Vortex

Dirk Pitt® #1

by Clive Cussler

L'Océan pacifique porte parfois bien mal son nom. C'est ce que va découvrir à ses dépends la marine américaine : le Starbuck, dernier-né des sous-marins nucléaires et fleuron de la force de frappe, disparaît en effet dans les profondeurs d'une zone connue sous le nom de Vortex, déjà coupable d'avoir englouti mystérieusement des dizaines de navires. En découvrant par le plus grand des hasards une capsule contenant un message du commandant du Starbuck, l'aventurier Dirk Pitt, héros des profondeurs, va hériter de l'une des plus dangereuses missions de sa carrière : retrouver et si possible renflouer le sous-marin avant une catastrophe nucléaire. Mais Pitt n'est évidemment pas seul dans les limbes du Pacifique, où un mystérieux malfaisant fou a élu domicile avec la ferme intention de devenir quelque chose comme le maître du monde...

Écrit près de vingt ans avant la tragédie – bien réelle celle-là – du sous-marin russe Le Koursk, ce livre, bien que publié postérieurement aux autres, est en fait le premier à mettre en scène le héros Dirk Pitt qui fera la fortune de Clive Cussler. Ce grand chasseur d'épaves devant l'éternel est en effet un auteur à très grand succès puisqu'on estime ses lecteurs à plus de 60 millions dans le monde !

Cussler reconnaît lui-même que ce n'est sans doute pas la plus réussie de ses intrigues et prévient que c'est sous la pression de ses amis et de sa famille qu'il s'est finalement décidé à publier cet ouvrage, après le succès planétaire d'autres aventures de Dirk Pitt, comme Mayday !, Vixen 03, Iceberg ou encore Panique à la Maison blanche.

Genres: Adventure, Fiction, Thriller, Action, Mystery, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

345 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Cussler began writing novels in 1965 and published his first work featuring his continuous series hero, Dirk Pitt, in 1973. His first non-fiction, The Sea Hunters, was released in 1996. The Board of Governors of the Maritime College, State University of New York, considered The Sea Hunters in lieu of a Ph.D. thesis and awarded Cussler a Doctor of Letters degree in May, 1997. It was the first time since the College was founded in 1874 that such a degree was bestowed.

Cussler was an internationally recognized authority on shipwrecks and the founder of the National Underwater and Marine Agency, (NUMA) a 501C3 non-profit organization (named after the fictional Federal agency in his novels) that dedicates itself to preserving American maritime and naval history. He and his crew of marine experts and NUMA volunteers discovered more than 60 historically significant underwater wreck sites including the first submarine to sink a ship in battle, the Confederacy's Hunley, and its victim, the Union's Housatonic; the U-20, the U-boat that sank the Lusitania; the Cumberland, which was sunk by the famous ironclad, Merrimack; the renowned Confederate raider Florida; the Navy airship, Akron, the Republic of Texas Navy warship, Zavala, found under a parking lot in Galveston, and the Carpathia, which sank almost six years to-the-day after plucking Titanic's survivors from the sea.

In addition to being the Chairman of NUMA, Cussler was also a fellow in both the Explorers Club of New York and the Royal Geographic Society in London. He was honored with the Lowell Thomas Award for outstanding underwater exploration.

Cussler's books have been published in more than 40 languages in more than 100 countries. His past international bestsellers include Pacific Vortex, Mediterranean Caper, Iceberg, Raise the Titanic, Vixen 03, Night Probe, Deep Six, Cyclops, Treasure, Dragon, Sahara, Inca Gold, Shock Wave, Flood Tide, Atlantis Found, Valhalla Rising, Trojan Odyssey and Black Wind (this last with his son, Dirk Cussler); the nonfiction books The Sea Hunters, The Sea Hunters II and Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed; the NUMA® Files novels Serpent, Blue Gold, Fire Ice, White Death and Lost City (written with Paul Kemprecos); and the Oregon Files novels Sacred Stone and Golden Buddha (written with Craig Dirgo) and Dark Watch (written with Jack Du Brul).

Clive Cussler died at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 24, 2020.

Reviews

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ad Hoc Read January 2023

Having a month away from any "must" reads, I picked a few favourite authors to read, and Clive Cussler is one when it comes to Adventure Thrillers. I hadn't remembered I had read this 3 years ago, but that wouldn't have changed my choice. A real rip-roaring adventure that is only the start of a great series of books.
Yes they are a bit unbelievable but when you want a no nonsense hero (or heroine) these hit the spot. As the series progresses it gets a lot better, and the latter books are much less unbelievable, much less misogynistic , and far more PC, with Dirk coming to rely and realise the equality of his women friends.
As with a lot of books (read the early James Bonds !) these early ones are of there time, but are still worth a read , and still enjoyable.

Read December 2020

Great escapism, more thoughts to follow

Although this wasn't the first Dirk Pitt novel released, it was the first written and is the first in the series "adventure wise". Having read a number of Dirk Pitt novels, I know they get better than this, but that said this was a good escapist novel, and is a great introduction to Dirk and his colleagues.

