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NUMA Files #8
Medusa
Deep-sea explorer and government operative Kurt Austin must save the world from a deliberate viral outbreak in this thriller from the #1 New York Times -bestselling author
In the Micronesian islands, a top-secret U.S. government-sponsored undersea lab conducting vital biomedical research on a rare jellyfish known as the Blue Medusa suddenly disappears. At the same time, off Bermuda, a bathysphere is attacked by an underwater vehicle and left helpless a half-mile below the surface, its passengers—including Zavala—left to die. Only Kurt Austin’s heroic measures save them from a watery grave, but suspecting a connection, Austin puts the NUMA team on the case.
Austin's team has no way to prepare for what comes a hideous series of medical experiments, an extraordinarily ambitious Chinese criminal organization, and a secret new virus that threatens to set off a worldwide pandemic. Austin and Zavala have been in tight spots before, but this time it’s not just their own skins they’re trying to save—it’s the lives of millions.
Filled with the high-stakes suspense and boundless invention that are unique to Cussler, Medusa is the most thrilling novel yet from the grand master of adventure.
In the Micronesian islands, a top-secret U.S. government-sponsored undersea lab conducting vital biomedical research on a rare jellyfish known as the Blue Medusa suddenly disappears. At the same time, off Bermuda, a bathysphere is attacked by an underwater vehicle and left helpless a half-mile below the surface, its passengers—including Zavala—left to die. Only Kurt Austin’s heroic measures save them from a watery grave, but suspecting a connection, Austin puts the NUMA team on the case.
Austin's team has no way to prepare for what comes a hideous series of medical experiments, an extraordinarily ambitious Chinese criminal organization, and a secret new virus that threatens to set off a worldwide pandemic. Austin and Zavala have been in tight spots before, but this time it’s not just their own skins they’re trying to save—it’s the lives of millions.
Filled with the high-stakes suspense and boundless invention that are unique to Cussler, Medusa is the most thrilling novel yet from the grand master of adventure.
514 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 2, 2009
700 people are currently reading
3468 people want to read
About the author
Clive Cussler
643 books8,517 followersCussler 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 421 reviews
November 29, 2023
Another exciting adventure yarn from Clive Cussler. It's easy to see why his books continue to be bestsellers.
March 31, 2025
Written in 2009. A genetically engineered virus escapes from a lab in China threatening to sweep across the globe in a deadly pandemic. Obviously a work of fiction. Such a scenario could never happen, right? Right?!?
July 15, 2017
If your are looking for pure swash-buckling adventure, then this is it. NUMA (National Underwater Marine Agency) is an oceanographic research foundation, and some of the key personnel seem to be very similar to the James Bond character; extremely capable, nonchalant, easy-going even in a pinch, and very good with the ladies. They get themselves into lots of tough predicaments, and then use their wits to extricate themselves.
You sort of have to throw away your disbelief, and your desire for realism and "go with the flow" when you read a Clive Cussler novel. But you can always count on great entertainment.
Oh, and I did not read this book--I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Scott Brick. He is perfect for reading this book; he makes dialogues easy to differentiate between characters, and his souped up voice for sarcasm comes shining through every page of the book.
You sort of have to throw away your disbelief, and your desire for realism and "go with the flow" when you read a Clive Cussler novel. But you can always count on great entertainment.
Oh, and I did not read this book--I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Scott Brick. He is perfect for reading this book; he makes dialogues easy to differentiate between characters, and his souped up voice for sarcasm comes shining through every page of the book.
April 7, 2023
I thought this was one of the better numa books.
May 20, 2021
It was long and heavy with so many military, scientific and medical terms mostly of them I skipped lol.
All the characters were good and grow as per my expectations, and I shipped some of them and they were finally together.
I like how America saved the world again and stopped this pandemic from happening in the novel atleast.
This novel is almost copy of what's happening with this covid situation all over the world. The race to make vaccine and stop it from spreading, but it's a thriller novel so it has to blame someone so here comes the Chinese Mafia and comes the American heroes to save the day.
