Status
Available
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
G.P. Putnam's Sons (2010), Edition: 1st, 627 pages
Description
NUMA director Dirk Pitt searches for the connections among newly discovered Roman artifacts, the rise of a fundamentalist movement, and the existence of a mysterious long-lost "manifest," which, if discovered again, may change the history of the world.
User reviews
LibraryThing member dswaddell
The Pitt family are sucked into an election in Turkey with the terrorist backed fundamentalist against the reform party as well as a race to find the holy relics of Jesus and save the relics of Islam from destruction. A good read and excellent story.
LibraryThing member TomWheaton
I found this to be another typical cussler Dirk Pitt read. I didn;t find it any better or worse than any of the other Pitt books that I have read.
LibraryThing member dbhutch
A mix of old school and new, Cussler returns with Dirk Pitt and his crew in the center of a conflict in the Middle East. I almost got the Indiana Jones feel out of this one, with the way the adventures in Turkey and Greece were displayed - mostly due to the archeological signifigance of the
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plotline. I was glad to see Dirk Jr. and Summer pulled in more, and almost balanced in time with Dirk himself, a nice chance of pace, and makes for a good progression, even if Dirk still seems like his 30 when he's probably pushing 60. All in all a great read onc again by a great author. Cussler shows his talent off with wonderful new types of boats, the likes of whihc I'm sure any Navy or marine research group would love to be able to afford to build. Show Less
LibraryThing member DavidLErickson
This is a thoroughly entertaining action adventure novel, replete with multiple interwoven plots, intriguing characters, believable actions on the part of the characters, enough factual background to give the story depth and meaning, and compelling scenes.
This has to be one of the most entertaining
There were a couple places where I felt the protagonist's emotions were held too firmly in check, but it wasn't enough to stilt my pleasure in reading this busy and fun story.
This has to be one of the most entertaining
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books I've read. I've already picked up another Clive Cussler novel and if it proves to be as fun, I'll seek out more by Clive and his brother.There were a couple places where I felt the protagonist's emotions were held too firmly in check, but it wasn't enough to stilt my pleasure in reading this busy and fun story.
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LibraryThing member pussreboots
Crescent Dawn by Clive and Dirk Cussler is the twenty-first Dirk Pitt novel. Dirk, his son and daughter, and of course the NUMA crew are brought on board to both thwart an international terrorist plot by Turkish anarchists and to recover an extraordinary cargo from a Roman ship.
I've read half of
lengthy flashback showing the treasure being lost (and these prologues seem to be getting longer with each novel)
chapters from the villains' points of view to show that they are EVIL GENIUSES
Some oceanography stuff with the NUMA crew
Dirk and company accidentally run into the bad guys
an authorial insert to the rescue
Dirk and company plan their attack
Villains get what's coming to them
Oh hey... let's find that treasure
Epilog
When I read these books, I've found it's best to skip the prolog because I like to be surprised both by what and where the treasure is. I also tend to skip the villains' scenes because they tend to be too long and don't really contribute to the adventure / treasure hunting aspects of the novel. In the case of Crescent Dawn, skipping these scenes cut out about one and a half discs of the nine disc set.
Crescent Dawn is set in Istanbul, Jerusalem, and in parts of England, as well as different sites in the Mediterranean sea. This was also the first book I've read where Dirk Jr. and his twin sister, Summer, have such major roles. Basically it gives the plot the opportunity to have Dirk and his helpers in three places at once. I'm not sure, yet, how brother and sister are different except for their names and genders. Frankly, though, I didn't care because I was more focused on the mystery / adventure parts.
Long story, short, Crescent Dawn is what it is. It's very much a typical late in the series Dirk Pitt mystery. If you're a fan of the series, you'll probably like it. If you're not but like adventure-mysteries, you'll find it a decent beach read. Although Dirk Pitt does age over time, the individual books can be read out of order as the mysteries themselves are self-contained.
I've read half of
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series, roughly every other one, so I've seen how Dirk and friends have evolved and aged as characters. I've also gotten used to formula of these plots. The typical Dirk Pitt adventure goes like this:lengthy flashback showing the treasure being lost (and these prologues seem to be getting longer with each novel)
chapters from the villains' points of view to show that they are EVIL GENIUSES
Some oceanography stuff with the NUMA crew
Dirk and company accidentally run into the bad guys
an authorial insert to the rescue
Dirk and company plan their attack
Villains get what's coming to them
Oh hey... let's find that treasure
Epilog
When I read these books, I've found it's best to skip the prolog because I like to be surprised both by what and where the treasure is. I also tend to skip the villains' scenes because they tend to be too long and don't really contribute to the adventure / treasure hunting aspects of the novel. In the case of Crescent Dawn, skipping these scenes cut out about one and a half discs of the nine disc set.
