Dull and boring. Could not identify with or care about any of the characters.

I am reading the Oregon files out of order, making it all the more fun for me. Here are some quick observations: The best of the bunch, hands down, is "Plague Ship"; in that novel, Juan Cabrillo's prosthetic limb is mentioned more than once, and yet there's no mention of it in "Sacred Stone"; there are way too many characters in these books to effectively keep track of even with the lists at the beginning; and finally, the crew of the Oregon never stops eating. I think there's at least one reference to food on every page.

"Sacred Stone" is a terrific summer read. It's not literature or even what I would call hard fiction. It's like a movie-matinee experience.

I have read most of Clive Cussler's novels, but I did not think this was one of his better ones. It is different from his other novels, as it is not a one man show like Dirk Pitt or Kurt Austin, but a group known as the 'Corporation', who have to save the world from the bad guys. I guess this makes the story a bit more believable.

In this case there are two sets of bad guys. Islamic fundamentalists, who wish to blow up London, and a businessman, who wants to destroy Mecca. Both are trying to get their hands on an ancient piece of Meteorite, that will help with their plans.

I found the book a bit monotonous in places, something that rarely happens in this author's other books, and a bit of a struggle at times. I felt there was way too many characters involved. I would not say the book was awful, but it is definitely not as good as the author's earlier works.

If you are new to Clive Cussler, I would recommend, Sahara, Treasure or Dragon as good reads.

I hated this book. I forced my way through it and want my time back. The book was boring, hard to follow, and over complicated. There were far too many characters and I had a hard time following the plot and remembering who was doing what. The cast of characters in the beginning (6 pages worth) actually revealed the plot of the book. Do Not Recommend. This trend of ghost writing using other authors is not good.

I have read all the novels in the Dirk Pitt and Kirt Austin series and enjoyed most of them. This is the first, and last, of the Oregon Files series that I will ever read. Cussler subcontracted this novel out to Craig Dirgo and it is terrible. Most Cussler plots are far fetched, but at least you could believe that Dirk and company could save the day. This group called "The Corporation" is so far over the top that the author makes them seem like the only competent people in the entire intelligence or counterterrorism community on the planet. Do yourself a favor and pass by any novel that Cussler subcontracts and instead reread the Dirk Pitt series.

Don't waste your money on this book. I am currently reading it (two-thirds of the way through the book). I am having such a difficult time getting through it that I thought I would check out some customer reviews to see if anyone else felt the same way. Well, lo' and behold... I'm not the only one! This book has way too many characters, too many subplots, is very difficult to follow, and it is boring. It tries to be thrilling and exciting, but it is NOT. Having read the other readers' reviews, I have decided not to waste any more of my time finishing the book. I may skim through the last 50 pages just to see how it ends, but I'm not going to spend any more hours "drudging" through one disappointing chapter after another.

When you walk into your local book store, and you walk past the B-C-D's in the fiction section, that stench that you smell is this book.
The premise sounded great, but the story of this book would have been much more impactful had it been told in 100 pages instead of the bloated 500 that it took Craig Dirgo to tell it in. It seemed as though the only association that Clive Cussler had with this book was his name emblazoned upon the cover of it.
This book was long, boring, almost completely without action, and a complete waste of time.
So the next time you look for books, hold your nose as you pass this one bye. This one stinks!

Don't waste your money on this one. Maybe it would be a good movie, but it isn't a good read. The characters are flat and the adventure is not believable.

Take a radioactive meteorite hidden away by Vikings in Greenland. Add to that a crazed Islamic extremist bent on a London based nuclear explosion. Garnish it with a misguided, grieving businessman who has lost his son to Islamic fascism. Add it all together and you have another "Clive Cussler" novel.

Writing with (or really by) Craig Dirgo, "Sacred Stone" is a fast paced romp across the globe as the men of the "Company", to wit the owners of the "Oregon"....try once again to save to save the world.

Can they do it? Or does the world finally come to an end? You will have to read it to find out. Ahem, or not.

Anyway, it was a good read. Not a great read. A fun read. Not a spine tingling read. Nevertheless, it is everything that you might expect from the proclivity of the pen(s) of Clive Cussler and friends.

Densel Myers
Yukon, Oklahoma

Lacks some of the new Oregon Files action and character..OK but you can tell it was an earlier book.

