If what I've heard is true that Dirk's first 300 pages of Black Wind were totally his with no editing from Clive, I can safely say that Dirk is going to do the Dirk Pitt series proud!

I'm amazed at how in tune his writing is compared to Clive's. I started reading the book whilst holding my breath, hoping it was going to be in the Cussler style we all know, and after a few pages, I started breathing again with a grin from ear to ear.

The book was awesome and it complimented the Dirk Pitt series perfectly. My hat is off to Dirk for coming through big time in his debut book.

Black Wind also took care of a lot of nagging problems that I felt needed addressing from Trojan Odyssey in which Dirk jr. and Summer seemed a little too close. Dirk looks like he has found Sarah to be his "Loren" and it could be the start of a continuing relationship. Dirk also seems more decisive and confident in Black Wind than in Trojan Odyssey. He almost seemed unsure of himself in the last book, but now it looks like he can hold his own.

I like how Dirk Cussler discerns between the two Dirk Pitts. When they are together, he uses "Dirk" for Dirk Pitt jr. and "Pitt" for Dirk Pitt sr. The last book got awful confusing at times. I got a real buzz when Dirk and Al first appeared on the pages and at the end with the blimp and Sea Launch sequences ... wow!

AND .... how's that car chase with the Cadillac and the Chrysler!! ... I was on the edge of my seat reading that :o Great stuff!

Anyway, tell us what you thought about Black Wind ...

The book was very good and it looked like that Dirk Jr is some what like his dad like dealing with the bad guys and his love of old cars

Great book. I must admit I was alittle nervous at first, but as I read on I was hooked. Someone in the Cussler family likes the breed dachshund. I got a kick out of Mauser! This particular breed has been mentioned in previous books.
(I never thought to ask Tony if Clive has one)


Packed full of adventure and villians...Dirk did a great job, and will have no problem taking over at all ;)

I was happy to see Clive enter the pages on his Chinese junk!! I like when he writes himself in... :)

Damn!!!
In italy the book hasn't been published yet!!! <_<

Books and movies usually arrive here at least six months later...

Ciao!!!

THAT BOOK READS AS IF ONE GUY WROTE IT. I AM GLAD WE HAVE CLIVE AND I AM GLAD WE HAVE DIRK.

TOMG

I have to admit it was much better than I was expecting. I think Dirk Cussler will do quite well. I'm going to miss Dirk and Al though. Seems they've been shuffled off to
the side a little too far.
All things considered, a very good book.

kujo54

Darn! I had spent all my money I earned on Sacred Stone last week and I completly forgot about Black Wind! I'm just not use to a New Pitt Adventure out so early after the previous release. I saw in the USA Today that Black Wind didn't break the top 10, it went from 121 to 12 on the list, and Trojan Odyssey in paperback is 17. The book looks good and I hope to pick it up soon, but it is any better than TO? I thought TO wasn't bad but it wasn't good.. :lol:

I would personally give more points to Black Wind than Trojan Odyssey. Dirk jr. and Summer in TO were a little hard to swallow, but in BW, they were written in as individual characters you could relate to and an integral part of Numa. TO was always going to be a tough read for the true Dirk Pitt fan, because it was essentially the beginnings of an increasingly background role for Dirk and Al. Even though our old heroes appeared sparingly in BW, it was left to them to save the day, especially Dirk's effort in the closing stages on the Sea Launch platform.

:) All I can say is, " I liked it." In spite of a few misgivings after TO, I just fell right into the story. Hard to believe 2 different authors were involved. People, we are in good hands! th:

This book was great, i really like how Dirk and Summer have been integrated now. And Dirk is quite like his father, in dealing with the enemy, and the women. It also seemed like it was written by one person. My hat goes off to Dirk and Clive (and sits next to about 15 others, but that's beside the point).

Can somebody please inform me where Dirk Cussler finished and Clive Cussler began writing as I'll be damned if I can figure it out, it really does read as though only one person wrote it, which I think is extremely good news for us.

I feel that Dirk and Summer are much better written and although I was a little concerned at the beginning seeing how long it took for Summer to actually appear once I got to that point I did realise why it was done that way and I hope that they will continue to build her character and have her play a more prominent(if that's the right word :unsure: ) part.

