Treasure of Khan

I generally enjoy Clive Cussler's books, against my better nature, but this one was just hilariously poor. I believe, given the severe downturn in writing quality, that he comes up with the ideas and leaves his (considerably less talented) son to actually do the writing. The novel is nearly 700 pages long and so badly overwritten that it should be 300 at the most (in the hands of a talented writer, that is). Cussler (whichever one it be) uses far too many adjectives and adverbs, none of which add anything to the story other than a severe downturn in pace and a feeling that you are being spoken to in the manner of a special needs teacher to a very slow child. Everything seems to be explained 3 or 4 times. At one point (pages 362-363 fact checckers!) the fact that Mongol horses are quite hardy is mentioned seven times in one paragraph. Seven! I know the target audience aren't exactly the gifted and talented set, but nevertheless...

Another wonderful scene sees a small Mongol boy begin a conversation with our heroes thus: "'I learn English at monastery,' he replied proudly, enunciating each syllable." Then, 6 pages and a few hours later the boy manages the following sentence (albeit translating for his father who speaks only Mongol): "The Chinese bureaucrats keep comandeering the land without regard to its natural balance." That monastery could make a fortune selling its secret of teaching languages to the rest of the world.

The book is also crammed with cliches. Opening it at random now I see a 'crystal blue lake'. And here 'breakneck speed'. And so on and on. And the bad guys speak in a peculiarly stilted way: 'Our father would be proud'; 'my dear sister, we have already won'; 'thanks to our brother's fire ship incident'. Do you speak to members of your family like that? Thought not.

Still, all this prosaic crud would be forgivable if the plot were interesting. It isn't. The good guys are seemingly invincible (apart from bit part players obviously brought in to be sacrificed to prove just how much trouble the good guys are in. Yeah, right). They get out of seemingly impossible situations with the monotonous inevitability and risible improbability and good fortune of 1930s matinee heroes. At various points, they handily find a superfast ferry, a motorbike and a camel, just when you think they are surely done for. There is no tension and no interest - the combination of the overwriting and lack of real danger see to that.

Really Messers Cussler, you should be ashamed of yourselves.

More cut glass than polished gem (0/0 people found this helpful)

Much as I enjoy the series; this I really do feel isnt one of Mr Cusslers better ones - I cant shake the feeling that Dirk Jr and Summer are mainly written by Dirk Cussler. Some of the writing, for example, has dirk and al behaving in ways other than in which you've become used to (Al, for example snarling). A little of the background of the Khans, in relation to the Yuan dynasty is a little off as well.

All the above aside though, if you're willing to suspend disbelief it's an enjoyable book as long as you're familiar with the Pitt universe. However, if you're not; this is a book to buy now and read after you've read a few of the earlier ones.

Lost its energy (0/1 people found this helpful)

Not the best Cussler novel by a long way. If you like action thrillers read Soft target by Conrad Jones its absolutly fantastic !!! off to read another Cussler to redeem my faith in him!!

Disappointed (1/1 people found this helpful)

Having read and really enjoyed Sahara, I was looking forward to the next Dirk Pitt adventure I got to read. This one was not up to scratch, in Sahara Pitt narrowly escapes death are few times, in this one you can barely turn 3 pages before he pulls it off with some ridiculous million-to-one coincidence, he even manges the old bible-next-to-your-heart-to-stop-a-bullet trick! When this story turns up another set of characters you are glad of the break from the man who won't die.

In fact he not only won't die, he'll plunge back into the same set of circumstances just to let death have another crack at him!!! I know coincidences make for great adventure stories and I love a good adventure story, but it's just the shear number in this book that just destroys it, and then the author just tosses a few unimportant characters to death just so he doesn't create a total fairy tale and that just makes it even worse because you have no emotional connection with the characters that have just died.

Not wanting to spoil it for anybody but the ending of this book is just terrible.

Rant over...
buy one of the others instead, the two stars here were only because the first half of the story were quite exciting.

Fast Paced (0/0 people found this helpful)

Well I have read the reviews on here.

And....

I beleive the book to be very good. It is fast faced once you get paced the first 40pages or so and keeps the reader entralled. I would have finished it by now if it weren't for my slightly more disciplined approach to reading. i.e. read for 2 hours then feed the cats.

Pitt is on fine form if getting a little older, and yes his kids get in on the act late in the book. Giordino is classic, while Rudi Gunn seems to be a more background character this time around. Yaeger also appears late in the book too.

Still can't wait to get home tonight and finish it off. It keeps the reader turning the pages and reading and this is what storytelling is all about.

A super book, better than most reviews on here would have you believe.

Clive Cussler

Reader Reviews:

Astonishingly badly written (0/0 people found this helpful)

More cut glass than polished gem (0/0 people found this helpful)

Lost its energy (0/1 people found this helpful)

Disappointed (1/1 people found this helpful)

Fast Paced (0/0 people found this helpful)

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