I was reading one of Clive's books at work the other day and a co-worker stated that all of his books are the same. I simply stared at him and stated, that's why I am reading them. We want the same characters, we KNOW that Al is going to bust in and save Dirk at some point. Even though we know this, we still get a rush when it happens in the book. And at that point, for some reason AC/DC(the band) came to mind. People are always saying that their CD's sound the same. A reporter asked Angus(one of the band) how he feels that some people complain that they put out the the same CD 16(or some number) times. And angus said, "Not true. We have put out 18 of the same CD's. We know what the fans want and we give it to them"

Kind of sums it up nicely! :)

Welcome to the Forum. w: Dirk and Al are old friends by now. I look forward to their next books with the same joy as the first one. Many authors use the same people in their stories. I believe that it builds readership in the same way as our music. We love it and look for the next book/CD.
Hope you like it here and post alot.

I believe the word your coworker is looking for is "formulaic." The books have similar feels and layouts, with different details. We read to see exactly how Dirk is going to save the day. We read to see exactly what evil scheme the bad guys will come up with. We read to see what clever tricks Sandecker is going to use to persuade the government that the crisis is real. And we love every minute of it.

Glad you're here, Edmondy!

No doubt! The person who made that statement simply does not get it! I love the almost incredibly unbelievable way that things come together and how Dirk always just seems to know exactly what to do and so forth as it applies to Al & the rest of the gang. It's called FICTION, and I think most people like to escape to a world that is clearly fantasy with certain predictable elements that help generate feelings of familiarity and almost friendship, if I can be so bold. It's like you know Dirk and the others like an old friend. "Yep, there goes old Dirk again, I bet he'll make love to the beautiful vixen whose father is the evil crimelord bent on world domination only to end up being at the very edge of death, but Al won't let him die....."

It's simply ignorance, which is only an insult to people who are ignorant of the facts. I know I have made similar statements in the past, in fact , about Heavy Metal music before I actually gave it a try. And it's been some 18 years now and I still love my metal music and my Cussler novels. I hope the formula and characters never stray too far from what drew me in!

There is an old addage that can be translated to this kind of "observation" to Authors such as CC and others such as Musicians.

Original:

"People who don't like cats, must have been Mice in a previous life"


Translation:

"People who make uninformed comments with regards to best selling Authors/ Musicians, must have been 'Un-published critics' in a previous life".


:P ;) hat:

Mal.

Everyone has made great comments so far and very true but I think Keith Robinson nailed it on the head for me. CC has created characters whom I care about and that is the sign of a great author. Deep down I know Dirk and Al and Sandecker are going to win at the end of the book but the process of getting to know those "people" / characters is what makes the books endearing.

I want Dirk and Al to succeed and win. If these books are all the same then couldn't you say that Ian Fleming's James Bond are all the same? I would have to say yes they are but once again this an example of an author who created characters that people have come to care about. I have not read one of his books but based on the movies I like James Bond and although I know he is going to win I still hope he does succeed.

Some people may not like formulaic authors like Oswalder said and that is fine - that is their right. But just to dislike and not give an author a chance is very narrowminded because "all the books are the same".

Would you characterize Stephen King as formulaic? I would have to say you can make that argument because all of his stories are basically the same but without a recurring cast of characters. Each author has their own niche and needs to be judge as such.

Wow I can't believe I actually wrote that much on this.

Someone once told me that there are only 26 plot ideas between action, drama, romance, and comedy and that every possible scenario has been done and redone in different ways. That's why there are so many remakes nowadays.

I read Cussler books because they are character driven. th:

I read Cussler books for the chicks :P



you want formulaic try John Saul :unsure:

Exactly. Look at the Wikipedia entry on Dirk Pitt. It lists the formula right there, and it seems to stick to every book. Does that make the books bad? No! It just means that certain events are used in every book, although the details to them can be totally different.