White Death (NUMA Files)

My husband is the one that reads Clive Cussler books. He LOVES these books. He is in his late 70's and is being treated for cancer and back pain and is very limited in what he can do. Sitting and reading takes up a large part of his day and finding an author that he really likes is great. Makes his days much more enjoyable. He is always telling me how exciting the books are from start to finish and has read many of them over the past year.

THE LOWDOWN: Cussler and Kemprecos seem to be finding their feet with their Kurt Austin character in his newest outing. Kurt Austin is starting to get some momentum, with a bizarre but intriguing plot about a fish farm trying to monopolize on certain species by wiping them out in the wild.

THE PLOT: Kurt Austin rescues the survivors of a brutal collision at sea thought to be instigated by a radical environmentalist ship. Further investigation reveals that the ship was actually sabotaged by the "Oceanus" Corporation," a company the environmentalists were planning to protest, whose fish farms are genetically engineering ravenous fish that will wipe out wild species.

THE PROS: This story reads like a Dirk Pitt adventure, which is not a criticism. Full of action, Kurt finds himself ducking explosions, getting into shootouts, being attacked with Inuit weapons, even getting into a dogsled chase in this book. The "Frankenfish" plot is a little bit of a veer into science fiction, but sometimes wacky works in Cussler's universe. The villains are equally eccentric (an albino scientist and his gang of Inuit henchmen), but they persistently dog Austin throughout the book, which makes for a more gripping conflict than Austin's previous antagonists, who generally sat around and had no interaction with the protagonists.

THE CONS: As much as I like Paul and Gamay as characters, their side-adventures almost seem like a distraction from the main story at times. I find myself turning the pages until I hit a Paul and Gamay chapter, then the pace slows down a bit. The "evil tribe" of Inuits who tattoo themselves and work exclusively for criminals is a bit politically incorrect, and could rub some readers the wrong way. The inclusion of the Basque relic Durendal seemed a bit superflouous, but at least it made for an interesting final fight scene.

Greedy mega corporations bent on ruling the world and a love for the sea and adventure have long been hallmarks of Clive Cussler's large body of work. Whether his main character has been Dirk Pitt or more recently, Kurt Austin in a series of novels co written with Pail Kemprecos one always expects the same basic formula. The good guys are so very good while surviving multiple near death experiences that would kill any lesser man or woman. The bad guys are incredibly bad and driven by megalomania of a grand scale, which will ultimately play a large role in their complete and total destructive downfall. The read will be a good one and the good guys will win, saving the world once again. One does not read Clive Cussler for deep plots, complicated characters, or philosophical musings on life. Not to be taken seriously, one reads Cussler for the sheer thrill of adventure and he does not disappoint.
A case in point is his most recent release, which opens as so many of the Kurt Austin novels do. A ship sinks taking people down with it and Kurt Austin leader of the NUMA ® Special Assignments Team must try to do everything he can to save them. In this case, Kurt and his friend and colleague Joe Zavala make the rescue using an untried submersible and soon perform another feat of heroic daring do.
In the aftermath, it becomes clear that one of the ships involved in the incident was sabotaged by outside forces. Kurt begins to investigate and before long begins to feel hunted by a shadowy mega corporation led by a maniacal leader bent on taking over the world. To do so he will use genetic manipulation as well as anything else necessary to achieve an incredible power grab that would change the sea forever.
Blending in the relics of the Basques, a German Zeppelin and the culture of various Inuit (commonly referred to incorrectly as Eskimo) tribes, the authors once again create another grand adventure where the bad guys get a fatal dose of their own medicine in the end. While no new ground is plowed in terms of character development there are not any nasty surprises either. Kurt is still loved by all the women of the world, hated and fearfully respected by his enemies, and calm and collected in the snarling face of danger. He easily compares to Stuart Wood's recent signature character of Stone Barrington, but he does not have as much money. Such is the life of a government employee.
The other usual characters make brief appearances. Admiral Sandecker is rarely seen or mentioned at all in this novel, which is a change from previously books in this series. He has little to do until the very end as opposed to the Trouts, who are given plenty to do in a secondary story line, which eventually peters back into the main storyline where they become sideline players.
Additionally, there is certain choppiness to the novel over the course of its more than 400 pages. In the past, the works flowed seamlessly and it was impossible to determine which part one of the authors write. That is not the case here where the sentence structure shifts from chapter to chapter and while one can't tell precisely who wrote what, one does get a sense who might be responsible.
For what it is, this is another very enjoyable book. As in the others of this series, it is not filled with deep characters, or philosophical musings. Instead it is pure action and adventure and serves as a great break from all the serious pretentious literary stuff. In other words, it is fun and by all means, don't take it seriously.

White Death is an exciting fiction novel Written by Clive Cussler. I enjoyed this book very much. I found it to be a page-turner and it was very interesting. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a lot of action, or is a fan of Clive Cussler.

One reason I liked this book is how there was constant action. Books that have slow moving plots easily bore me. In White death, Clive Cussler makes the main character, Kurt Austin, a James Bond like character. In the book Kurt works for N.U.M.A., a governmental agency that specializes in marine work. Kurt stops the bad guys by using a lot of marine vehicles to infiltrate the fish plant where some shady things are happening.

