Special Sub-Topic: The Characters of Cussler's Works Click Here To Play: The Characters of Cussler's Works

Dirk Pitt is the main character of the majority of Clive's earlier books.

True. First brought to us in 'Mayday!' or its original title of 'The Mediterranean Caper'.

Who was the first person in charge of NUMA?

Admiral James Sandecker. He is the founder and leader uptil the time he leaves NUMA to run for Vice President of the United States at the end of the novel 'Trojan Odyssey'.

Who is the main character of the 'NUMA Files' novels?

Kurt Austin. A former CIA agent recruited into NUMA by Admiral Sandecker.

Is Summer Pitt Dirk Pitt's daughter?

Yes. Along with her fraternal twin brother, Dirk Jr, introduced at the end of the novel 'Valhalla Rising'. They are the children of Dirk Pitt and Summer Moran.

St. Julien Perlmutter is described as being very trim and athletic.

False. In fact he is described as being very well rounded. He loves his food and wine and is a master chef as well as being a world renowned authority on maritime history.

Who is Dirk Pitt's best friend and offsider?

Al Giordino. A stocky little Italian-American who is very loyal to Dirk and always good for comic relief.

In which novel did Clive first introduce us to the vessel Oregon which was later used in the 'Oregon Files' novels?

Flood Tide. Dirk and Al came across the Oregon and Chairman Cabrillo in Hong Kong when they were on the trail of people smugglers and were trying to inspect a large cruise ship in Hong Kong Harbour.

At the end of 'Trojan Odyssey' Dirk Pitt gets married. Who did he get married to?

Loren Smith. Dirk and Loren had been somewhat of an item for many years and Dirk finally managed to ask Loren to marry him as he was contemplating retiring and Loren was not going to run for another term in Congress.

Is it true that Juan Cabrillo, also known as 'The Chairman', is not the main character of the 'Oregon Files' novels?

No. Juan Cabrillo otherwise known as Chariman Cabrillo is in charge of the vessel Oregon, and like Kurt Austin of the NUMA Files novels is ex-CIA.

Who is Kurt Austin's offsider and best friend?

Joe Zavala. Joe is Kurt's best friend and is a top quality engineer, designing much of the equipment the pair use.

Clive Cussler has written himself into many of his 'Dirk Pitt Adventure' novels as a cameo character.

True. Normally popping up least where you would expect someone like Clive to appear, but always useful to Dirk. At the end of 'Trojan Odyssey' he actually showed up at Dirk and Loren's wedding reception to see Dirk's car collection.

In which novel does Dirk Pitt come to the aid of Maeve Fletcher to help save her sons?

Shockwave. Maeve is the estranged daughter of the main villain of the novel and unfortunately dies toward the end of the book.

Which novel are Dirk Pitt Jr and his sister Summer Pitt first used in as the main characters?

Black Wind. This novel was also co-written with Clive Cussler's son Dirk Cussler.

Which novel was the first of the 'NUMA Files' novels?

Serpent. A intersting book but my personal favourite of the 'NUMA Files' novels is 'White Death'.

What was the first novel of the 'Oregon Files' novels?

Golden Buddha. I love this book. The crew of the Oregon help the Dalai Lama return to and secure freedom for Tibet.