WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love this book.
Once again Clive puts it all out there and comes up big time.
Right next to Sahara as one of my two favorite books.
I love the prologue,the best written of all the books.The battle between the Executioner and Basil is classic.The struggle of the survivors,the raft,the joy of finding the island.Man! it just works for me every time.It's the only prologue I actually read every time I re-read a book.The others pale in comparison.
This book works on every level.The Dorsetts are one of the best written villians,although we could have done without the Boudicca uncovering,and I actually cared about Maeve and was sad to see her die.The fact that part of the story takes place just up the coast from me is a bonus.The action scenes are extremely well written,some of the best Clive has come up with.The anguish from Giordino at the end when he flies away leaving Dirk behind on the yacht th:
2 small things bother me though:
Dirks emergency kit that he shoves down his pants?He mentions that he never leaves home without it yet this is the first and only time we see him use it.
Dirks comment at the end of the book when he lands back in Washington...*Out of sight out of mind* it seems out of place.I have always wondered why Dirk would say such a thing.It just doesn't fit his character.
Those are small quibbles in an otherwise brilliant book.I think I have gushed enough to turn everyone off now.

10/10.............if I could give it an 11 I would

I really enjoyed this storyline as well. The story of survival in the historical prologue was superbly written, though, like Heep, I didn't care for the Boudicca angle and 'her' ultimate...ahem...fate.
I would also give this one a ten, it's classic Cussler.

I agree with Rob, This is a well written book. maeve and Dirk worked. It was so sad to see her die.It will always be one of my favorites. As for the "unvailing", well it did explain alot of things. Could we do without it? Maybe, but it goes to show there's alot in the world that isn't right. :lol:

Hey, look at this nifty bull's eye pattern on the back of my t-shirt!

or in other words, Shock Wave is not one of my favorite Cussler reads and the chief reason for this is the romance with Maeve. I just didn't buy it. This was a prime example of what I call a bowling alley relationship. A character is set up like a pin at a bowling alley, and the story rushes toward a predictable end--the pin gets knocked down and the character we've barely had time to get to know is swept from view. It happens all the time in adventure fiction, usually with a romantic involvement for a hero who is expected to remain romantically aloof (James Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service is probably the classic example.) When the reader senses that "this might be the one--true love!" the countdown toward an all too predictable tragedy begins. A really shocking twist at the end would have been to have Maeve survive and let the romance actually develop over the course of a few books. For unforgivable cliche: -3

Aside from that, there is a lot to recommend this book. The action scenes, are great--I really liked Pitt's infiltration of the BC mining facility with the help of the Haida and the subsequent escape and chase.
The villain was one of the best. Rarely has Clive filled one of his bad guys with so much venom; Arthur Dorsett is a villain worthy of Shakespeare, and the family dynamic was fantastic. Deidre was also a memorable 2nd tier villain, and all the more lovable since she was both beautiful and completely untrustworthy. If there's a drawback, it's the already mentioned gender bender with Boudicca. I never quite understood why Boudicca would choose to be so butch--it was completely counterintuitive.

I wasn't initially as fond of the survival tale and the Marvelous Maeve, because it felt like the obligatory "survival" portion of the novel, but I won't deduct any points for it.
To its credit, the information on the diamond industry was very good, and I'm quite pleased to be able to tell my wife that I'll have no part of supporting such a despicable industry.
Overall, Shock Wave was a story I could do without: 7 out of 10

I really liked this book overall, but certain elements didn't sit right. Examples include Maeve's death and Al leaving Dirk behind on the boat. I also didn't think the actual sound wave o' death was as believable as some of the other disaster scenarios, but I loved the diamond idea. Good action, too, and yes to a very memorable prologue and its use in the story.

This is definitely part of that A grade of books. Not many in the B grade :lol: I give it a wholehearted 10!!!!

