Take a chill pill!
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This was my first Clive Cussler, and the cast list at the beginning was constantly being referred to so as to identify who was on which side. At first I thought that would be a bad thing and could see myself not getting to the end (for the third time in my literary life!) but accepting that it was written for an American audience and therefore ignoring the geographichal and cultural faux pas, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I now seek out Clive Cussler novels (the earlier ones seem the best) in charity shops and anywhere they pop up. This one is not the best, but it holds a fond place in my affections for the road it sent me down.Sacred Stone: A Novel from the Oregon Files
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Not impressed
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Clive Cussler novels tend to be flag waving efforts at the best of times. This one goes over board and doubtless would upset any middle eastern person reading it. Also the implication that the US and UK government are caring and honest - please spare us. Other readers have noted the plot inaccuracies, these were particularly aggravating. Notably the scene with the motorcycle supposedly transporting a 400lb (that's 28.5 stone) in it's side car and yet nimbly managing to avoid the vehicles trying to stop it. Certainly not one of his better efforts, I'm just glad I borrowed it and didn't pay for it.
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Disappointed
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Just finished this book, though fairly enjoyable the plot was a bit far-fetched and the characters very one dimentional.
Certainly not one of Cussler's best books, rather writing by numbers.
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Another Juan Cabrillo Novel
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Clive Cussler was born in 1931 and grew up in Alhambra, California. He attended Pasadena City College before joining the Air Force. He went on to a successful advertising career, winning many national honours for his copywriting. He has also explored the deserts of the American Southwest in search of lost gold mines, dived in isolated lakes in the Rocky Mountains looking for lost aircraft and hunted under the sea for shipwrecks of historic significance, discovering and identifying more than sixty. He is married with three children, and divides his time between Colorado and Arizona. His credentials as a best selling author cannot be doubted and he has a large `stable' of best selling adventure novels.
Clive Cussler began his series The Oregon Files, with the adventure of the Golden Buddha featuring the captain of the Oregon, Juan Cabrillo. Now he follows on the series with the Sacred Stone a new adventure featuring Juan Cabrillo.
The whole world is put at risk when an ancient artifact that possesses enormous radioactive power in unearthed in a remote part of Greenland. Caught between two militant powers that are bent on using that power to commit wholesale slaughter, Juan Cabrillo and his network of spies known as The Corporation must do everything in their power to protect the stone from all the factions that are doing their utmost to obtain the artifact. Only in this way will World War III be averted.
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A Bit Disappointing
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I have read most of Clive Cussler's novels, but I did not think this was one of his better ones. It is different from his other novels, as it is not a one man show like Dirk Pitt or Kurt Austin, but a group known as the 'Corporation', who have to save the world from the bad guys. I guess this makes the story a bit more believable.
In this case there are two sets of bad guys. Islamic fundamentalists, who wish to blow up London, and an American businessman, who wants to destroy Mecca. Both are trying to get their hands on an ancient piece of Meteorite, that will help with their plans.
I found the book a bit monotonous in places, something that rarely happens in this author's other books, and a bit of a struggle at times. I felt there was way too many characters involved. I would not say the book was awful, but it is definitely not as good as the author's earlier works.
If you are new to Clive Cussler, I would recommend, Sahara, Treasure or Dragon as good reads.
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