Sahara, Dirk Pitt # 11

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is it.My fav Cussler book.
This book has everything.It's just a great story from beginning to end.The Texas,Lincoln,Mannock,the Calliope,the Kid ,Fort Foreau,Tebezza,the Land Yacht,cannabalism, and a hell of an ending.The scenes at Tebezza and Fort Foreau are amazing and I still to this day sigh with relief when Pit and Giordino are picked up in the land yacht after reaching the Trans-Saharan Track.


10/10 for me



I once lent this book to a friend as his introduction to Pitt/Cussler and to his credit he read it.But he came to me after he finished it and said that nobody could have done the things that Pitt had done(walking across the Sahara).I just smiled and asked him if he had enjoyed it and he said yes.So I started him at the beginning with PV.I told him to keep his comments in mind as he read the rest of the books in order.Sure enough he came to me after he had finished them all and said that if anyone could have walked out of the Sahara it was Pitt and Giordino.
I just smiled and walked away.
Thats was the first of quite a few converts I have made.

9.9/10

This was my very first Cussler read and I must admit I had never read anything like it before in my life, although I did enjoy it, this wasn't the book that hooked me completely, sure it made me want to read another to see what it would be like but for me it did have that WOW factor!

What an ending? I cried my eyes out

I just sent my Dad this book though, so we'll see if we have another convert

No movie could ever do this book justice, but hopefully it'll be entertaining nonetheless. Anyway, Sahara included one of my favorite CC trademarks: A special forces unit. Whenever Pitt gets to run with the big guns I find myself even more on the edge of my seat. I also enjoy when Al gets into fisticuffs with powerful women who think they're so tough. Plus all those other masterfully crafted scenes that could be penned by none other than Dr. Cussler. 10/10

9.9/10

My top 2 favorite books of all time have to go to Inca Gold and Sahara. Absolutely brillant!!!!!

Sahara was also my first cussler book, from year 8, just finished yr 12 this year, and ever since i read that book, i went n got the other 3 books the school library had, and within a week, they two were finished. The scale in which everything is put into, eg, how sahara has almost everything in it, is what got me hooked, and have loved clive cussler very since.

I enjoyed this book very much when it came out!!!! It gets a 10 from me!!!!

Confession time.
Ever since Deep Six came out, I had been eagerly visiting bookstores with my eye on the next Cussler. I shelled out more money than I could afford for the hardcover releases, and invariably came away feeling disappointed. After Dragon, I said: : "You will have no more of my money, Clive Cussler." And so, depsite an interesting premise, I passed on Sahara for more than a year. It's time on the bestseller list came and went, but I would have nothing to do with it.
But when it finally came out in paperback, I got over myself and picked it up.
Ah, it is a great thing to rediscover your faith.
But since it is suce a great read, I'm going to start with the negatives.
You may throw stones if you wish, but I was unmoved by the Lincoln subplot. It could have been cut from the story and not made a shred of difference. Similarly, the Kitty Mannock arc had no purpose other than to facilitate Dirk and Al's escape from the harshest environment on Earth. So to be fair, I will start with a two point deduction.
But if I wanted to be disappointed with Sahara, I had to face the simple truth that this was Dirk in finest form. The battle with the Benin Navy was classic... in fact, the entire voyage up the Niger was perfect, right down to Pitt and Giordino crashing the party on Massarde's yacht. And I really felt like Rudi and Al were more than just sidekicks making an appearance here. Al's chemistry with Melika was also perfect. And the last stand at Beau Geste--brutal, gritty, awesome. I don't think he's ever topped that one. For adventure above and beyond expectations, I return one whole point.
This one also marked the first time that Clive addressed an environmental concern; although the specifics of the crisis were fabricated, the reality of one simple fact really hit home, and it is this: Environmental problems are exponential. Whether it's population growth or global warming, when the problem reaches halfway to critical mass, it's already too late. As a budding environmental engineer, I can attest that we are darn close to halfway there. If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention. For promoting the good of the planet over profit, I reward thee with half a point.

It wasn't Deep Six, but it brought me back into the fold. Sahara gets a well deserved 9.5 and earns a solid place at the head of the pack.

This post has been edited by Nick Kismet on Dec 13 2004, 05:28 PM

Thank you, Nick, for your well versed and well informed review. While I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of the civil war battles and was taken aback by the Lincoln twist, I too didn't think it was too vital to the health of the story.

Basically, I concur.

A big 10 for this book. Actually, it is difficult to find the best book. They are all so good.

Yes, this book rates 10 with me!

And Rudi Gunn delivers one of my all time favorite lines:

"If anyone can enter hell and walk out again carrying a glass of tequila over ice, it's Dirk Pitt." Sahara (26)

This novel is my favorite as well. And it seems I'm in good company.
So much goes on in this novel. The way everything molds into one storyline is not only a superb achievement in writing, but a helluva trip for the reader. I loved the alternate history aspect introduced in the Lincoln subplot,
I remeber when I first read the novel I had to search the web to see if Kitty Mannock was an actual historical figure or a figment of Clive's active imagination. And if a novel can enrapture you that much,...well, then it's done it's job, eh?

Not my favorite (I think Shock Wave is better) but it's different from other Cussler novels. Nick is right this was Dirk in finest form as an adventure hero. Great reading experience.