Crescent Dawn is set in Istanbul, Jerusalem, and in parts of England, as well as different sites in the Mediterranean sea. This was also the first book I've read where Dirk Jr. and his twin sister, Summer, have such major roles. Basically it gives the plot the opportunity to have Dirk and his helpers in three places at once. I'm not sure, yet, how brother and sister are different except for their names and genders. Frankly, though, I didn't care because I was more focused on the mystery / adventure parts.
Long story, short, Crescent Dawn is what it is. It's very much a typical late in the series Dirk Pitt mystery. If you're a fan of the series, you'll probably like it. If you're not but like adventure-mysteries, you'll find it a decent beach read. Although Dirk Pitt does age over time, the individual books can be read out of order as the mysteries themselves are self-contained.
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LibraryThing member coachtim30
There are lof things going on in "Crescent Dawn", the 21st Dirk Pitt novel from (now) Team Cussler. In this novel, daddy Dirk, son Dirk, and daughter Summer, are each involved in adventures wrapped around a submerged Roman vessel, stolen Muslim religious artifacts, and the possibility of the
The book is laced with plenty of action on the three fronts and the Cusslers do a nice job weaving the three plots into one as the book moves along. Inveterate Cussler fans will find all of the Pitt regulars reunited - including Al, Rudy, Loren, Vice President Sandecker, and St. Julian Perlmutter. And, don't forget the cameos by Clive Cussler and a legendary antique car (this time it's a lime light green 1948 Delahaye).
Some may say that the Pitt franchise has lost a little luster over the years, but for this reviewer, there's still plenty to enjoy in the series. Weighing in at over 600 pages, "Crescent Dawn" is a hefty reading investment, but for fans of the Pitt series, it will be worth the commitment.
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discovery of a document written by Jesus.The book is laced with plenty of action on the three fronts and the Cusslers do a nice job weaving the three plots into one as the book moves along. Inveterate Cussler fans will find all of the Pitt regulars reunited - including Al, Rudy, Loren, Vice President Sandecker, and St. Julian Perlmutter. And, don't forget the cameos by Clive Cussler and a legendary antique car (this time it's a lime light green 1948 Delahaye).
Some may say that the Pitt franchise has lost a little luster over the years, but for this reviewer, there's still plenty to enjoy in the series. Weighing in at over 600 pages, "Crescent Dawn" is a hefty reading investment, but for fans of the Pitt series, it will be worth the commitment.
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LibraryThing member utbw42
Boooooooring.....worst Dirk Pitt book I've read. I should have put this down and read something else, but I stubbornly pushed through this. Bland story, bland characters, and bland writing. It's apparent that Dirk Cussler does the writing now with Clive reaping the royalties. Pity.
LibraryThing member DCarlin
Another rip roaring page turner from the pen of Clive Cussler. Sometimes the plots are far fetched and the characters bordering on super human with the skills they possess! However, with over the top plots, a story needs characters to match. At the risk of sounding prudish I also like the fact that
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Clive can write a 500 page book with little, or no, inappropriate language. I look forward to reading Devil's Gate. Show Less
LibraryThing member Alan1946
Crescent Dawn by Clive Cussler with Dirk Cussler (21st in Dirk Pitt Series)
4 stars
Amazon Description.
An ancient cargo long thought lost is found. With terrible consequences . . .
Dirk Pitt is surveying in the Middle East when a stroke of luck reveals an Ottoman wreck with a very curious cargo.
Meanwhile, the region is being pushed to the brink of war by a series of explosions across Turkey and Egypt. Finding that his search for the artefacts is linked to the attacks, Pitt must prevent a deranged brother and sister's fanatical plans succeeding...
Review.
Another Cussler book in which my attention was grabbed right from the very start. I think that it must be something to do with the historical introductions that the Cusslers use to create an interest. However that may be, it certainly worked.
On this occasion we have a distinctly Turkish interest with the Celik and Maria trying to reassert their “inheritance” to the Ottoman Empire. Additionally there are others who are seeking the wreck for financial rather than political purposes. Include in the developing plot the death of Lord Kitchener on the HMS Hampshire in 1916m something in which the Church of England may or may not have had a hand, and his apparent ownership of a mysterious document called The Manifest, the revelation of which could have great repercussions throughout the religious world, and you have a Cussler plot that can hardly go wrong. The pace is almost frenetic, but I am beginning to lose count of how many times Dirk saves the world, although not tiring of reading about him doing so. Al Giordino and Dirk’s twins, Dirk and Summer, also have their parts to play with the characters of the twins developing with each story.
Now looking forward to the next one – Poseidon’s Arrow.
4 stars
Amazon Description.
An ancient cargo long thought lost is found. With terrible consequences . . .
Dirk Pitt is surveying in the Middle East when a stroke of luck reveals an Ottoman wreck with a very curious cargo.
