High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Sahara is an adventure novel by Clive Cussler. First published in 1992, it is the eleventh book in Cussler's Dirk Pitt series. In 2005 the film Sahara was released based on the book.The book starts with a scene just a week before the surrender of Confederate forces of Robert E Lee. The Confederate Navy ship CSS Texas is being loaded at a dock with crates supposedly filled with documents. The ship's captain Tombs has been ordered to take the ship past a Union blockade and to any neutral harbour where she should dock until summoned by a courier. At the last minute the secretary of the Confederate navy and an admiral arrive and mention that he will be taking a prisoner on board.