Relaxing on a Hawaiian beach, Dirk spots a emergency capsule floating out at sea. It turns out to be from the US Navy's latest submarine that went missing during sea trials.
A number of adventures for Dirk ensue, and comprise golden-eyed giants, car chases down mountains, beautiful girls, handsome naval officers, a brave Italian friend, explosions, underwater caves, sinkings, crash landings and ultimately a bruised and battered body.
All in a days work for NUMA's Major Dirk Pitt. Yes it is unbelievable, but hey in these times we all deserve a bit of escapism, and to be there right alongside Dirk as he battles yet another baddie, because we know he always wins.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was a teenager, I loved the Dirk Pitt adventure stories. But once I went to college, got married, had kids, etc., I lost track of many series that I enjoyed. Now that I'm older and have more time for reading, I'm going back and revisiting many authors and series that I missed. I've read two James Bond books this year so far....and those stories reminded me of Dirk Pitt. Dirk Pitt is like James Bond...or what 007 would be if he was into underwater exploration and salvage missions.

Pacific Vortex is the first Dirk Pitt story, even though it was not the first book that was published. Dirk is an underwater engineer for the North American Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA). He investigates ship wrecks, salvages cargo and occasionally gets involved in political intrigue. In Pacific Vortex, Pitt discovers a communications float from a US Navy submarine that went missing six months before. The sub was never found, so he takes the information to the Navy. NUMA loans Pitt to the Navy to assist in looking for the submarine. It seems many vessels over the past 30 years or so have disappeared without a trace in that area of the Pacific. When one of the lost vessels is a new, state-of-the-art nuclear submarine, it's time to figure out what's going on. Turns out the investigation is going to be much more dangerous than anyone expected!

Just like James Bond, Dirk Pitt is very much a man's man. He likes beautiful women, fast cars, adventure and excitement. This story is very action oriented, a bit cheesy (just like Bond) and completely testosterone-y. Readers who don't enjoy man-centric action stories might want to pass this one by. Dirk does not pull any punches....literally. In this book, a woman attempts to kill him with a hypodermic needle filled with poison.....he punches her lights out. The character is a very masculine stereotype. He takes what he wants....goes after the bad guys....and attracts the most beautiful women. It is what it is. As for me, I love action stories. If Dirk were a real person, I would probably dislike him, finding him a bit over the top and arrogant. But......he is a fictional action hero. I'm just interested in things blowing up, gun fire, the answer to the mystery they are investigating and the final fight where the good guys win. :)

I enjoyed re-reading this book. I'm going to read the entire series. I've always enjoyed Clive Cussler's books....especially because he actually does underwater exploration and salvage in real life. Great adventure stories!

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the foreword, Clive Cussler mentioned that he created Dirk Pitt to be a character in the vein of James Bond, and he certainly brings that to mind. Not in the most flattering way for me though. He reminds of the aspects of the Bond films from the 60s-80s I did not like. The casual disregard for women (their relevance mainly relegated to their use as pawns or sex objects), with a little bit of violence thrown in. Before anyone gets angry, you know what they say about opinions. This is mine. I just have a button with this type of character, and it was pushed with this book. Having said that, if I disregard Pitt's womanizing, woman-dismissing ways, this is a pretty good book.


I liked the maritime adventure a lot. I also enjoyed Cussler's highly visual portrait of the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific isn't a static, inanimate setting in this novel. In fact, it is personified in ways that I found very affecting. The Pacific in this novel, is not just a place of awe-inspiring natural beauty, but also a place of violence and hidden menace.

As far as plotting, Cussler draws out the mystery of the Pacific Vortex very well. Initially, I was prepared to be believe in the otherworldly phenomena as evidenced. It was pretty creepy, in fact. That ghosts could menace and attack the living. Pitt is a lot more cynical than I am though. He doesn't believe it for a minute. Good thing, because the Navy has tasked him with finding the lost submarine. This novel progresses in waves, point A moving naturally to point Z, and as it goes the storyline changes. Eventually, it arrives to a slightly different destination that I expected, but it's fitting in the context of what Cussler's overall goals were in writing this book and creating the character of Dirk Pitt.

I'm glad I decided to keep reading this, even after being turned off by Pitt's behavior towards women. The adventure drew me in. I found the maritime/ship components of the storyline interesting. Although there was a fair amount of jargon, it did not hinder my ability to understand what was going on. Instead, it immersed me deeper into the story. The adventure scenes were good, with many on the edge, hold-your-breath moments. Not just man versus man, but also nature versus man. Going back to the overall personification of the deep, infinite Pacific Ocean and all that it holds. There are infinite ways the Ocean can kill you, besides bad guys in the water, and Cussler just scratches the surface in this novel.

My rating takes into consideration the following factors:

Plotting: Good Overall, but I give it an F for romance--totally unbelievable. All of a sudden, love blooms between getting hit in the groin and socking a woman on the jaw, and meeting twice more! Sorry, but I can't buy that any woman would fall in love with Pitt that fast, especially after being knocked out with a punch to the jaw.) (Point deduction for unbelievable romance)

Characters: Fair--Pitt is sometimes unlikable (arrogant and dismissive), and other characters are less developed. He was hard to relate to, which made me more judgmental of his flaws. I wasn't allowed to get to know the other characters very well since they were more like ways to progress the storyline than three-dimensional characters. (Point taken off for underdeveloped and marginalized female characters and the manner in which the male lead treats females.)

Action/Adventure Scenes: Very good. Good emphasis on the dangers of the Pacific Ocean and the use of maritime setting.

Honorable Mentions: Nice twists in the storyline. Cool evolution in the identity of the villain and what that person wanted. Nice blast to the past: This book me back to the 80s where most of us kiddos wondered who would push the button first.