I really liked how they were able to get themselves out of trouble etc.. without Dad running to the rescue...oh but once he did, oh my goodness.

I think Jack seems like a fun character, and I agree that Sarah does seem to be Jr's 'Loren' hopefully we will see more of her, loved seeing Clive still make an appearance and a great appearance too.....surprised Dirk didn't recognise him from his Father's wedding reception though...hehehehehehehe

I was in that car with them for that ride, I swear!

And of course the most important thing was AL was still there th:

I don't think I've given anything away, right? As I know you people can't keep away from this forum even though it says too......hell I couldn't either j:

If I haven't stated it yet, I really really enjoyed it and I think it will have to be put in my top 5 list, I insist that those who are not sure whether to purchase it walk no run to your local bookstore immediately kel:

Got my copy of BLACK WIND a few weeks ago - read it from cover to cover. You may know of my rants against the GOLDEN BUDDHA - my comparisons to that book and various large, steaming bowel movements were plentiful.

HOWEVER....

BLACK WIND is a worthy addition to the Dirk Pitt adventure roster! Excellent, fast paced plot, believable characters, situations, and villians. Once I started reading the book I could not put it down.


The book title says, "A Dirk Pitt Adventure" - what I didn't realize is that it's referring to the younger DP! I didn't expect DP Sr. and Al Giordino to be relegated to minor character status, but I do believe it was handled very well. DP Jr. could very well have been a clone of DP Sr. from earlier books, from bidding on antique cars (Night Probe), romancing female scientist (Sahara, Inca Gold), trashing said antique car in a narrow escape (Treasure, Dragon, Flood Tide, Deep Six), ability to pilot any aircraft/ship/submersible (ALL books! :lol:), narrow escape from a pirated/sinking ship (Trojan Odyssey).

This is NOT a slam on the book! I *loved* having those familiar elements back - it made the book seem like a treasured visit from an old friend. Clive/Dirk Cussler's writing styles are SO well blended I couldn't tell who wrote what, unlike the Clive Cussler/Craig Dirgo authored books. If this is an example of Dirk Cussler's writing, we are in for enjoyable adventures for many, many years to come.

Another plus is a departure from the recent trend of "fantastic" stuff like Captain Nemo, Star Trek transporters, weird cults, supernatural/unbelievable villians, and the like. This book brings on a believable villian with understandable, "real world" motivation. Of course, I did snicker a bit at the hat-tip to James Bond: "Welcome Mr. Bond, to my secret, evil lair. Here is a Powerpoint presentation as to how my evil plan will work, and a lavish gourmet meal to eat while I explain it all!" You'll know the scene in the book when you reach it. ;)

While this book doesn't quite reach the heights of SAHARA and ATLANTIS FOUND (my top two faves) it comes very, very close.

Kudos to the Cusslers for a job very well done! th:

OH! And this time, the relationship between Dirk and Summer is a LOT less creepy and more believable. Great job!!

t: A great book, kudos to Dirk C for having the ability to follow in his fathers footsteps (must be hereditary). Dirk P Jr is also a chip off the old block. I had to keep telling myself that it WAS JR and not SR. I think we have a lot to look forward to with Dirk taking over the series from Clive. I worried that Clive would phase out and retire (which he surely deserves) and we would have no more new adventures for Dirk Pitt. The evolution to Dirk Jr has been interesting but works for me.

And I had the honor to meet Clive and Dirk in Scottsdale. I finished Black Wind on the plane home.

Pat

Thanks for sharing your picture with us Pat th:

A great start for Dirk can now rest easy and look forward to the future as it is in good hands. The old familiar elements were like old friends visiting again. The car chase was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Will have to make room on the book shelves for future books.

Great book. Really good Job Dirk! We know the future of our books are in good hand. Thanks!!!!!! w:

Well, after hinting to my family members for a few weeks, I was glad to see the cover of Black Wind upon taking of the wrapping paper. Family members had actually bought it upon release date and have been non-stop telling me that my uncle had gotten me something from the bookstore and that I should wait until I get another one.

