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In the 13th installment of the Dirk Pitt series, Cussler again weaves a fascinating tale that takes the reader back to 1859 when the British were transporting convicts to Australia. There is a shipwreck, sharks, fighting, and murder, with only 8 people surviving the ordeal. Then the story jumps to the present where Pitt is confronted with solving the mystery of shockwaves that kill everything in their path. He rescues Maeve, a descendant of one of the 1859 shipwreck victims, discovers the source of the murderous sound waves, and travels back to Australia to do battle with Maeve's father. The tale will keep you at the edge of your seat.

Reviewed by Martin H., Main Library

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In his latest novel, Atlantis Found, Clive Cussler travels underground to unearth the secrets of a civilization long gone, and the objects protagonist Dirk Pitt finds are not just artifacts, but a message from the past. A great adventure unfolds as a mystery unravels. Travel the oceans from the Antarctic to the Mediterranean with Pitt and his associates in an attempt to find out the relationship among ancient artifacts, World War II, and our solar system. What they learn is more shocking than they could have imagined. No more can be said than "Read this book!"

Reviewed by Jeff G., North County Regional

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Densely written by an author who is beginning to be compared with Hemingway and filled with action, this tale, set in a small New England fishing village, opens with a brutal murder. The killing triggers a long flashback detailing the history of an East German agent who witnesses it: how he came to be assigned to the US, in love with his beautiful co-spy, and forced by the collapse of Communism to attempt to actually live their cover story. Within that flashback are others even more sinister. An amazingly compact, fast-paced multi-genre work (war story, sea story, love story, mystery, espionage), this book continues to reverberate long past its final page.

Reviewed by Jim B., Main Library

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In this second entry in the Aubrey/Maturin series, emphasis shifts from violent naval action to character and historicity. Indeed, the first few chapters - vividly depicting 19th Century English country life and courtship - are more reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice than Horatio Hornblower (to which this series is often compared). When, in 1803, Napoleon violates the Peace of Amiens, however, the pair of friends are once again in action - escaping from France, keeping Aubrey at least one step ahead of his creditors (and the horrors of debtor's prison), and chasing enemy vessels right into their home ports.

Reviewed by Jim B., Main Library

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Enter Captain Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin who meet at a chamber music recital under less than amicable conditions, become the best of friends and set upon a 20-volume voyage into the best traditions of English literature. Set against a meticulously detailed background of the wars of Napoleon, this tale traces the career of a daring, ambitious, yet very human naval hero. O’Brian’s command of the idiom of 19th Century maritime affairs, his familiarity with the mysteries of sailing and equipment, are nothing less than amazing; his description of maneuvers and tactics – the almost languid tempo of war at sea—is breath-taking.

Reviewed by Jim B., Main Library

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This magical adventure is the story of Pi Patel. In Pondicherry, India, Pi is a zookeeper’s inquisitive son, and seeker after God who gleefully embraces Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. The adventure of his young life begins when Pi’s father decides to move to Canada. Some of the animals, sold to new owners in Canada, travel with the Patels. The ship is sunk in the middle of the Pacific. Pi ends up on a lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan, and Richard Parker -- a 450-pound Bengal tiger who soon eats all but Pi. All his father had taught him about animals, his imagination, and his faith guide Pi and Richard Parker through 227 days adrift. Seamless writing and multilayered storytelling turn what could have been an unbelievable adventure into a complex and uplifting fable about the power of both faith and fiction, for starters.

Reviewed by Mark B., Main Library

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Reader's comments about this book

Life of Pi makes a strong statement about the relationship of man to animals and the natural environment. The author also makes the major point that challenge and hardship give life meaning - that if our lives are too content we become hopeless.
-Sandy, Charlotte, NC

This is a very good story. It is believable and fantastic at the same time. The twists at the end will leave one wondering for a long while.
-Patricia, Fort Myers, Florida

The book is very good. I like it very much. I hope all read this book.
-Venkatesh, Hyderabad, India

When telling others about this book they would look at and me and ask if this book was fiction. Yann Martel is so convincing and I loved the alternative twist at the end. Indeed a book that has made a long lasting impression, it will be intersting to see how the movie is portrayed.
-Kimberley, Jupiter, FL

I have read this book, and have found that it is filled with humor, the connection between man and animals, and sometimes sadness. At the end I found myself questioning fiction or non? The ending I find is somewhat sad, but the interview with the two Chinese men was hilarious! I loved this book, and have read it twice so far.
-Jessica, New Jersey

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Commanding a flotilla of five ships, British Commodore George Anson sets out from England in 1740 to circumnavigate the globe. Along the way, he attacks Spanish treasure galleons and acquires riches sufficient to change the lives of what crew he has left – that of his own Centurion and the few survivors of the four ships he has lost. Peter Palafox, son of an Irish clergyman, manages to secure a midshipman’s berth on the Centurion and it is from his viewpoint that the story is told -- a story of youthful bravery and exuberance compellingly told by a master whose Aubrey/Maturin series would become world-famous. The O’Brian magic -- his amazingly accurate period detail, his broad spectrum of humor, and his gift for characterization are already evident in this early effort: his first sea tale.

