People who love to read adventure novels, especially the ones which involve mystery, thrill, and a vast ocean of exploration, would love the fantastic, vibrant fictional worlds of Clive Cussler. The author is one of the most revered writers in the action/adventure genre.
Cussler is a giant when it comes to writing books. A writing career that spanned over 5 decades and created more than 80 books. People who are getting into the works of Clive Cussler should consider themselves lucky to have such a vast treasure of novels and stories to read from.
As anyone can guess, if you are a starter who is about to start the journey of a thousand miles, the very first steps can be very daunting. The same goes for people who are about to start reading Cussler’s books. With over 80 titles, navigating this vast ocean of interesting stories requires you to have the right compass.
This article is going to be the compass. We have taken all the books written by Clive Cussler, arranged them into their separate series, and put them in the reading order so that you can select the book series you want to start and find the very first book to start the series.
From children’s books to the very famous Dirk Pitt series, here is the complete list of Clive Cussler books in reading order, along with the release date. Now, you can start a literary journey of impeccable adventure stories with these Cussler books.
| Sr. No. | Title | Publication Date | Print Length | Publisher | Where to Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Adventures of Vin Fiz | February 21, 2006 | 160 pages | Philomel Books | Amazon |
| 2 | The Chase | October 28, 2008 | 587 pages | Large Print Press | Book Shop |
| 3 | Pacific Vortex | January 1, 2015 | 2 pages | onlybook s.l | Amazon |
| 4 | Spartan Gold | September 1, 2009 | 384 pages | G.P. Putnam's Sons | Amazon |
| 5 | Golden Buddha | October 07, 2003 | 432 pages | G.P. Putnam's Sons | Book Shop |
| 6 | Serpent | June 1, 1999 | 480 pages | Pocket Books | Amazon |
| 7 | The SEA HUNTERS | October 7, 1996 | 368 pages | Simon & Schuster | Amazon |
Children’s Books
Starting with the children’s book Cussler wrote – if you have kids at your house or want to give someone’s kid – something worth reading.
Clive Cussler wrote two books in his children’s books series. The first came out in 2006, featuring Van Fiz, and the second came out four years later.
One story takes to the skies, while the other to the seas. Both books have been loved by children globally.
Isaac Bell Adventures
There are 12 books in the Isaac Bell Adventure series. The protagonist of this series, Isaac Bell, is a brilliant detective who has the abilities and skills to uncover some of the most convoluted mysteries.
The entire series of 12 novels explore the adventure of the charming detective who comes across some of the most mind-bending mysteries and threats that could end up taking his life. Read how he decodes every perplexing mystery that’s thrown at him.
- The Chase (2007)
- The Wrecker (2009)
- The Spy (2010)
- The Race (2011)
- The Thief (2012)
- The Striker (2013)
- The Bootlegger (2014)
- The Assassin (2015)
- The Gangster (2016)
- The Cutthroat (2017)
- The Titanic Secret (2019)
- The Saboteurs (2020)
The Dirk Pitt Adventure Series
The Dirk Pitt Adventure series is the creme-de-la-creme of all of Clive Cussler’s works. It is the crown jewel of his fantasy exploration series, and people who want to enjoy his best work should start with this series.
Clive Cussler was a sea explorer himself, and in many ways, the Dirk Pitt series is a reflection of his adventures, with a bit of fiction added to make things even more exciting.
The role of the protagonist is helmed by an adventurer of the same name, Dirk Pitt. Pitt explores the world under the water, along with its mysteries and life-threatening dangers. He dives into a world of adventure, mysteries, and a thrilling environment with the Dirk Pitt series.
The Dirk Pitt series is the longest book series written by Clive Cussler, with 27 books in the series. You’ll need plenty of time to complete this series. Here are all the books in the Dirk Pitt series in reading order.
- Pacific Vortex (1983)
- The Mediterranean Caper (1973)
- The Mediterranean Caper: 40th Anniversary Edition (1973)
- Iceberg (1974)
- Raise the Titanic! (1976)
- Vixen 03 (1978)
- Night Probe! (1981)
- Deep Six (1984)
- Cyclops (1986)
- Treasure (1988)
- Dragon (1990)
- Sahara (1992)
- Inca Gold (1994)
- Shock Wave (1996)
- Flood Tide (1997)
- Atlantis Found (1999)
- Valhalla Rising (2001)
- Trojan Odyssey (2003)
- Black Wind (2004)
- Treasure of Khan (2006)
- Arctic Drift (2008)
- Crescent Dawn (2010)
- Poseidon’s Arrow (2012)
- Havana Storm (2014)
- Odessa Sea (2016)
- Celtic Empire (2018)
- The Devil’s Sea (2021)
Sam And Remi Fargo Adventures
The Sam and Remi Fargo Adventures has 13 books in it, with the latest book, “The Serpent’s Eye,” released this year. People who are looking for stories that explore the wilderness, the rush of finding treasure, and the mortal dangers associated with it should start with Sam and Remi Fargo’s adventures.
