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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
This is a good summer read in the sense that your brain kind of has to be shut off to enjoy it -- so I am giving it three stars in the same sense I would give a mindless action movie two thumbs up for entertaining me while keeping me out of the heat in an air-conditioned theater.
Now, if your brain isn't shut off while reading this book, you may notice some things that might irk you, such as (spoilers ahead, you have been warned):
- The heroes, married treasure hunters Sam and Remi Fargo, are flatter than cardboard cut-outs. The only attempt at all to liven them up is with snappy banter that is a bit reminiscent, if you have read Cussler's most famous series, of Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino. This lack of character development is somewhat masked, however, by the plot moving at a breakneck adventure pace.
- Speaking of that, the already brisk pace at the beginning of the book accelerates exponentially as the story progresses, to the point where the protagonists are nearly in a different country for every chapter by the end of the book. This left precious few pages for the final climactic scene, with no pause for suspense whatsoever, an underwhelming end to the antagonists, and very little description of the treasure they hunted the entire book for (although their wonder at eventually figuring out the mystery will not be shared by the reader, who were spoiled by said treasure being the title of the book).
- Speaking of the antagonists, the main antagonist, Ukranian warlord Hadeon Bondurak, and his henchmen, former Spetsnaz soldiers, are written as to be less effective than Scooby Doo villains. The protagonists, who are loathe to use lethal force and do not make a habit of carrying weapons, constantly and easily outwit these bloodthirsty, trained, well-armed men with unbelievable childish ruses and incredible luck. (For a better example of how a Russian former Spetsnaz mercenary should be written, see Sokolov in [b:Reamde|10552338|Reamde|Neal Stephenson|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1305993115s/10552338.jpg|15458989].)
- Sam falls out of a boat after hitting his head and while the hit leaves him unconscious, he does not pass out until after he pulls himself back into the boat. I am pretty sure this is not how head injuries work. Sam is also later shot through ear, mentions the wound will need stitches, never gets the wound taken care of, and it is never brought up again.
- The paint-by-number, follow the wine bottle trail of obscure historical clues were very derivative of [a:Dan Brown's|630|Dan Brown|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1206553442p2/630.jpg] Robert Langdon books, and there was a glaring plot-hole as they were unable to get the clue from the broken wine bottle shard -- or was that bottle the only one to mysteriously not have the cryptic, sequential instructions leading to the next bottle on it?
- And speaking of those bottles, at one point Sam and Remi find a bottle in an old crypt and pay $500 for it to a descendant of the crypt's inhabitant, who did not know the significance of the bottle or its value, and later get $250,000 for their exploration foundation for that bottle from the French government. That entire transaction did not sit well with me at all, considering the Fargos were allegedly not interested in material wealth, and were already financially set up.
- Finally, there was the inevitable Clive Cussler cameo. I have read enough of his books to know that when the "sun-kissed, white haired man with the sparkling blue eyes" appears, I am being treated to yet another superfluous indulgence of the author's ego, and to just grin and bear it.
Now, if your brain isn't shut off while reading this book, you may notice some things that might irk you, such as (spoilers ahead, you have been warned):
- The heroes, married treasure hunters Sam and Remi Fargo, are flatter than cardboard cut-outs. The only attempt at all to liven them up is with snappy banter that is a bit reminiscent, if you have read Cussler's most famous series, of Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino. This lack of character development is somewhat masked, however, by the plot moving at a breakneck adventure pace.
- Speaking of that, the already brisk pace at the beginning of the book accelerates exponentially as the story progresses, to the point where the protagonists are nearly in a different country for every chapter by the end of the book. This left precious few pages for the final climactic scene, with no pause for suspense whatsoever, an underwhelming end to the antagonists, and very little description of the treasure they hunted the entire book for (although their wonder at eventually figuring out the mystery will not be shared by the reader, who were spoiled by said treasure being the title of the book).
- Speaking of the antagonists, the main antagonist, Ukranian warlord Hadeon Bondurak, and his henchmen, former Spetsnaz soldiers, are written as to be less effective than Scooby Doo villains. The protagonists, who are loathe to use lethal force and do not make a habit of carrying weapons, constantly and easily outwit these bloodthirsty, trained, well-armed men with unbelievable childish ruses and incredible luck. (For a better example of how a Russian former Spetsnaz mercenary should be written, see Sokolov in [b:Reamde|10552338|Reamde|Neal Stephenson|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1305993115s/10552338.jpg|15458989].)
- Sam falls out of a boat after hitting his head and while the hit leaves him unconscious, he does not pass out until after he pulls himself back into the boat. I am pretty sure this is not how head injuries work. Sam is also later shot through ear, mentions the wound will need stitches, never gets the wound taken care of, and it is never brought up again.
- The paint-by-number, follow the wine bottle trail of obscure historical clues were very derivative of [a:Dan Brown's|630|Dan Brown|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1206553442p2/630.jpg] Robert Langdon books, and there was a glaring plot-hole as they were unable to get the clue from the broken wine bottle shard -- or was that bottle the only one to mysteriously not have the cryptic, sequential instructions leading to the next bottle on it?
- And speaking of those bottles, at one point Sam and Remi find a bottle in an old crypt and pay $500 for it to a descendant of the crypt's inhabitant, who did not know the significance of the bottle or its value, and later get $250,000 for their exploration foundation for that bottle from the French government. That entire transaction did not sit well with me at all, considering the Fargos were allegedly not interested in material wealth, and were already financially set up.
- Finally, there was the inevitable Clive Cussler cameo. I have read enough of his books to know that when the "sun-kissed, white haired man with the sparkling blue eyes" appears, I am being treated to yet another superfluous indulgence of the author's ego, and to just grin and bear it.
Love this series. The Fargos are hilarious. They remind me of a couple but can't place it.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A fun, at times over the top, treasure hunt adventure. The writing isn’t great, but it didn’t take away from the story that much.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A fun adventure from the master of adventure. This is a new series from Cussler. Sam and Rami Fargo take on whatever comes their way and take no prisoners. I can't wait to read more from this author.
Sam and Remi, the spousal protagonists, are deep in the muck of a Maryland swamp. They're looking for buried treasure, but what they find is something altogether unexpected. It's a Nazi-era German mini-sub, very, very far from where one would expect to find such a thing. An attempt to get the scoop on local rumors of such an anomaly is aborted by their source's kidnapping right before their eyes. After the Fargos free their friend from the professional operative interrogating him about a shard of a wine bottle he found in the Pocomoke, the plot really takes off.
It's fast paced, if a bit predictable. What I found was a tad annoying was the slight repetitiveness of some of the dialogue. Overall, a decent story with some travel and adventure. Going to give the next one a go.
It's fast paced, if a bit predictable. What I found was a tad annoying was the slight repetitiveness of some of the dialogue. Overall, a decent story with some travel and adventure. Going to give the next one a go.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I hate to say it, but, I think I like these better than the Dirk Pitts and Kurt Austins. The Fargos are a married couple so you get the same witty banter, history, mystery and intrigue, without the disposable women that frequent the other series. I wish I was a treasure hunter...
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No