Another reason I found this book worthwhile was how Kurt Austin would outsmart his enemies in order to save him self. During the book Kurt would constantly be caught up in tight jams. By infiltrating the fish plant, he got the plant owners extremely worried that he might have discovered there secrete project. Because of this they will do what ever it takes to knock Kurt off the map.

The third reason I like this book am how the main topic was at a marine setting. My family has a boat so I am constantly in touch with the marine environment. I like reading books like this because I am so familiar with marine life Kurt encounters. In the book a plant is breeding a mutant fish that will have a huge impact on the marine environment and destroy the local fishing. This will make the fish plant the one provider of fish in the area.

I thought that White Death by Clive Cussler was a very good book. It had all of the things that I like to see in a book. White Death had constant action, a witty main character, and a setting in a marine environment. Having the book take place in settings that were so familiar to me helped me relate my self to the main character. One time in the book Kurt is inside the fish plant when he stumbles upon the tank of the secrete project. He finds the mutant fish but as he's observing this he hears footsteps approaching. He quickly gets off the ladder and hides behind the tank. After the guard walked by Kurt sneaked up behind him and knocked him out. This is a example at how The main character used his wit to get out of a jam. I can also connect myself because I play paintball and I have to outsmart my opponents by sneaking up on them, or letting them walk into an ambush.

"White Death" is another of the NUMA franchise books - stories written by Cussler and Paul Kamprecos which star characters from the "National Underwater & Marine Agency". NUMA was originally created to showcase Cussler's hero, the deep-diving, globe-hopping and mystery-solving Dirk Pitt, but grew to include a stable of characters who carry the show in these newer books. Though the story follows the formula of just about every Dirk Pitt novel, Pitt never makes an appearance in this one. In "White Death", NUMA hero Kurt Austin runs afoul of Oceanus - a vast corporate hydra that markets genetically modified fish across the globe. In true Cussler tradition, the initial confrontation is perfectly accidental - Austin volunteers to save the crew of Danish warship accidentally sunk by a ship belonging to a fringe group of whale-huggers. Too late, Austin learns that the Whale-huggers - led by an opportunist named Marcus Ryan - were set-up by Oceanus to distract the world from a nearby fish-processing plant. Sneaking into the unusually secure commercial fishery owned by the company on the remote Faroes Islands, Austin finds clues to a darker secret than Albacore. On the other side of the Atlantic, Paul and Gamay Trout - married NUMA marine biologists - investigate the waters near an Oceanus fishery in North America. For those who live nearby but don't work for Oceanus, times are tough. Not that there isn't any fishing, only that there's something in the water that has replaced the normal catch, and it demands a really bigger boat...
Connecting the dots on each side, Austin and team link Oceanus with a mysterious and legendarily violent tribe of outcast Inuit known as the Kiolya. Led by a figure known as "Toonook", the Kiolya and Oceanus are poised to unleash a horrifying genetically engineered eco-weapon of mass destruction that will give them a stranglehold on the oceans of the world. On their side, Austin falls back on a wealthy but mysterious Spaniard - a Basque who traces his roots to a 15th century explorer persecuted by the Inquisition. But will they be enough to stop Oceanus?
This is only my second "Kurt Austin/NUMA novel - the first being "Serpent". It's still not up to the quality of the Pitt novels, but "White Death" is still quite good. If it holds few surprises, it's a fast read, and the characters seem to come alive much better than they did in the other book. Best of all are the villains - Toonook and the viscious Kiolya are utterly evil, but so formidible that you know they won't go easily. Kamprecos/Cussler gather the respective forces together for a slam-bang finish that gives you faith in the future of the NUMA novels.

Kurt and Joe are back for their fourth installment in White Death. This time Cussler and Kemprecos have them called in to save a sunken Danish cruiser that was apparently deliberately rammed by the environmental group SOS during a protest against a grind by the Faroe Islanders. After rescuing the crew and determining the `accident' was caused by an act of sabotage Kurt ends up investigating a fish farm owned by the Oceanus corporation and discovering a hostile reception during his visit.
The story runs two themes: the first of the bio-engineered fish (and all the ecological morality issues it entails) that seems to be the deadly guarded secret of Oceanus that SOS - personified by the overly melodramatic Ryan, the stoical Nighthawk (whose village was enslaved by Oceanus near the Canadian Great Lakes) and the beautiful Therri, the SOS lawyer, who provides Kurt's love interest The second theme, tying in the prologue is personified by Aguirrez, a descendant of the same named sixteenth century sailor who fled the Inquisition bearing the relics of Roland. Aguirrez becomes a good ally for Kurt whilst he is searching for the relics. Aguirrez aids NUMA with his personal floating armoured ship, the Navarre, allowing Austin and Zavala to use the boat as a point with which to infiltrate the Canadian `fish farm'. What follows is the usual mayhem as Austin and Zavala destroy the restored German pre-WWII blimp, feed the evil Professor to his genetically engineered fish, kill all the bad guys from the Eskimo Kiolyas and generally save the day.
I must confess I do like the Austin novels. People will invariably compare to Dirk and have a favourite, but the writing style for both heroes runs a similar vein and it's a formula that works.
However, of the Cussler/Kemprecos efforts this is the weakest to date as it suffers from a plot that never intrudes upon the reader as even faintly plausible, emphasized by Kurt's big dog-sled race through central DC which is ridiculous. The climatic end isn't really and the supporting characters are sketches. Having just read Trojan Odyssey straight after this, the gulf between the two novels is vast and can only favour Dirk, in the Pitt/Austin debate. Nevertheless, the previous three joint offerings were good and hopefully the fifth can return to those grandiose ways.

