Which of Clive Cussler's books is your all-time favorite?

A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of reading the Clive Cussler adventure novel, “Inca Gold.” It was my first exposure to Cussler, and I loved it. I set out to read all of his books and recently scratched two more of his novels off my list, “White Death” and “Golden Buddha,” which were both published in 2003.

“Golden Buddha,” which was co-written by Craig Dirgo, is the first novel in Cussler’s “Oregon Files” series. The “Oregon Files” series features Juan Cabrillo, the leader of an outfit known as the “Corporation,” which does discreet contract missions for the U.S. government. The “Corporation” is based on a ship called the “Oregon.” On the outside, the “Oregon” looks like an old rust buckets, but in fact it’s a high-tech ship with advanced capabilities.

In “Golden Buddha,” Cabrillo and his team have to recover a golden statue of Buddha that was stolen from the Dalai Lama in the late 1950s. The story also involves a plot to remove the Chinese from power in Tibet and to return the Dalai Lama to his leadership role in that country. Characters in the book include a long list of unusual characters including a billionaire art collector, a rich computer software mogul, Chinese naval officers, a corrupt art dealer, a handful of Russians and a tough Macau police detective, not to mention the President of the United States and the Dalai Lama.

“White Death” was co-written by Paul Kemprecos and is the fourth novel in Cussler’s NUMA Files series. Kurt Austin in the main character in this series. He’s the leader of the National Underwater and Marine Agency’s (NUMA) Special Assignments Division.

In “White Death,” Austin is called on to battle a maniacal madman who is bent on releasing a breed of savage, mutant fish into the world’s waters. In the meantime, Austin also manages to return important artifacts, including a legendary sword, to the descendant of a swashbuckling Basque leader who went missing centuries before.

By my count, this makes the eleventh Cussler book that I’ve read, so I’ve got a long way to go in my quest to read all of his books. Those that I’ve read include:

- The Mediterranean Caper (1973)
- Iceberg (1975)
- Vixen 03 (1978)
- Pacific Vortex (1983)
- Sahara (1992)
- Inca Gold (1994)
- The Sea Hunters: True Adventures With Famous Shipwrecks (1996)
- Flood Tide (1997)
- Golden Buddha (2003)
- White Death (2003)
- Sacred Stone (2004)

Of those 11, I would say that “Inca Gold” was my favorite, followed by “Sahara.”

Those that I haven’t read include:
- Raise the Titanic! (1976)
- Night Probe (1981)
- Deep Six (1984)
- Cyclops (1986)
- Treasure (1988)
- Dragon (1990)
- Shock Wave (1996)
- Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed (1998)
- Atlantis Found (1999)
- Serpent (1999)
- Blue Gold (2000)
- Valhalla Rising (2001)
- Fire Ice (2002)
- The Sea Hunters II: Diving the World’s Seas for Famous Shipwrecks (2002)
- Trojan Odyssey (2003)
- Black Wind (2004)
- Lost City (2004)
- Dark Watch (2005)
- Polar Shift (2005)
- The Adventures of Vin Fiz (2006)
- Skeleton Coast (2006)
- Treasure of Khan (2006)
- The Chase (2007)
- The Navigator (2007)
- Artic Drift (2008)
- Plague Ship (2008)
- Corsair (2009)
- Medusa (2009)
- Spartan Gold (2009)
- The Wrecker (2009)
- The Adventures of Hotsy Totsy (2010)
- Crescent Dawn (2010)
- The Lost Empire (2010)
- The Silent Sea (2010)
- The Spy (2010)
- Built for Adventure: The Classic Automobiles of Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt (2011)
- Devil’s Gate (2011)
- The Jungle (2011)
- The Kingdom (2011)
- The Race (2011)

In the end, how many of Cussler’s books have you had a chance to read? Which did you like or dislike? Which would you recommend and why? Which of his books is your all-time favorite and why? Let us know in the comments section below.