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While investigating the find, he foils a night raid on Istanbul's Topkapi Palace Museum. This puts Pitt at the centre of a race to acquire a series of legendary artefacts. Meanwhile, the region is being pushed to the brink of war by a series of explosions across Turkey and Egypt. Finding that his search for the artefacts is linked to the attacks, Pitt must prevent a deranged brother and sister's fanatical plans succeeding...
Review.
Another Cussler book in which my attention was grabbed right from the very start. I think that it must be something to do with the historical introductions that the Cusslers use to create an interest. However that may be, it certainly worked.
On this occasion we have a distinctly Turkish interest with the Celik and Maria trying to reassert their “inheritance” to the Ottoman Empire. Additionally there are others who are seeking the wreck for financial rather than political purposes. Include in the developing plot the death of Lord Kitchener on the HMS Hampshire in 1916m something in which the Church of England may or may not have had a hand, and his apparent ownership of a mysterious document called The Manifest, the revelation of which could have great repercussions throughout the religious world, and you have a Cussler plot that can hardly go wrong. The pace is almost frenetic, but I am beginning to lose count of how many times Dirk saves the world, although not tiring of reading about him doing so. Al Giordino and Dirk’s twins, Dirk and Summer, also have their parts to play with the characters of the twins developing with each story.
Now looking forward to the next one – Poseidon’s Arrow.
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LibraryThing member petrichor8
dirk cussler brings a little darker plot mechanism to the dirk pitt stories, and seems to inject emotion into the storyline.
LibraryThing member mahsdad
This is the 21st Dirk Pitt Adventure written by Clive Cussler and (in this case) his son Dirk. Since I was a wee tot, I've probably read about half of them. These books are a literary version of a bag of Doritos or Oreos. They're very tasty and enjoyable while you're consuming them, but lacking in
This one was about a plot to create a new Ottoman empire that was uncovered by and can only be stopped by Dirk Pitt, the Director of NUMA (the National Underwater Marine Agency). I listened to this one on audio and only discovered that it was abridged after I was done. Even in a formula thriller, there's a lot that can be cut out. It did feel a little lite. Oh well, there's plenty more where that came from.
6/10
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substance when you're done.This one was about a plot to create a new Ottoman empire that was uncovered by and can only be stopped by Dirk Pitt, the Director of NUMA (the National Underwater Marine Agency). I listened to this one on audio and only discovered that it was abridged after I was done. Even in a formula thriller, there's a lot that can be cut out. It did feel a little lite. Oh well, there's plenty more where that came from.
6/10
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LibraryThing member Carol420
There are the typical bad guys, a brother and sister, who want to reverse history and are going to extreme measures to collect all of the antiquities necessary to restore a previous culture. They bring acts of terrorism to play in trying to get one particular political figure elected whom they feel
So it seems like we have some of the same scenarios as in the past, but don't we all love to have our indestructible hero who always saves the day? If you love a good Dirk Pitt adventure you are going to love this book.
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will help achieve their goals. To do this they will even attack their own people to try and sway public opinion. Dirk and his team are kept to put together the pieces of the puzzle and once again save the world.So it seems like we have some of the same scenarios as in the past, but don't we all love to have our indestructible hero who always saves the day? If you love a good Dirk Pitt adventure you are going to love this book.
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LibraryThing member carolynsuarez
Excellent!!!
LibraryThing member mattries37315
Records recovered from the ancient port of Caesarea, Roman artifacts aboard a sunken Ottoman gallery off Turkey, and two murderous siblings looking to resurrect the Ottoman Empire. Crescent Dawn is the twenty-first book of Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt series and fourth with his son Dirk, finds the
The plot begins first in 327 AD a Roman galley carrying cargo so important that a contingent of the Emperor Constantine’s own guard is aboard when it is attacked by pirates off Crete before jumping 1916 in which a British warship mysteriously explodes and sinks in the North Sea. In the present, important mosques in Egypt and Turkey are damaged by planted explosives that raise tensions amongst Muslims across the Middle East, but especially in secular Turkey where a popular fundamentalist Istanbul imam is convinced to jump into the upcoming Presidential election by Ozden Celik. Celik and his sister Maria are behind the mosque bombings are the heirs to the last Ottoman sultan and are attempting to resurrect their family’s place in the country while also grabbing up anything connected to the Ottoman family. While doing underwater explorations off Turkey and on the Israeli coasts respectfully, Dirk Pitt and Dirk Pitt, Jr., find historic discoveries but the elder Pitt’s gets him in the sights of the Celik’s due to its connection to Sulieman the Magnificent. Pitt and NUMA are instrumental in help prevent a massive terror attack in Istanbul by the Celik’s just days before the election and prevent the fundamentalist candidate from winning. Summer Pitt stumbles upon a manifest in England that dates to the time of Constantine and sheds new light on early Christianity through relics found by his mother Helena but finds herself followed and foiled by a rogue British archaeologist. It turns out all three Pitts have found things connected to the 4th century Roman gallery that is found in a cavern in Crete with numerous holy relics connected with Christ and the disciples.