End Verdict: Pacific Vortex! as my introduction to Clive Cussler didn't blow me away. I've had it on good authority that he has some excellent books and Dirk's caveman personality isn't representative across the board of typical characterization in his body of work. It had some good points and some bad points. Overall a good adventure novel and an entertaining read. Glad my library had a copy because this isn't a book I feel the need to add to my personal library. I may have an ongoing love/hate relationship with Dirk Pitt that has nothing to do with my dislike of Matthew McConaughey, since I haven't even seen Sahara.

Ultimately, I am thankful that members of the Action/Adventure Aficionados selected this book for our August Group Read, warts and all.

[Marius van Blerck · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've seldom read a book as bad as this. Vraggies. (That's Afrikaans for Truly). Mr Cussler clearly believes in the mystical power of adjectives. His maxim: why lay it on with a trowel when there's a bloody shovel handy? I love mixing my exploration of classics and more serious works with a rich sprinkling of thrillers and detective stories, but they must be well-written, as (fortunately) most are. This one fails the test. Badly. Cussler makes Dan Brown seem like Dostoevsky. 'Nuff said.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could, I'd give this book zero stars. DO NOT waste your time. The writing is so so so so bad. It's bad enough that Clive Cussler appears to be both racist and wildly sexist based on use of ridiculous and offensive stereotypes, and horrible objectification of women. It's quite unbelievable, even given the fact that he was writing in the 80s. Add to that the fact that the writing is laughably awful: tortured metaphors, saturation of over-the-top adjectives, inconsistent characterizations, and the unrelenting use of $10 words when 2-penny words would do. It's like an advertisement for Roget's Thesaurus. I say all this because I care--about you, the potential reader. Walk away from Dirk Pitt, and never look back! You will not be sorry. Seriously so awful.

[Scott Rhee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will read any book that has the audacity to include an exclamation mark in its title, and Clive Cussler has written several with that distinction.

“Pacific Vortex!” was, apparently, Cussler’s first novel he ever wrote featuring his hero Dirk Pitt, but it was the sixth book published. Cussler himself considers it one of his less-stellar works, referring to it as “a few hours of entertainment and, perhaps, even a historic artifact of sorts” in his foreword.

Having read several of the other Dirk Pitt novels, I can attest that “Pacific Vortex!” is definitely not Cussler’s best work, but as a pulpy action-adventure that pays homage to such unbelievable pulp novel heroes like Allan Quatermain and Doc Savage, as well as nods to contemporary action heroes like James Bond and Indiana Jones, it is sheer silly good fun.

The plot involves a nuclear sub that mysteriously disappears in what is called the Pacific Vortex, a section of the Pacific Ocean just off the coast of Oahu in which several dozen ships have disappeared over a 30-year period, much like the Atlantic’s Bermuda Triangle. (Don’t bother googling Pacific Vortex, by the way, as it is completely fictional...)

Via a series of strange events, Dirk Pitt finds himself personally involved in the naval search for the sub and investigation of the Pacific Vortex. The clock is ticking as the U.S. must beat the Russians to the site.

Upon arrival to the last known coordinates of the sub, Pitt and the Navy discover a long-lost underwater island, which may hold the secret to the Pacific Vortex!

Of course, there is an evil villain, an underwater lair, scantily-clad women, fisticuffs and shoot-outs galore, and enough testosterone to fill three books.

It’s easy to gripe about the misogyny in this book: women are either sluts, secretaries, or damsels in distress. Sometimes they’re all three. But it’s important to keep in mind the inherent misogyny of the entire genre and the fact that Cussler admits that this was his first novel and not up to par. Not that that’s an excuse, mind you, or in any way a condoning of it. It’s simply a fact.

If misogyny is a deal-breaker for you, then early Cussler may not be the best choice. To be fair, Cussler’s portrayal of female characters eventually did evolve somewhat in later books.

[Greg Strandberg · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book sucks. I'm sorry, it does. Even Cussler says in the beginning notes that he never really intended for it to get published.

But if he did that he'd get a shiny new car, so...yeah, I read it, and it wasn't that good. Do I regret it? No, I've moved on. I'm fine with it. It doesn't bother me.

Now where's a pillow I can scream into? Seriously, though, this book is best skipped, unless you're a hardcore fan. I'd start with the Mediterranean Caper and move on from there.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting first Dirk Pitt book and pretty darn good for a book that the author didn't plan to publish. A few chapters into this book, Dirk was on a disguised navy salvage ship headed for the Pacific Vortex where a nuclear sub Starbuck went missing. And years later we have The Oregon series. 3.5 stars

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really shows the pulp roots of the Dirk Pitt series. It's pretty much a rewriting of an old Doc Savage novel, The Sargasso Ogre.

A nuclear submarine disappears near an area of the ocean where many boats and even planes go missing. Dirk Pitt starts to investigate and finds an underwater base and a femme fatale.

Pretty good. you can see why the series caught on.

[Jesse A · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a mix of author fantasy fulfillment and James Bond. While that can make an entertaining book it can also stretch the limits of believability. Decently fun.

[C. (Comment, don't blank click reviews). · Rating 3 out of 5]

About 30 years ago, a Clive Cussler hardcover was in a bargain bin at Safeway. Not of peak interest, I shelved it. Eventually, I looked his series up, obtained this first volume recently, and am happy I tried it! The result is that I am impressed! How frustrating that, in my towering piles of his hardcovers and paperbacks.... I do not have “The Mediterranean Caper” to follow this! Fortunately, used copies of his books are everywhere.