So here we are and I'm about 60 pages in and it is excellent. Although that can change of the course of 500 pages, It's just the feel of this novel. It seems the Dirk Pitt Jr's sidekick is that fellow whose name has slipped my mind and this novel seems like it is the take over stages are complete. In Trojan Odyessey the relation ship between the twins was...scary...seemed like they were lovers :o, but you can see how Pitt Jr. is being set as the main character and it's good to see. It terms of writing I can see the difference in styles but the complex plotting and the "Cussler sweep" if you would like to call it that, is still present.

So far Dirk Cussler has been wonderful and I'm hoping that it remains that way throughout the rest of the book.

Well, gotta go and start reading again!

In my meager opinion, Black Wind is a give from God. I worried like others about Dirk Jr. and Summer being interesting, although Sr.'s marrying Loren was awesome. Thank you very much Dirk Cussler for exceeding my expectations with the new book. Now when I talk great reads to friends I will have to say authors instead of singular author. Also, thanks for the newer model chrysler. I was wondering how Jr. was going to afford cars of Sr.'s caliber and expense. Now, if Jr. would only fall in love with an International Super Scout II, I can die a happy man. :P

Just finished Black Wind and would have to say it's a great read. Dirk did a fine job of bringing Pitt Jr. to the forefront. I also love the addition of Jack Dahlgren as Pitt Jr sidekick. I really wasn't that surprised that Pitt Sr. and Al were in the background for the most part. Dirk and Clive did a great job of winding them into the story. I only wish there would have been some mention of Loren since her and Dirk had just got married. All and all a great start to what I foresee as a long career for Dirk Cussler.
And I see that Black Wind is #5 in the New York Times list.

Andy

The book was good, as are all of his books. But I could tell a difference. The action scenes seemed to take longer and there was not "find" at the end of the book. All of CC's books have a significant historical find at the end of the book. There was nothing. That is what first drew me to these story's. I will never quit reading, but I was disappointed there wasn't anything.

th: I LOVED THE BOOK! th:

At first I had to keep reminding myself that "Dirk" was the son. WOW! Dirk Cussler did an incredible job keeping the flavor of a Dirk Pitt adventure we all enjoy. And I nearly cried when "Pitt" was stuck in the Badger - but he pulled through! A lot of great action scenes.

I am looking forward to the next adventure! :) w:

I just finished it...
Not a bad read, but I'm not as overly impressed as most of you. Don't get me wrong, I certainly enjoyed the book, and I will gladly buy the next ones...it's just that I was underwhelmed by the novel.
I don't know if it's the fact that I have such high expectations of each novel before I crack them open or what. But I knew as I was reading it that it wasn't a true "Dirk Pitt" novel as advertised (and perhaps this clouded my enjoyment?), even though Junior seems more than an adequate 'replacement'. I do have high hopes for the series from this initial endeavour, though!
However.
The thing I found the most...'jarring'...was Dirk's uncanny ability to fly/drive/pilot anything like his father. Pitt Sr. had the benefit of an Air Force training, Jr. does not. But he flew a chopper like it was second nature, drove like a Grand Prix racecar driver, and piloted a sub better than Nemo. I suppose we can chalk it up to 'good genes', and in this case he has the best. It's just that my noticing of his multiple talents took me out of the story a bit, something that doesn't normally happen for me.
I'm glad that Summer and Dirk were not as close as they seemed in Trojan Odessey. Their relationship in that novel bordered on the 'uncormfortable' for me. In this novel, they were certainly close, but believably so. They are twins, after all, and share a special bond. I found the treatment of this relationship much better this time around.
The story moved at a really good pace, and Kang as a villain was very well crafted. The best villains are the ones who's plight you can understand, and this was the case in Black Wind. Kang was bred to think and act the way he did, and he had high hopes. Sure, they were evil, but he was a bad guy! What would you expect?
I liked Jack Dahlgren, he'll make an excellent "Al" for Jr. He's a ladies man, too, heh heh. And Sarah as a romantic intrest is a nice addition as well.
All in all, I'm definately looking forward to the next Dirk Pitt adventure. And his sister, too.

