal of formula novels, I was amazed at how bad this one actually is. I am all for suspension of disbelief - I love the ability to delve into unreality on occasion - but here the plot manipulation is pretty silly (though sometimes its fun) while the writing is downright pedantic. Writing oneself into a story is the supreme ego-trip, and to do so in such a strange and useless way just pushes into the absurd. Connecting the mythical/fiction (Jules Verne & Captain Nemo) with the historical (Viking exploration) is fine, but the writing simply doesn't support such an odd pairing. I was so glad to finish the book, just to be done with it.
Rated by buyers 
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At very first I thought Vahalla Rising was going to be a great story, but then it went downhill from there. In the story Mr. Cussler creates the evil corporate CEO who is trying to get a monopoly on the oil industry by sinking or sabotaging rival imports. Then there is the account of how Vikings colonized New York. I could not find any connection between the plot and the Vikings. I plotted through the story looking for a connection that just wasn't there and the "magic" briefcase had me wondering if this was going to be a sci-fi story. If you haven't read any of Cussler's books I wouldn't recommend starting with this book. Overall, I was disappointed in the story, but I'll keep on reading others works by this creative writer.
Rated by buyers 
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This is the last Dirk Pitt book that I really liked. Every other book of his I've read after this one has just seemed to go downhill. This book is fun. It's the standard Dirk Pitt formula: something in the past happens for prolog, Dirk gets in way over his head, Dirk comes and saves the day, tons of action, and lots of fun. Good book for those looking for some good action and good story telling.
Rated by buyers -
If you haven't read any of Cussler's work, this light read is a great starting place. There are elements in every Cussler text that every fan knows to look for. Dirk's autos, his ladies and that elusive appearance by Clive himself. I never miss a word. I am almost disappointed at the making of Sahara into a movie, that is not at all how I pictured Dirk.
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