Sacred Stone is the seventh Clive Cussler novel I've read and the third in his Oregon Files series and I can say without qualification, it's a stinker!

Though based on an interesting premise, the author cheats often and shamelessly, asking the reader to ignore obvious plot holes and suspend belief in even the most basic of assumptions.

I found myself preferring a quick game of FreeCell to finishing this snoozer. Too bad. I've had such a great time reading Cussler so far.

Between managing 3 fiction series, his non-fiction works, movies, and NUMA, Cussler has spread himself too thin. At least Sacred Stone is forgettable!

I just read The Sacred Stone by Cussler and Dirgo, and must say it was one of the worst books I've ever read in my life. I have to state that I am a huge Clive Cussler fan and have read all of his Pitt and Austin books. The guy is as true a master storyteller as you're likely to find out there. Usually I plough through one of his books in 2-3 days, but this last one was truly painful to get through.

I agree with lots of the other comments here that the writing style is so completely different from anything else I've read by Cussler that this book could not have been written by him. I know Craig Dirgo wrote some non-fiction books with Cussler, so maybe letting his buddy write the Oregon Files books was his way of saying thanks. It's really sad, though, that he chose to just write a blank check on the content of the book. I cannot believe that Cussler (or anyone for that matter) would actually enjoy reading The Sacred Stone, and to just throw his name on the cover and plaster his face on the back as a selling tool is a real slap in the face to his legions of fans.

I don't know much about Clive Cussler as a person, but I remember when the movie Sahara came out he put up a real stink about not having enough creative input into the final cut. I recall there were lawsuits involved, and his public ranting against the film may have influenced its low box office receipts. It just seems strange that the guy would go out of his way to keep the film true to the book, but he has no qualms about putting his name and image on a hack-written piece of crap like The Sacred Stone.

Reading this book reminded me of that old TV show, Mystery Science Theater, where they would watch the worst movies ever made just to marvel at how bad they were, and spent the whole time making fun of the all the hysterically awful scenes. I would almost recommend this book as a joke, for someone who wanted to experience the worst writing on all levels. It is really THAT bad. Whoever edited it should be forced to read it 10 or 20 times as a form of penance. Calling it amateurish is an insult to amateurs. The pinball plot changes, the zero character development, the bad dialogue, and those unforgivable chapter endings, which all read something like, "He went to bed that night not knowing that he would be dead by about 2:00 the following afternoon." A high school English class could have come up with better than that. Just making it through this book has to go up there as one of my biggest lifetime achievements.

Save yourself a lot of pain and skip this book.

I just read The Sacred Stone by Cussler and Dirgo, and must say it was one of the worst books I've ever read in my life. I have to state that I am a huge Clive Cussler fan and have read all of his Pitt and Austin books. The guy is as true a master storyteller as you're likely to find out there. Usually I plough through one of his books in 2-3 days, but this last one was truly painful to get through.

I agree with lots of the other comments here that the writing style is so completely different from anything else I've read by Cussler that this book could not have been written by him. I know Craig Dirgo wrote some non-fiction books with Cussler, so maybe letting his buddy write the Oregon Files books was his way of saying thanks. It's really sad, though, that he chose to just write a blank check on the content of the book. I cannot believe that Cussler (or anyone for that matter) would actually enjoy reading The Sacred Stone, and to just throw his name on the cover and plaster his face on the back as a selling tool is a real slap in the face to his legions of fans.

I don't know much about Clive Cussler as a person, but I remember when the movie Sahara came out he put up a real stink about not having enough creative input into the final cut. I recall there were lawsuits involved, and his public ranting against the film may have influenced its low box office receipts. It just seems strange that the guy would go out of his way to keep the film true to the book, but he has no qualms about putting his name and image on a hack-written piece of crap like The Sacred Stone.

Reading this book reminded me of that old TV show, Mystery Science Theater, where they would watch the worst movies ever made just to marvel at how bad they were, and spent the whole time making fun of the all the hysterically awful scenes. I would almost recommend this book as a joke, for someone who wanted to experience the worst writing on all levels. It is really THAT bad. Whoever edited it should be forced to read it 10 or 20 times as a form of penance. Calling it amateurish is an insult to amateurs. The pinball plot changes, the zero character development, the bad dialogue, and those unforgivable chapter endings, which all read something like, "He went to bed that night not knowing that he would be dead by about 2:00 the following afternoon." A high school English class could have come up with better than that. Just making it through this book has to go up there as one of my biggest lifetime achievements.

