Clive Cussler, Master of the techno-thriller, 1931-2020

I was sadden to learn that Clive Cussler (1931-2020) passed away earlier this year. It was because of him that I got into the “techno thriller” field, and from that led me to a lot of other authors. Many of these I have read and reviewed here.

I wonder how this will affect future “Cussler” works? I’ve not seen any sort of announcement, but as all his recent books have been with co-authors (though I wonder if most are writing them more or less by themselves). Will it be like the “new” Tom Clancy or Robert Ludlum books, where his name will still appear on them, but be entirely written by others?

I’ve also seen a change in all the books in the past couple of years. One is the addition of an icon on the spine to indicate which series the book is part of, as there are five of them. And the other is a “cast of characters” list at the beginning.

When I got into his books, I started with his Dirk Pitt series, which was the only one at the time. I recall seeing his books on the shelves at my parent’s home, but never read them. But in the mid-’90s, with no new Doc Savage books coming out, someone mentioned Cussler’s work, referring to his character Dirk Pitt as something of a “modern Doc Savage.” I liked what I saw.

The Pitt novels all had a basic formula. We started with a scene in the past, always with a nautical theme (a lost voyage from an ancient civilization or the like), then a shift to modern times. But the time was always a few years in the future. There was always a little science fictional element (not something unusual, just a decade or so in the near future). You usually had an almost over-the-top James Bond-like villain with some wild scheme that threatened the world. Pitt and his buddy Al Giordino were two real tough guys who weren’t dumb, who figured out the scheme and put a stop to it (and the villain). And then a final tie-in with that stuff from the past.

Dirk Pitt was interesting. A former Air Force officer, a diver, and now a top head at the fictional National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA), Pitt lived in an old hanger near a D.C. airport, which housed his collection of classic cars (and a few other items). One car always featured in each novel. (Cussler was into classic cars and was usually featured on the back cover with the car used in the book.) Pitt is tall (over 6 feet), with green eyes. And he always seems to be wearing a Doxa dive watch.

There were a few wild things and ideas. In one book, the U.S. and Canada merged as the United States of North America, which held through the next book or two, then was quietly dropped. In another, it was revealed the U.S. maintained a secret base on the moon to defend it from the commies.

At some point — I think around the time that Dirk Pitt moved up to director of NUMA, and his two children more or less became the main characters — a lot of this was toned down. The wild science was no longer there. The over-the-top villains disappeared for awhile. In one, the villain was just a corrupt CEO, who got bumped off not by Dirk and company, but some minor character. Even the ancient nautical prologues seem tacked on and not properly tied into the main story by the end or were just squandered ideas. Further, his son, Dirk Cussler, started to co-write them with him.

Around 2000, Cussler branched out with some other series, all with co-authors. As these co-authors were often writers in their own right, how much of it was co-written?

First you have the NUMA Files series, started when it seemed clear that Dirk Pitt (who with the rest aged kind of normally) was getting old. That series offered the team of Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala (almost like a younger version of Dirk and Al), along with the scientist couple of Paul and Gamay Trout. It always seems that these two groups would be working the mystery separately before coming together to solve it together. This series has had just two authors.

Next is the Oregon Files series, which focuses on a team of former CIA-agents operating out of a disguised derelict cargo ship. They were introduced in one of the Dirk Pitt books. All are pretty good. They were first co-authored by Craig Dirgo, who worked with Cussler with his NUMA group then went off and wrote two of his own books. Then he was replaced by Jack Du Brul, who also had his own series, before being also replaced.

Then we got two other series. What was puzzling to me was that these two seemed more “stand alone.” The other two were clearly set in the same “universe.” There were no clear connects between these two to each other or the other series. At first. I would have thought that maybe there would be some mention in each series. So I wonder if this was done to appeal to an audience that maybe didn’t care about the other series.

First of these is the Isaac Bell series, which is set in the early 20th century and focuses on Bell, the lead investigator for the fictional Van Dorn Detective Agency, a company similar to the Pinkertons. Unlike the prior series, nautical matters don’t play a big part. In this series, we often see the villain in action, without knowing who he is at first. And usually there is a follow-on part set years or decades after the main action, to sort of put an end to the story. When the series started, it moved slowly forward in chronology, with changes to the characters. Isaac would even marry is long time fiance, Marion, a somewhat independent woman who was an actress and later movie director.

But then they started to jump back in time with the more recent works. Except for the first work that Cussler wrote, Justin Scott wrote all of them. Until the latest one that was done by Jack Du Brul! I was surprised by his return. Is he now the new author of the series? And this one clearly ties the Bell series to the rest as it links Bell to The Titanic Secret, which was the reason that they had to Raise the Titanic.

And finally, there is the Fargo Adventures, which focus on a Sam and Remi Fargo, a couple who are professional treasure hunters. Again, nautical stuff doesn’t play in, but because they are looking after treasure, there are links to the past that ties closely to the story. They have a small circle of associates, including their office manager, Selma, and young researchers Peter and Wendy. Then in The Gray Ghost, they link Isaac Bell to the Fargos. Thus with the recent Bell story, this means the Fargos are in the same “universe,” tho there has never been mention of NUMA in the series.

The Fargo series has had three co-authors. Each making subtle differences to the series. I was bothered by the recent The Oracle, as the basis of the story seemed strange. What lead them to establish a girl’s school in Nigeria? There is another one coming that I look foward to.

So I wonder what the future holds. The other series have all been written by experienced authors, so I can see them continuing, with just oversight by Dirk Cussler. Will he write the Dirk Pitt novels solo or bring on a “co-author” also? As I said, I’ve not seen any announcements, so do wonder. I’ve enjoyed these series, though I’ve been disappointed here and there and want to continue to enjoy them.