“Pacific Vortex!” was published in 1983 but introduced Dirk Pitt, named after Clive’s son. An introduction apologizes for a less profound story, explaining that fans wanted it. I graded it at three stars over a few criticisms. There was impossible, shallow instant-love; merely because a woman was beautiful and worse, disregarding that she had tried to kill Dirk! After subduing her, the character, Dirk, made a joke about assault. I don’t care in what year it was written: that is never acceptable.

The adventure was compelling. Clive’s creative capacity is through the roof! If this is a less-profound sampling, what a treat his books will be! The protagonist and his best friend are infinitely likeable. They are intelligent and brave but wisely respect the ocean and weather; so we should expect from a real ocean explorer. The writing is straightforward, with cheerful narration and normal dialogue. Eloquence is given to breathtaking scenery; filling the novel out with a nice balance of brisk pacing and wonderment.

Originality is topnotch! For many years, there seems to have been a Bermuda triangle type danger near Hawaii. Serendipitously meeting the right librarian, brings an aquatic legend to light. As a military man, Dirk joins a secret Hawaiian team to investigate an outrageous connection that he suspects. After a 30-year build-up, I sure am keen to read the sequel!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars. I love Dirk Pitt novels and I can totally accept the unbelievable as long as it’s fun and entertaining. Kind of like James Bond movies where you know it’s ludicrous but you love it anyway. He is the ladies’s man we can’t help but love despite his arrogance. However, the part that completely jarred me and lost me and knocked me off the wave of enjoyment was the sheer ridiculousness of this ladies’ man saying he loved a 25 year old naive girl that he interacted with on 2 occasions and only spoke with once prior to this confession. The girl believing she loved him was only slightly more believable. I want to bang my head against a wall over this and scream obscenities. Which is too bad because the rest of it was pure adrenaline and excitement. But still the majority was enjoyable so I will round to 4 stars.

[Ruth Fanshaw · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book because I loved the movie version of "Sahara", which was based on a book of the same name by Clive Cussler and was about the same central characters. I always like to read a series in order, so I started with this one.

I deliberated whether to give this one star or two. I almost gave it two, to be kind, but in the end I couldn't do it. I mean, the book is not entirely without merit, but its message to the reader just contains too much that I find disturbing and believe to be fundamentally wrong. I cannot say that this is 'ok.' I do not like it.

I have been unable to avoid spoilers in this review, in order to make the important points.


THE GOOD STUFF:

1) THE PLOT
I would file the plot of this book under 'daft, but fun.' I enjoyed the central story, and there were a few minor plot twists towards the end that I did not see coming.

2) AL GIORDINO
I liked Al. My personal view is that he would make a much better protagonist than Dirk Pitt. Where Pitt is melodramatic and whiny for the majority of the book, Al just grins and gets on with it - even when 'getting on with it' involves considerable physical pain to himself. He's witty, too. He is, in fact, a ton more likeable than Pitt, and a lot more interesting as a character. Unfortunately, he doesn't actually appear until quite near the end of the book.

(I also quite liked Sandecker, but he was only in it for one scene.)


SOME MINOR NIGGLES:

1) MELODRAMATIC TONE
The book is melodramatic in tone right from the first paragraph, and this never really lets up. It's like the writer is always telling us: "This is dangerous! This is scary! This is exciting!"

Except that it doesn't make it seem exciting. In fact, it detracts from the excitement, and robs scenes of the impact they might have had, if handled more deftly.

2) HEAD-HOPPING
The point of view switches from one character to another with a wild abandon, which makes scenes that bit harder for the reader to follow. Possibly, however, this was not quite so frowned upon at the time when this book was written.

3) MIXED METAPHORS
There are more of these than you can shake a stick at. It's like he's doing it on purpose. (It is, as I say, a minor niggle. But it's still a niggle.)


THE EXTREMELY DISTURBING AND SUCKY STUFF:

1) MR CUSSLER'S ALARMING ATTITUDE TOWARDS WOMEN
At first I just thought, "Ok, this is kind of androcentric, and contains a great deal of male wish-fulfilment." Then, after a while, I thought, "Actually, this is distinctly male supremacist." And while after that, I thought, "We are now getting into the realms of serious misogyny."

To begin with, every woman Pitt meets (with the exception of the old woman who lends him her telephone) is a stunner. And they all want him. Hmmm.

When Pitt meets one of these women, we are told that he "...automatically cross-indexed her in his mind as to height, weight, build, age, and if she might or might not." (p. 86). Automatically. This what Pitt automatically does upon meeting a woman: every woman is bedroom fodder to him. And Mr Cussler appears wholeheartedly to approve.

We also meet a woman who behaves in much the same way towards men as Pitt does towards women. She is an object of derision throughout the book, and is almost treated as less than human. Tinsy double standard there?

At one point, Pitt is in conversation with this woman's father, and trying not to mention that he has previously slept with her. He thinks, "How do you tell a father that his daughter is a sexual maniac...?" (p. 199). Well, I don't know, sonny - how would you tell your mother that you are?

And the fact that she is an object of derision does not stop Mr Cussler from trying for cheap thrills by frequently having her show up scantily dressed, or not dressed at all. He is happy to use her for sexual kicks, even while he is despising her.

Basically, if Mr Cussler can throw a scantily clad or naked woman into a scene, he does. He even throws them into action sequences, and slows down the action by dwelling upon just how scantily clad - or unclad - they are. It's pretty lame.