I liked the detailed action and description of every character and scene, it was fun to direct a atleast 4 hour long movie in your head but it was challenging and kinda satisfactory.
This book has lots of information I'll cross check the facts tho before saying they are true or not but still those facts kept me engaged in this book.
And I liked how the author handled three or four scene happening at the same in the story.
Good book.
All the characters were good and grow as per my expectations, and I shipped some of them and they were finally together.
I like how America saved the world again and stopped this pandemic from happening in the novel atleast.
This novel is almost copy of what's happening with this covid situation all over the world. The race to make vaccine and stop it from spreading, but it's a thriller novel so it has to blame someone so here comes the Chinese Mafia and comes the American heroes to save the day.
I liked the detailed action and description of every character and scene, it was fun to direct a atleast 4 hour long movie in your head but it was challenging and kinda satisfactory.
This book has lots of information I'll cross check the facts tho before saying they are true or not but still those facts kept me engaged in this book.
And I liked how the author handled three or four scene happening at the same in the story.
Good book.
August 9, 2022
3.5 stars
There’s something to be said about the maxim ”If you’ve read a Clive Cussler book, you’ve read them all” as it’s true that basically every one of his novels is the same.
Medusa is no different in that respect. Kurt and Joe are just Dirk and Al from the original books and the things they do basically mirror everything those previously mentioned characters do.
That’s not to say this still isn’t a fun book, considering how far Cussler’s work slipped as he pulled a James Patterson and farmed out his name to other authors.
Medusa ends being quick reading with a decent enough (albeit highly illogical) plot. Of course this is no Mark Greaney in terms of non stop action and relentless pacing, however for a typical dad lit novel, it’s better than average.
There’s something to be said about the maxim ”If you’ve read a Clive Cussler book, you’ve read them all” as it’s true that basically every one of his novels is the same.
Medusa is no different in that respect. Kurt and Joe are just Dirk and Al from the original books and the things they do basically mirror everything those previously mentioned characters do.
That’s not to say this still isn’t a fun book, considering how far Cussler’s work slipped as he pulled a James Patterson and farmed out his name to other authors.
Medusa ends being quick reading with a decent enough (albeit highly illogical) plot. Of course this is no Mark Greaney in terms of non stop action and relentless pacing, however for a typical dad lit novel, it’s better than average.
June 24, 2025
Ein sehr guter Maritimer Roman. Leider bleiben die Charaktere weitestgehend eindimensional
September 11, 2016
A fast paced techno/medical thriller after eons.
The plot is convoluted, but is something like -
*early 19th century, few ship crew are attacked by sperm whale, medusa, and one is even engulfed by the whale but is rescued, and these men show certain health benefits, which go recorded
* Present day research involving H1N1 vaccine
*China and SARS/influenza epidemics which remains uncontrolled
*Chinese mafia which has its manifold hand in every lucrative pie including health industry and politics
*Corrupt leaders, brave doctors
*Under sea research
*NUMA team which is fearless as ever, and is dragged into the above situations
*at length description of bio warfare
all the above links get connected at some point or other.
was a racy read that I enjoyed for a change.
But anytime give me a non gory psychothriller which mainly concentrates on what happens in the heads of abnormal people, than a story which is chocful of 'events'
The plot is convoluted, but is something like -
*early 19th century, few ship crew are attacked by sperm whale, medusa, and one is even engulfed by the whale but is rescued, and these men show certain health benefits, which go recorded
* Present day research involving H1N1 vaccine
*China and SARS/influenza epidemics which remains uncontrolled
*Chinese mafia which has its manifold hand in every lucrative pie including health industry and politics
*Corrupt leaders, brave doctors
*Under sea research
*NUMA team which is fearless as ever, and is dragged into the above situations
*at length description of bio warfare
all the above links get connected at some point or other.
was a racy read that I enjoyed for a change.
