The Atlantis Code (Thomas Lourds #1) by Charles Brokaw

 

 

Summary:

 

A thrill-seeking Harvard linguistics professor and an ultrasecret branch of the Catholic Church go head-to-head in a race to uncover the secrets of the lost city of Atlantis. The ruins of the technologically-advanced, eerily-enigmatic ancient civilization promise their discoverer fame, fortune, and power… but hold earth-shattering secrets about the origin of man.

While world-famous linguist and archaeologist, Thomas Lourds, is shooting a film that dramatizes his flamboyant life and scientific achievements, satellites spot impossibly ancient ruins along the Spanish coast. Lourds knows exactly what it means: the Lost Continent of Atlantis has been found. The race is on, and Lourds' challengers will do anything to get there first.

Whoever controls the Lost Continent will control the world.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 432 pages (Hardcover)

Source: Toronto Public Library

Available Formats: Print/E-book/Audio

Publication Date: November 10th 2009 by Forge books    

 

Atlantis.

Not many words inspire so much wonder and mystery as that one which is why I'm rather obsessed with the myth. I can't help it I love adventure novels that feature the legend so when one of my many library searches led me to The Atlantis Code I was stoked. It sounded awesome and it got reasonably good reviews on Goodreads so as soon as I brought it home from the library I dove into reading it. 

 

Unfortunately diving into it was similar to diving into a pool empty of water. Right from the beginning I was off put by the writing. I hate when author refer to their main characters by their last names, especially when the name is something that sounds kind of pretentious like Lourds (no offense to anyone bearing that last name) but it irked me to know end that the author of the Atlantis Code referred to Thomas the hero of the novel by his last name. I know it may seem like a little thing to people but we all have our pet peeves and the last name referrals are some of my biggest. 

 

Anyways, from the beginning of the novel I was struck by how slow the plot moved. I'm used to my adventure/thriller novels being adrenaline pumping reads pretty much from the get go with expected lulls in the action factor mingled into the plot line which was what I was expecting in this one. While there was some major action in the first 30 or so pages I wasn't satisfied how the first major action scene played out it was very sterile and lacking any feeling which was a feeling that was carried on through out the telling of The Atlantis Code.

 

The writing was very dense. The story was very detailed, too detailed it was as though the purpose was to explain every little thing to the reader. I like when an author explains certain things in more detail but those things are usually major plot points and things that are extremely relevant to the story but in this case I felt things were needlessly being explained which made the book a very tedious read at times.

 

The characters were another thing I had issues with and that is because they were all very one dimensional and over the top. Thomas Lourds is a linguist and I do understand that while he is a professor that he doesn't have the typical look of a stuffy old professor but he was far too aloof and unconcerned with his role as the romantic interest to not one but both of the female side characters and was a bit of a playboy but in the stuck up kind of way so there was a ton of eye rolling from me due to his behaviour as well as his overall holier than thou attitude he had about his abilities to solve the code to discover Atlantis.

 

The other characters were very one dimensional as well. As I mentioned the female leads were overly dramatic and over the top when it came to their character flaws and personalities just like Thomas and it was as though they were ripped from the set of a bad direct to DVD movie. Even the bad guys in the book came across as being inadequate and useless. They were some of the worst villians that I've ever come across in my reading.

 

The story line though is my main bone of contention. The book was praised as being the next Da Vinci Code while I saw the potential for the story about the myth of Atlantis in the beginning and was willing to look over some things in the beginning by the time I finished the book I felt like I had read a horribly inadequate rip off of The Da Vinci Code. There were some changes but the basic template of that bestseller was one that I saw used in the telling of this book. There were so many things that were similar to the story that they just started piling up in my head and made me more and more anxious to finish the book which I might add had one of the most anti-climatic endings I've ever come across and was such a huge let down but for me the main thing was that my ordeal with the novel was over.

 

The plot had so many holes that the amount of details used were pretty much used in place of an actual plot line and the poor characters, dialogue, lack of adventure and the lack of imagination of the actual story line drove me to have a great dislike for this first novel in the Thomas Lourds series.  While the book is entitled  The Atlantis Code I feel like Atlantis was touched on very little considering that and I felt that that lead to much of the deterioration of the plot and characters. However I do realize this was the author's first attempt at a novel so despite my obvious disappointment for it I can see that the bones of a good story were there and I am willing to give the second book in the series a chance and hope that it has more action and less mindless detail than this book.