Mr Cussler also puts forward the idea that lying to a woman does not really count. "Lying to a woman was easy, Pitt thought, but lying to a man was something else." (p. 199). No, actually, it's exactly the same thing. This is not rocket science.

He also speaks of "...the usual preliminaries, the artful little lies, the step by step manoeuvres that the female species demands without understanding why" before they will put out (p. 43). There is so much wrong with this that it's hard to know where to start. But we have to start somewhere - so how about the strong implication that if a man wishes to sleep with a woman she ought to put out straight away, without these "preliminaries"? Or the implication that a man is therefore justified in lying to said woman in order to get her to put out? Or that women really know that they are being lied to, but "demand" that it should be done to them anyway? Or that women have no understanding of themselves or their own actions? Or that women are another frigging species and therefore not human at all? Enough to be going on with?

The 'love interest' begins by appearing to be sufficiently sophisticated and worldly to convince the highly experienced and worldly Pitt that she is so, yet by the end of the story, she is shown to be naive to the point of imbecility. Judging from what follows (see below), this appears to be Mr Cussler's concept of the ideal woman.

As for the woman who treats men in the same way that Pitt treats women - she is endangered towards the end of the book, and nobody seems to think that her life is worth saving. Even her own father doesn't seem particularly bothered, and is more cut up when he thinks that Pitt (whom he barely knows) has died than when he is certain that his daughter is about to. Pitt and Al eventually save her, but Mr Cussler is at pains to point out that Pitt only did it for the sake of her father, not for her own sake. The life of a woman who behaves like a man, according to Mr Cussler, is expendable.

Quite early on, a woman knees Pitt in the groin and then tries to stick a hypodermic needle in him, and Pitt punches her on the chin. This is fair enough - he was defending himself, and she struck him first. He then carries her back, unconscious, to his hotel room, and when she wakes up, he threatens to rape her. This is not fair enough. The implication is that Pitt means it as some kind of joke, and I doubt that it would have been physically possible so soon after a major blow to the groin anyway. But it's a sick joke, and the fact that Pitt, and Mr Cussler, think that it is acceptable - let alone funny - is pretty disturbing.

There is also a scene in which Pitt, on waking up from a kip on someone's couch, sees a pair of female legs in front of him that he likes the look of. So he strokes them. Think about this for a moment: it means that if Pitt sees even part of a woman's body - without even knowing whose body it is! - he thinks he has the right to touch. It means that, according to Mr Cussler, a woman does not have a right to choose who touches her body and who does not - that choice lies with the man, and whether or not he wishes to touch. This is the outside edge of rape culture.

For reasons passing understanding, the love interest decides that she is in love with Pitt. (This is during the naive-to-the-point-of-imbecility stage in her development.) Pitt claims, in his internal monologue, that he loves her too. The love interest then dies stupidly. Pitt (who, along with Al, has by this time sustained the kind of injuries you expect at the end of a Lethal Weapon movie), is shipped off to hospital. By the time he is discharged, we are told that he is already starting to forget her face - not particularly surprising, since, by my reckoning, they can't have spent much above two hours in each others' company; maybe three, tops. (And he did not spend all of that time looking at her face, if you take my meaning.) Pitt decides that, to him, she is only a symbol of "...the one exciting, tantalising love that all men seek but are never meant to have." (p. 336). He throws some flowers into the sea for her, and by the time he has done this, he feels "happy" again, and goes away whistling (p. 346). The fact that she is dead no longer matters. The death of a woman - even Mr Cussler's ideal woman - apparently only matters for as long as it has adverse effects on a man.

There are other examples of misogyny that I could cite, but frankly, life's too short to spend any more time and energy on it.


2) DIRK GIT (sorry, PITT)
There is a good deal of overlap between this point and the last one, but I thought this character deserved a point ALL to himself.

He is, as I have mentioned, melodramatic and whiny for most of the story. He appears to think that women exist in order that he might sleep with them. And he's pretty unpleasant in other ways, too.

We are told, when he is first introduced to us, that his face is "hard-featured but friendly" (p. 11). This is fairly difficult to picture, and I soon gave up trying to picture him as looking "friendly", since he seems to go out of his way to antagonise almost everyone he meets. Remarkably, they all end up liking him anyway. The reasons for this change of heart are unclear to me.

At one point, he threatens to shoot a colleague with a nasty weapon intended for blowing up sharks, in order to force him to comply with Pitt's wishes.

Then there's the way he treats Al Giordino. Al has been Pitt's best friend since kindergarten. Pitt, in his internal monologue, uses a racial slur against this friend (who is dark-skinned in the book), and he does this while Al is trying to save both their lives. Pitt also, we are told, once deliberately stole Al's prom date by lying to her about Al, and has apparently not tired of rubbing his nose in it, however many years later this is supposed to be. Sweet fella.

In addition to these delightful traits, he also personifies the overriding theme of misogyny (as outlined in the point above).

In short, I am not impressed with Dirk Pitt. He is a git. Dirk Git.

He does, to be fair, show courage at times, particularly in the last few scenes. But this feels out of character after all the melodramatic whining, and there's no discernible character arc to explain it. And he sometimes shows quite a lot of intelligence, but at other times, he's spectacularly stupid (for instance: we know that a sinister intelligence is behind the disappearance of the submarine - so when we find it, let's split up to explore it!)

And those really are the only good things about this character that I can think of: occasional intelligence and spasmodic courage.


CONCLUSION:
After watching the movie "Sahara", I had high hopes for this book. I was deeply disappointed. I thought I would have a whole new series to follow - and part of me feels that it might almost be worth it, for the sake of Al.