But anytime give me a non gory psychothriller which mainly concentrates on what happens in the heads of abnormal people, than a story which is chocful of 'events'
February 22, 2019
The Chinese, why is it always the Chinese? It seems the Chinese have replaced the Russians as the antagonist in most of these Special Forces type novels..A Chinese criminal organization, Got a strong Umbrella vibe from these guys.) creates a deadly new virus in hopes of setting a global pandemic....Even though I haven't read many, this is my favorite Clive Cussler novel to date. The locations, the early 19th century prologue, and The "Umbrella Corporation" type villain made this worthwhile
August 5, 2011
In Medusa, a series of seemingly unrelated events combine into a cold, calculated scheme which will kill millions of people and dangle the fates of nations in the hands of a few Chinese madmen. The story begins in 1848 on the whaling ship, Princess, when the crew falls under a strange illness while sailing the Pacific. The strange potion that cures them is remarkable and most of the men live to a ripe old age, relatively free of disease.
Years later, a strain of the virus which afflicted the men of the Princess, rears its ugly head again. Ruthless experiments on human patients test a cure of sorts, but the virus threatens to leap the bounds of containment and it’s finally time to destroy the evidence - the patients themselves.
A disgraced Chinese physician, Dr. Song Lee, is plucked from the remote countryside and rushed to assist with the research for a cure. Unfortunately, research performed at Bonefish Key is linked to a savage attack on a bathysphere, stranding two men on the bottom of a very cold, dark ocean. Rescue barely comes in time and the researchers struggle to understand how the two events are connected.
Meanwhile, a Chinese criminal group with ties all around the world, disguises itself behind Pyramid, a huge organization with great power and influence. Dr. Lee’s successes in working toward a cure for the virus threaten Pyramid’s plans to allow a worldwide outbreak, with Pyramid holding the only vaccine. As such, Pyramid could name its price for the vaccine, enslaving governments desperate to save their people. Dr. Lee cannot be allowed to continue. A ruthless assassin closes in to silence Dr. Lee once and for all!
Fast paced and frighteningly real, this book is a real page turner. Crisp details of massive submarines, undersea laboratories, government politics and twisted, insane minds are interwoven with the bonds of friendship, technical expertise, love and desperation into a riveting account. From the moment you crack the cover, you won’t want to put this book down. Worthy of a second read, to catch some of the details.
Years later, a strain of the virus which afflicted the men of the Princess, rears its ugly head again. Ruthless experiments on human patients test a cure of sorts, but the virus threatens to leap the bounds of containment and it’s finally time to destroy the evidence - the patients themselves.
A disgraced Chinese physician, Dr. Song Lee, is plucked from the remote countryside and rushed to assist with the research for a cure. Unfortunately, research performed at Bonefish Key is linked to a savage attack on a bathysphere, stranding two men on the bottom of a very cold, dark ocean. Rescue barely comes in time and the researchers struggle to understand how the two events are connected.
Meanwhile, a Chinese criminal group with ties all around the world, disguises itself behind Pyramid, a huge organization with great power and influence. Dr. Lee’s successes in working toward a cure for the virus threaten Pyramid’s plans to allow a worldwide outbreak, with Pyramid holding the only vaccine. As such, Pyramid could name its price for the vaccine, enslaving governments desperate to save their people. Dr. Lee cannot be allowed to continue. A ruthless assassin closes in to silence Dr. Lee once and for all!
Fast paced and frighteningly real, this book is a real page turner. Crisp details of massive submarines, undersea laboratories, government politics and twisted, insane minds are interwoven with the bonds of friendship, technical expertise, love and desperation into a riveting account. From the moment you crack the cover, you won’t want to put this book down. Worthy of a second read, to catch some of the details.
March 24, 2020
I really enjoyed this Cussler novel. A lot of action with som humor. I could visualize the places since some were here around Florida. It hit close to home as it was about a strand of the coronavirus and world pandemic.
September 10, 2022
A top-secret, US government-sponsored underwater facility in the Micronesian Islands that was vitally engaged in biomedical research on a rare jellyfish known as the Blue Medusa abruptly stopped. . . vanishes. A bathysphere is attacked by an underwater vehicle off the coast of Bermuda at the same time, leaving its passengers— including Zavala helpless and half a mile below the surface.
