Interesting Read -- Crescent Dawn

I have always been a fan of Dirk Cussler's books, especially the Dirk Pitt series. It all started when I was in Secondary 2, when I had nothing to do at home and asked one of my friends to recommend something to read. He passed me the book "Inca Gold", which was first published in 1994 and is the 12th book in the Dirk Pitt series. And it all commenced from there.

Crescent Dawn is the 21st book and the latest installment in the series, and is co-written along with his son Dirk Cussler. It was only released in 2010, so it's actually quite recent. When I saw it displayed at the library shelves under the "New Titles" sections, I swooped in for the kill without hesitation.

A narrow escape from a pirate attack by a Roman galley in A.D. 327, a mysterious explosion of a British warship in the North Sea in 1916, and a cluster of mosque bombings in Turkey and Egypt in the present day. How are all three unrelated events intricately linked together? As Pitt and his son Dirk Jr. investigate the truth behind the spate of strange happenings, evildoers Ozden Aktan Celik and Ozden's sister, Maria, who are bent on Muslim domination of the Middle East, are determined to restore the prestige of the Ottoman Empire. In addition, their investigations may well lead them to the existence of a mysterious "manifest" lost long ago. The plot thickens...

Generally, the Dirk Pitt series are written in the style of fast-paced action, and follow a simple storyline. Most of these stories start off with a historic event, which will ultimate lead to the main story and Pitt's intriguing adventures. In this latest installment, it covers the events pertaining to HMS Hampshire and Field Marshal Lord Kitchener, as well as the attack on a Roman sea galley. What attracted me to this series is the highly detailed descriptions of these events. Cussler's detailed style of writing also extends to the protagonists' adventures, as well as other events and technology that are not necessarily mandatory to get the story across.

Aside from being envious of the various places that Pitt travelled throughout his adventures, I have always been inspired by the protaganists' tenacity and determination to overcome adversity and near-impossible odds (in this case, the deaths of their allies and friends and of course, the relentless and mad pursuit of the Celik siblings). It has taught me to believe that nothing is impossible so long as one perseveres.

Overall, being a fan of the Dirk Pitt series, reading Crescent Dawn has left me wanting for more adventure! If you are new to this sreies, start by reading this book (and perhaps search for its previous installments as well) and engage yourselves in an adventures that will bring you across land, air and sea!