23 replies to this topic

[godwulf]

I've been reading that there's a character in Clive Cussler's fourth Dirk Pitt novel, 'Night Probe!' named - if I recall correctly - Brian Shaw, and that it is "strongly hinted at" in the book that this character is actually James Bond.

Has anyone here read 'Night Probe!'? And if so, what did you think?

I'm going to be seeing Cussler at a booksigning the first week of June, and I intend to get ahold of a copy of the book and read it beforehand - perhaps think of a Bond-related question or two to ask him.

Of course, it has been twenty years since he wrote the thing - he may not remember that much of his thinking at the time. Well, if nothing else, I'll be able to get him to sign the book for me.

[Kilroy6644]

I read it once, many years ago. It's an excellent book, considered by many to be his best. Unfortunately, I don't remember much about Shaw, other than what you've already mentioned, that he's hinted to be Bond.

I've checked the nearest source available to me (Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed), and it describes Shaw as being retired at the time of the book, and in his mid-sixties. He was briefly married, but his wife was killed. He smokes specially ordered cigarettes and practices judo.

[Blofeld's Cat]

And, if I remember correctly, he has a Moneypenny-type assistant too.

[AMC Hornet]

I too have read it and yes, the strong hints are there. Shaw is a former agent who retired from the service with the rank of admiral. His old HQ building overlooked Regent's Park, and the 'Brigadier' - using Shaw's chief's old office on the 8th floor - recruits him to recover a document drafted during the first world war, promising soveriegnty of Canada to the U.S. in exchange for war materiel.

Ultimately it comes down to a battle of wits which Dirk Pitt naturally wins, being superior in every way, etc. The scene where the Canadian government recognizes the wisdom of being absorbed into the U.S. is priceless.

Enjoy reading it, but don't take any of it seriously.

[TheSaint]

There's a Dirk Pitt thread on this message board and that book was discussed within. I read it a number of years ago.

[godwulf]

There's a Dirk Pitt thread on this message board and that book was discussed within. I read it a number of years ago.

Thanks, I'll see if I can locate it.

[godwulf]

I'm reading Night Probe now, and enjoying it greatly - mostly due, admittedly, to the presence of the Shaw/Bond character, but it's a pretty good read in its own right, I have to say. I'm looking forward to seeing Cussler in a few weeks and asking him a couple of Bond-related questions, time permitting...perhaps something along the lines of, "Did your editors warn you about potential legal problems if you included too many obvious clues to "Shaw"'s identity?" If I have the opportunity, I'll probably ask him how much of a Fleming fan he is - a big one, I suspect - and, of course, what inspired him to include an extra-canonical Bond appearance in Night Probe in the first place.

[s.a.s. Malko]

I read that when they made Sahara with M. McConaughey that they bought the rights for Night Probe too. Would really like to see this movie, with Timothy Dalton or Pierce Brosnan as Shaw. You could ask Cussler if there are plans for a new movie with Dirk Pitt, I read he was dissapointed with Sahara?

[godwulf]

Hey, great idea! "If they made a film from Night Probe, which ex-Bond do you see appearing as 'Shaw'?"

Personally, I think that either Dalton or Brosnan would do well, though Brosnan is probably the better actor of the two.

[godwulf]

I just had a brief conversation with Clive Cussler about Night Probe. I told him that I'd read the book - one of the best thrillers I've ever read, incidentally - because I'd heard that there was a character in it who was clearly supposed to be James Bond.

"Oh, yeah," Cussler said, "that came about because I was mad at my agent. He told me that I couldn't do it, but I did it anyway. Then when the book was all ready to go, it turned out that I could have done it [used Bond as a character in the book] after all - I just would have had to pay Mrs. Fleming $10,000." He also mentioned that he would have had to relinquish the movie rights...then he made a face, as if to say, "So what?"

Then I asked, "If they made a movie of Night Probe, who do you see being cast as 'Brian Shaw'? It would have to be one of the ex-Bonds, right?" He thought about the question for a long time, and I sort of prompted, "Pierce Brosnan? Timothy Dalton?" Finally Cussler said, "I think Sean Connery could do it." I said something about Connery's age, and Cussler said, "Well, I made the character about seventy." (I thought that "Shaw" was younger than that, but not by much; I just checked, and Moneypenny, when she sees him at M's funeral, thinks, "He must be sixty-six". Of course, Connery is eighty now, not seventy, so there's that.)

Edited by godwulf, 04 June 2010 - 03:50 AM.

[Binyamin]

Cussler no longer has any say in the movies. The studio that bought three movie rights sued him in court and won control. It would be amazing if more were made -- but the mysteriously low performance of Sahara is a problem.