1. I believe Dirk jr. the flying ace was responsible for the loss of NUMA's first helicopter.

2. Dirk jr. drove more like a maniac with crazed gunman shooting wildly at him.

3. Dirk jr. and Jack were previously trained to operate the mini sub.

But your right, Foss, he did seem adept at most everything he did, but its a lot better situation than this ;

"There must be some way of approaching the Sea Launch platform undetected." said the Captain scratching his chin.
"If only I knew how to operate that damn sub!" replied Dirk with his hands in his pockets.
"How about you take the chopper?" the Captain fired back.
"Sorry, no license." Dirk responded shuffling his feet.

:lol:

:lol: :lol: :lol:
That would have been a lot worse, yes!

And in Dirk's defense, the bulets flying at him in the helicopter were responsible for the crash, not faulty piloting...

ROFL

Why do I ever leave this place? :unsure:

Clive Cussler did the un-believable in my opinion. He made his main character young again.

I think it was pure genius to have Summer survive & give birth to twins, then come into Pitt's life when he was too old to be convincing while doing his heroic actions that we've all come to love & expect. So instead of retiring Pitt forever from his loyal readers, we get to read Pitt adventures for another 25 years.

Maybe its not Clive's "original" Pitt & Al, but it beats being stuck w/ Kurt & Joe's adventures as the only way to continue reading about the NUMA we've all been hooked on!

Black Wind was great. We have a young, energetic, green Pitt once again- and we have an older, wiser, seasoned Pitt to lend him a hand when he needs it.

I thought the car chase was really well written, but somewhat unbelievable (as is any car chase that involves automatic weapons). I'm glad DC/CC included the line "the badguys inexplicably focused on shooting up the cabin rather than the tires" because inexplicably is a good word for that. The car also seemed to continue driving far after it probably should have exploded or frozen up. One of these days the car chase is going to have to end in the middle of the road and the chase get taken up on foot. That would be a neat twist.

Really enjoyed Black Wind, for the most part. Korea is the new Soviet Union, in that we have political tensions with them now in real life, so naturally they are our enemy in the book. One of these days, though, bad guys are going to learn that they need to simply kill their rivals quickly, rather than continually giving them the opportunity to escape and spoil the fun. I guess the plot needs to go on though, but let's just say Austin Powers got it right when Dr. Evil said "No, I'm just going to put them in a lightly guarded, slowly moving perilous situation and assume everything works out." (forgive the misquote, it's nearly 1am and I don't want to look it up, you get the idea). ;)

I've put my comments in another thread so I won't repeat myself.

I am a little "fearful" that Dirk Cussler wrote this one very carefully - with Dad looking on - following the recipe letter for letter - but for how long?

Imagine you are cooking a cake, following a recipe which your mum has made for years, which all the family loves. The first time, you follow the ingredients exactly, all carefully measured and people can hardly tell whether you or mum made it. The next time (or the time after that) you think" well, I'd like to see what it tasted like with orange peel instead of lemon - just that one difference won't REALLY change the cake) and before you've baked many more cakes it's gone from lemon meringue pie to choc cherry cheesecake and the meringue pie is history!

Lol - I bet that all sounded really dumb - but what I mean is that Dirk is an author - he isnt going to want to "copy" his fathers story (he's not writing fan fic after all).He's been given a NEW character to develop and surely he isnt going to write Dirk Pitt senior all over again. I think that as the novels come - they will change each time and show more of the NEW author and less of the old.
Whether a reader likes the new more or as much as the old - only time will tell.

I missed Pitt and Al in this one (and even though I don't like her for some reason - I missed Loren too - she's Pitt wife now - and didnt even get one line in the book!)

I don't think the characters showed enough emotion either. I loved Pitt's sense of pride and love for his kids in the last book (even Al seemed very fond of them). It felt it a bit lacking in this one. I would have liked the twins to call him "uncle Al" - but that's probably just me. We seemed to get into Pitt seniors head a bit more intimately in past books - felt like he was someone we knew (or wish we did).

I'll go into the next novel a lot "wiser". I'll know more of what to expect (and more importantly what NOT to expect). I think that will be better.

