Return of the Master

The 22nd novel in a series penned by “the guy I read” – Tom Clancy, Poseidon’s Arrow has it all – from explosions, chase scenes, and bare-armed combat, to snappy witticisms, spunky damsels in distress, and a (literally) earth-moving plot. Clive Cussler, respectfully and deservingly famed as the ‘Grandmaster of adventure’, together with his son, Dirk, yet again weaves science, technology, politics, history, and geography into a thrilling tapestry of action and adventure spanning the breadth of the globe.

In this episode (though that term is a superb understatement given the magnitude and scale of the plot) set in 2014, Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino from the U.S. National Underwater and Maritime Agency (NUMA) are finally, after 21 books, getting on in years. However, after the U.S. Navy’s top-secret revolutionary brainchild’s production schedule goes awry as a result of a suspiciously coincidental crippling of the world’s production of rare earth elements, mysterious deaths at sea caused by a hitherto unknown and undetectable weapon, and the sudden disappearance of a scientist potentially responsible for deciding the balance of power in the world’s seas for decades into the future, the fantastic duo get back to investigating the murky waters for clues linking these incidents – and unearth a conspiracy more complex than what anyone would have bargained for.

Even the most ardent of Cussler’s fans (and there are a great many) would have to accept that each book cannot possibly keep being better than the last, and this is one of the few occasions where this might be true – but this is attributable to the high storytelling standards the Grandmaster has established for himself from the start. After the initial excitement of beginning another Pitt adventure settles, the plot starts to become slightly predictable (but only if one has read a sizeable amount of the rest of the series). This, in addition to perhaps a smaller-than-expected dose of historical linkage and a frugal serving of explanations and details of up-and-coming technological concepts leads one to wonder if perhaps the book will turn out to be a let-down.

However, the tongue-in-cheek, metaphor-laden, and outright audaciously witty dialogue and banter, coupled with the transitioning of character roles (Dirk Pitt Sr. and Al Giordino slowly starting to make way for Dirk Pitt Jr. and Summer Pitt in the limelight) allow for forgiveness in this pivotal part of the series. Perhaps not the best book to start with for readers new to the series, but certainly an important read for any fan of Dirk Pitt Sr.

For us here at Imperial, it may be a common sentiment that there is simply no time to read for leisure (or even for study, depending on your course); however it is this reviewer’s opinion that reading Cussler’s works, such as Poseidon’s Arrow, can allow us to kill two birds with one stone: firstly by allowing us a (perhaps ill-fated) break from workaholicism and secondly, giving us an awareness of how our STEM/Medical education can get (mis)treated out in the real world, in addition to seeing how much value our potential output can have. Perhaps some of us aren’t concerned about that and just want to graduate and start work, but there are also many who wish to appreciate what they can do in the future using their degree-related knowledge, and the potential consequences and impacts that may arise – and for these people, Cussler’s literature is surely an appealing literary supplement to following the news or reading dry journal exposés.

This reviewer recommends Cussler’s Atlantis Found, Fire Ice, Dark Watch, Black Wind, and Arctic Drift.