This book continued the fantastic run of narratives since Dirk Cussler joined his father in writing the series, however this is the first that had some annoying plot holes. The biggest and most important for the narrative plot is how getting a fundamentalist Islamic candidate win the Presidential election of the secular republic of Turkey would lead to the Celiks once again coming to power, without really touching on this the Celiks are just psychopathic terrorist siblings of which Maria is the better character of the two. The secondary antagonist, Bannister Ridley, was a cleaver annoying—in a good way—character that added spice to the book. The Pitts being split up into individual stories before coming together at the end was smart decision because it allowed Dirk Jr. and Summer to grow as characters even though Pitt and Al Giordino continued to be the A-subplot.
Crescent Dawn continues the strong narrative installments since Dirk Cussler has joined his father in writing though a significant plot hole marred it slightly. Regardless of the usual clichés of the series, Clive Cussler’s signature franchise is going through its best stretch of books.
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Pitt family in the eastern Mediterranean and Britain unknowing find evidence to an ancient mystery while coming across political terrorists and rogue archaeologists.The plot begins first in 327 AD a Roman galley carrying cargo so important that a contingent of the Emperor Constantine’s own guard is aboard when it is attacked by pirates off Crete before jumping 1916 in which a British warship mysteriously explodes and sinks in the North Sea. In the present, important mosques in Egypt and Turkey are damaged by planted explosives that raise tensions amongst Muslims across the Middle East, but especially in secular Turkey where a popular fundamentalist Istanbul imam is convinced to jump into the upcoming Presidential election by Ozden Celik. Celik and his sister Maria are behind the mosque bombings are the heirs to the last Ottoman sultan and are attempting to resurrect their family’s place in the country while also grabbing up anything connected to the Ottoman family. While doing underwater explorations off Turkey and on the Israeli coasts respectfully, Dirk Pitt and Dirk Pitt, Jr., find historic discoveries but the elder Pitt’s gets him in the sights of the Celik’s due to its connection to Sulieman the Magnificent. Pitt and NUMA are instrumental in help prevent a massive terror attack in Istanbul by the Celik’s just days before the election and prevent the fundamentalist candidate from winning. Summer Pitt stumbles upon a manifest in England that dates to the time of Constantine and sheds new light on early Christianity through relics found by his mother Helena but finds herself followed and foiled by a rogue British archaeologist. It turns out all three Pitts have found things connected to the 4th century Roman gallery that is found in a cavern in Crete with numerous holy relics connected with Christ and the disciples.
This book continued the fantastic run of narratives since Dirk Cussler joined his father in writing the series, however this is the first that had some annoying plot holes. The biggest and most important for the narrative plot is how getting a fundamentalist Islamic candidate win the Presidential election of the secular republic of Turkey would lead to the Celiks once again coming to power, without really touching on this the Celiks are just psychopathic terrorist siblings of which Maria is the better character of the two. The secondary antagonist, Bannister Ridley, was a cleaver annoying—in a good way—character that added spice to the book. The Pitts being split up into individual stories before coming together at the end was smart decision because it allowed Dirk Jr. and Summer to grow as characters even though Pitt and Al Giordino continued to be the A-subplot.
Crescent Dawn continues the strong narrative installments since Dirk Cussler has joined his father in writing though a significant plot hole marred it slightly. Regardless of the usual clichés of the series, Clive Cussler’s signature franchise is going through its best stretch of books.
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LibraryThing member buffalogr
Boooooooring.....worst Dirk Pitt book I've read. I almost put this down and read something else. The nearly 12 hour listen could easily be cut in half and the fluff removed for succinctness. I can buy the terrorist who wants to gain power in Turkey, and the cool history, but it was a badly garbled
Also, with the director and deputy director out on a project, who's minding the store back in Washington. "Them bubbas" will gobble you up if you're not in town..."who wants NUMA? Let's disestablish it and devour it's budget." Agency directors fight all that stuff. Alas, not as exciting as diving on a Roman Galleon.
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novel. Too much going on at once. Additionally, there are two "Dirk Pitt" characters--hard to keep them separate. Also, with the director and deputy director out on a project, who's minding the store back in Washington. "Them bubbas" will gobble you up if you're not in town..."who wants NUMA? Let's disestablish it and devour it's budget." Agency directors fight all that stuff. Alas, not as exciting as diving on a Roman Galleon.
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LibraryThing member Rockhead515
Another fun adventure!
LibraryThing member claidheamdanns
Another enjoyable Clive Cussler novel. I’m still surprised so few of his books were made into movies. I thank Kim from Anderson’s Printing for getting me started on his books.
Language
Original publication date
2010-11
ISBN
9781101475072