There's been some very interesting points and suggestions so far. I'm tempted to forward this thread later on to Clive & Dirk. Maybe they will take some of this onboard.

:o Black Wind

I know it's not just me from the few reviews I have read elsewhere so far. Let's get started.
What's going on? Clive Cussler - The Man, the king of adventure, action and historical fun. I have read these books for 20 years. I absolutely adore them. They have developed, expanded and got better every time. My favourite is still 'Treasure' followed by 'Sahara' (don't even get me started on the movie!!!!). Recent books though made me wonder if Clive was starting to 'lose the plot' a little; some bonkers inventions - 'Beam me up Clive' and some unnecessary historical introductions - Trojan Oddysey. What real difference did it all make?
Black Wind has started something else though. I felt that for the first time there was a real lack of depth and direction. The entire book wandered. There was a hell of a lot of description and lecturing. There was a distinct lack of edge and excitement from previous novels. The Cussler's did not seem to know which characters to focus on or which direction they wanted to take the novels in. Kang was the most uninvolved main villain from all the books so far and Dahlgren who at first I thought was going to be the main new sidekick seemed to disappear for 300 pages much as Dirk and Al did after their initial introduction. Dirk Junior had turned into rambo by the end of the book.
This was just not at all what I expect from Clive after all these years. There were also so many typing and grammatical errors. A 'can't put down book'? More like a 'Couldn't care less' book. By the half way point, I was reading it out of loyalty to Clive and the fact that it is a Dirk Pitt novel more than anything else. Disagree if you wish. As I said, I have read these books for 20 years, I love them and re-read them constantly but this was the most disappointing novel yet and the last two before haven't been great either. CC is beginning to remind me of the World Heavyweight Champion Boxer who is over-the-hill but keeps coming back for more... Where does he go from here????

Geez I just did a detailed reply and lost it!!! This site doesnt let you right click to copy your post in case it gets lost after you click "post reply" :(

Can't be bothered to do it all again so here's a short version.

Pitt does all the daring stuff he does because it gets in the way of a fairly "simple" man who like riddles and mysteries which involve his first love - the sea. Because he has compasssion and empathy and a sense of what's "right" he is compelled to fight bad guys and help the helpless on his way to solving these mysteries. He is a simple man - yet very deep emotionally.

Dirk jnr - is trying to be like Pitt but he's already too good at it so the things he does come across as shallow and gratuitous. Dirk jnr seems to be there FOR the fighting, daring do's and maiden rescues rather than having to overcome them to find the seas latest hidden secret.

Just my opinion.

I am so surprised by all of the positive feedback on Black Wind. As I was reading it I was thinking that maybe I'd become jaded or something to Dirk's adventures. The book just did not hook me as did Cussler's earlier books. When I finished BW I picked up Sahara for a comparison. THAT book I could not put down and actually read it cover to cover in a couple of days (as I have done with all of the earlier CC books). The contrast in plot development and flow was immense. For me, since the combining of authors, I have to say the writings have gone downhill and BW will probably be the last CC book I buy.

I bought Black Wind a few nights ago, just finished it. Very pleased with the book. I could not tell the difference between where Clive and Dirk wrote, very seamless.

I wish that Dirk and Al's part in the book would have been bigger. Still very enjoyable with their small parts in the book. But, bringing forth newer characters requires that old favorites take a step back. Giving the new characters a chance to shine.

With Dirk Cussler writing about Dirk Pitt Jr., Summer and all of the NUMA family, I am certain that they will be in VERY GOOD hands for the future. Hopefully with some more visit's from Dirk Sr. and Al.

Right then, I'm only 400 pages into the book, but I want to post my early impressions.

First, I'm very happy with the story. Compared to TO this was fantastic - especially the first 100 pages that revived classic Cussler memories, but with a fresh breeze of Dirk Cussler writing it.

As for the Clive/Dirk writing combo - I think that Dirk wrote almost the entire book (with Clive's guidance), and maybe Clive wrote the prologue. But the actual writing was done by Dirk, they were not taking turns, and that's why it looks so seamless.