Clive Cussler's latest offering in his Kurt Austin adventure series certainly isn't one of his best. He seems to be having difficulty conjuring up exilirating plots with interesting new characters.
As per usual the story begins with some historical occurrences which will have an impact later in the novel. These involve a Basque born sea captain sailing across the Atlantic in the 1500's and a German zeppelin making a secret trip to the North Pole in 1935.
A collision between a Greenpeace type organization ship and a Danish cruiser off the Faroe Islands propel Kurt Austin and partner Joe Zavala onto the scene. They supervise an underwater rescue of sailors trapped in the capsized Danish ship. This puts them in the sights of Oceanus, a huge corporation involved in large scale fish farming based nearby.
Oceanus is headed by Cussler's latest megalomaniac villain the brilliant and diabolical geneticist Dr. Frederick Barker. Barker is creating monstrously sized, ravenous and predatory types of fish to fulfill some warped plan. The corporation is protected by a criminally aberrant and violent Eskimo tribe called the Kiolyans who worship Dr. Barker.
Austin and Zavala with aid from other members of the NUMA organization and a mysterious Spanish multi millionaire Balthazar Aguirrez must thwart the aspirations of the Oceanus corporation.
Cussler in White Death makes little use of the many interesting characters extensively developed in previous novels such as head of NUMA, Admiral Sandecker, NUMA computer wiz, Hiram Yager and naval historian St. Julien Perlmutter. His latest bad guys and Austin love interest are rather transparent and frankly Austin is nowhere near as compelling as Dirk Pitt. I still read everything he writes but am becoming less and less satisfied with the experience.

Rarely have I read a novel with such abundant use of the word `swarthy'. This is the type of novel that should be so bad it's funny, but it isn't. It's just silly. An albino genius madman is intent on destroying the world's fish stocks by releasing killer mutant salmon into the wild, and it's up to our philosophy-reading, antique pistol-collecting, ever charming, always handsome hero Kurt Austin and his NUMA team to save the day. The story is just goofy. The dialogue is chock full of snappy one liners that are staples in action films: When someone is eaten by a mutant fish, one of the characters quips that `he has gone to pieces'.

The first Cussler novel I read was the recently released `The Chase'. I thought The Chase was pretty good - not great - but pretty good. Then I read Polar Shift, which was pretty silly, but not terrible. But White Death is awful. I think a novel like this would work better if it made fun of itself a little more. But it doesn't. It's too preposterous to be a good thriller, and takes itself too seriously to allow the reader to enjoy it as `over-the-top' campy fun.

White Death is not as bad as Patterson's `London Bridges' (arguably the worst novel ever published), but not by much.

This book is one of a series of thrillers featuring Kurt Austin, a near-superhero who works for a mysterious government organization called NUMA. Austin uncovers a plot to wipe out the ocean's fish species, replacing them with vicious, genetically engineered salmon (the economic theory behind this is never made very clear). The corporation behind the plot kills off people who get in its way, using stereotyped bloodthirsty Mongoloid men as shock troops. The plot involves a dirigible reconstructed from the wreckage of one that crashed in the Arctic during the 1920's (would you fly in this thing?) This zeppelin is housed in a huge structure in the Canadian wilds that makes itself invisible by adapting its exterior to its surroundings. When Austin and his sidekick are caught on board the airship, does the chief villain kill them on the spot? No, of course not. He keeps them alive to see how the plan will be carried out, and to escape. This wasn't very believable when Goldfinger decided not to cut James Bond in half with a laser. While the writing is generally competent, the story stretches credibility a bit too far. Austin's romantic relationship with the only significant female character is a perfunctory throwaway. Is it any surprise that she has to be rescued by our hero?

In the first prologue you meet Diego Aguirrez, Basque seafarer escaping from the Spanish Inquisition (1515), and attempting to hide 2 relics. In the second prologoue you learn of a German (1935) airship attempting to journey to the North Pole, which discovers Aguirrez's ship frozen in the ice.

Now that the groundwork is set, the story begins with the ship of a radical environmental protest group "Sentinal of the Seas" ramming and sinking a Danish warship. Several people are trapped in the wreckage, apparently alive, 300 feet down. Enter the heros who happen to be testing a new salvage/rescue submarine just 1200 miles away. Kurt Austin investigates the sinking after a harrowing rescue of the crew, and is thus entangled in the main plot. Along the way we are educated about the hazards of genetically engineered fish, Italian cuisine, and the Basque push for its own nation separate from Spain.