One of my favorites. A 10 for sure. Of course Clive has never written a book I didn't like.

kujo54

Shockwave is a favourite, very well written, I'm still trying to understand the reason for errr the unveiling :lol: The Dorsett's were rememberable, I liked the whole survival part of the book..even though we all knew they were going to survive ;) I think Al was on top form in Shock Wave too!!!

The only thing that irks me is poor Loren.

10/10

At the moment this is my favourite book. But i haven't finished sahara yet.

KellyM: Why poor Loren?

Loren was at the hangar at the end, and offered to stay, but DP turned her down because he was sad.

John Merchant seemed like a formidable enemy - too bad he was underutilized.

Maeve's death was very well written - it made me sad...

This was the second Cussler book I read. Rates 10!

I still cry when I read read chapter when Maeve dies.

You too?Gets me everytime.

Waits for the slings and barbs from the male population. :lol: :angry:

No slings and barbs from me! It gets me too.... :unsure:

First in my top ten

This is my all time favorite. Clive gave us some villains that one loves to hate, a wonderful historical introduction and, a most fantastic escape. I give this one 100 out of 10.

No barbs from me, Heep, I was pissed when Maeve died. Although I knew it was coming when Dirk looked out the window and saw Basil. Recall Maeve's words: "We always see her right before someone dies." I think I was more angry than sad about Maeve's death, and I really did feel badly for Loren who loves and cares for Dirk so much and she's always being pushed away by his sadness for OTHER women. I'm SO glad he finally saw the light. In case you can't tell from many of my posts I think Loren is the ideal woman. :)

Yep that was why I said poor Loren :(

I would definitley give it a 10!!!!!

The fight between Boudicca and Pitt/Giordino is one of the best fights in the Cussler series!!

Cussler put it all together in this book. He had the horrible villians EVEN I wanted to kill, a complex plot with many subplots, and classic fight scenes. He couldn't have done any better th: th

This Book is the best, a 20 if I could use my toes for counting (But, counting isn't my specialty :lol: ) !!!

I loved it, and the prologue was the best!!! :lol:

But, I didn't understand why his descendants on the island would have turned out so rotten. The parents seemed fine, but I guess I never inherited a diamond mine.

I did catch the part about his "Trusty First Aid Kit", I thought Clive would tie it in on future books. No such luck!!

DAMN! I'm at Chapter 27 in the book and just couldn't stand not to take a peek in this forum! I'll be sure not to peek while reading the next book! :unsure: So far, so great though.

I feel kind of unsure of myself though, I have been visualizing a very sexy woman in Boudicca... until I read the posts above! The posts weren't completely obvious of the outcome but I'm assuming that there was a "pickle in the pocket"?? :wacko:

Best. Desription. Ever.

This is the second book I read, after Inca Gold. I have since then read the book 4 times. This book and Inca Gold were well over a 10 rating!!! th:

Just finished the book! I have to say that I would've been surprised with the "revealing" of Boudicca had I not peeked in on this thread a week ago! Great book.

You're right Oswalder, I completely forgot about that while reading that chapter.

I've seen the rave reviews of the prologue of this book and agree that it was definitely one of the best that I've read so far. Sahara's prologue was better though, imo. The Civil War battle with the "Texas" and the Union ships was classic!

th: th:

yike: BWAHHHHH HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yike:

Yeah... the farther along I got in the book, the more obvious it became!! I pictured Boudicca's character as Kristen Johnson (played Sally on the TV series 3rd rock from the sun). Anyone know who I'm talking about? I was pretty upset to find that....well......yeah. :o

I know who you mean, and I can picture that!

This is one of my favorite CC books behind RTT.

Boissee, I'm fairly new to CC. I've read 3 books and listened to 2 on audio (RTT and Pacific Vortex).

I'm reading "Atlantis Found" now but plan on reading RTT afterwards. I know it's going to be different from the audio version, by the way, the audio book was great so I'm expecting an even better read! ;)

Geez, you'd think you were a writer or something! yike: :lol: :P


Oh and how does your wife feel about you not contributing to the gem industry?