However, as good as the beginning was, the middle started sagging at around page 250 and seemed to drag a bit until 350-ish. I was slightly disappointed with this fact - after the glorious start, the middle was a bit of a letdown.

Also, I couldn't help but wonder how repetitive the language was. I involuntarily started counting the sentences starting with "As..." or "With..." and saw the sentence structure repeat itself over and over again all the time. That said, it's just a minor gripe, and a trivial issue that spoiled an otherwise great book. I'm sure Dirk will develop a solid writing style as time goes on. Thankfully, it's only the first book by Dirk, and if Black Wind is any indication, he'll definitely surpass his dad.

Just my two cents.

I to was a little disappointed with BW as other readers have stated.I tend to agree with Ian,it started ok but got alittle bogged down through the middle section of the story.It again picks up around the car chase and is a good finish.With always looking for the hero stuff from Dirk and Al they could have been more prominent throughout the book.After all it was billed as a new Dirk Pitt Adventure.So lets hope Dirk and Al feature more in the story line in the future.Its was not surprising that the book improved in my mind when Dirk and Al got into the action.Dirk Cussler has done a great job in the writing of the book.But i would like to see Dirk and Al figure more in future releases.After all we are Dirk Pitt fans :)

I do admit that Dirk Cussler's style of writing was just what the doctor ordered, but the book needed Dirk sr. and Al involved in it much more. I found myself anxiously waiting for the next scene with Dirk sr. and Al, rather than really paying a huge amount of attention to the rest of the story like I do in Cussler's other novels. <_<

I finally got a hold of a hardback copy of Black Wind. Seeing as I'm living in Korea this was rather hard to do. Eventually I asked a friend who flew to the States last month and got it. The present-day Korea references came on fast and thick, with Cussler managing to fit in everything from typical Korean political maneuvering, megacorp-with-suspected-ties-to-NK, student protests backed by the North, and an American GI scandal. It felt pretty realistic to me, and the doctor who could tell Koreans and Japanese apart was a cute touch. I think that was a nod to Deep Six (although I haven't read that yet). I still don't know what Korean word(s) Dirk Cussler meant by "Saw!" (something that some Koreans in the book were saying when they got jumped). The other bits of Korean dialogue were fine, just what was up with that "Saw!" ? :D

I finally finished Black Wind - it took so long because of all the work I have to do nowadays, not because the book was bad! :lol:

But the action scenes in the middle of the book, to be honest, were appalling.

There were only two spectacular ones: the car chase and the blimp sequence, plus some cool ones when Tongju was killing those folks.

The rest were dull and repetitive:

1) Dirk and Summer are trapped.
2) The crew of a vessel are trapped.
3) Dirk and Summer are trapped.
4) The crew are trapped.
5) Dirk and Jack are trapped.

I really didn't like this, surely there could be some variety at least.

Speaking from somebody who's been along since nearly Day 1, I thought I'd weigh in here...

I too, had a hard time getting into this one (actually, for about the last three stories), and hopefully Dirk (C.) can possibly take everybody in a new direction (i.e. develop his own style rather than copying Dad's) to make some of the stories a bit fresher. Somebody else noticed the "trap" pattern developing, and truthfully, that element is getting a bit stale. I was cringing a bit at the monologuing part and was actually expecting the oft used phrase "my dear Pitt" to be conferred upon the junior Pitt (thankfully, it wasn't), as it would have been totally out of place.

This being said, it was a pretty good read. MUCH better than the stinking pile known as the Oregon Files (better to file them all as File 13 material). Kurt Austin seemed to be the logical choice to replace Pitt, but hey.... immaculate conceptions occur every day, right? ;)

I haven't gotten into the KA books yet because they appear to be simply a cheap knock-off of the DP books. I wonder if my opinion would be different if CC had decided to bring KA into the DP books much like he did with Dirk's children. Instead of an unbelievable immaculate conception we could have had KA working side by side with DP as an associate and then kind of take over the primary action responsibilities when DP took over as director. This way the conversion would have been a lot more seamless, the comparisons a lot more believable, no need for a second "series" trying like the little brother to jump into the spotlight, and there would have been less controversy.

Maybe not, but it's an interesting idea. det: