I believe I was recommended one of Clive Cussler’s books by some guy whom I didn’t know while at a book fair. Not one of the guys running the place, just some spectator who, for some reason, was talking to me. Since I’m not one to turn down reading suggestions, I decided to give Cussler a try.

            Pacific Vortex is the first novel staring Dirk Pitt, a savvy US pilot who is as smart as he is handsome. The book starts with the mysterious disappearance of a top secret Navy submarine whose last message falls into the hands of Dirk Pitt while he’s on vacation. The distress call comes in the form of a cryptic message that suggests a section of the pacific ocean isn’t what people think it is. The ensuing mystery has Dirk Pitt running over Hawaii and diving into the ocean to uncover the mysteries, while at the same time trying to dodge assassins at every turn.

            The first word that comes to mind when reading this book is dinosaur. Dirk Pitt very much reminds me of James Bond. He’s a handsome spy-like dude who gets all the women and always figures out the super complex solution at the last second. I don’t dislike James Bond, but I consider that image of the macho player spy to be dated. The heroes of today are the hobbits and the working stiffs. We want to see Joe everyman become a hero, not a man who is obviously heroic, do something else heroic. Maybe that’s just me, but even in James Bond’s most recent movie, he is at his most vulnerable and was making countless mistakes along the way. It was his most successful movie to date.

            The point is that Dirk is too perfect. I don’t really feel the love between him and one of the female side characters. It seemed forced in the end and didn’t serve much of a purpose to the story as a whole. Further, the scene where the bad guy explains all of his plans in a long winded speech also went out of style some time ago.

            Having said this, Pacific Vortex isn’t a bad book. In fact, it’s kind of like watching an action movie. There are lots of guns going off, big machines moving around, deadly explosions and pointlessly naked women. So at its core, it’s an entertaining run. Just don’t expect it to rise above that level any time soon. Perhaps Dirk Pitt’s more recent adventures are more in depth, but to be honest, I’ll probably never find out. While I enjoyed my time in the Pacific Vortex, I haven’t really been given much reason to come back. Worth reading if you’re a fan of fast paced action novels.