Only Kurt Austin's brave actions keep them from drowning, but Austin alerts the NUMA team to the situation because he thinks there may be a link. He has no idea the situation he just got them into a terrifying round of medical tests, a criminal group in China, and a newly discovered virus that poses a global pandemic threat. Although Austin and Zavala have faced challenging circumstances previously, this time saving millions of lives is more important than simply their own skin.
I found it impossible to put down this book because of how fast-paced it is. However, I wouldn't rank it among the top thrillers I've ever read. It's undoubtedly one of the greatest pandemic-related thrillers I've ever read. This novel published in 2009, featured "scary characteristics" of a Chinese virus and a potential third world war. Reading this in 2022 makes me truly nervous since this book foresaw the future in some way.
Only Kurt Austin's brave actions keep them from drowning, but Austin alerts the NUMA team to the situation because he thinks there may be a link. He has no idea the situation he just got them into a terrifying round of medical tests, a criminal group in China, and a newly discovered virus that poses a global pandemic threat. Although Austin and Zavala have faced challenging circumstances previously, this time saving millions of lives is more important than simply their own skin.
I found it impossible to put down this book because of how fast-paced it is. However, I wouldn't rank it among the top thrillers I've ever read. It's undoubtedly one of the greatest pandemic-related thrillers I've ever read. This novel published in 2009, featured "scary characteristics" of a Chinese virus and a potential third world war. Reading this in 2022 makes me truly nervous since this book foresaw the future in some way.
August 21, 2020
Fast reading. Already known conflicts and world end at the tip of a knife. But, as usual a lot of interesting details which are good for a follow up and reading some more about them.
September 14, 2020
This one is one of my favorites, I'm not sure why, but I really liked it!!
May 3, 2021
I do like the books with Dirk Pitt in them better.
July 10, 2024
Interessantes teils Sci-Fy teils realitätsnahes Abenteuer!!
July 22, 2025
4.5 stars
November 15, 2021
10/10 reccomend
September 17, 2022
I found myself enjoying this book; it was fun to read. It moved at a fast pace, it held my interest, and it had an interesting premise to it (that cures for the world's illnesses could be found in the ocean). It was also interesting in that it had the United States and Chinese governments working together for a common goal. The character development of the characters passing through the story was decent - like any other novel, the development of some characters was better than others.
The focus of this story involves a rapidly mutating SARS-related virus that has broken out in several places in China.
I think there was one “big weakness” for me when reading this story.
Learning about Nan Madol, that ancient city in Micronesia was pretty cool. I actually stopped reading and Googled it to see if it really existed and was pleasantly surprised to learn that it did. It is crazy that this city was built on a batch of atolls and reefs and whatnot, that it rose above the ocean’s surface on basalt pillars and had bridges extending across the water to connect with adjoining “islets” to create “the Venice of the Pacific”! I was flabbergasted when I read about this city, how these basalt stones weighed up to twenty tons or so and there was no scientific explanation given as to how these stones were moved from wherever they had been quarried and brought to these islets. Apparently it was believed that rafts made of the local materials could have been built and used until some were actually built and it was discovered that stones above a certain weight sank the rafts. The mystery of how these stones were moved and put into place will probably never be answered, but it was still amazing to read about this magnificent city and what little is known about it.
So, yeah, as always, another fun mix of fact and fiction, of modern technology extrapolated to a future point of “what if?” and how it might work together. The book is a fun blending of history (be it “fact” or “fiction”), science, medicine, various forms of modern technologies, wholistic medicine, and the environment to create a fast-moving, fun, “exciting” story that held my interest from start to finish. I could see myself rereading this book again at some point in the future, if only because it is so fun to read.
The focus of this story involves a rapidly mutating SARS-related virus that has broken out in several places in China.
I think there was one “big weakness” for me when reading this story.