Reviewed by Jim B., Main Library

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Unlike his creator, who is gifted in either element- at sea or upon the shore-Captain Aubrey is a hopeless naif upon the shore. In London, which O’Brian describes brilliantly in all its 18th Century majesty and squalor, Aubrey is lured into an illicit investment scheme concocted by enemies in an attempt to discredit him and Maturin. Before Maturin, who is as deft upon land as he is hopeless at sea, can come to his friend’s rescue, the good Captain is convicted. Part of his sentence is to be pilloried in public –a dangerous situation, given the baser instincts of the London crowd. Every man who has sailed with him or has even known of him, however, is present for that event to assure that no harm- and every honor they can muster- comes to him. In so doing, they provide the reader with one of the most emotionally touching scenes ever written.

Reviewed by Jim B., Main Library

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Sixth in the Aubrey-Maturin series, this book is set in the War of 1812. Lucky Jack Aubrey seems for the moment to have lost his famous luck- along with the rest of the Royal navy, soundly defeated in its first three engagements by a small upstart US Navy. After the third battle, Aubrey and Maturin are taken to Boston as prisoners of war, giving O’Brian an opportunity to describe the city and its people, customs (some of which – such as the treatment of blacks – are embarrassing), and politics. French agents, who have free reign in America, have a mighty grudge against Maturin, which they mean to resolve with his assassination. The resulting action makes for an excellent spy thriller.

Reviewed by Jim B., Main Library

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Though Lucky Jack Aubrey is never far away, Stephen Maturin is the focus of the seventh entry in this excellent series. He has done great damage to Napoleon’s intelligence services, killing several agents and indirectly causing the deaths of a number of others. When, once again, he and Aubrey are taken prisoner – this time by the French – he is identified as the killer of two agents in Boston. His life is therefore forfeit. He has, apparently, also finally won the love of his life, Diana Villiers. His predicament, however, endangers her life as well – not to mention the lives of Aubrey and a delightful new character, a handsome but somewhat clumsy young Swedish cavalry officer named Jagiello. Jagiello is the source of much of this volume’s humor.

Reviewed by Jim B., Main Library

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Eighth in the Aubrey-Maturin series, The Ionian Mission finds Lucky Jack Aubrey, now a senior captain commanding a ship in the blockade of Toulon, fretting at the relative inactivity – broken only by inconclusive chases of blockade-runners and a short put perilous intelligence mission by Maturin. A new mission and reassignment to his beloved old frigate Surprise, however, soon put the pair back in action in the dangerous waters around the Greek Islands, putting them against the Turkish navy and terrific odds. Once again O’Brian vividly captures the stately but deadly rhythm of 19th Century naval warfare. And his characters become more real with each succeeding book.

Reviewed by Jim B., Main Library

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Ship’s surgeon and master spy Steven Maturin crawls out upon the bowsprit of his friend Jack Aubrey’s frigate Leopard, on its way to Australia to rescue the infamous Captain Bligh. From there he looks back at the ship, which appears to be rushing towards him, giving himself and the reader an unforgettable thrill. The seas get rougher, however, and the Leopard, for all her beauty, seems to be jinxed—carrying prisoners under transport (including a beautiful enemy spy), and pursued and out-gunned by a massive Dutch man-of-war captained by a man apparently bent upon revenge and outright murder. If all that isn’t enough, there also looms collision with an iceberg, as well as a deadly epidemic among crew and passengers. A powerful and very human book.

Reviewed by Jim B., Main Library

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Upon reading this ninth entry in the Aubrey-Maturin series, one is likely to conclude that O’Brian’s masterful 20-volume work belongs among the great classics of English literature. Jack Aubrey isn’t merely lucky; he is heroic on a grand scale. So, in his own and very different way, is Stephen Maturin. In Malta, while Aubrey waits impatiently (he does nothing patiently) for completion of repairs upon his beloved Surprise, Maturin enlists a young and very lovely woman in his perilous campaign to discredit French intelligence efforts. Malta is crawling with Napoleonic spies and, by now, they know Maturin quite well. O’Brian’s uncanny knack for recreating the 19th Century is once again featured in naval action, espionage, an absorbing desert crossing, and adventures in Maturin’s diving bell.

