Review: Pacific Vortex! by Clive Cussler

The good

• A fast-paced, exciting adventure story.

• Plenty of good action.

• Dirk Pitt is a reasonably entertaining protagonist.

• Fun nautical settings: e.g., submarines, scuba diving, underwater caves, etc.

• I liked the mix of something that appears magical and leads to all sorts of sailor superstitions (like the Bermuda Triangle), but all ultimately explained with science.

The not so good

• Many of the characters are tropes: e.g., the bad guy does a long monologue and tries to kill the protagonist in an elaborate way, with totally inept guards, rather than just shooting him on the spot.

• All the women in the story are stunningly beautiful sex objects with no real personalities of their own.

• Dirk Pitt is a little too good at his deductions.

Rating: 3.5 stars