Save yourself a lot of pain and skip this book.

I have read every Cussler novel before and after this. This is the only one that's taken me more than two days to read. Every new book, I look forward to sitting down on a quiet weekend and reading my way through the book. It was horrible. In fact, it gave horrible a bad name. I was crushed. Thank goodness this novel was an anomoly.

Clive Cussler was born in 1931 and grew up in Alhambra, California. He attended Pasadena City College before joining the Air Force. He went on to a successful advertising career, winning many national honours for his copywriting. He has also explored the deserts of the American Southwest in search of lost gold mines, dived in isolated lakes in the Rocky Mountains looking for lost aircraft and hunted under the sea for shipwrecks of historic significance, discovering and identifying more than sixty. He is married with three children, and divides his time between Colorado and Arizona. His credentials as a best selling author cannot be doubted and he has a large `stable' of best selling adventure novels.

Clive Cussler began his series The Oregon Files, with the adventure of the Golden Buddha featuring the captain of the Oregon, Juan Cabrillo. Now he follows on the series with the Sacred Stone a new adventure featuring Juan Cabrillo.

The whole world is put at risk when an ancient artifact that possesses enormous radioactive power in unearthed in a remote part of Greenland. Caught between two militant powers that are bent on using that power to commit wholesale slaughter, Juan Cabrillo and his network of spies known as The Corporation must do everything in their power to protect the stone from all the factions that are doing their utmost to obtain the artifact. Only in this way will World War III be averted.

Mr. Cussler, please don't lend your revered name to such poorly written stuff as "The Oregon File" series. Your name on the cover, and your pic on the back may sell books to your loyal fans, but will quickly destroy our faith.

Ok, I bought the audio edition of this to listen to on my drive to work and back. This story almost made me fall asleep at the wheel. Too many characters or similar depths made it difficult to keep track -- in fact, I still dont know who half the characters were. Did Cussler write this book? Save your money and your sanity and get a different cussler book.

Ok, I bought the audio edition of this to listen to on my drive to work and back. This story almost made me fall asleep at the wheel. Too many characters or similar depths made it difficult to keep track -- in fact, I still dont know who half the characters were. Did Cussler write this book? Save your money and your sanity and get a different cussler book.

There has been much criticism surrounding the factual details within this book. Sure, the book clearly shows how the authors have likely never studied a map of the UK, and perhaps some British people might get annoyed at the inaccuracies of train station announcements or a barman being called a bartender, but these are just small details and can be forgiven seeing as this is not real life, but a work of fiction! (I wonder how many British authors get American places and expressions correct.). So what if the book puts Edinburgh west of Glasgow; it's not a geography book, but an adventure novel set in a make-believe world. Perhaps the writer was holding the map upside down? Either way, it would be nice if facts could be researched, but I feel that many publishers put such stringent deadlines on these mass paperback authors that they simply don't have the time to fact check the smaller things. It's also likely that most of this book was written by Craig Dirgo, but seeing as Clive Cussler invented the characters in a Dirk Pitt novel he owns the copyright and therefore the co-writer writes the book under his guidance. The style is very different from his Pitt and Austen novels, and it does tend to jump about and is sometimes hard to keep up. And it's true that there are far too many characters involved. However, all this aside, the book is a refreshing change from the standard Pitt and Austen adventures (Kurt Austen is in fact pretty much just another Pitt with a different name and some different hobbies (Instead of collecting antique cars he collects antique pistols)). The Oregon files introduces us to a completely different hero, the ever-inventive leader of a band of mercenaries with a conscience, who only go into battle for what they believe in and feel will have a positive effect on mankind (Sounds like another leader I know!). Sacred Stone is a compelling read and it did keep me wanting to turn the pages to see what happens next, which is always the mark of a good author. I put another unfinished book down to read this Cussler book, and did not regret it. This just goes to show that Cussler's books are still a cut above the rest.

Reviewed by Ian Middleton: Travel Writer & Photographer, author of four books, including Mysterious World: Ireland.

I am a huge fan of Cussler. I thought I was buying a Cussler book. I was wrong. The writing style is entirely different and incredibly boring. As one reader mentioned, almost every chapter ends with sentences like: "His plan was to make the delivery, then locate a doctor. He had no way of knowing the next doctor he'd see would be a coroner," or "The meeting broke up...he would grab a few hours sleep. He had no way of knowing that this sleep would be his last until the big one." Ugh... they were so irritating that I found myself getting actually angry at this book. Halfway through it I put it down to go read the new paperbacks by Lincoln Child and Matthew Reilly, and then I came back to finish it. I have NEVER put down a Cussler before. I'm fine with the break from tradition (Dirk Pitt, ships, fun cars), but not from Clive's traditional break-neck action, drama and detail. I'm dreading reading any more Oregon Files.

The storyline is way over-the-top, the plot is very poor, the red-neck-America-knows-best attitude of the writer is funny and sometimes annoying. Still, I've red worse books. But not many.

I'm about 1/2 way there and its a struggle to finish - not Cussler's usual - maybe because there is another author and its not his? Way too many characters - I'm no dummy, but I have to keep referring to the front of the book to remind myself which one of the "cast of characters" he is talking about because he switches every other paragraph to a totally different scene with totally different characters. The story isn't bad - but beside the confusion of figuring out who he is talking about and where they are, there is so much extra non essential filler in it that it is hard to get involved in it. I hope it gets better as it goes along, but I doubt it!

Too many players makes it hard to follow for short daily reading. Problable ok if you read right through it.

Two issues must be separated in this book.

First, the topic and plot of this book is very well researched, from Mecca to mayhem and from Jerusalem to joustings. This is the part I give 5 stars for Clive Cussler's Sacred Stone novel.

Second, the extravagant exploits of the characters. Imagine you have full truck of people staying at hotel Suites in all of their stays all over the world. Think if they stayed in a small town with only a single hotel with two suites. Characters were developed quite good, except they seemed like aristocrats with expensive hobbies. Thus, a 1 star for this part.

Overall, it is quite a good book for airport lounges. Not good enough for Cussler's fans. A three star, indeed.

Having read Clive Cussler adventures for over 10 years, i was totally disgusted with the redneck and narrow minded attitudes expressed in the book. The father, who does not stay with his son, decides to revenge his son fighting a war trying to kill people in someone else's country. That is perfectly justified!

The book mentions Hindu mercenaries who have not been seen anywhere in the world in any century much less this one. This is a direct insult to all Hindus as being one I am astonished at the insensitivity of the author. How come "Hickman" is not a "Christian" mercenary or for that matter the Corporation as they seem to be in this for the money. The justifications are ridiculous. India and Hindus of India have been terrorized, jailed, colonized and robbed by Christian and Muslims alike over the last 1000 plus years. You don't find us calling people by religion and we have all major religions in our secular country. We have grown spiritually to accept everyone, and I would like the authors to read more than a 2 page synopsis on religions before writing books. The book smacks of jingoism and is a pathetic display of the authors minimal knowledge of religions and global affairs.

I should start by saying I am a big Clive Cussler fan and have read all his books. The only ones I have not enjoyed are the two Oregon Files ones.

There are so many characters I could not remember who was who without having to keep looking at the cast list at the front.

I reached the point of not caring anyway and just kept reading to get to the end. The whole thing reads like a Mission Impossible TV episode but nowhere near as good or exciting.

The scenes in the UK were very sloppy; there are no such things as pound notes and the beefeaters actually guard the Tower of London not Buckingham Palace.

I can only hope that it is Craig Dirgo that is the problem and that when the next Oregon Files book comes out written by Jack DuBrul (who I am a great fan of in his own right) that things will improve.

A big fan of Cussler's, I picked this book up, hoping to find a great adventure story, and though I am glad he broke from his Pitt/Austen formula, of rescue the pretty damsel in distress, and get involved in solving her problems, I was disappointed in this story for 2 reasons;
1. too many characters for a 400 page book, and the author(obviously not Cussler jumps around from character to character, leaving the reader very confused.
2. The author(again not Cussler) clues you in on what's going to happen next, in just about every paragraph. This is not only unnecessary, it cuts down on the suspense for the readers. This is the trait of an amatuer author, and not one who has written some of the best adventure novels for the past thirty plus years.
It is obvious from reading this book that Craig Dirgo did most of the writing, and Cussler only put his name on the book, to get it past the editor's desk, and onto bookstore shelves. Clive Cussler should be more careful about the books he puts his name on, or he will start losing readers, myself being one of them!
Though somewhat better than the first story in the series 'Golden Buddha' (which I tore up, and threw away!) this is nowhere near the quality of story writing he puts into his Dirk Pitt, and Kurt Austin novels. My advice; Stick with early Dirk Pitt novels, anything up to, and including 'Floodtide'.