Almost, but not quite. I don't want any more of my money to go towards making a misogynist richer - I've now checked out a few reviews for Mr Cussler's later books, and it appears that this element of his writing does not improve. I also do not wish to wade through any more books as misogynistic as this one. Life is too damn short.

And anyway, he might make Al as nasty as Pitt in the other books, and I really wouldn't want to see that.

So no more Cussler books for me. I'll just stick with watching the movie.

[Eva Gavilli · Rating 2 out of 5]

È un romanzo un pò datato, probabilmente quando è uscito non era poi così male, ma adesso è decisamente sorpassato, da tutti i punti di vista, non per ultimo la presenza femminile...le pochissime donne presenti o sono segretarie svampite con un cervellino da gallina o sono donzelle in pericolo totalmente incapaci non solo di salvarsi da sole, ma di compiere le azioni più elementari. Il protagonista poi, Dirk Pitt, è un personaggio del tutto inverosimile: oltre a essere ovviamente l'uomo più bello, affascinante straricco e seducente del pianeta, è pure esperto di ogni cosa, dal pilotare qualunque oggetto dotato di motore a riconoscere un vino solo annusandolo, ci manca solo che si metta a costruire una bomba nucleare con gli ztuzzichini da denti, roba che McGiver spostati...
***
It's a slightly dated novel, probably when it came out it wasn't that bad, but now it's decidedly outdated, from all points of view, not least the female presence... the very few women present are either airheaded secretaries with a chicken's brain or they are damsels in distress, totally incapable not only of saving themselves, but of carrying out the most basic actions. The protagonist, Dirk Pitt, is a completely unlikely character: in addition to obviously being the most handsome, charming, rich and seductive man on the planet, he is also an expert in everything, from piloting any object equipped with an engine to recognizing a single wine smelling it: a little too much.

[Barbara ★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Pacific Vortex an area in the pacific ocean very similar to the Bermuda Triangle. 38 ships have disappeared completely off the radar in 30 years. When a US nuclear submarine is 38, Dirk Pitt gets involved in the mystery.

The mystery itself is fascinating. The adventures of recovering the submarine by the US Navy and Drk are amazing. The storyline is not up to Cussler's usual twisty turny plot scenarios but well written except for the romance of Dirk and Summer. He first meets her when she tries to kill him - very little conversation. The next time she rescues him from her father's treachery - no talking at all. Then they see each other again under extreme duress and declare their love - gimme a break. Everything else is believable in this outlandish tale except that. What crap. Dirk always gets the girl in later books - only for a night - so it seems like Cussler wanted him to get the girl in this one but he certainly went about it the wrong way.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Removed; this review was for The Mediterranean Caper.

[Nicoletta Furnari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ho letto vari libri che Clive Cussler ha dedicato al suo poliedrico quanto fortunato ed estremamente intuitivo protagonista, Dirk Pitt, ma, prima d’ora, non mi era mai capitato di imbattermi nel primo volume della serie.
In “VORTICE” troviamo Dirk che, in vacanza e spiaggiato in riva al mare, vede galleggiare tra i flutti un curioso oggetto e decide di sfidare i cavalloni e le correnti oceaniche per recuperarlo a nuoto. Queste sono le premesse di un romanzo con una trama interessante e scritto con uno stile scorrevole e avvincente ma dove il senso dell’avventura e la capacità di sopravvivenza dei personaggi rasentano (più del solito) il fantascientifico e sfociano nell’inverosimile.
Ho apprezzato sia il mistero del Vortice del Pacifico, assimilabile a quello del Triangolo delle Bermuda, sia l’intrigo di fondo ma, probabilmente per ignoranza mia, ho trovato il livello di azione davvero troppo esagerato, se non addirittura assurdo.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mysterious area at sea just off the coast of paradise, a missing advanced Navy submarine, and a dashing Air Force pilot that loves the sea and women just seems like adventure. Pacific Vortex! by Clive Cussler was the sixth Dirk Pitt book published, but was the first story written by Cussler featuring Pitt that he finally relented in having published and as all the classic elements that signify a book in the series.

A new advanced Navy submarine is taking its shakedown cruise when its commander decides to investigate an anomaly of both weather and sea floor, the sub disappears and resulting search finds nothing. Six months later, Dirk Pitt is on vacation in he spots a communication capsule from the missing submarine and after delivering it to Naval base is seconded from NUMA to 101st Salvage Fleet and learns of titular Pacific Vortex in which 38 ships have disappeared. Bringing both a fresh expression and information he’s learned from a local native Hawaiian, Pitt deduces that everyone has searched in the wrong area and a potentially lost island might be near where the ships are. In the resulting search, Pitt and the Navy find the sub but can’t begin salvaging because they are attacked forcing them to retreat. The attack continues on Oahu as the daughter of the admiral heading the 101st is kidnapped and Pitt almost murdered by the leader of the mysterious group. The Pentagon decides to strike the area with missiles to destroy not only the sub but any threat from the area in the future, but Pitt mounts a rescue mission for the admiral’s daughter and the sub before the strike. Unfortunately his plan fails, but luck allows both the rescue of the sub and admiral’s daughter to workout but not without a sacrifice on Pitt’s part.

