The Chase

Are you looking for novel full of complex storylines and believable characters? If so, then don't read any of Cussler's work. If you are looking for a book to enjoy for what it is: an escapist adventure, then you could do worse then read The Chase.

The Chase was my first Clive Cussler novel. I wanted to read a straightforward tale where a larger than life action hero (in this case Isaac Bell), takes on and triumphs against insurmountable challenges. Along the way he solves a mystery, thwarts a pantomime style evil villain, gets involved with various vehicular chases and gets the girl.

Of course, the formulaic plot is bordering on the insane, so much so that its hardly even worth describing. Suffice to say it's a familiar, fast paced action packed book. In fact, Cussler is at his best when he describes out and out action.

But be aware that his language is flowery to say the least. He could have some done with a ruthless editor to slash out the massive amount of redundancy in every single sentence. It's this verbiage which makes Cussler an acquired taste. The authors of some of the best thrillers I've read, write in a lean and frugal manner. This adds pace and tension. Cussler is at the opposite end of the scale. He subscribes to the idea of why use one word when twenty will do? Why not add as much of my research to every single paragraph as I possibly can?

I'm guessing that in less capable hands this style of writing would quickly become gibberish. So it's a testament to Cussler that he can pull together all the far-fetched story strands in a readable way. And the result is so enjoyable that you're happy to overlook the many holes in the story.

I did like the way Cussler opens the book, set in the 1950s. It then jumps back in time to 1906 to explain how the events at the start of the book occurred. It's a little like a pre-credit sequence in a Bond movie. It hooks the reader in with a cryptic puzzle. But, the major drawback with this is we know how the books ends at the start. Also, the use of the real life San Francisco earthquake as a diversionary tactic seems a little forced.

So in summary, an undemanding read. If you're into this type of book then you'll love this. I'll probably be reading more of the Isaac Bell series.