With each Dirk Pitt novels, the world Clive Cussler is building seems to get more and more intense and diverge further from the world we live in. We started with simple salvage and simple enough (although extensive) smuggling and drugs. And then they raised the Titanic. And found a treaty to add Canada to the United States.

Deep Six is certainly no exception, with a primary plot essentially resolving around kidnapping and mind controlling the President of the United States. As one does.

One thing I do appreciate though is how internally consistent these books have been so far. The North American treaty is found and Canada is merged into the United States. Is that written out of the story? Nope. It’s not a huge plot point, but it’s stuck to. And it’s interesting to see this entirely parallel reality taking shape.

Another interesting point is reading this book decades later, with various changes to the office of the president and their powers. Executive privilege has expanded far beyond what was considered ridiculous in this book and impeachment is once again in the news. It’s interesting to see that from an older point of view.

I think my biggest negative with this book is that it was really about salvage, which is my favorite part of the books. It’s more action and political espionage than anything. Still a fun enough read.

Final bit: There’s a cheeky line that basically says Pitt’s life “reads like a novel.” I’m amused.