Overall this is a quick paced book that keeps the reader engaged with its action and doesn’t slow down even when exposition occurs in the text. While Pitt himself is fleshed out, other characters are for the most part two-dimensional though given the type of book this is. Obviously there are a lot of clichés throughout the text, but even Cussler is smart enough to flip some on their head especially when book’s antagonist chides Pitt for thinking he can trick him into telling him his evil plan. The classic car and legendary location that connects to the sinister plot are the primary motifs that this series is known for that make major appearances showing that from the beginning were always there. The biggest flaw is that given what occurs later in the series about events taking place in this book, there is a major plot hole.

Pacific Vortex! is good adventure story that has shades of James Bond, but is very much something completely different. This first adventure of Clive Cussler’s character Dirk Pitt, it does not have to be read first or sixth but whenever you decide to if you’re reading any books in the series. If you’re into adventure, thrills, and quick books to read this is one to consider.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pacific Vortex! is the first book in Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt adventure series. I've previously enjoyed the first three books in his Isaac Bell mystery / adventure series and I've wanted to try his other series for a while now. I've purchased the first book in each of his other series.

So to start off with, before you take on this book, suspend disbelief. Very important. It's a far-fetched, full-on adventure. Dirk Pitt works for NUMA, the National Underwater and Marine Agency. He's a rebel, strong-willed, tough, handsome and can seemingly do almost anything; fly helicopters and planes, scuba dive, yada yada yada.

The story starts with the disappearance of an experimental US Navy nuclear submarine in an area known as the Pacific Vortex.. sort of the equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle, except it's little known and mysterious. Months after the disappearance, Pitt, while swimming in Hawaii, on a hidden beach comes across a flotation capsule that seemingly came from the Starbuck. He returns it to the Navy and they take him on to discover what happened to the sub, to try and locate its remains and also to find out more about the Pacific Vortex.

Thus begins a thrill ride of extraordinary dimensions. Attempts are made on Pitt's life, underwater adventures take place in the Pacific Vortex, more killings and dangerous exploits. Who is this mysterious Delphi? Are the Russians involved? And what the heck is Kaniloni? (and no it's not an Italian pastry... well, yes it is, but not in this case)

As I mentioned at the beginning, much of the action and the story is far-fetched, but at the same time, it's full of action, easy and fun to read... and a good introduction to Dirk Pitt. I think I preferred the Isaac Bell stories, at least so far, but I do want to try more of the series to see if the stories improve and if we find out more about Dirk Pitt. It didn't scare me away (a light 3 stars)

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

There should be a literary subgenre composed entirely of books with excalamation points in the title. In the last month I've read both Submarine! and Pacific Vortex! It's hard to resist an author who's that excited about his book. Would you rather read The Brothers Karamzov or HOLY CRAP! IT'S THE F'ING BROTHERS KARAMAZOV!? See?

I picked up this, the first Dirk Pitt adventure, after reading Shadow Divers. I find shipwrecks really fascinating, so I was looking forward to a nice pulpy novel about deep sea adventure. Fortunately, Cussler does not disappoint. Make no mistake, this is a terrible novel. The characters are moronic, generic idiots, the dialogue is pure crap, and the plot is ridiculous. But hey, you weren't expecting War and Peace(!) (better title: War?! AND Peace?!), were you? This is just a fun story about sunken ships, sharks, gruff navy captains, and macho heroes. If you're into that kind of thing, you'll have a fun afternoon with this book. I certainly did.

[Jorgen Schäfer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clive Cussler’s Pacific Vortex tells the tale of a strange area in the pacific where ships get lost. The latest victim is a experimental US navy submarine. When Dirk Pitt finds a message buoy from the submarine, he’s drawn into a mystery hidden below the surface of the sea.

The book starts out with an explanation by Clive Cussler that it’s the first adventure of Dirk Pitt, but he hadn’t released it until later because he did not quite like the quality. Knowing that and not expecting too much, the book is a nice, quick read. Dirk Pitt is a hero of the James Bond kind, always ready with a cool quip, and very much into seducing women. The main irritation I had while reading this was an unnecessary repetition of how awesome Dirk Pitt is. Not only does he do insane things for no other reason than to be a hero, but the author even repeats that he just did something incredibly stupid, er, brave after every other time.

If you can enjoy an unbelievably heroic, womanizing protagonist, and want a book for easy reading, this is for you.

[Debumere · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't even finish. This was creepy as. A very poor man's Jackie Collins for men.

The descriptions were gross and seedy. Dirk was a sleaze.... He is clearly meant to be the 'ideal man', someone men aspire to be, but I tell you what, he is a Class A dick.

This book infuriates me. It was chosen for book group and by a woman also. I just cannot.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was in high school Dirk Pitt was as big as James Bond to me. I read a lot of his early work and the stories flew by. Great adventures and fast paced with some interesting facts strewn in. I later felt I outgrew Dirk Pitt and stopped reading after Sahara which I enjoyed ( was made into a motion picture, rumor has it Clive Cussler refused to make another movie from his books because his input wasn't taken from the studio). Decent movie and an action packed book but it was the last Cussler novel for me. I had moved on to other authors and began reading a lot of science fiction. 30 years later and I found a stack of Cussler books at a yard sale for $1 each. I couldn't resist and picked up all 15. Pacific Vortex, sounded familiar but I honestly didn't remember the story. About halfway through things came back to me and the nostalgia alone was worth the read. People complain about the treatment of women in his books but I don't agree with that. I find Stuart Woods guilty of that and after a few of his novels I refuse to read him anymore. When I researched Cusslers newer books I saw he had a few new series and I picked one up. I like his writing style, his books are not overwritten and perfect for a 3 hour flight or a poolside read. I will pace them out as like most writers there will be repetition in his characters and plots. I will end this in I highly recommended this author for anyone looking for a good summertime read that is not overly written with lots of adventure. No heavy thinking and you can skim some parts and still enjoy the books. Respectfully, Thomas.