It gets me too. The entire book is interesting and i couldn't put it down when i read it first time. That is a good question why we haven't seen before that survival pack Dirk carrying. I was thinking that is it possible that weapon Dirk has in his pack is the same that Sal Casio finds in Deep Six? If i remember right, they both are same caliber and from same manufacturer. I give it 9 out of 10.

I concur with the general consensis of the posts here.

Another CC fantastic book. Another 10 out of 10 from me.

Repeating what has been said here. The best prologue ever. Just the prologue itself would make a great movie.

I did however notice quite a few similarities to Sahara.

1. A operation on a remote facility is responsible for many many deaths. (the Toxic Plague and the Acoustic Plague)

2. Dirk and Al get stranded in the middle of nowhere with no supplies and must use their wit to survive (No water the key aspect).

3. "they" find a wrecked ship/plane and rebuild it and escape

I also have started to think that Dr Clive loves to use the term "seldom". I counted over a dozen times in this book that "seldom" is used to describe someone to something.

Basil was an interesting inclusion. I was hoping he would somehow become useful in the main story (i.e. help in killing the "badies").

The diamond storyline/angle was a good concept.

Not too sure about killer acoustics though.

Obviously any story involving my home country is always good to read in books.

Dr Clive got his australian accent a bit wrong. Some cliche aussie "talk". I actually don't know anyone who pronounces "bed" as "byd".

T.M.I on the older "sister".

finally, I'm actually surprised on how quickly the next book (Flood Tide) picks up from where this one left off.

I must say of the 23 Clive Cussler books I have read so far, Shock Wave was the best. I have been hooked on Cussler since A fellow employee passed on Atlantis Found to me. I am reading Polar Shift now. Another awesome tale by the Master Clive Cussler.

Welcome to the forum, CarQuestDave!

Reading Polar Shift already? You don't mess about! You may the first to post a review th:

Well, paint a bullseye on my back as well. The book followed Sahara too much. Also, how many times is DP going to underestimate his oponent? He was captured three times and by pure luck, managed to escape.
I am now reading the books in chronological order and that is better as you follow the characters. This is my first post in the forum and I hope I'm not blasted too much. My favorite book so far is Atlantis Found.

Welcome Popeye! You'll find that we don't do too much blasting around here. Everyone has different opinions about the books and which ones are the best. AF is one of my favorites too! Enjoy your time on the forum, and post often!

Erik

WeLcOmE tO ThE FoRuM PoPeYe!!!!!!!!!!!! w: w: w:

i noticed the gun myself but i just assumed that it was Dirk useing yet another suviner from a past adventure(or is my time line off?)myself i had gottoen wise to what Buddacia was with the talk about a secret life, or at least was suspecious.also correct me if i am wrong but doesnt Dirk use his emergency pack in [I]Inca Gold as well?during the under ground river trip?although the idea of the sounds waves may have been a little far fetched it did add to the venom of the villians by way of there "who cares, it just a fringe beneift" attitude.

i gotta give it a 9 myself ( i am keeping the 10 spot in reserve since i have not read alll of CC's books yet)

Thanks for the welcome. I'm reading nothing but Clive right now. I'm doing the Dirk Pitt adventures in chronological order. The early works aren't bad. Maybe a little shallow, but they have good strong stories. I made the mistake of deciding to do this after I had read several out of sequence. I'm reading "Night Probe" right now. (just started actually). BTW, I'm a carreer Navy man(retired) and love the sea. I'm living vicariously through my heroes at NUMA. Take care all. t:

Ahhhhhhhhhh NIGHT PROBE!!!!!!! Once again I'm drooling! Welcome Popeye!!

this book blew hefty wind! face it one of clivys worst.

You'r kidding! :o It's one of my favorites! What didn't you like about it? w: