Got an email that he passed away this Monday. One of my favorite writers - nothing profound but you knew that when you started one of his novels, you were in for a good couple hours of solid entertainment. Good character development and enough widgets to make Q drool.
The thing that I really liked is that he had a fictional agency: NUMA - National Underwater and Marine Agency and with the profits of his books, he funded it and did really good marine archeology. The Civil War submarine Hunley that was discovered off the coast of Virginia in 1995? It was Clive Cussler's team that discovered it, raised it in 2000 and provided funds for its preservation and curation and built the museum that houses it today. All out of the public eye. No publicity.
NUMA has been doing other exceptional work - here is their website: National Underwater and Marine Agency
The New York Times has an obituary:
Clive Cussler, Best-Selling Author and Adventurer, Is Dead at 88
Clive Cussler, the author and maritime adventurer who captivated millions with his best-selling tales of suspense and who, between books, led scores of expeditions to find historic shipwrecks and lost treasures in the ocean depths, died on Monday at his home in Scottsdale, Ariz. He was 88.
His death was confirmed by a spokeswoman for his publisher, Penguin Random House. No specific cause was given.
Mayan jungles, undersea kingdoms, ghost ships, evil forces out to destroy the world, beautiful women, heroes modeled on himself — Mr. Cussler’s vivid literary fantasies and his larger-than-life exploits swirled together for four decades, spinning off more than 85 books and locating almost as many shipwrecks.
A college dropout who once pumped gas and wrote advertising copy, Mr. Cussler resorted to a hoax to get his first book published. But his work — mostly action thrillers of the James Bond-Indiana Jones kind, plus nonfiction accounts of his marine quests and a few children’s books — made him a global celebrity.
Eighty-five books? Thank you Mr. Cussler - you kept me entertained for many wonderful years. Rest in peace.
If I had any single-malt in the house, I would raise a toast.
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