Many of the adventures are outlandish. But this is fiction. James Bond frequently has outlandish missions, but he's still entertaining. So if you just remind yourself that this is not meant to be "true-crime" type of reading, I think you'll be able to sit back and just enjoy the story for what it is.

While I have earnestly hoarded many of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt series, Kurt Austin cannot measure up to his predecessor. Sadly, this is clearly the problem with Clive Cussler & Paul Kemprecos's "White Death." Kurt Austin's character comes across to the reader as a bland imitation of Dirk Pitt as Cussler recycles several of Pitt's phrases. Additionally, Joe Zavala, while not unlike Al Giordino (from the D.P series), is far to similar to Kurt Austin, and the impressive contrast, so commonly present between Dirk and Al is conspicuously absent in Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala. Like many of Clive Cussler's novels, the novel opens with a historical expostion- here it is of a Basque merchant fleeing from the Spanish inquisition. As expected, the narrative then chronicles a maritime disaster, and the plot continues as an effort to unravel both mysteries.

The Sea Sentinel, a ship painted with a garish combination of colours, while attempting to stop traditional whale-killing, unexpectedly veers from its course to ram a Danish coast-guard craft. Naturally, the two sink into the depths of the ocean, and equally expected is Kurt Austin's lucky intervention. Here, however, the reader is introduced to yet another insidious corporation in the form of "Oceanus," a company specialising in the creation of bio-fish, mutant fish that grow far faster and larger than the average salmon. Perhaps Oceanus is behind the collision?

While this may seem like a rollicking good read, the novelis sadly diminished by the incapability of the two main characters to carry the narrative, their bland, stereotyped characters and a rather cliched plot (in particular the ending). That Cussler or Kemprecos misspells "Hiram Yaeger," a stalwart of all Dirk Pitt texts as "Hiram Yeager" compounds this problem, and it seems almost as if the novel was rushed.

In conclusion, while superficially an involving and interesting read, "White Death: is unfortunately diminished by a stereotyped plot and one-dimensional characters spouting frequent cliche. Unlike the vast majority of Clive Cussler books, "White Death" is unfortunately an ultimately unsatisfactory read.

Yes, that is Clive Cussler's name in enormous letters, but one needs to merely read one page to know he isn't the author of this book (of course, we all know that already).
Paul Kemprecos is an adept author, but lacks the flair and word flow Cussler has. As a result his book feels a bit stiffer, yet is still worth reading to someone familiar with Cussler's work.
All the pieces of the Cussler world are there. Links to past worlds, history coming alive in modern times, events happening a small amount in the future to allow for more powerful technology, death-defying stunts that are over the top yet not nauseously so, a smart-alec sidekick - you'll find it all. To some people this is all too much of a formula to enjoy, but if you're sitting on a beach, boat or inflatable raft, well, this is the perfect way to read without thinking.
If you enjoyed James Bond or, more accurately Indiana Jones then you'll enjoy this novel. It isn't the best in the Cussler world, though it's likely the best Kurt Austin book to date.
Worth reading, just take it all with a grain of salt. Or a salt-lick, whichever you need.

White Death is one of the series of NUMA adventures starring Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala. It's easy to confuse them with the series that stars Dirk Pitt and Al Giordano since both series have many of the same features. This book does not help in settling out the confusion since it follows the successful formula for both series namely: a mega-monoical evil genius, a group of pitiless killer supporting the evil one, a beautiful woman, action around the world's seas, a hero who always gets the girl, highly improbable chase scenes, and a resolution for the good of humanity.

The only apparent differences between the two series' is that this one must be written with the help of a co-author, the names of the heroes are different, they do not have a vintage automobile as part of the plot, and Clive Cussler does not make his usual cameo appearance.

The format is also the same as always. The first two chapters tells the stories of two divergent events that happened dozens and hundreds of years ago. The third chapter brings us up to the present with some surprising developments off the Faroe islands which cause our heroes to come to the first save of the book. From there, the plot careens around. By the fourth or fifth chapter, the shadowy organization that represents the evil mastermind is clearly in focus and the plot continues to methodically unravel who the organization is, who runs it, and what nefarious plot they are involved in. Our protagonist races from saving the lives of Danish sailors to having his boat blown up by a grenade to a dog-sled race in the middle of Washington D.C.!!!

Between all of this, Kurt Austin is attacked or captured at least five times, though none are more successful than simply cutting him a bit with a knife. At least in this volume, we do not hear of his single-minded focus on surviving that allows him to endure beyond-mortal difficulties. As it is, this is not a book that can be taken seriously. I mean, a dog-sled race involving gun fire in the midst of Washington D.C.? Come on!

Anyway, it's a fun, rollicking, adventure and is a good book to take along with you for an airplane ride or a summer beach. There is very little development of the main characters and very little interaction with the other staff members of NUMA. Oh, Sandecker, Yeager, and Gunn are mentioned and even appear in the odd chapter, but they are very very minor players in this one.