While the underlying plot had potential, the story dies under its own weight. There are too many characters (the first hint of trouble is the multi-page listing of characters at the front of the book). This leads to too little time devoted to character development and too much bouncing around as we follow the many characters around the globe. The dialog, is terse, contrived, choppy and generally devoid of emotion. Having loved the Dirk Pitt and Brad Austin line of books from Cussler, I had wanted to like the Oregon Files as well. Unfortunately, I found Sacred Stone and Golden Buddha to both be underwhelming.

Clive Cussler retains his title as the grandmaster of adventure fiction in the second installment of the Oregon Files, stories of the adventures of the covert organization, the Corporation. While the plot was more complex than in Golden Buddha, the first Oregon Files book, we have less of a glimpse into who our protagonists are. The book is nonstop, high-adrenaline fun, however, as our Corporation friends anchor of Reykjavik, Iceland, on assignment to protect the Emir of Qatar, when a call comes in from the United States government. A highly radioactive meteorite has been discovered in Greenland, and the US wants to hire the Corporation to steal it before it can fall into the wrong hands. Juan Cabrillo, the Corporation's chairman, takes off to collect the meteorite while the others protect the emir. Things heat up quickly when a team of assassins gets the meteorite before Cabrillo, leading the Corporation on a chase across the northern seas, Scotland, England, and eventually Saudi Arabia. Simultaneously, a team of Arab terrorists kidnaps the emir, and the Corporation goes in for the rescue. Turns out there are two teams of bad guys this time: one wanting the meteorite to kill in the name of Islam, and another out to destroy Islam. It's fun to watch the story unravel with high action and intricate plotting as the Corporation coordinates its efforts with the US and other governments, leaving us feeling like we're privy to exciting, classified information kept secret from the rest of the world. Filled with Cussler's trademark similes and good humor, there's a slight Dirk Pitt flavor, though the Oregon Files have a stamp all their own. This third series of Cussler's is off and running. I did note there was no mention of Juan Cabrillo's prosthetic leg in this book, and I'm left to wonder if it's going to fade into nonexistence in future novels. I guess we'll see.

I actually found the early part of the book dealing with the nuclear weapon okay -- not great like Cussler's books. Just okay. But there appeared to be a major change in style, going from a poor Cussler writing style to completely boring and pathetic. But I also had some sympathy for the American tycoon whose son had been killed by terrorists -- and he was the "bad guy" -- so I lost interest in finishing the book.

I have read every book Cussler has in print. I thought this was as good as the others. Exciting from the beginning to the end. There are different main characters than readers are used to, and maybe that is why some of the bad reviews. The book is different, but very good. I enjoyed it and look forward to the next in the series.

I have read all of Cussler's books and have liked them all to various degrees. This book is a real bore. The characters have no personality (but, you know every move they make and everything that they eat). I kept thinking that it would get better so I finished it, sadly.

This book is the second in Cussler's third series. The first was good, but not excellent. This is more of the same.

For the record this book is not written by Cussler. Some seem confused about this. It merely takes characters he created and thrusts them further into his world.

The result is a mixed bag. The author, Craig Dirgo, seems to have some interesting ideas, and some interesting spins on the typical "bad guys." He deserves credit for that.

However, he tends to fall into some terrible cliches. Several chapters end along the lines of "he had no way of knowing that donut would be his last." Once in a novel is bad enough, this seemed to have it once every 100 pages.

The book also suffers a bit from a deluge of characters. The first book seemed more so, as characters of the main company came and went. Dirgo seemed to recognize this and has cut back a lot, now having the main character do the bulk of the work. Unrealistic perhaps, but easier. Personally I'd rather he uses some of the grunts more, but stick with a small handful per book.

Also, there are a few times in the beginning where government officials just seem to accept things that sound impossible without any argument. In fact, there's at least one conversation where a simple sentence completely and unnaturally reverses an opinion.

The book moves quickly and will keep you interested. It won't capture you like Clive's books, but it will fill a void. Perfect for an afternoon on the beach or snowed in. It never insults the reader (which is the key, as this makes Matthew Reilly's novels unreadable,) and never really bores. It just never rises to where it could.