Pete Carter's Blog

You'll see this book in my list, and possibly another Lazarus book. I am not the author! They appeared on my page. I can't get rid of them! The author is untraceable. He does not appear to be registered on Goodreads. He cannot be contacted through Amazon. If the author reads this would he please contact me. Thank you.

Ah, Thank you, Librarian. It's gone!

The Silent Sea: A Novel of the Oregon Files. Clive Cussler with Jack Du Brul by Clive Cussler

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


What spoilt this book for me was the sloppy editing. If you’re buying a self-published book for 99p off Kindle you might expect a few typos – but if you’re paying rrp £18.99 for a first edition hardback, you expect quality and professionalism. You can barely go 8 pages without a typo – some of them glaring. And not just the editing – the authors made one or two real clangers themselves. Try this for size: (p75)
‘…converging on a levelled-off section of hillside at least two acres across….’
That’s like saying ‘I trod in a puddle that was six gallons deep.’
At another point it became evident that much of the story had been dictated, as a similar sounding word but of completely different and irrelevant meaning had been inserted. Overall the quality of editing gave me the impression of a rushed production.
The story: Usual Cussler production line. Entertaining, plenty of action, technically plausible, but variation on the same old theme. Something gets lost a long time ago; clues lead to its rediscovery today; good guys chase bad guys to find it first; confrontation; good guys win. All very predictable.
Don’t get me wrong – I like Clive Cussler novels. They’re pure escapism and if you don’t mind reading the same plot over and over, with just the settings and some of the characters changed, they’re good fun. However, the sloppy editing in this one spoilt it for me, and for that I give it a 2 star rating.




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I've had little spare time lately and my latest book is only progressing at the rate of 1000 words a day, sometimes less. But, on the plus side, I have made new friends on Goodreads, a few of whom I correspond with on a regular basis.

My website remains on the drawing board. Every time I look at the draft I don't like it and start afresh, and so much time passed between sessions that I have to re-learn how all the dongles and doodats on the page work.

I want to blitz the promotion of my main book so far - 'The Fence' - but I need the website up and running to do that. Same goes for the promotional video.

Another thing that has slowed me down has been transforming my books into paperback format. The finished products from Createspace are really impressive and it's a very satisfying feeling to be able to hold your work in your hands. However the minimum price set by Amazon for the paperback means I'll never sell any.

That's where the website comes in, because I can republish, outside of Amazon and sell direct at a sensible and competitive price.

I keep forgetting I've got a blog, so I'll try to be more regular updating it in the future. Here's where I'm at right now:

Using up a lot of ideas that occurred to me whilst writing 'The Fence', but were unsuitable for that story, I'm now putting together several short stories that will be published together. Two are completed, and go by the intriguing titles of 'Soul Mates', and 'British Daylight plc.' The third one is so secret I can't even tell you the title just yet!

I've also had ideas for a sequel to 'The Fence', to create a link before I go back to the original 1990 Jay story and re-edit that. That way the Trilogy will have three parts rather than two, which is a bonus in my eyes!

Still getting to grips with Twitter and Facebook, but it really gets in the way of writing. So does this. Speak soon.

Well, it's been a few days and I'm beginning to find my way around the site. Joined a few groups and contributed hopefully in a positive way. Got some friends too. Everyone is so friendly, I'm beginning to feel like an old-timer already. I know, I am one, but you know what I mean!

Four frustrating hours and my Goodreads profile is just about done! Except someone by the same name has purloined one of my books and I can't seem to claim it back! Perhaps I have, by making sure it's on my Amazon Author Central Page, but things take so long to refresh I won't know for a day or so.

Hi Bev, Hi Stu. Anyone else out there?