Reviewed by Jim B., Main Library

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In the summer of 1916, inhabitants of the United States had discovered the wonders of the ocean and had started going to the "shore". This was becoming a favorite pastime for the wealthy. Large luxury hotels were built to accommodate the crowds. Historic cultural detail made this an interesting read in itself, but horror struck when a rogue great white shark off the New Jersey coast somehow came close to shore and started attacking the swimmers. The author's research enables us to relive the events as though we were there. In 1974, Peter Benchley based his fictionalized story of Jaws on this actual event.

Reviewed by Gloria J., North County Regional

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In the draught plagued summer of 79 AD Marcus Attilius has just been appointed the new Aquarius (head engineer) of the Aqua Augusta. His first job is to find out why Rome’s mightiest aqueduct has left some cities dry and poisoned the fishponds of Herculaneum. Of course other problems lurk as well, like what happened to his predecessor and does Pliny the Elder have any information that may be of use? Marcus soon finds himself climbing along Mt. Vesuvius trying to isolate and fix the problem. Along the way he meets many, few that want to help the new Aquarius in his endeavors. Harris weaves facts and fiction seamlessly in this gripping tale of love, loss and water.

Reviewed by Gina D., Myers Park Branch

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Reading this book in the summer of 2008 made me really want to go to the exhibit of artifacts from Pompeii currently in Charlotte!
-Tom, Charlotte

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In 1998, nine men (including one who had never sailed) competed to complete the first, nonstop, solo circumnavigation of the Earth in the Golden Globe Race. While Apollo 8 orbited the moon, these voyagers, using nautical technology closer to that of the eighteenth rather than the twenty-first century, focused on more earthly concerns. Disregarding the inevitable isolation of the voyage, the endless aspect of the ocean, the prospect of heavy weather, and the possibility of a lonely death, these very different sailors risked their all in a quest for adventure, fame and self-discovery. The stories of the men and their boats carry the reader on a gripping journey from the calms and the gales of the seas to the storms of the soul.

Reviewed by Charles D., Morrison Regional

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Enter Clarissa Harvill into the highly structured and disciplined man’s world of the Royal Navy. Outbound from the horror of penal colony Australia, the Surprise unwittingly assists in her escape. Abused sexually most of her life, Clarissa is gifted with an understanding of men that she is loathe to discuss. Though not particularly beautiful, she nevertheless has an allure that no one in the crew can resist – not even Captain Aubrey, who is known for his objection to women aboard a ship. His objections are amply demonstrated – as is his angry reaction – when jealousy and contention among the crew over Clarissa’s anemic favors result in inept seamanship. It takes the astute Maturin to penetrate Clarissa’s past and to solve the riddle of her apparent sexual lethargy. In the process, he learns that she can help him identify a long-sought traitor highly placed in the Admiralty. Intense psychological issues, stimulating dialogue, and delightful humor more than make up for the lack of naval action in this installment.

Reviewed by Jim B., Main Library

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Cleared of false charges that lost him his place on the Royal Navy’s roster of officers and newly distinguished by his accomplishments as a privateer, Captain Jack Aubrey is awarded command of the frigate Diane. His first assignment is to convey his brilliant spy/surgeon/best friend Maturin on a diplomatic mission to the Malay prince at Pulo Prabang. The French are already there in hopes of securing a treaty that will all but doom British trade in the region. Maturin’s wily machinations in the resulting intelligence battle are a joy to read. Further adventures – an untimely typhoon and Maturin’s trek to the sacred crater of the Thousand Steps deep in orangutan country – combine to make this thirteenth book one of the best in a series that the reader by now wishes would never end.

Reviewed by Jim B., Main Library

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That strange dark color to which the title refers, and which reminds Dr. Maturin of Homer’s description of the Mediterranean, heralds the cataclysmic birth of an island in the Great South Sea, where the Surprise doggedly chases an American privateer. Such is the unforgettable opening of this 16th entry in the Aubrey-Maturin series. The mission is – as usual – a sensitive one: Maturin is to see what advantages for the Crown might lie in the revolutions sweeping through South America, where Spanish influence is waning and the French are already attempting to fill the resultant power vacuum. Forced by failure to flee for his life, Maturin ushers the reader on yet another breath-taking adventure – across the frozen Andes. Meanwhile, Aubrey comes close to death in an open boat and meets his black African love-child, yet still finds time to play the best violin in the fleet – accompanied on "cello", of course, by the good doctor.

Reviewed by Jim B., Main Library

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The title of this 19th entry in the Aubrey-Maturin series refers to Napoleon’s brief return to power following his escape from Elba. Naturally, our heroes are deeply involved in the renewed warfare. Aubrey takes up station off the Adriatic coast and deals death and destruction to any Bonapartist shipbuilder he can find, enhancing greatly his already widespread reputation as a naval hero. Indeed, he is every bit the hero he was in the first book, in spite of his losing battle with obesity. Maturin, meanwhile, has had to deal with the loss of his beautiful wife Diana. He hardly has time to grieve, however; for the outcome of the looming battle at Waterloo may well depend upon the outcome of his mission to thwart a major intercession in Napoleon’s behalf by Islamic mercenaries. There remains but one book in this wonderful epic – the reader’s misfortune.

