Okay, since i've just joined here i've been doing the nosey thing and looking through some posts etc and am surprised at how many people like (or at least know of Clive Cussler)! On a writing forum i used to be on they hated him and went on about how bad he was without giving any great reasons. So who here likes his books? He used to be my absolute favourite author but his latest books are getting a bit weird i have to admit. Although i'll still keep reading them. I've struggled to find books in the same style as Cusslers (until McDermott). Anyone have any suggestions? I have to admit i'm not a big fan of Matthew Reilly.
I've read a couple of his books (Pacific Vortex, Shock Wave) and found them rather engaging. It's been said that his stories are too outrageous, although I don't think of it as a bad thing. My only problem with his writing is that I can't relate to any of the characters, but the action is so gripping that I couldn't put the book down anyway. I first heard about Clive Cussler in comparison with Michael Crichton. Have you read his books?
Cussler and Crichton is actually a fairly interesting comparison because it's like comparing black and white; the only thing they have in common are the shades of gray between them. I've never particularly liked Cussler- his heroes are rarely unique, the plot is always masculine good guy vs. some evil organization or another, he rambles on and on about the vehicles and weapons his hero uses, as if he were more interested in illuminating every detail about a certain kind of shotgun or helicopter than actually giving depth to his story. Things like that turn me off. Crighton(who just recently died), on the other hand, would not have anything in common in Cussler until the mid-point of his career, where he moved increasingly into the fantastic and, instead of having a fascination with weapons like Cussler, instead obsessed over the science involved. His characters always had more depth though, I thought, particularly in his very first novel "A Case Of Need" which I still consider an underrated triumph in medical fiction. But I digress, none of this is really related to what you want. I recommend perhaps the Tom clancy books if you're really into the thriller type stuff or perhaps Robert Ludlum. It's a matter of preference, really.