[Matthew Cross · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was epic , there's a note at the start from the author saying how he didn't think it was all that great and that the Dirk Pitt books that followed are far more epic scale and enjoyable and his friends requested that he publish it , I was hooked from start to end the plot is James Bond and Indiana Jones mixed together the action scenes are amazing as well as finding out what causes the pacific vortex . I found this serries of books by watching the movie called Sahara another thing I enjoyed is that the Dirk actually gets injured it interesting getting to see that the hero is actually human there , one scene where he shoots some one with an underwater shark gun was epic the guy blew up from the inside out , a bit like that scene from the James Bond movie live and let die there were one two moments where you can tell it was the authors first book and what he wrote was funny when it might not should have been but the rest of the plot made you forget that there was one moment when summer fell in love with dirk in the space of 5 seconds and he fell in love with her just as fast, that was the only part of the book where I was like what !? 😂😂 and what she chose to do after confessed her love was mor stupid , again the rest of the plot made this book epic for me

[Randy Wolfenbarger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for its therapeutic value!

[Jane Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weak 3 stars. Too much like an action-adventure movie. Might be good for teen boys or adults in that kind of mood.

STORY BRIEF:
Dirk was a major in the military and can fly planes. Currently he does special projects for an underwater marine agency. For thirty years, ships disappeared in an area called the Pacific Vortex, north of Hawaii. Recently a nuclear submarine named Starbuck disappeared there. Dirk sees a yellow canister floating in the ocean. He grabs it and takes it to Navy headquarters. It contains a message from the Starbuck. Dirk accompanies a Navy group to try to find the sub and figure out what happened. Someone tries to kill Dirk.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
This was the author’s first book, but he didn’t publish it right away. After his sequels proved successful, he went back and published this at the urging of his friends. The author tells us that this is not as well developed as his later books. He wrote more than 20 Dirk Pitt books and more than 20 other fiction books. This book has a swashbuckling adventure feel. There is not a lot of thought to it. It’s about bad guys, danger, bravery, some fighting, and escape - accessorized with a beautiful woman. It reminds me of movies. I prefer books over movies because I like the depth in books - characters, motivations, and plot development. This did not do enough for me to want to read more in the series. However I already purchased the sequel so I will be doing one more (The Mediterranean Caper). Dirk is a smart tough guy, but I prefer Jack Reacher (the Lee Child books). I think you can read these novels out of order based on other reviewers’ comments, so if you want to try this author, I’d suggest reading one of the other books first.

In this book Dirk meets Summer. If you are reading this for back story on Summer, don’t expect much. There are three brief scenes with Summer. First she tries to kill him, then she tries to help him. Apparently they love each other but that is not developed. There is no relationship development. Apparently she has a role in future books.

There was one line that had me chuckling. Dirk is flying a plane with a group of Navy men going on a dangerous mission, possibly-probably to die. Dirk wants to ease their nervousness so he tells his copilot friend to “get back in the main cabin with the others and act like a bored bus conductor.”

I liked another scene. A woman appears to be seducing Dirk. She knees him in the crotch and plans to inject the contents of a syringe into him. But his instinctive reaction upon being kneed is to lash out with his fist which knocks her unconscious. Then he spends the next several minutes recuperating from his crotch hit, and then he sees the still-full-syringe in her hand. That was a fun scene.

DATA:
Story length: 346 pages. Swearing language: mild, including religious swear words. Sexual content: No sex scenes or language, but Dirk thinks about his desires for women and sex. When he sees a desirable woman, his first thought is wondering how soon and how much effort will it take to have sex with her. Setting: current day Hawaii and the Pacific Ocean. Copyright: 1983. Genre: action adventure thriller.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad and brother-in-law have been recommending Clive Cussler to me for years, and when I discovered that one of my favourite films ‘Sahara’ was based on a Dirk Pitt novel, Cussler moved right up my tbr list. I had to start with the first Dirk Pitt because I’m a read in order kinda gal, and I loved it!
I really liked that Dirk and Al read very similarly to their characters in the film, that was a relief as I love those guys! It was fast-paced, exciting, and surprisingly educational! I’m starting the next one tonight, as soon as I get it from my bro-in-law 😁😁😁

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly reminiscent of a Sean Connery James Bond film. You got your man's man, you got your fancy car, and you got your sultry female co-stars. Throw it in a oceanic setting and bam you've got Dirk Pitt. The novel itself was a decent way to spend a few hours. Some of the style is pretty dated including your average dose of misogyny prevalent in these kind of adventures from that era but other than that it was just popcorn.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clive Cussler's "Pacific Vortex" is a literary masterpiece. It is a fictional story telling about a seemingly average man who has a more than average adventure. Due to the constant adventure and many entertaining aspects of this book, it felt necessary to give this book the high ranking of 5 stars.
This book was an easy read for me. Highly recommend audio, an added plus--outstanding narration and narrator.

[Ken · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first Dirk Pitt adventure!

Even though Cussler wrote this first, it was published after the first five books had already been released. I guess you can appreciate it as a pilot episode, though I do tend to agree with the author that this isn't he's best work and should mainly be treated as a story to start for completionist.