Learning about Nan Madol, that ancient city in Micronesia was pretty cool. I actually stopped reading and Googled it to see if it really existed and was pleasantly surprised to learn that it did. It is crazy that this city was built on a batch of atolls and reefs and whatnot, that it rose above the ocean’s surface on basalt pillars and had bridges extending across the water to connect with adjoining “islets” to create “the Venice of the Pacific”! I was flabbergasted when I read about this city, how these basalt stones weighed up to twenty tons or so and there was no scientific explanation given as to how these stones were moved from wherever they had been quarried and brought to these islets. Apparently it was believed that rafts made of the local materials could have been built and used until some were actually built and it was discovered that stones above a certain weight sank the rafts. The mystery of how these stones were moved and put into place will probably never be answered, but it was still amazing to read about this magnificent city and what little is known about it.
So, yeah, as always, another fun mix of fact and fiction, of modern technology extrapolated to a future point of “what if?” and how it might work together. The book is a fun blending of history (be it “fact” or “fiction”), science, medicine, various forms of modern technologies, wholistic medicine, and the environment to create a fast-moving, fun, “exciting” story that held my interest from start to finish. I could see myself rereading this book again at some point in the future, if only because it is so fun to read.
May 28, 2023
Though Medusa was published back in 2009 its story of a threatened pandemic caused by a virus originating in China hits close to home here in our post-Covid world. If only we had someone like Kurt Austin and his NUMA team on our side.
March 19, 2022
This is my light pulp wind down read, very serviceable
September 22, 2024
Huge fan of the series and the characters and this may be one of my favorite ones I've read
October 28, 2012
Clive Cussler is becoming nothing but a nice time waster for me. Nothing I have read by him has amazed me much and most of it is just quickly-produced novels that seem
to all be about some sort of conspiracy. James Rollins has a similar problem with me now that he writes almost exclusively for his Sigma Force books. Like James
Rollins, Cussler researches his books a great deal and this shines through the otherwise bland novel like a coin submerged in oatmeal. I always get annoyed when books
bounce all over the damn planet like the author is showing off that they have been to these places and must squeeze them all in. I could understand if this was a large
novel but it is only average in length and the constent bouncing around the globe does tend to get a little agrivating at times. Nothing can compare to the dialog
though. I always seem to pick on dialog but it can honestly make or break a novel for me and this one had some of the worst B-movie dialog I have ever heard. There is a
seen where Curt Austen is about to be attacked thousands of feet under the sea by some unknown creature and, when asked what it was, he responds with "something that
wants me for dinner!" George Lucas, please stop influencing people. Pleeeease! Rollins has a similar problem and this just kills the story for me. If the characters do
not act realistically at all, it is hard not only to relate to them but to care about them. I didn't care by that point if the protagonist was eaten or not. This dialog
spreads accross every page like an intellectual plague that most books that are co-authored these days seem to contain.
The book is okay. How is that for a review? It was okay. Absolutely nothing special and it only serves to push me a little farther away from Cussler's work in the
future. If you like movies that have a massive budget and lots of kick-ass special effects and a script that was written by someone who has never had a conversation
with a real person in their lives because they spend too much time in their basement listening to the cartoonish voices in their head, than this book is for you. Or, if
you want to wait a bit, I'm sure it will eventually be made into a film so you don't even have to read.
to all be about some sort of conspiracy. James Rollins has a similar problem with me now that he writes almost exclusively for his Sigma Force books. Like James
Rollins, Cussler researches his books a great deal and this shines through the otherwise bland novel like a coin submerged in oatmeal. I always get annoyed when books
bounce all over the damn planet like the author is showing off that they have been to these places and must squeeze them all in. I could understand if this was a large
novel but it is only average in length and the constent bouncing around the globe does tend to get a little agrivating at times. Nothing can compare to the dialog
though. I always seem to pick on dialog but it can honestly make or break a novel for me and this one had some of the worst B-movie dialog I have ever heard. There is a
seen where Curt Austen is about to be attacked thousands of feet under the sea by some unknown creature and, when asked what it was, he responds with "something that
wants me for dinner!" George Lucas, please stop influencing people. Pleeeease! Rollins has a similar problem and this just kills the story for me. If the characters do
not act realistically at all, it is hard not only to relate to them but to care about them. I didn't care by that point if the protagonist was eaten or not. This dialog
spreads accross every page like an intellectual plague that most books that are co-authored these days seem to contain.
