The Mediterranean Caper by Clive Cussler - Book Report #283

I've recently re-discovered Clive Cussler and it has been a joy to lose myself in a self-confident adventure.

Having read a couple more modern entries in the Dirk Pitt series I decided to go back to the first published book.

It felt nearly fully-formed even back then.  The only thing lacking was the historical opening although it was history that pushed the plot.

Cussler had a confident voice from the very start but, be warned, the book is a product of its time.  This particular volume was the 40th-anniversary edition so I am not sure if the text has been tweaked and edited for today's reader.  However, Pitt was a bit of an ass at times and fell into some clichéd behaviour with the central woman of the story.

Other than that, the book held up rather well.  Actually, I was glad some of those old sexist tropes were kept in this edition, it serves to show how the character has grown and adjusted with the times.


Be ready for a James Bond type of story but with the added fun of scuba gear.

When you're looking for something easy and entertaining you can't go wrong with a Dirk Pitt adventure.

Clive Cussler's website - https://www.cusslerbooks.com/

Clive Cussler

The World of Star Trek by David Gerrold - Book Report #168

This was the second edition of Gerrold's original insight into the Star Trek TV show.  This volume also included insights into the making of the first three movies in the franchise.

It was a terrific read.  It wasn't just gushy about how wonderful the show was.  As a matter of fact he goes into great detail to show how there were more bad episodes than good.  What made Star Trek so good was that, when an episode worked, it worked very, very well.

Even though it predates The Next Generation it is still a relevant book today.

It was interesting to read that the frustrations the fans had with NBC and Paramount are the same today with Paramount and CBS.

The book was written with warmth and love to the actors, crew and fans.  As it was admitted by the author; he is a fan as well and holds the creation in very high regard.  He blames the faults of the shows on the producers and the pressures the studios pressed onto them.

Gerrold expressed hope for more Star Trek to be produced in the future.  In the fullness of the 33 years that have passed since this edition was published we know that the franchise certainly enjoyed years of unimagined popularity with The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise.

I enjoyed this book very much and would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the show.

David Gerrold

The Destroyer #8 by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy

Last night was a long one; poor Sue is quite sick and had a hard time sleeping so, consequently, so did I. I gave up and moved to the couch where I not only began my blog but also finished reading The Destroyer #8, Summit Chase. Published in 1973 Pinnacle this was a quick, fun read about how Remo Williams and Chiun stop criminals from forming their own crime country in Africa.

Always fun with wonderful dialog between Remo and Chiun these early books are a treat.

The book series was once filmed in the attempt to create another action adventure film hero. This was during the Indiana Jones era and did not have any success. It stared Fred Ward and Joel Grey, filmed in 1985 it took advantage of the restoration of the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor and used it as a set for a chase sequence.

The movie was called Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089901/