Product Description

Japan, 1945: Two U.S. bombers take off with atomic bombs.Only one gets through.

The Pacific, 1993: A Japanese cargo ship bound for the UnitedStates is instantly, thunderously vaporized, taking with it aNorwegian vessel. Japanese fanatics have developed a chillingplan to devastate and destroy the Western powers. From theocean depths to the discovery of cache of lost Nazi loot,DIRK PITT is untangling a savage conspiracy and igniting adaring counterattack. While Washington bureaucrats scramble,a brutal industrialist commands his blackmail scheme from asecret island control center. And DIRK PITT, the dauntlesshero of Sahara and Inca Gold, is taking on death-dealing robotsand a human-hunting descendant of samurai warriors. Pittalone controls the West's secret ace in the hole: a tidal wave ofdestruction waiting to be triggered on the ocean floor!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19329 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 608 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781416537809
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Dirk Pitt returns for his ninth and most improbable adventure as Cussler ( Treasure ) offers a page-turning romp that achieves a level of fast-paced action and derring-do that Robert Ludlum and other practitioners of modern pulp fiction might well envy. Less admirably, Cussler seasons his tale for the contemporary audience with a substantial dose of Japan-bashing in the tradition of the Yellow Peril of times past. The scenario posits that in 1945, a third atomic bomb directed at Japan disappeared into the sea when its B-29 transport was shot down. Half a century later, that long-forgotten weapon is the key to a tale in which wealthy Japanese nationalists have planted nuclear devices in major cities around the world as part of a grand scheme to create a new Japanese empire through international blackmail. A writer of the "kitchen sink" school, Cussler throws in wild automobile chases, pitched gun battles that apparently go unnoticed by the populace at large, a classic hunt with a human as prey, a newly discovered underground Nazi treasure trove, and even the author himself (as a bit player in an antique auto race). Solidly entertaining, this thriller is perfect beach reading. Literary Guild alternate.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Japanese businessmen have created a diabolical plot to control world economy, and all is going well until a radiation leak occurs on board the auto carrier Divine Star . Dirk Pitt is almost killed in the tremors from the explosion aboard the carrier, and the plot weaves suspensefully as he begins to solve the puzzles around him. Nuclear holocaust, secret underwater stations, Japanese art discovered in an old Nazi underground vault, and the kidnapping of two U. S. Congressmen carry readers through an exciting story of power and insatiable greed. Humor pervades the story; Cussler places himself in one scene, suggests in another that the yen become the currency of the United States, and dresses Pitt's Uncle Percy in a lavender sport coat and lizard-skin boots. An attention-holding novel set in 1993. --Linda Vretos, West Springfield High School, VA
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Sunday Oklahoman

"Action-packed... Cussler grabs the reader in the opening chapter, starting a rollercoaster ride of heart-stopping adventures, disasters, and coincidences.... Dragon is every bit as thrilling as his earlier Raise the Titanic!

Customer Reviews

Move over 007---Pitt is the REAL THING!
Can ANYONE tell me who can write more action into 500 pages than Clive Cussler?? ANYONE?? As one of Pitt's finest adventures begins (as usual) we are transported to an un-recorded flight of a 3rd atomic bomb to be dropped on Japan at the end of WWII. It never arrived...the powers-that-be sweep it under the table and we then leap-frog ahead to a sudden nuclear explosion in the Pacific. The explosin is totally UN-RELATED to the atomic bomb which never arrived in WWII...where did it come from and why? This is the little problem we encounter with 'Dragon' possibly one of Pitt's most entertaining adventures. From an undergound Nazi cache of stolen art, to robotic dogs to a fanatical modern day Ninja who collects human heads this novel travels from one spot on the globe to another as quickly as you can turn the pages. We even are treated to a spectacular nuclear explosion IN the United States...how it comes about is half the fun, and how Dirk & Company take us to the final moments is a roller-coaster worth riding. For sheer fun and an adrenaline rush unlike any other, 'Dragon' is THE answer.

My First Cussler but Not My Last..........
I have been an avid reader for years now but never saw fit to read anything by Clive Cussler. One day I gave in and picked up a copy of his book "Dragon". I am glad I did and I can now tell you why Cussler has sold so many books over the years. Quite frankly he tells a good story. Then there is always his alter ego the swashbuckling hero Dirk Pitt, think a combination of James Bond and Indiana Jones. The two combine to produce a tremendously fun piece of escapist fiction.

Written in 1990 "Dragon" may seem a bit dated. It was written at the height of America's fear of being economically dominated by Japan. It in no way detracts from the story whatsoever.

Cussler has a wonderful ability to weave together historical and contemporary elements into one grand tale. In the case of "Dragon", how can a World War II bomber sitting at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean hold the key to saving the free world from a fabulously wealthy Japanese industrialist determined to establish Japan as the world's preeminent superpower? That is the riddle to be solved by Dirk Pitt and company if they are to save the day.

"Dragon" is full of samurai assassins, killer robots, nuclear brinkmanship, gadgets and heroic acts of daring-do. It is an immensely fun page-turner that I highly recommend

Dragon- a review by a Cussler fan
I've read this series in order from the start and I have to say the first several books were pretty lacking and very dated but, I kept going and I'm glad I did. Starting with Night Probe (sixth in the series), the stories, writing, and characters, just get better and better. Cussler's writing was always more plain fun rather than classic literature but, his style has simply improved with each book.
So, we reach Dragon and it's quite the ride. The first hundred pages or so has aerial fights, lost atomic bombs, a nuclear explosion, an undersea base, and two undersea rescues. Far fetched? Unbelivable? Of course, it is. It's also the most fun you'll have "watching" some of the best action since Indiana Jones in Raiders. The whole book moves along at a near breathless pace and it's hard to find a dull moment. Some reviewers have said there are a bit too many anti-Japanese remarks and I have to agree but, in Cussler's defense I think this was suppose to focus on the ultra-fundalmentalist villian and his underworld connections more than Japanese society at large.
Regardless of this debate, the book is a swift, fun, action packed read that will have you ready to move on to the next Dirk Pitt adventure , Sahara. Kick back and enjoy.