The book is okay. How is that for a review? It was okay. Absolutely nothing special and it only serves to push me a little farther away from Cussler's work in the
future. If you like movies that have a massive budget and lots of kick-ass special effects and a script that was written by someone who has never had a conversation
with a real person in their lives because they spend too much time in their basement listening to the cartoonish voices in their head, than this book is for you. Or, if
you want to wait a bit, I'm sure it will eventually be made into a film so you don't even have to read.
July 20, 2016
It is an intriguing, suspense thriller. I was first attracted to it by the unusual story of Caleb Nye, who in 1848 was swallowed by a sperm whale in the South Pacific, but was rescued a few hours later when the whale was killed and gutted for its whale oil. Nye's widely acclaimed survival in the belly of a fish made him a carnival attraction as a "modern day Jonah." Also of interest was the novel's focus on the anti-viral benefits of the jelly fish (the Medusa) toxins to combat virus infections. Clive Cussler was awarded a Doctor of Letters degree in 1997, by the Board of Governors of the Maritime College, State University of New York, for his non-fiction work The Sea Hunters (1973) in lieu of a Ph.D. thesis that he had not finished there in the 1970s. The story summary: In the Micronesian Islands, a top secret, U.S. government– sponsored undersea lab conducting vital biomedical research on a rare jellyfish known as the Blue Medusa suddenly . . . disappears. At the same time, off Bermuda, a bathysphere is attacked by an underwater vehicle and left helpless a half mile below the surface, its passengers—including Zavala—left to die. Only Kurt Austin’s heroic measures save them from a watery grave, but, suspecting a connection, Austin puts the NUMA team on the case. He has no idea what he’s just gotten them all into. A hideous series of medical experiments . . . an extraordinarily ambitious Chinese criminal organization . . . a secret new virus that threatens to set off a worldwide pandemic. Austin and Zavala have been in tight spots before, but this time it’s not just their own skins they’re trying to save—it’s the lives of millions. Filled with the high-stakes suspense and boundless invention unique to Cussler, Medusa is the most thrilling novel yet from the grand master of adventure
January 10, 2015
Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala of NUMA and their underwater vehicles B3 and Bubbles are attacked by a mysterious submersible when they take a scientist with them on an exploration. The scientist is head of an undersea laboratory, Davy Jones’s Locker, which disappears at the same time. The Navy asks NUMA for help in retrieving the laboratory. Of course, as in most of Cussler’s books, the future of the planet depends on Austin and NUMA, this time in safeguarding the vaccine to an epidemic. Our heroes are larger than life, their love interests of this adventure smart, petite, beautiful and a bit helpless, and the Asian enemy cruel but no match for our heroes. One of the enemies is shot near the end of the book, and then….
“The body was shipped to a warehouse where the receiver complained about the quality of the merchandise. The corpse was dissected, immersed in acetone to eliminate all traces of moisture, and then given a bath of polymers. The muscles and bones were touched up with paint, and the body bent into a standing position, the arm cocked and ready to smash a tennis ball.
When the transformed corpse arrived in London to join other bodies in an exhibition that would take it to Paris and New York, a tennis racket was placed in the boney hand. In time, his skinned body would adorn T-shirts, key chains, refrigerator magnets, even the cover of the catalog sold at the traveling exhibition. “
This part is pretty hilarious, more so as I have just been to the Bodies exhibition in Las Vegas. And indeed, all those sportive corpses are Asian, so maybe…..
“The body was shipped to a warehouse where the receiver complained about the quality of the merchandise. The corpse was dissected, immersed in acetone to eliminate all traces of moisture, and then given a bath of polymers. The muscles and bones were touched up with paint, and the body bent into a standing position, the arm cocked and ready to smash a tennis ball.
When the transformed corpse arrived in London to join other bodies in an exhibition that would take it to Paris and New York, a tennis racket was placed in the boney hand. In time, his skinned body would adorn T-shirts, key chains, refrigerator magnets, even the cover of the catalog sold at the traveling exhibition. “
This part is pretty hilarious, more so as I have just been to the Bodies exhibition in Las Vegas. And indeed, all those sportive corpses are Asian, so maybe…..