[TheSaint]

"Oh, yeah," Cussler said, "that came about because I was mad at my agent. He told me that I couldn't do it, but I did it anyway. Then when the book was all ready to go, it turned out that I could have done it [used Bond as a character in the book] after all - I just would have had to pay Mrs. Fleming $10,000." He also mentioned that he would have had to relinquish the movie rights...then he made a face, as if to say, "So what?"

$10,000? I guess that was affordable to Cussler at the time. I'm glad he didn't pay. Much as I enjoyed the book I wouldn't want the real Bond, even an older version, losing to Dirk Pitt.

[David Schofield]

I just had a brief conversation with Clive Cussler about Night Probe. I told him that I'd read the book - one of the best thrillers I've ever read, incidentally - because I'd heard that there was a character in it who was clearly supposed to be James Bond.

"Oh, yeah," Cussler said, "that came about because I was mad at my agent. He told me that I couldn't do it, but I did it anyway. Then when the book was all ready to go, it turned out that I could have done it [used Bond as a character in the book] after all - I just would have had to pay Mrs. Fleming $10,000." He also mentioned that he would have had to relinquish the movie rights...then he made a face, as if to say, "So what?"

Then I asked, "If they made a movie of Night Probe, who do you see being cast as 'Brian Shaw'? It would have to be one of the ex-Bonds, right?" He thought about the question for a long time, and I sort of prompted, "Pierce Brosnan? Timothy Dalton?" Finally Cussler said, "I think Sean Connery could do it." I said something about Connery's age, and Cussler said, "Well, I made the character about seventy." (I thought that "Shaw" was younger than that, but not by much; I just checked, and Moneypenny, when she sees him at M's funeral, thinks, "He must be sixty-six". Of course, Connery is eighty now, not seventy, so there's that.)

You should have asked him why he ripped-off someone elses character for his own benefit, the miserable, untalented plagarising bastard.

[godwulf]

You should have asked him why he ripped-off someone elses character for his own benefit, the miserable, untalented plagarising bastard.

As for Cussler being "untalented", you have only to read Night Probe! to be dissuaded of that opinion - it's an excellently plotted thriller, and as well written as one could want.

As for the other, well, the book was written in 1980, and published in '81. I'm not sure which came out first, Night Probe! or License Renewed, but, in any case, the Bond character had, in books at least, lain dormant for a dozen years. It may not have been an official or authorized appearance, but it certainly reads like a sincere tribute.

[David Schofield]

You should have asked him why he ripped-off someone elses character for his own benefit, the miserable, untalented plagarising bastard.

As for Cussler being "untalented", you have only to read Night Probe! to be dissuaded of that opinion - it's an excellently plotted thriller, and as well written as one could want.

As for the other, well, the book was written in 1980, and published in '81. I'm not sure which came out first, Night Probe! or License Renewed, but, in any case, the Bond character had, in books at least, lain dormant for a dozen years. It may not have been an official or authorized appearance, but it certainly reads like a sincere tribute.

As far as untalented goes, I maintain that with my accusations of plagarism: nicking someone else character, however dormant that character might be, for one's own profit, rather than being capable of creating one's own for the party, suggests bone-idle, indolent lack of talent.

[godwulf]

As far as untalented goes, I maintain that with my accusations of plagarism: nicking someone else character, however dormant that character might be, for one's own profit, rather than being capable of creating one's own for the party, suggests bone-idle, indolent lack of talent.

"Clive Cussler, the Grand Master of the American action adventure novel, grew up in Alhambra, California. He later attended Pasadena City College for two years, but then enlisted in the Air Force during the Korean War where he served as an aircraft mechanic and flight engineer in the Military Air Transport Service. Upon his discharge, he became a copywriter and later creative director for two of the nation's leading ad agencies. At that time, he wrote and produced radio and television commercials that won numerous international awards one at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

"Cussler began writing in 1965 and published his first novel featuring Dirk Pitt® in 1973. His first non-fiction work, THE SEA HUNTERS, was released in 1996. Because of this work the Board of Governors of the Maritime College, State University of New York considered THE SEA HUNTERS in lieu of a Ph.D. thesis and awarded Cussler a Doctor of Letters degree in May of 1997. It was the first time since the College was founded in 1874 that such a degree was bestowed.