This book is one of a series of thrillers featuring Kurt Austin, a near-superhero who works for a mysterious government organization called NUMA. Austin uncovers a plot to wipe out the ocean's fish species, replacing them with vicious, genetically engineered salmon (the economic theory behind this is never made very clear). The corporation behind the plot kills off people who get in its way, using stereotyped bloodthirsty Mongoloid men as shock troops. The plot involves a dirigible reconstructed from the wreckage of one that crashed in the Arctic during the 1920's (would you fly in this thing?) This zeppelin is housed in a huge structure in the Canadian wilds that makes itself invisible by adapting its exterior to its surroundings. When Austin and his sidekick are caught on board the airship, does the chief villain kill them on the spot? No, of course not. He keeps them alive to see how the plan will be carried out, and to escape. This wasn't very believable when Goldfinger decided not to cut James Bond in half with a laser. While the writing is generally competent, the story stretches credibility a bit too far. Austin's romantic relationship with the only significant female character is a perfunctory throwaway. Is it any surprise that she has to be rescued by our hero?

In the first prologue you meet Diego Aguirrez, Basque seafarer escaping from the Spanish Inquisition (1515), and attempting to hide 2 relics. In the second prologoue you learn of a German (1935) airship attempting to journey to the North Pole, which discovers Aguirrez's ship frozen in the ice.

Now that the groundwork is set, the story begins with the ship of a radical environmental protest group "Sentinal of the Seas" ramming and sinking a Danish warship. Several people are trapped in the wreckage, apparently alive, 300 feet down. Enter the heros who happen to be testing a new salvage/rescue submarine just 1200 miles away. Kurt Austin investigates the sinking after a harrowing rescue of the crew, and is thus entangled in the main plot. Along the way we are educated about the hazards of genetically engineered fish, Italian cuisine, and the Basque push for its own nation separate from Spain.

Many of the adventures are outlandish. But this is fiction. James Bond frequently has outlandish missions, but he's still entertaining. So if you just remind yourself that this is not meant to be "true-crime" type of reading, I think you'll be able to sit back and just enjoy the story for what it is.

While I have earnestly hoarded many of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt series, Kurt Austin cannot measure up to his predecessor. Sadly, this is clearly the problem with Clive Cussler & Paul Kemprecos's "White Death." Kurt Austin's character comes across to the reader as a bland imitation of Dirk Pitt as Cussler recycles several of Pitt's phrases. Additionally, Joe Zavala, while not unlike Al Giordino (from the D.P series), is far to similar to Kurt Austin, and the impressive contrast, so commonly present between Dirk and Al is conspicuously absent in Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala. Like many of Clive Cussler's novels, the novel opens with a historical expostion- here it is of a Basque merchant fleeing from the Spanish inquisition. As expected, the narrative then chronicles a maritime disaster, and the plot continues as an effort to unravel both mysteries.

The Sea Sentinel, a ship painted with a garish combination of colours, while attempting to stop traditional whale-killing, unexpectedly veers from its course to ram a Danish coast-guard craft. Naturally, the two sink into the depths of the ocean, and equally expected is Kurt Austin's lucky intervention. Here, however, the reader is introduced to yet another insidious corporation in the form of "Oceanus," a company specialising in the creation of bio-fish, mutant fish that grow far faster and larger than the average salmon. Perhaps Oceanus is behind the collision?

While this may seem like a rollicking good read, the novelis sadly diminished by the incapability of the two main characters to carry the narrative, their bland, stereotyped characters and a rather cliched plot (in particular the ending). That Cussler or Kemprecos misspells "Hiram Yaeger," a stalwart of all Dirk Pitt texts as "Hiram Yeager" compounds this problem, and it seems almost as if the novel was rushed.

In conclusion, while superficially an involving and interesting read, "White Death: is unfortunately diminished by a stereotyped plot and one-dimensional characters spouting frequent cliche. Unlike the vast majority of Clive Cussler books, "White Death" is unfortunately an ultimately unsatisfactory read.

Yes, that is Clive Cussler's name in enormous letters, but one needs to merely read one page to know he isn't the author of this book (of course, we all know that already).
Paul Kemprecos is an adept author, but lacks the flair and word flow Cussler has. As a result his book feels a bit stiffer, yet is still worth reading to someone familiar with Cussler's work.
All the pieces of the Cussler world are there. Links to past worlds, history coming alive in modern times, events happening a small amount in the future to allow for more powerful technology, death-defying stunts that are over the top yet not nauseously so, a smart-alec sidekick - you'll find it all. To some people this is all too much of a formula to enjoy, but if you're sitting on a beach, boat or inflatable raft, well, this is the perfect way to read without thinking.
If you enjoyed James Bond or, more accurately Indiana Jones then you'll enjoy this novel. It isn't the best in the Cussler world, though it's likely the best Kurt Austin book to date.
Worth reading, just take it all with a grain of salt. Or a salt-lick, whichever you need.

White Death is one of the series of NUMA adventures starring Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala. It's easy to confuse them with the series that stars Dirk Pitt and Al Giordano since both series have many of the same features. This book does not help in settling out the confusion since it follows the successful formula for both series namely: a mega-monoical evil genius, a group of pitiless killer supporting the evil one, a beautiful woman, action around the world's seas, a hero who always gets the girl, highly improbable chase scenes, and a resolution for the good of humanity.

