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Clive Cussler
- Thread starter Darren
- Start date
liktareadmore63
New Member
got something kinda funny(or stupid) to say about dirk pitt.
when myself and the guys from work went out of state for work at weeks at a time, wed come up with alias' we used when we went out at night to bars and what not. my boss always used dirk pitt, haha
when myself and the guys from work went out of state for work at weeks at a time, wed come up with alias' we used when we went out at night to bars and what not. my boss always used dirk pitt, haha
SFG75
Well-Known Member
Robert said:
I bring it up because in VR, Dirk faces guys bigger than him and while he is not puny, it's always stressed that he fights and wins with his brains and that he utilizes whatever is around him at the moment. Other than being 5'4, Al is the tanned muscle boy who is as wide as he is tall.
Robert said:
But then there is Dirk fils and Summer to take their place.
My problem with Clussler isn't his: repetitive plot; childish vocabulary; poor syntax; dramatic liberties with history; two-dimensional characters; cheap cinematic action...it is the perpetuation of the lie, that the good-guy always wins.
dele
New Member
They aren't meant to be serious books by any means.
I realize everyone's tastes are different, but I love stories where the good guy always wins the day. I love the concept that no matter how bad things get, good will prevail. The whole point behind reading for pleasure is to entertain. I find no pleasure in seeing the bad guy win.
If you look deep enough, Cussler is writing a series of adventure novels that gently poke fun at the genre. How else could you explain Cussler himself becoming a character and getting the heroes out of tough situations.
In one novel, a Russian enemy looks over Dirk's service record and mutters that it's like reading a series of adventure novels. I've found instance after instance where Dirk or Al will allude to the fact that they're characters in a novel.
That's what sets Clive Cussler apart from authors like Tom Clancy. While most authors try too hard to make their characters come to life, by reminding readers that his characters are just characters, they become much more real.
I realize everyone's tastes are different, but I love stories where the good guy always wins the day. I love the concept that no matter how bad things get, good will prevail. The whole point behind reading for pleasure is to entertain. I find no pleasure in seeing the bad guy win.
If you look deep enough, Cussler is writing a series of adventure novels that gently poke fun at the genre. How else could you explain Cussler himself becoming a character and getting the heroes out of tough situations.
In one novel, a Russian enemy looks over Dirk's service record and mutters that it's like reading a series of adventure novels. I've found instance after instance where Dirk or Al will allude to the fact that they're characters in a novel.
That's what sets Clive Cussler apart from authors like Tom Clancy. While most authors try too hard to make their characters come to life, by reminding readers that his characters are just characters, they become much more real.
Shade
New Member
Cussler the postmodern genius!
I don't know Cussler but if the charges ruach lays against him are right, then presumably it isn't the point that they're not supposed to be serious books. The point is, there's more pleasure to be had from books with two, three, or four dimensions than from books with one. So time spent reading such a books is time wasted when you could be having more pleasure out of better books...
As I say, I don't know Cussler, so resheath your scabbards; this is a bleat against genre schlock generally rather than one author in particular.
dele
New Member
Don't worry, I do see your point. That's why I'm not a fan of the action/adventure genre either, but Cussler's books really grab me for the reasons I mentioned above.Shade said:Cussler the postmodern genius!
I don't know Cussler but if the charges ruach lays against him are right, then presumably it isn't the point that they're not supposed to be serious books. The point is, there's more pleasure to be had from books with two, three, or four dimensions than from books with one. So time spent reading such a books is time wasted when you could be having more pleasure out of better books...
As I say, I don't know Cussler, so resheath your scabbards; this is a bleat against genre schlock generally rather than one author in particular.
Shade
New Member
I find myself more amenable to happy endings as I get older, but I still like a bit of rich, satisfying bleakness. Read Richard Yates, or Joseph Heller's Something Happened: these aren't depressing, they're intoxicatingly, heart-fillingly joyous because of their honesty, truth and beauty, both linguistic and emotional. Of course I would find it mighty boring if all the books I read were like that: just as I would find it mighty boring if all the books I read had the good guy winning all the time. But then, I can't remember the last book I read that had a good guy / bad guy scenario.