June 3, 2016
I brought this to work and read it as I sat through multiple HS graduation. Not because I thought it'd keep me entertained but because the graduations would be so boring it'd force me to get through it. I do not like Clive Cussler (but I bought some before I knew this so I'm reading them damn it).
He spend too much time on tiny details, until it seems like every word is an adjective. The way he writes women is not very becoming, and of course they all immediately fall in love with the main hero, Kurt Austin. Who by the way is practically a clone of Dirk Pitt. In other books I've noticed homophobic tendencies, but in this one the main bad guy is intersexed. It's not that he made the intersexed person a bad guy it's how he used it as a physical manifestation of their evil/oddness and calls the character a "freak" on multiple occasions, not cool Clive.
Every book is basically a paint by the numbers version of his first few, which is a problem most authors struggle with but if you like this genre/subject matter read James Rollins instead.
He spend too much time on tiny details, until it seems like every word is an adjective. The way he writes women is not very becoming, and of course they all immediately fall in love with the main hero, Kurt Austin. Who by the way is practically a clone of Dirk Pitt. In other books I've noticed homophobic tendencies, but in this one the main bad guy is intersexed. It's not that he made the intersexed person a bad guy it's how he used it as a physical manifestation of their evil/oddness and calls the character a "freak" on multiple occasions, not cool Clive.
Every book is basically a paint by the numbers version of his first few, which is a problem most authors struggle with but if you like this genre/subject matter read James Rollins instead.
February 24, 2012
Well - there is a reason I try not to read to many Cussler books in a row. While they are easy and fun to read, they all pretty much follow the same storyline; tall good looking commanding male gets into multiple life threatening situations, finds beautiful unattached female who is impressed with him, manages to save the day multiple times with improvised methodologies, finds some strange ancient artifact that changes our understanding of history and saves the world at the same time.
Medusa fits that outline to a T. I enjoyed reading it but it was very formulaic in the Clive Cussler sense although he didn't interject himself as a deus ex machina as he so often does in his story.
Good for a long airline flight or as a way to enjoyable spend time reading. Don't expect classic literature though.
Medusa fits that outline to a T. I enjoyed reading it but it was very formulaic in the Clive Cussler sense although he didn't interject himself as a deus ex machina as he so often does in his story.
Good for a long airline flight or as a way to enjoyable spend time reading. Don't expect classic literature though.
November 17, 2009
Cussler's books have simply become like the old movie serials of the 1930's. Or the comic strip serials like Terry and the Pirates or Steve Canyon. This doesn't mean they aren't entertaining, but they have completely lost any semblance of reality. I realize many will think they never were any where near reality, but Cussler did take some of the danger and intrigue seriously once upon a time. Now, they are just comic strip adventures, more closely related to young adult fiction, save for the copious amounts of alcoholic consumption.
Fun to read, up to a point.
Fun to read, up to a point.
November 1, 2010
Fun easy thriller that reads like a movie script. This was the first Clive Cussler book that I've read. I hadn't even heard of him before. He strikes me as a kind of poor man's Tom Clancy. The plot was interesting, the plot fast and it took place at exotic locales with heroic good guys and really bad bad guys.
The downside was that the characters seemed like thin caricatures and some of the dialog was excruciatingly bad. It reminded me of watching a really cheesy movie.
Overall a fun, quick read.
The downside was that the characters seemed like thin caricatures and some of the dialog was excruciatingly bad. It reminded me of watching a really cheesy movie.
Overall a fun, quick read.
January 16, 2017
The plot was fine, but had a couple of parts where the characters seemed to lose focus on the vaccine that might save the entire planet, which was rather unrealistic. The casual misogyny - including random pauses during vital moments to admire some woman's body - was more frustrating. The overblown descriptions and dreadful overuse of similes was groan-inducing, and if I have to hear anything else about Kurt's coral-blue eyes, I'm going to dump him overboard somewhere smelly. Overall, decent at best.
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