The only apparent differences between the two series' is that this one must be written with the help of a co-author, the names of the heroes are different, they do not have a vintage automobile as part of the plot, and Clive Cussler does not make his usual cameo appearance.

The format is also the same as always. The first two chapters tells the stories of two divergent events that happened dozens and hundreds of years ago. The third chapter brings us up to the present with some surprising developments off the Faroe islands which cause our heroes to come to the first save of the book. From there, the plot careens around. By the fourth or fifth chapter, the shadowy organization that represents the evil mastermind is clearly in focus and the plot continues to methodically unravel who the organization is, who runs it, and what nefarious plot they are involved in. Our protagonist races from saving the lives of Danish sailors to having his boat blown up by a grenade to a dog-sled race in the middle of Washington D.C.!!!

Between all of this, Kurt Austin is attacked or captured at least five times, though none are more successful than simply cutting him a bit with a knife. At least in this volume, we do not hear of his single-minded focus on surviving that allows him to endure beyond-mortal difficulties. As it is, this is not a book that can be taken seriously. I mean, a dog-sled race involving gun fire in the midst of Washington D.C.? Come on!

Anyway, it's a fun, rollicking, adventure and is a good book to take along with you for an airplane ride or a summer beach. There is very little development of the main characters and very little interaction with the other staff members of NUMA. Oh, Sandecker, Yeager, and Gunn are mentioned and even appear in the odd chapter, but they are very very minor players in this one.

I've always enjoyed Cussler's books, and have always felt that they maintained their enjoyability - despite many people saying that Cussler had lost his luster. I now agree that there is some improvement needed in order to get his books back to what they were. Trojan Odyssey was just plain awful. This book is better, but was somewhat stale. The authors seemed to reach for plot points, and the characters seemed a little too stereotypical. Dirk Pitt was always great at getting out of a squeeze. It is just assumed that Austin will get out of a squeeze, leaving no tension whatsoever. Unlike Pitt, Austin's solutions are not inventive. It was Pitt's inventiveness that made a predictable result exciting. Despite being a relatively new character, Austin seems to have surpassed Pitt in his abilities. I would like to have seen his hero status take a little more time to develop.
The book is still worth the read, but I have to wonder where this franchise is going.

In 1515, a Basque caravel sinks two Spanish war galleys. In 1935 a German zeppelin soars northward on a top-secret flight to reach the North Pole, but in the Arctic the Germans see a ship stranded on the ice. He goes to help. In the present off the Faroe Islands, whale rescuers try to stop Islanders from killing whales, but lose control of the ship to an overhead helicopter that sends the vessel crashing into and sinking a Danish cruiser with several crew men still aboard.
In the Berents Sea, the search-and-survey NUMA ship William Beebe led by Kurt Austin tests a new device able to attach to a sunken ship's hull and cut a hole in the frame so salvagers can easily enter. With this new device, Kurt and crew might save the lives of the trapped Danes whose air is running out, but they need rapid transport to go twelve hundred miles. Even with Russian help, Kurt will soon realize that the helicopter crowd has a different message in mind.
The forth "novel from the NUMA files" is an exciting seafaring adventure that never slows down until the final dinner date is arranged. Kurt retains his hero status as he and his crew desperately work to save lives reminiscent of the Russian submarine tragedy. Clive Cussler and Paul Kemprecos provide fans with an adrenaline-pumping thriller starring a likable champion though the villains' message seems gobbled in comparison.
Harriet Klausner

White Death, the fourth installment in the NUMA series, is another classic Cussler story of good versus evil, with the usual predecessor event setting the stage for an eventual tie-in to the main story. In this case, Cussler pits Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala against Oceanus Corporation, a highly secretive fish farming organization that seeks to corner the fish market with its genetically engineered fish. As would be expected, Kurt and Joe again fight tremendous odds and calmly face down death repeatedly as they battle a demented leader of Oceanus and the thugs in his employ. The novel is filled with all of the action, suspense, and frequent plot twists that have become Cussler's trademark. My only complaint was that the writing of Cussler and Kemprecos seemed to be choppy and abrupt at times. This minor gripe notwithstanding, the faithful followers of Clive Cussler will find White Death to be an enjoyable summer read.

I have been reading Dirk Pitt novels since the beginning. I even relate myself a little with Pitt having had a not dissimilar background and interestes, not to mention green eyes. In short I have been a loyal Cussler reader for as many years as Clive has been writing.
That being said......
I theorized in an earlier review that Cussler has developed an ingenious computer program to write his novels for him. I think there is a database of descriptive metaphors, names and evil plots with another database of georgraphy and history.
This program randonly selects items from the database and inserts them into a pre-written structure that follows the "NUMA" formula.
Let the CPU's churn for a few trillion cycles and Bammo a new book all ready for the publisher.
After reading White Death I am more convinced them ever that I am right on the mark.
This book is exactly like I described. A pat formula, change a few names, reuse some metaphors, grab a few odd historical details sprinkle in soem geographical descriptions and you have a novel that is basically like every other that Clive and Paul have co-written ( or co-programmed ).
I could not get enthusiastic about this book since through the whole thing I felt that I had read it before. You know what I mean, you read a book then years later forgot you read it, re-read it and through the whole thing you say to yourself that I have seen this before. I know what will happen next.
Well thats White Death. I've read it before and knew what would happen in each page.
I have no problem with a formula especially a good one like Dirk and Al and the Admiral and Rudi and Loren. This is a bit abusive and way too repetitive of his other novels.
The good thing is that you can save a lot of money. Buy this book and read it. Put it up, then when the next one comes out just re-read this one. It saves the price of the next novel.
I think Clive and Paul need to dump the database and get some new descriptions and ideas. After all how many evil corporations can there be inthe world all run by meglomaniacs wanting to <fill in the blanks> __________ and __________, then _________ so Dirk/Kurt will ________ and well you get the idea.