"Cussler is the founder the National Underwater & Marine Agency, (NUMA) a 501C3 non-profit organization that dedicates itself to American maritime and naval history. Cussler and his crew of marine experts and NUMA volunteers have discovered over 60 historically significant underwater wreck sites. After verifying their finds, NUMA turns the rights to the artifacts over to non-profits, universities, or government entities all over the world. Some of these finds include the C.S.S. Hunley, best known as the first submarine to sink a ship in battle; the Housatonic, the ship the Hunley sank; the U-20, the U-boat that sank the Lusitania; the Cumberland, sunk by the famous ironclad, Merrimack; the Confederate raider Florida; the Navy airship, Akron; the Republic of Texas Navy warship, Zavala, found under a parking lot in Galveston, Texas; and the remains of the Carpathia, the valiant ship that braved icebergs to rescue the survivor's of the Titanic. In addition to being Chairman of NUMA, Cussler is a fellow in both the Explorers Club of New York and the Royal Geographic Society in London. He has also been honored with the Lowell Thomas Award for outstanding underwater exploration.

"Cussler's books are published in more than 40 languages in more than 100 countries with a readership of more than 125 million avid fans."

http://www.numa.net/clive_cussler.html

"Clive Cussler has had more than seventeen consecutive titles reach The New York Times fiction best-seller list."

http://en.wikipedia....i/Clive_Cussler

Yeah, the guy is a regular slug, isn't he? Quite the hack, too, it would seem.

[David Schofield]

As far as untalented goes, I maintain that with my accusations of plagarism: nicking someone else character, however dormant that character might be, for one's own profit, rather than being capable of creating one's own for the party, suggests bone-idle, indolent lack of talent.

"Clive Cussler, the Grand Master of the American action adventure novel, grew up in Alhambra, California. He later attended Pasadena City College for two years, but then enlisted in the Air Force during the Korean War where he served as an aircraft mechanic and flight engineer in the Military Air Transport Service. Upon his discharge, he became a copywriter and later creative director for two of the nation's leading ad agencies. At that time, he wrote and produced radio and television commercials that won numerous international awards one at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

"Cussler began writing in 1965 and published his first novel featuring Dirk Pitt® in 1973. His first non-fiction work, THE SEA HUNTERS, was released in 1996. Because of this work the Board of Governors of the Maritime College, State University of New York considered THE SEA HUNTERS in lieu of a Ph.D. thesis and awarded Cussler a Doctor of Letters degree in May of 1997. It was the first time since the College was founded in 1874 that such a degree was bestowed.

"Cussler is the founder the National Underwater & Marine Agency, (NUMA) a 501C3 non-profit organization that dedicates itself to American maritime and naval history. Cussler and his crew of marine experts and NUMA volunteers have discovered over 60 historically significant underwater wreck sites. After verifying their finds, NUMA turns the rights to the artifacts over to non-profits, universities, or government entities all over the world. Some of these finds include the C.S.S. Hunley, best known as the first submarine to sink a ship in battle; the Housatonic, the ship the Hunley sank; the U-20, the U-boat that sank the Lusitania; the Cumberland, sunk by the famous ironclad, Merrimack; the Confederate raider Florida; the Navy airship, Akron; the Republic of Texas Navy warship, Zavala, found under a parking lot in Galveston, Texas; and the remains of the Carpathia, the valiant ship that braved icebergs to rescue the survivor's of the Titanic. In addition to being Chairman of NUMA, Cussler is a fellow in both the Explorers Club of New York and the Royal Geographic Society in London. He has also been honored with the Lowell Thomas Award for outstanding underwater exploration.

"Cussler's books are published in more than 40 languages in more than 100 countries with a readership of more than 125 million avid fans."

http://www.numa.net/clive_cussler.html

"Clive Cussler has had more than seventeen consecutive titles reach The New York Times fiction best-seller list."

http://en.wikipedia....i/Clive_Cussler

Yeah, the guy is a regular slug, isn't he? Quite the hack, too, it would seem.

Don't know about any of the above. And I don't care.

He's a plagarist. He's not Ian Fleming. And Dirk Pitt isn't ever likely to rival James Bond.

All you've quoted is publists' guff.

[Binyamin]

Well, Cussler is what he is.

He cranks out entertaining and predictable adventure stories. It makes money.

Is he this generation's Plato, or even Fleming? No. He isn't trying to be.

What sells isn't necessarily what is well-written. Case in point, Twilight.

He writes books that sell. I do think he has far less vision than many give him credit for. He isn't a literary God; he's a man named Clive Cussler. His inability to see the big picture and work with the producers of Sahara is very telling. I suspect he has a streak of pettiness and bitterness in his personality. He has flaws.

But, if the owners of Bond feel he stole a character, they can sue him. They haven't. If you don't like his books, you don't have to buy them. Seems fair.