 

Overall, I don't think this is one I would read again but I do see how the book does appeal to readers so I'm only going to recommend this on the basis of my believing a book is only as good as the individual reading it thinks it is. While I didn't like it others may find that it's a gem so if you think despite of my review that you make like to try the book out for yourself I say go for it!

 

 

Not for me!
★

 

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Excavation by James Rollins

 

Summary:

 

While on an expedition to Peru, archaeologist Dr. Henry Conklin makes several startling discoveries. High amid the snow-capped Andes a mysterious mummy is found hidden in a cave. And deep in the sweltering jungle below, the remains of an ancient Incan city hidden from human eyes for centuries is unearthed.

Nestled between two soaring peaks, this mysterious ancient territory called the Cloud Ruins has remained undisturbed for centuries, protected by ingenious traps that only the most clever and courageous dare to maneuver. But where the perilous journey inward ends--in the cold, shrouded heart of a breathtaking necropolis--something else is waiting for Conklin, his nephew, Sam, and their exploratory party. A thing created by Man, yet not human. Something powerful . . . something astonishing . . . something terrifying. And now their amazing adventure of discovery has been transformed into the ultimate challenge: survival.

Don't miss this classic James Rollins novel, set deep in the mysterious jungles of South America.

Summary & Photo taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 626 pages (Large print paperback)

Source: Toronto Public Library

Publication Date:  July 3rd 2000

 

I'm a bit late to the whole James Rollins party it seems but it's better to be late than never! Before I borrowed Excavation from the library I had been wanting to give his books a try for ages but I didn't know where to start. Then I found this one when I did a library search and it looked like a good place to start.

 

As you probably already know I am a huge history buff so the fact that this book dealt with the history and myths surround the Incan people I was all for it. Especially since this book was coveted by fans of one of my favourite authors Clive Cussler.

 

The book started off with a bang. We're taken 500 years into the past while a young Dominican priest is on the run from a gang of Incan warriors through the jungle as he tries to escape from them and leave a message for people in the future before he dies. Then we're fast forwarded to the present when an archaeological dig is taking place in the area where the Dominican Priest was found but this is no normal archaeological dig and the jungles of Peru hold more secrets than you or I can imagine.

 

I loved the setting of this book. I haven't read a lot of books set in South America but when it comes to this genre its one of my favourite locations. There's so much mystery, history and danger associated with that part of the world it makes it a perfect locale for this type of book and James Rollin's created an great story that took place in Peru.

 

Right away I was hooked on the story line I love how the book opened in the past and then fast forwarded to present day. I was thinking that maybe the book would be told in two different times one in the past and one in the present day so I was really pleased to see that 99% of the book was written in the present day.

 

I thought that while the characters of Henry, his nephew Sam, Maggie, Denal and Norman were good characters on the surface they lacked a lot of depth. I for one wish that I could have gotten to know them on a deeper level because they were the main characters so I felt the that the story could have used a bit more of the personal touch in that aspect. I also wish that the bad guys in the novel had a little more depth to them as well because they seemed like they were really transparent.

 

The plot was a good one, albeit one that I have seen various derivations of in the past when it comes to this novel but the whole idea of the book being about a lost tribe of immortal Incans was interesting. I wish there was more detail involved in the creation of the tribe and when the tribe was talked about as well as the creatures that inhabited the areas around the tribe. I liked that part of the book a lot but I think it could have used more detail.

 

While the book had a lot of adrenaline rushing moments the spaces in between got rather slow at times and I couldn't wait for things to get going again. There were parts of the book that I think the story could have been left out because they didn't really add anything of substance to the novel.

 

The book did have it's fair share of high and low points like any novel does and perhaps I'm just being picky because this is the first book I've read by the author and I'm just getting used to  his writing style but overall in terms of the plot and characters I felt that the novel lacked a lot of critical detail and things were rushed over and sometimes the book felt more like an abridged version of a novel rather than the full length novel. Plus there were a couple of plot holes that I cannot for the life of me figure out where as well as having some unnecessary plot fillers in the book that slowed down the pace of the novel.