As a devoted Cussler fan, I look forward to finding and devouring every word of each of his stories that I come across, even if it turns out to be not one of his best. In White Death he has a plot that ties together the sea's danger as well as its conservation. He takes on the future of fish. A mad scientist tries genetic chnages to fish to make millions of dollars. Kurt Austin comes to the rescue in opposition to his murderous scheme. Scott Brick reads and as always his artistry makes the book more thrilling. As Rudinski says, Brick has a neutral voice. It adds enough risk to the tale to bring it off but the story is still too contrived. Only a three star. Tom the bread baker

This might have been better presented as a comic book; the characters are all cartoon like. I found myself rooting for the villain and vaguely hoping that the protagonists would expire in the horrible manner they were supposed to. Did Cussler really expect the reader to believe the premise of any aspect of this story? A few times I actually dropped the book out of my hands in disbelief.

- On a few minutes notice a rescue submarine is lifted by helicopter to an airport where both are loaded into a plane and flown to a new location where Danish sailors are rescued only a few hours after sinking. The main character, Austin, cuts through the hull and says "Anyone call for a taxi?".

- Austin and one of the villains engage in a shootout in Washington D.C. while driving dogsleds in the summer and failing to attract any police attention whatsoever.

- A marine biologist and her husband, both working as government bureaucrats, have a Lear jet at their disposal, which they get to in a car that likely costs more than twice their salaries. They fly back and forth to Canada in it carrying loaded firearms.

- The villain, rather than use a car or plane, seems to prefer travelling around at night in a hydrogen filled Graf Zepellin that he found crashed in the arctic. Oh, the humanity!

Dialogue is completely pompous; everyone talks to each other in a very formal way, almost like they're in a Shakespeare play. The characters are all superlative in their abilities and have no flaws or idiosyncracies. This whole thing is just loaded with cliches and hackneyed descriptions.

After reading 20+ Cussler books I pretty much have the formula down we meet girl, girl gets in trouble, hero saves girl, girl and hero go seperate ways, hero has three more close shaves with death, hero meets super vilian, hero and girl cross paths again both trying to foil super vilian, hero and girl win, the end. This of course over 400+ pages. Even knowing this I buy this book the day after it is released and read page after page unable to set it down until I am at the end. Maybe it is just an easier read since I do have the formula down and I know what is coming I can get more relaxed when I go read. Whatever the reason I will keep buying Cussler as long as he keeps writing.

I just finished Clive Cussler's new book White Death.
I own every one of the books written by Clive Cussler, all in hardbook editions. Clive has always been my favorite writer, without question. Dirk Pitt or course being my favoite of Clive's characters, but certainly Kurt Austin has been coming along as a good replacement.
Clive's books have always been a fast read with lots of twists and turns in his story lines. As you read his books, you always say to yourself, how are you going to tie up all of these story lines? But in the end you know Clive will do it with a bang,and the entertainment with will be great.
I can tell that Clive did not write this book. It is too wordy with so much side explanitation that at times you want to take his by the shoulders and shake him and say, "Get on with it". Clive's books are a fast read, this one is not.
If Clive is trying to train Mr. Kemprecos to take over writing his books when he retires, he needs a lot more work on shortening his chapters and getting on with the story line.
Don't get me wrong, I will continue to read his books, I still enjoy reading every page. I just wish Clive would edit them a little better the next time before he puts his name on them.

Clive Cussler has never been one to bow to plausibility in his novels. Filled with strange situations, bizarre plots, and even more bizarre characters, their fantastic situations are what makes them fun. This work goes beyond Cussler's usual strangeness-far beyond.

The plot involves an evil tribe of Native Americans that run a fish company using a zeppelin lost over the Arctic in the 1930s and subsequently repaired to drop their mutant fish into the Atlantic, where they would eat the competition and give them full control over the world's fish. Several individual scenes match the main plot in ridiculousness, such as a dogsled chase through a large, snowless city.

The prose isn't any better or worse than any other Cussler novel. If you love weirdness, get this. If you don't, leave it.

See storyline above.
A fast-paced, no nonsense delivery is what you expect from Cussler. That's what you get. I too was surprised when I received this in a hardback instead of the paper. What I thought (since it was a hardback) was that Kurt Austin was going to replace Dirk Pitt as Cusslers main protagonist. I also got the impression that I would be reading a better novel (such as the Dirk Pitt hardbacks). Well it is good entertainment, and without a doubt, action packed, but its become a bit formulaic.
I will still always jump on the newest Cussler novel and certainly look forward to the newest Dirk Pitt.
Highly recommended.