[s.a.s. Malko]

As far as untalented goes, I maintain that with my accusations of plagarism: nicking someone else character, however dormant that character might be, for one's own profit, rather than being capable of creating one's own for the party, suggests bone-idle, indolent lack of talent.

"Clive Cussler, the Grand Master of the American action adventure novel, grew up in Alhambra, California. He later attended Pasadena City College for two years, but then enlisted in the Air Force during the Korean War where he served as an aircraft mechanic and flight engineer in the Military Air Transport Service. Upon his discharge, he became a copywriter and later creative director for two of the nation's leading ad agencies. At that time, he wrote and produced radio and television commercials that won numerous international awards one at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

"Cussler began writing in 1965 and published his first novel featuring Dirk Pitt® in 1973. His first non-fiction work, THE SEA HUNTERS, was released in 1996. Because of this work the Board of Governors of the Maritime College, State University of New York considered THE SEA HUNTERS in lieu of a Ph.D. thesis and awarded Cussler a Doctor of Letters degree in May of 1997. It was the first time since the College was founded in 1874 that such a degree was bestowed.

"Cussler is the founder the National Underwater & Marine Agency, (NUMA) a 501C3 non-profit organization that dedicates itself to American maritime and naval history. Cussler and his crew of marine experts and NUMA volunteers have discovered over 60 historically significant underwater wreck sites. After verifying their finds, NUMA turns the rights to the artifacts over to non-profits, universities, or government entities all over the world. Some of these finds include the C.S.S. Hunley, best known as the first submarine to sink a ship in battle; the Housatonic, the ship the Hunley sank; the U-20, the U-boat that sank the Lusitania; the Cumberland, sunk by the famous ironclad, Merrimack; the Confederate raider Florida; the Navy airship, Akron; the Republic of Texas Navy warship, Zavala, found under a parking lot in Galveston, Texas; and the remains of the Carpathia, the valiant ship that braved icebergs to rescue the survivor's of the Titanic. In addition to being Chairman of NUMA, Cussler is a fellow in both the Explorers Club of New York and the Royal Geographic Society in London. He has also been honored with the Lowell Thomas Award for outstanding underwater exploration.

"Cussler's books are published in more than 40 languages in more than 100 countries with a readership of more than 125 million avid fans."

http://www.numa.net/clive_cussler.html

"Clive Cussler has had more than seventeen consecutive titles reach The New York Times fiction best-seller list."

http://en.wikipedia....i/Clive_Cussler

Yeah, the guy is a regular slug, isn't he? Quite the hack, too, it would seem.

Don't know about any of the above. And I don't care.

He's a plagarist. He's not Ian Fleming. And Dirk Pitt isn't ever likely to rival James Bond.

All you've quoted is publists' guff.

Don´t know it exactly in english, but it´s something like: plagiarism is the finest form of flattery, so I think he´s one of us: a Bond fan :-)

[AMC Hornet]

I was rather annoyed with Night Probe when I read it, but then the Pitt-beats-Bond wasn't the aspect that annoyed me the most - it's Cussler's penchant for having Pitt corner world leaders and tell them what's what, and their obediently changing history because an American marine archeologist tells them to (e.g.: "Give up this communism crap, Fidel!" "Si, whatever you say, Senor Peett.".

As for Brian Shaw, in this case it was more a matter of roman a clef than plagiarism (see 'The Greek Tycoon' for an example of roman a clef: Anthony Quinn plays Theo Tomassis, a Greek billionaire who marries Elizabeth Cassidy (Jaqueline Bissett), the widow of slain US president James Cassidy (James Fransiscus). Get the picture?).

Night Probe was intended as an homage, with the unfortunate twist that 00... - sorry, Brian Shaw is no match for the great Dirk Pitt. Stick your tongue in your cheek, get used to that elbow in your ribs and enjoy. And the less you know or care about Canadian sovereignty the more you'll enjoy the resolution.

[Single-O-Seven]

I've had this book on my shelf for some time now. The fire is being fuelled. I may have to give it a read sooner than later.

[godwulf]

I've had this book on my shelf for some time now. The fire is being fuelled. I may have to give it a read sooner than later.

It's a great read, quite apart from the Bond connection. You'll enjoy it.

[Double-O-Section]

I've had this book on my shelf for some time now. The fire is being fuelled. I may have to give it a read sooner than later.

Same here. I need a read for the beach this summer and this sounds just right.

[Single-O-Seven]

I've had this book on my shelf for some time now. The fire is being fuelled. I may have to give it a read sooner than later.

Same here. I need a read for the beach this summer and this sounds just right.

I'm leaving for the beach this week and am considering taking this for some light entertainment.