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Black Wind  By  cover art

Black Wind

By: Clive Cussler, Dirk Cussler
Narrated by: Scott Brick
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Publisher's summary

In the waning days of World War II, the Japanese tried a last desperate measure, a different kind of kamikaze mission, this one carried out by two submarines bound for the west coast of the United States, their cargo a revolutionary new strain of deadly virus.

Neither sub made it to the designated target.

But that does not mean they were lost.

Someone knows about the subs and what they carried, knows too where they might be, and has an extraordinary plan in store for the prize inside, a plan that could reshape the world as we know it. All that stands in the way are three people: a marine biologist named Summer, a marine engineer named Dirk, and their father, Dirk Pitt, the new head of NUMA.

Pitt has faced devastating enemies before, has even teamed up with his children to track them down and end their menace, but never has he looked upon the face of pure evil...until now.

©2004 Sandecker, RLLLP (P)2004 Penguin Audio and Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Thriller fans will revel in this action-packed yarn of land- and sea-based derring-do stuffed with technical details." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Brick's slick performance does justice not only to the plot, but also to the assortment of foreign characters whose accents ring true. His voluble reading makes the hours of listening fly by." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about Black Wind

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    1,212
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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Performance
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  • 2 Stars
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Story
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Ya Gotta Love Him

Clive Cussler fans will enjoy this book as well or better than Clive's previous Pitt novels. I know I did.
However, in 'Black Wind' Cussler has resorted to an approach to writing that is becoming more and more common with our leading novelists; teaming (and identifying) with another author in writing their later books. As I recall, Tom Clancy was one the first to do so in recent times.
While apparently an attractive approach for the author, I am not sure that these collaborations give fair value to their readers. In other words, I find that most of these products are inferior to the author's earlier output.
At best, I suppose, the addition of a complementary collaborator can add demonstrable qualitative value to a work. Unfortunately, I haven't come across an instance where that is true. A second reason for teaming up is to add some 'weight' to the book. I find that this is the most prevalent exemplar.
Please don't get me wrong; I don't believe this approach is, ipso facto, inferior -- I don?t. ?Black Wind' seems to fall into this category and I found it to be a good read.
What this format does is make the book's 'style' different. After ingesting a ton of Cussler books (as I have), one comes to expect a distinctive m?tier; an inherent structure, vocabulary, flow, sentence and paragraph construction, etc., etc.
What I noticed was considerably more content to long descriptive passages (occasionally pages in length) that talk ABOUT stuff. Whereas Cussler has always provided us with ACTION, it is a bit off-putting to be confronted with whole sections of the book where NOTHING HAPPENS, interspersed with the kind of familar action passages we have come to expect and love.
Bottom line? It's still a good read with the partnership taking little away from the overall quality of 'Black Wind.'

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44 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Finally... Cussler

I am currently reading the hardback of this book because I couldn't find it on Audio. Thanks audible for getting some recent Cussler books! Now I can get caught up on Dirk and Summer and their dad. The twins are having some thrilling adventures in this one and as usual there is a guest appearance.

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30 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Good

Clive Cussler is the Jerry Bruckheimer of authors. He's prolific, mainstream, and totally predictable. That said, this book is almost perfect for long car rides when you don't want to tax your mind lest you lose your concentration on the road. The story is a stretch but enjoyable. My only real complaint and the only reason I've rated this a 3 rather than a 4 is that the dialogue between characters is just plain horrible. The reader is good and if you can get past the patronizing conversations, it's not a bad listen.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Dreadful, boring, tedious, ugh.

I bought this book after reading the other reviews and I have to wonder what book they thought they were reviewing. There are no suprises here. The villians are ugly and bad; the heros good, handsome, fearless, and witty; and the women are all sexy. This book's plot is one dimensional and the writing puerile. Don't waste your money like I did.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Good Story , Questionable Science

A lively and inventive story built upon historical facts and reasonable suppositions. My enjoyment was somewhat marred by an excessive number of scientific and engineering boners. For example, light is reflected, not refracted from low lying clouds, freeze-dried materials are rehydrated, not hydrogenated, radio waves do not propagate through sea water and cannot possibly be used to communicate with an underwater exploratory vehicle.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Not bad for continuing character lives

I've been a Clive Cussler fan now for 4 years. I like the way that that Dirk Pitt has finally come of age. Now its time for Dirk Pitt (Sort of Jr.)
'Pitt' has not lost the edge which is good and you can see that 'Dirk' follows in Dad's footsteps and so does 'Summer'.
This is a very good read and opens a new world.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Another solid offering by Author & Performer.

Author misses on small details. Pacing good. Story is engaging. Reader does usual fine job.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it

Loved the book, can't wait to listen to the other Dirk Pitt books. Similar to Jack Ryan books by Clancy

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Black Wind

Two stars is being generous. Cussler is too predictable. I used to enjoy his books but it is "same ole, same ole". Scott Brick as a reader doesn't help. He is a reader, not a performer. He sounds the same no matter what the book is. I bought this book in spite of him and ended up disappointed. No more Cussler and no more Brick. Save your money.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Black Wind Clive and Dirk Cussler

Love these characters and love how the author now gives himself a helping role in the stories. Excellent writing

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1 person found this helpful