Kurt Austin is a leader of a special assignments team who soon becomes an all out hero. He is like the James Bond of the ocean and will do anything to stop the bad guys from winning. White Death by Clive Cussler is brimming to the edges with suspense and will keep you reading till you turn the last page and then you'll ask for more. If you love action, suspense, and an all out thrill ride, you'll love White Death.

The main character Kurt Austin gets called in to rescue a few men from a shipwreck and all of a sudden he's getting chased by a ruthless corporation that's planning something so evil, they'll kill anyone that gets in their way. He works with his colleagues and friends to get to the bottom of what's going on. They use everything from science to history books to find out what's going on and they will take you along for the ride. Its twists and turns will hit you so fast, you'll feel like you're on a roller coaster ride.

At the store.com, Pam Johnson says, "Cussler and Kemprecos have a gift for fitting history, science, and action into an interesting story, and this book is an example of their best efforts." I couldn't agree with her more. They gave this book everything they had to make Eskimos, fish farming, and history into an all out amazing book. Only two extremely skilled writers can turn something that odd into a masterpiece. Even if you don't like history this book will pull you into an interesting history lesson and you'll find yourself wondering how you found that interesting.

You may have to be able to suspend your disbelief a little as Lynellen Perry says on the store.com, but if you can the book is well worth it. Anyone who wants to have a little fun and be entertained will have a blast reading this book. If you are one of those people though that has trouble using your imagination and has trouble enjoying things that can't possibly be real, this book may not be for you. You don't need much imagination thought to let Clive's world take over and for you to enjoy this book. It'll be worth your time and money for anyone who appreciates a good bit of entertainment and fun along with some history thrown in the mix.

This novel is simply one of the best Kurt Austin (the main protagonist) adventures in CUssler's series. Having masterfully exploited the Antartica in Atlantis Found, the master storyteller turned his passion to the other end of the world, the Arctic. As usual, Cussler's protagonist eventually saved the world from his nemesis. This is predictable.

If you like Dirk Pitt's adventures, then you will enjoy Austin's forages. Technically, he is just Pitt's "twin". A good read, enjoy it.

I look forward to a new Clive Cussler (& Paul Kemprecos) adventure every year or so, but this one, though it has all the suspense and twists I expected I feel like I've read it before. Perhaps Kurt Austin is too much of a clone of Dirk Pitt and well as their sidekicks, and the formula has run its course. Cussler's non-fiction adventures are even better, and I can see where he brings his knowledge of sea and the history of seafaring to each plot, but unfortunately there is nothing new here to make it as exceptional as I've come to expect.
Cussler is a great story teller and I honestly don't read him for the great writing, but for the escape so perhaps next time he will bring one of his heroes(or create a new one)onto land for a bigger caper and break new ground.

A will written mystery/thriller with interesting well developed characters. The story line is fast moving with lots of twist and turns. I would recommend the series too anyone who enjoys a will written mystery/thriller. Enjoy reading

One does not read Clive Cussler's books for literary insight or deep, thoughtful themes. No, you read them for pure escapism and enjoyment- and perhaps a small history lesson (in the way that Indiana Jones gave 'history' lessons), and Cussler delivers once again with Kurt Austin. Somehow, Cussler keeps coming up with fresh, if formulaic, stories to entertain and thrill. Is there anything new here? No, but you can love it for the same reason you love James Bond. Buy it, unplug from the world, and enjoy!

What do (1) a man running from the Spanish Inquisition in 1515, (2) a missing Nazi zeppelin in 1935, (3) a tribe of violent Eskimos, and (4) a nefarious multinational corporation raising genetically modified fish have to do with NUMA? In typical Clive Cussler fashion, he weaves the various strands together into an action-packed story in which only hero Kurt Austin can save the day. A fun read, especially if you are interested in history and oceanography.

I purchased this and a few other Clive Cussler books as gifts for my daughter. I have not read it, but if the reviews are to be believed, this will be another of Cussler's endless situations in which his characters find themselves. If this is the kind of book you like, Cussler is your man.

Another action packed adventure from Clive Cussler. The combination of technological savvy, pretty women, crusty collegues, and rugged individualism entertains with almost every page. The evil villian is indeed evil, and the climax multi-layered. Recommended for any Cussler fan... he does not disappoint

As always, Clive has created a spellbinding, gripping, and enjoyable piece with the NUMA team of Kurt Austin. It's a joy to see how Kurt extricates himself from seemingly terminal situations. I always look forward to Clive's next works.

When the Eskimo villain captured our hero, Kurt Austin (or is it Austin Powers?), I expected him to say, "Welcome to my evil lair." He even had his own form of ill tempered sea bass! I'm sorry, but this thing read like a farce. Dog sleds in downtown DC? Mutant fish that may take over the world? Give me a break. Furthermore, the book was just plain boring. The action was only compelling in a few sections (unlike most of Cussler's books).