Black Wind (Dirk Pitt Adventure)

I am only looking for large print. I could have sworn it said large print but when I received it of course it was not. My client has is 99 yrs old he loves to read but must be LARGE PRINT

Tom Clancy is right. A new book by Clive Cussler is like a visit from an old friend. The latest in the Dirk Pitt series was co-written by Clive's son Dirk, who is apparently poised to take over the reins. Dirk obviously grew up on Dirk Pitt, as his father penned his first novel next to Dirk's crib, and as such, he's the perfect man for the job. Additionally, he seems blessed with his father's talent. This book was only slightly different in tone, and the Cusslers have been smart in aging the original Dirk Pitt, introducing his son Dirk Pitt Jr., and fading the original Dirk somewhat while his son takes over the adventure. This transition has been taking place slowly, too, lest Clive's longtime fans experience unpleasant rifts in continuity. It began at the end of Valhalla Rising when Dirk Jr. and Summer made their initial appearance. They played a bigger role in Trojan Odyssey, though Dirk Sr. was still the star. He was tiring, though, and got promoted at the end. This book sees Pitt ensconced in his new job, but not an office. He and Al have given up going after bad guys but not the sea. There are a few trademark Dirk and Al scenes, and Dirk risks his life in a daring attempt to save the world. He steals the big scene, but Dirk Jr. has the show. The story begins in the Aleutian Islands as Dirk Jr. and his sidekick, Jack Dahlgren, rescue some research scientists who are overcome by an airborne toxin. Some coast guardsmen and a colony of seals weren't so lucky. When Dirk and Jack fly through the area to check things out, their helicopter is shot out of the sky by a fishing boat. Later, when Dirk takes one of the researchers out to dinner, they are followed and fired upon by a pair of Asian thugs. Something is afoot, so Dirk and Jack call upon St. Julien Perlmutter for some information on World War II submarines. They find one in the Pacific that had been loaded with bioweapons that fortunately had been sunk, all weapons but one destroyed. The one left had been salvaged by someone and used to poison the air in the Aleutians. Perlmutter's research uncovers a second Japanese sub, sunk in the South China Sea. Dirk and Summer find the wreck and dive on it in a submersible, salvaging 12 bioweapon canisters. In the midst of the salvage, however, an Asian crew takes over their support ship and Dirk and Summer are taken to the fortress of Korean magnate Dae-Jong Kang. It turns out Kang is behind an evil scheme to poison Los Angeles, thereby spreading a lethal smallpox/AIDS plague through the world. Kang's henchmen leave Dirk and Summer chained in a sea cave to die, but they escape and easily convince NUMA that Kang is up to no good, but the rest of the government is not so easily convinced. Eventually, Dirk and Al, flying an airship full of technological wonders, come across Kang's scheme: he plans to launch the virus in a rocket. Dirk Jr. and Jack get themselves in to a bind that Dirk and Al rescue them from, Dirk saves the world,

Except for the few written with Craig Dirgo, Cussler thriller are always a blast. Put aside credulity, ignore the unbelievability of the characters and the strained plots and just enjoy. With the addition of Dirk Cussler, his son, to Clive's writing stable, things have dramatically - and for the better. This Dirk Pitt novel, which amusingly revolves around Dirk Pitt, Jr.(and his sister), is the best yet. The plot is tight, the loose ends nicely tucked in. The characters while still their infatiguable, indomitable selves, are a bit more solid. The plot is a doozy. The Japanese attempt biological attacks on the United States during WWII. The submarines carrying the weaposn are sunk. A nefarious scheme is hatched to recover their lethal payloads some 60 years later for another attack on the U.S. Prominent Americans are assasinated in Japan and Korea. Two Coast Guardsmen mysteriously die on a remote Aleutian Island. And it keeps getting more involved. This book simply zips along. Cussler and Cussler are a superb writing team and one can only hope for more to come. Jerry

It is no surprise to a large percentage of Clive Cussler fans that Clive has been getting ready for semi-retirement for a few years now, and grooming his son to take his place as the new Grand Master of Adventure Fiction. I have to tell you, I was VERY skeptical that lightning could strike twice in the Cussler family. However, I must admit I was flat out W-R-O-N-G. I am also happy I was, too. As any typical Cussler story goes, the beginning takes us on a mini time-traveling visit back to the end of World War II, where an increasingly desperate Japanese Military is contemplating an attack on US Soil that we'll not soon forget, and one that very well could turn the tide of the war. A specially equipped submarine leaves on a clandestine trip to the West Coast of the United States carrying the Black Wind, a particularly nasty virulent plague. Unfortunately, destiny takes a turn for the history books, which records no such attack was ever made. Why? Read and you'll find out. Jump ahead to the present when Dirk Jr. (pretty much the center stage for this Pitt novel) ends up being in the right place at the right time and saves, who else? A Beautiful woman. He also stumbles upon a plot that makes the original Japanese plan of releasing the Black Wind look like an experiment by amateurs. Who exactly IS the bad guy working for? What are his ultimate plans, and why is he willing to kill literally millions of innocent people in order to achieve his goals? I doubt the premise for this tale is even remotely possible -- however as unstable as some of the current world leaders are, you can't necessarily rule it out -- regardless of how outlandish it may seem. A chilling plot mixed with the Grand Adventure patented by Clive the Mighty, and continued in fine form by his son, Dirk. I find myself eagerly waiting for the next Dirk Pitt Jr story and must admit that all things considered, Black Wind was better than the previous 2 Pitt novels -- combined. Simply fine brain candy, and when it comes to adventure tales that take me away for a few hours of pure entertainment, if Cussler's name is on front, you can bet it'll soon be in MY reading room. One of the few sure bet's in this life.

Clive Cussler fans won't be disappointed by this latest addition to the Dirk Pitt series. In this installment, Clive's son, Dirk Cussler, takes the authorial helm and tells a story in the tradition of his father, the grand master of adventure. The main characters are well-developed and the differences between Dirk Pitt Jr. and Dirk Pitt Sr. are clearly delineated allowing the reader to better identify with the protagonists. Although this novel was written Dirk Cussler, Clive's editorial influences are clearly apparent. This latest effort clearly establishes that Dirk Cussler is well suited to continue the storytelling tradition his father began.

In December 1944, Captain Miyoshi Horinouchi, staff operations officer of the Japanese Imperial Navy Sixth Fleet, informs Lieutenant Commander Ogawa of Submarine I-403 of a change of assignment. Instead of patrolling the Philippines, he is to "escort' a special guest from the Kure Naval Base in Japan to the "enemy's doorsteps". The civilian Dr. Jisaichi Tanaka of the Army Medical College has found a devastating biological agent that will bring the Americans to their knees begging for peace. If he fails on this mission, Japan will inevitably lose the war as the Battle of the Pacific is all but over since the recent fleet devastation at the Battle of Leyte Gulf. However neither this sub nor a companion ever made it to its intended target. In 2007 a South Korean knows where the subs sank and has plans for uniting his country by distracting the Americans with the launching of the deadly biological cargo on Los Angeles. Only Dirk Pitt Sr. and his adult children Jr. and Summer along with his crew from the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) stand in the way of success. This is typical Clive Cussler fare starting with a historical naval moment expanded into an exhilarating base for a strong contemporary watery thriller in which the action is everything. Dirk is aging gracefully (my knees hurt just reading about his adventures), but the torch as with the authors seem to be moving on one knot at a time to the next generation. BLACK WIND is an exciting tale that is like all the NUMA novels worth an oceanic adventure trek that takes enthralled readers merrily to the Pitts. Harriet Klausner