Status
Available
Call number
Call number
F Gib
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Dell Publishing (2006), Edition: Dell MassMarket Reissue
Description
Archaeologist Jack Howard is a brave but cautious man. When he embarked on a new search for buried treasure in the Mediterranean, he knew it was a long shot. When he uncovered a golden disc that spoke of a lost civilization more advanced than any in the ancient world, he started to get excited. But when Jack Howard and his intrepid crew finally got close to uncovering the secrets the sea had held for thousands of years, nothing could have prepared them for what they would find ...
Original publication date
2005
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User reviews
LibraryThing member AFHeart
It is reminiscent of the character Dirk Pitt (by Clive Cussler) merged with Tom Clancy's tech speak. To some degree the scientific explainations were necessary for the believability of Atlantis being truly found - but they easily could have been scaled back and still worked. But that was not a
More of bringing the civilization of Atlantis alive would have been nice, since all the scientific buildup preped you for it. This novel is better than many that I have read even with the pacing slowing down for science explanations. I prefered the main character, Jack Howard over Dirk Pitt anyday everyday. But - the plotting had huge holes in it, believability is stretched, and characters were too superhuman in intelligence and breadth of knowledge making them unrealistic. The premise here is a great one - if the plotting holes, pacing and believability had been shored up it would have been a contender for DaVinci-esque success. Still worth a read.
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detractor to me. More of bringing the civilization of Atlantis alive would have been nice, since all the scientific buildup preped you for it. This novel is better than many that I have read even with the pacing slowing down for science explanations. I prefered the main character, Jack Howard over Dirk Pitt anyday everyday. But - the plotting had huge holes in it, believability is stretched, and characters were too superhuman in intelligence and breadth of knowledge making them unrealistic. The premise here is a great one - if the plotting holes, pacing and believability had been shored up it would have been a contender for DaVinci-esque success. Still worth a read.
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LibraryThing member paghababian
Interesting concept, but poorly written. Gibbins is an archaeologist, and he knows what he's talking about... probably too well. He fills most of the book with technical jargon, not leaving himself enough time to actually describe or develop any of the characters.
LibraryThing member FrogPrincessuk
A disappointing read. From the description on the cover, I was expecting a Da Vinci Code type mystery set around the discovery of Atlantis. It got off to a good start. Although the characters were not great, and the plot was a bit unbelievable, the historical puzzle-solving had me hooked.
However,
If this is the sort of action adventure that you look for in a book, then you may like it. But for history fans like me, it just lengthened the book unnecessarily.
My recommendation: read The Sunbird by Wilbur Smith instead.
However,
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the main bulk of the book was filled with an action adventure with a bunch of terrorists. It was poorly written - far too much overcomplicated description and complicated terminology that simply didn't add to the story and slowed the whole thing down. I had to force myself to finish the story. If this is the sort of action adventure that you look for in a book, then you may like it. But for history fans like me, it just lengthened the book unnecessarily.
My recommendation: read The Sunbird by Wilbur Smith instead.
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LibraryThing member bookswamp
Having read "Crusader Gold" of 2007 before, I thought his first book might be better, but: Disappointing; inconnuous plot with pseudo-historical lessons, endless descriptions of divers gear, revival of the "cold war" of the 70s in the form of Russian mafia, brutality and the leading characters
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preferred commentary being "Bingo!", this book will not stay in my possession. Show Less
LibraryThing member twiglet12
Enjoyable enough. Found the ideas about Atlantis interesting but all the technical details about weapons and ships left me a little cold. I enjoyed it more than The Tiger Warrior.
LibraryThing member Jarratt
David Gibbins should read more Crichton. You don't inundate your reader with countless facts and historical stuff if you're trying to write a thriller. What little action there was (by page 80 or so) was OK. But the rest was too boring for me to want to continue.
LibraryThing member PDCRead
Sort of a cross between James Bond and Indiana Jones. Not great...
LibraryThing member DLKeur
One of the lamest reads, I had high hopes it would plunge me into an adventure worthy of its title and back blurb. It wasn’t. This book’s target audience is men who read Men’s Adventure novels, but I doubt that many men would sit through the windy archaeological dissertations delivered by
Rating? Don’t bother reading it, even from the library. You’ll find it less than engaging. No matter how much of a fan you are of action-adventure novels, this one will leave you rolling your eyes…if you manage to get beyond the first few chapters.
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“our hero” or by his sidekick, a breast-clad she-man love liaison. The agenda-filled undertows in this novel range from anti-pirating on the high seas to anti-female-circumcision and the enslavement of women by conservative Islam, and they are but very thinly clad.Rating? Don’t bother reading it, even from the library. You’ll find it less than engaging. No matter how much of a fan you are of action-adventure novels, this one will leave you rolling your eyes…if you manage to get beyond the first few chapters.
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LibraryThing member MomsterBookworm
Although this is a work of fiction (ala Dan Brown / Steve Berry), the plot is centered around facts that are historically sound. There were some archaeological and anthropological information about ancient civilization around the Mediterranean which I found intriguing and painted a more 'complete'
However, a significant part of the book read too much like a textbook, with overly detailed methods of (among others): deciphering ancient languages, the technology of sea-going ROVs, the anatomy and weapons array of a nuclear submarine, etc. I plodded though gamely, but a lot of it was just over my head (ie: eyes-glazed-over information). Otherwise, it's a pretty good read.
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picture of ancient history. (These parts of the book, I liked.)However, a significant part of the book read too much like a textbook, with overly detailed methods of (among others): deciphering ancient languages, the technology of sea-going ROVs, the anatomy and weapons array of a nuclear submarine, etc. I plodded though gamely, but a lot of it was just over my head (ie: eyes-glazed-over information). Otherwise, it's a pretty good read.
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