Reviewed by Jim B., Main Library

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The heavy cruiser USS Houston was the largest of the ships in the ill fated ABDA Command defending the Dutch East Indies in early 1942. Most accounts of the Houston leave her sinking after a horrific night time gun battle in the waters of the Sunda Strait, flag still flying at the mainmast. As Hornfischer relates, this was just the beginning of the survivors’ ordeal. Taken prisoner by the Japanese, they, joined by a National Guard artillery battalion from Texas, would become slave laborers throughout Japanese-held Asia including working on the infamous “Railway of Death”. The “ghosts “of the title refers to the fact that the fate of the survivors remained a mystery for most of the war.

Reviewed by John C., Main Library

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In 1794, Congress passed a law calling for the building and arming of six frigates. Thus the United States Navy (as opposed to the Continental Navy) was born. As the threat (Algerian pirates) faded the shipbuilding slowed even stopped. However other threats to the new nation appeared; the six frigates and other vessels would be finished and put into action against the French, the Tripolitan Pirates and a rematch with the British called the War of 1812. Physically larger and more heavily armed than other nations’ frigates, these six would serve well during the war. The last reminder of those early vessels is the USS Constitution is preserved in Charlestown, MA.

Reviewed by John C., Main Library

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The series of battles that make up what is called the Battle of Leyte Gulf are sixty-three years gone now. Evan Thomas takes us to that long ago time and what was the defining naval battle of the Pacific in World War II. Four commanders would play their own roles in the outcome not necessarily the way they envisioned. Admiral William Halsey would live up to his press moniker of "Bull" by chasing a decoy fleet and being three hundred miles away from where his ships were desperately needed. Admiral Kurita would inexplicably order his task force to retire from a much weaker American force after savaging it. Both decisions remain questions for historians still... For another take on this battle see The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James D. Hornfischer.

Reviewed by John C., Main Library

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The Golden Age of Piracy was much shorter and very different than popular myth may tell us. From 1716 to 1720 pirates crippled the Atlantic shipping fleets of Britain, France and Spain and Woodard focuses on these years. The story is told by following the careers of four men, three of them are pirates. Their names are Samuel "Black Sam" Bellamy, Edward "Blackbeard" Hatch, and Charles Vane. The fourth is the man who brought them down, Woodes Rogers. The story is filled with histories of the nations and peoples involved, a good short history of the evolution of the buccaneer lifestyle, colorful characters, sea battles and humor. Another nice popular history that shows facts are often as interesting as the myth.

Reviewed by Ed M., Morrison Regional

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Tracy, Olivia and Holly were best friends in high school. Over the years they kept in touch, so when Olivia's husband dies and she moves back to the U.S. they decide to go on a sailboat cruise. With a two man crew, the three friends plus Tracy's daughter set sail from St. Thomas. But, what was supposed to be a ten day leisurely cruise turns into a twenty-two day nightmare. Through a series of mistakes the women end up on the boat alone, with no food or power and under attack from modern day pirates/drug smugglers. They must use all their wits and strength to survive this horrific situation. Still Summer examines the strength of relationships and love when put to a life or death test.

Reviewed by Jessica B., Mint Hill Branch

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Alan Lewrie faces his greatest adversary ever in the latest installment of this long-running naval adventure series – wedded bliss. Gallantly offering to wed Caroline to save her from a forced union, Alan finds himself not only married but also the captain of his own ship, the former bomb ketch, HMS Alacrity assigned to the Bahamas to patrol and enforce trade sanctions against the United States. It isn’t long before Alan runs afoul of local hero “Calico Jack” Finney, whom he strongly suspects of piracy. Things become personal when Caroline and Alan’s newborn son becomes caught up in the conflict. As always, Lambdin does not fail to entertain and we are regaled with a more personal tale that reveals deeper levels of character to Alan Lewrie.

Reviewed by James S., Sugar Creek

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In December 1944, the US Navy suffered one of its worst defeats of the Pacific War. However the victorious enemy was not the Japanese but Mother Nature. The Third Fleet operating near the Philippines found itself by bad luck and worse leadership in the midst of a late season typhoon. Three destroyers were sunk during the storm, all with a great loss of life. Many other ships were damaged, planes were lost and men were swept over board from the surviving vessels. Author Bruce Henderson focuses on the story of the three lost destroyers and their crews from the time of their launching until their ultimate fate. For another recent take on the event see Halsey’s Typhoon by Bob Drury and Tom Calvin

Reviewed by John C., Main Library

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