Sam and Remi Fargo are husband and wife with a taste for adventure. Watch them take on challenging journeys, explore exotic locations, visit historical places, and find a world full of mysteries and treasures that are unheard of.
The creativity and the imagination with which these books are written will surely blow your mind. It should be noted that Clive Cussler was not the sole author of this series. Other authors such as Robin Burcel, Thomas Perry, Russel Blake, and Grant Blackwood have co-authored the books in this series.
Here’s the list of all the books in the Sam and Remi Fargo series in reading order.
- Spartan Gold (2009)
- Lost Empire (2010)
- The Kingdom (2011)
- The Tombs (2012)
- The Mayan Secrets (2013)
- The Eye of Heaven (2014)
- The Solomon Curse (2015)
- Pirate (2016)
- The Romanov Ransom (2012)
- The Gray Ghost (2018)
- The Oracle (2019)
- Wrath of Poseidon (2020)
- The Serpent’s Eye (2022)
The Oregon Files
The name “Oregon Files” comes from the research vessel that the protagonist, Juan Cabrillo, and his team use for the exploration. The Oregon files contain stories about ancient artifacts, history, and thrilling plots that mixes mystery with politics.
Juan Cabrillo is a young scientist who wants to explore the hidden things in this world but finds himself torn between world politics and the people hungry for power. They are willing to do anything to take control, and Juan must fight with all his will to prevent the bad guys from winning.
Here’s the list of all the 16 books in the series in the reading order:
- Golden Buddha (2003)
- Sacred Stone (2004)
- Dark Watch (2005)
- Skeleton Coast (2006)
- Plague Ship (2008)
- Corsair (2009)
- The Silent Sea (2010)
- The Jungle (2011)
- Mirage (2013)
- Piranha (2015)
- The Emperor’s Revenge (2017)
- Typhoon Fury (2017)
- Shadow Tyrants (2018)
- Final Option (2019)
- Marauder (2020)
- Hellburner (2022)
The NUMA Files
NUMA stands for National Underwater and Marine Agency, and people who do not know much about Cussler would be shocked to find that NUMA is an actual organization that Cussler started as he was an avid underwater explorer.
Cussler discovered more than 60 shipwrecks and wrote about them extensively in his non-fiction book series. The NUMA files, however, is a series of fiction stories that revolve around the discoveries and works of NUMA.
NUMA is also the fictional agency that employs Dirk Pitt in his series of novels. Where the Dirk Pitt series is more focused on the adventure aspect of exploration of the sea and the mysteries associated with it, the NUMA files is more of a political action series.
But do not let this fool you. There’s still a lot of adventure in this series, with extravagant worlds, beautiful sceneries, grand world-building, and a brilliant protagonist, Kurt Austin.
The NUMA series is about the challenges NUMA faces as they are always at the cusp of a war between opposing organizations, companies, and even countries. With the possibility of finding powerful things and artifacts that can change history as we know it, Kurt must always be prepared for challenges.
There are 19 books in the NUMA series, and it has been co-authored by other prominent authors such as Graham Brown and Paul Kemprecos.
- Serpent (1999)
- Blue Gold (2000)
- Fire Ice (2002)
- White Death (2003)
- Lost City (2004)
- Polar Shift (2005)
- The Navigator (2007)
- Medusa (2009)
- Devil’s Gate (2011)
- The Storm (2012)
- Zero Hour (2013)
- Ghost Ship (2014)
- The Pharaoh’s Secret (2015)
- Nighthawk (2017)
- The Rising Sea (2018)
- Sea of Greed (2019)
- Journey of the Pharaohs (2020)
- Fast Ice (2021)
- Dark Vector (2022)
Non-Fiction
Why just write fiction when your life is as adventurous as Cussler’s? As mentioned before, Cussler was an enthusiastic sea explorer and founder of the NUMA. He discovered over 60 shipwrecks. The non-fiction series has no name, but there are 5 books in it.
These books contain the account of all the discoveries NUMA made, the shipwrecks they found, and all the interesting facts about the process and discoveries. Worth a read if you are interested in underwater exploration.
- The Sea Hunters: True Adventures with Famous Shipwrecks (1994)
- Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed (1998)
- The Sea Hunters II (2002)
- Built for Adventure: The Classic Automobiles of Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt (2011)
- Built to Thrill (2016)
Conclusion
So this was the list of the entire Clive Cussler books in reading order. From the exciting tales of Dirk Pitt to the real-world exploration of underwater wreckage, Cussler wrote about a variety of things. Which one is your favorite?