 

The writing was the one main thing I liked. While the story lacked detail I could tell that the author did a fair amount of research to give the book an authentic Peruvian setting and the book was able to keep me reading late into the night despite my issues. I think that maybe the author needed to balance out the characters as well as the storyline with more. The bones of a great novel was there but for me as much as I did enjoy this one I think it held a lot more promise than was achieved.

 

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to read an adrenaline filled novel that loves history, cults and lost civilizations this book might just be your next great read. While this book didn't turn out the way I wanted it to I still enjoyed it and I'm glad this was the first book I've read by the author. I hope I like his other books as well and I can't wait for my holds of Amazonia and Subterranean to come in at the library so I can read more of his writing soon! Hopefully I have better luck with them.

 

Liked it!
★ ★ ★

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Dinosaur Jazz (The Jurassic Club #1) by Michael Panush

 

Summary:

 

Acheron Island is a world lost to time, home to prehistoric creatures from earth’s savage past.

The island’s occupants range from ferocious, man-eating dinosaurs and savage Ape Man tribes to strange ruins from a lost civilization. It is also home to Sir Edwin Crowe, son of the Victorian explorer who discovered Acheron Island, renowned big game hunter, scarred Great War veteran, and last of the world’s Gentleman Adventurers.

But now Acheron Island has some new residents – ruthless American businessman Selwyn Slade and an army of corporate cronies. Why has Slade brought all of his modern industrial power to conquer this world from the past? Can Sir Edwin uncover his strange purpose and protect this prehistoric world? Sir Edwin’s only allies are his stalwart Ape Man partner, a beautiful torch singer with a mysterious agenda, his strong-willed sister and her archaeologist boyfriend, and a family of American tourists – and they’re about to become the last hope of a lost world.

Its Jazz Age meets the Mesozoic Age in a world where cave men, gangsters, hunters, zeppelins, pirates, warlords and dinosaurs clash for a chance of survival. All that and more is waiting for you in Dinosaur Jazz, a tale of high adventure in a prehistoric world.

Summary & Photo taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 320 pages (E-book)

Source: NetGalley ARC

Publication Date: June 13th 2012 by Curiosity Quills Press

 

I absolutely loved this novel. It had me as soon as I saw the title and the cover. The summary was just an added bonus because as soon as I saw it I requested it from NetGalley. How could I not? It's no secret that I have a minor major obsession with dinosaurs, prehistoric beasts, and hominids and have been since I was a little kid.

 

Dinosaur Jazz had everything I could ask for. It was as though I were reading a mash up of an Indiana Jones novel, The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroghs. The  last two being two of my favourite writers in the entire world.

 

I really loved the world in which author Michael Panush created Archeron Island and his merry and of gun toting characters. I'd have to say my favourite character besides Sir Edwin was James his Ape Man partner who was raised along side him as a brother.

 

Sir Edwin's father was the man who discovered the island that was lost in time and he is the premier game warden/travel guide on the island. He loves the island with every fiber of his being and he'll stop at nothing in order to see that the sanctity of the island and all of it's inhabitants people and animals are kept safe especially from one another.

 

So when things start going wrong on the island Edwin takes matters into his on hands in an attempted to save his beloved island home with his friends. Seriously, this book is probably one of the best adventure novels I've ever read. There's such an intensity to the authors writing that I couldn't help but become addicted to the story. There are dinosaurs, warriors and ape men to contend with in this novel and all of those elements lend themselves to an extremely readable, heart pounding adventure.

 

The writing was superb as were his apt descriptions, wonderful characterization and his ability to keep me reading as well as keeping me guessing as to what would happen next. I for one cannot wait to read the second book in the Jurassic Club series so I hope the author is hard at work writing it as we speak because he just gained a new fan in me. This is one novel that even though I have it in E-book format I will be buying myself a paperback as soon as I can.

 

I would recommend this book to everyone especially those who like old style adventure novels in the spirit of Doyle or Burroughs. I advise going into it with an open mind because it does take place in the early 1920's so the way people spoke is different and if you aren't familiar with the era it can take some getting used to. I think this would appeal to a lot of people because it is such a different style of book than the others that are on the market. If you do read it I hope you like it as much as I did.

 

* I received a free copy of this book from the published via NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and I was not compensated in any way.

 

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Awesome, I loved it!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★