Lost City (The NUMA Files)

by Clive Cussler

2005

Status

Available

Publication

G.P. Putnam's Sons (2005), 544 pages

Description

Fantasy. Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:The NUMA crew, under Kurt Austin�??s direction, take on a blood-thirsty family with a fortune built on crime, in what may be race to discover the very secret of ever-lasting life in this heart-bounding installment in the #1 New York Times-bestselling series. Kurt Austin is mid-mission when his new colleague, the stunning archeologist Skye Labelle, is called away to examine a mysterious 16th-century military helmet discovered in the possession of a very contemporary-looking corpse. Ms. Labelle�??s research on the armor draws her into the sights of a ruthless black-widow with her own plans for the artifact. As danger creeps closer to Ms. Labelle, a scientist half-way across the globe is kidnapped. At the same time, experts working to harvest an enzyme discovered two thousand feet down in the North Atlantic, in an area known as �??Lost City,�?� start turning up dead. Worlds apart in location and areas of expertise, they all have something in common. And it�??s up to Kurt Austin, with the help of Joe Zavala and the NUMA Special Assignments Team, to put the pieces together if he�??s going to kee… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member MSWallack

I continue to read the Kurt Austin books because they are a form of fast-paced, light entertainment. Unfortunately, they never rise to the level of interest and excitement that Cussler seems to reserve for the Dirk Pitt novels. Lost City had its interesting moments, but it never quite rose above

being anything other than marginally entertaining. If you're not already a fan of the Kurt Austin series, you can probably find better things to read.

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LibraryThing member labelleaurore

Good read this book, it could have been cut in half for again, too much details on situation not needed to tease my brain.

A good book about adventure and archaeology, mixed with a touch of romance to bring color to it.

LibraryThing member Eskypades

This was my first Cussler book and I must say I enjoyed it, mainly for the lack of brainpower required to process the adventures and plots. And Lost City certainly has adventure.

After a couple of opening vignettes that aren’t really explained until further in the book, the book launches into a

mixture of plot lines that inevitably and predictably converge. We are introduced to a cast of characters including, among others: the hero, Kurt Austin; his wisecracking sidekick Joe Zavala; the damsel-in-almost-continual-distress, Skye Labelle; Angus MacLean, a Scottish scientist with a mysterious background; and the evil Fauchard clan, the dynasty supposedly responsible for most, if not all the wars in the history of planet Earth. Along the way, we come across a frozen Fauchard, murderous mutants, exceptionally expanding enzymes, and a plot for permanent, perpetual power. The pace is swift with excitement at every turn of the page.

The story follows our heroes as they try to unravel the mystery behind a frozen man found in a glacier in the French Alps, along with a peculiar helmet. The helmet is apparently important to someone since it becomes the focus of several bad guys trying to steal it and doing whatever they can to ensure it's kept secret. Meanwhile, in an area known as the Lost City (hence the title), underwater scientists have discovered an enzyme with peculair traits. These scientists are kidnapped and forced to join a research team who, along with Angus, are trying to manipulate the enzymes to produce a life-prolonging elixir or philosopher's stone. Unfortunately, previous attempts have resulted in hideous and dangerous mutations in the first human "volunteers." Behind it all is Racine Fauchard, current head of the arms industry dynasty mentioned before. Along the way, we also learn that the enzymes are starting to produce a rather nasty side affect and threaten to take over the entire world's waterways.

The characters and general storyline are very predictable. Austin is every bit the embodiment of Hollywood heroics -- daring, handsome, quick witted, and having a plan for every dangerous spot he or any other character finds themselves. I almost expected him to introduce himself as “Austin -- Kurt Austin.” The Austin-girl, Skye, is smart, beautiful and just as quick witted. The good guys are extraordinarily good and the bad guys despicably evil. You can pretty much guess the ending, including how the ever-spreading water enzymes are battled.

Even though the book is quite predictable, it is enjoyable nonetheless. At the end of a long, stressful day, it’s nice to sit down with a book and disengage your brain for awhile with some good adventure.

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LibraryThing member autumngirl70

This was given to me by a friend who said I would love the book. Unfortunately for me, I thought some of the situations Kurt et al found themselves in seemed to have too easy an escape route. An unlocked door, an aeroplane just being there, friends just waiting in the exact place on an island.

However, the book itself was well written and descriptive, and I would read other books by this author.

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LibraryThing member readafew

Another Dirk Pitt, oops I mean Kurt Austin novel. If you like Clive Cussler's other NUMA books you'll like this one. If not you won't. I really enjoyed listening to this one on my way to work. Scott Brick is an excellent reader and he seems to read all of Clive's books.

What does a 100 year old

mummy, red eyed demons, arms dealers a noxious weed threatening the worlds Oceans and the elixir if life all have in common? Kurt ends up right in the middle of it all and has to sort it all out before it's too late. Lots of fun, action and suspense.

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LibraryThing member jeffome

St. Bart's 2016 #2 - Another fun romp with the unflappable NUMA team of Kurt Austin and his associates, quickly globetrotting about trying to save the world from evil megalomaniacs utilizing oceans, lakes, or even glaciers for nefarious means. Way too many unbelievable coincidences and situations

and responses to crisis to ever warrant a high-star rating from me, however, a good vacation yarn, nonetheless! Always aircraft, seacraft, and automobile details rarely found in novels that make happy....no regrets.

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LibraryThing member Carol420

No new ground in character development is created here and long time readers of the series don't expect any. What one expects and gets is a virtual non-stop action adventure read where the hero gets the girl, saves the world, and lives to fight and love another day. On that score, Cussler delivers

and delivers again well which makes this another fun read.

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LibraryThing member Carol420

This is the fifth book in the Kurt Austin series written by Clive Cussler and coauthor Paul Kemprecos. The prologue and first four chapters of this book do an excellent job of introducing the reader to many of the main characters and the various threads central to the plot of this

action/adventure/scientific mystery. Immediately the reader meets Jules Fauchard, fighting for his life in an open cockpit plane over the French Alps in August 1914 on a secret mission as World War I is about to erupt. Chapter One then shifts to the present, and a "reality" TV show being filmed on a supposedly deserted island in The Scottish Orkneys becomes a little too real for the participants. In Chapter Two, research chemist Angus MacLean is confronted by the violence which he is trying to escape. The scene shifts again in Chapter Three to a research facility and powerplant located deep under the glacier Le Dormeur where a scientific research team makes a startling discovery. Finally, in the next chapter Kurt Austin and other members of his NUMA (National Underwater and Marine Agency) team are collaborating with Skye Labelle, an archeologist with the Sorbonne, to explore the frigid waters of Lac du Dormeur at base of the glacier for hidden evidence of early European civilizations. Thus, less than fifty pages into the story the reader has been skillfully introduced to several of the various threads that will eventually be woven together in the complicated plot which evolves.

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