Status
Available
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
G.P. Putnam's Sons (2010), Edition: Reprint, 528 pages
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Thriller. Historical Fiction. HTML:The extraordinary new adventure series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author, Clive Cussler, features a husband-and-wife team who hunt treasure for a livingâ??even at the risk of dying. . . . Thousands of years ago, two superpowers of the ancient world went to war, and a treasure of immeasurable value was lost to the shadows of history. In 1800, while crossing the Pennine Alps with his Grand Reserve Army, Napoleon Bonaparte stumbled across a startling discovery. Unable to transport it, he created an enigmatic map on the labels of twelve bottles of rare wine. When Napoleon died, the bottles disappearedâ??and the treasure was lost again. Until now. Treasure-hunting team Sam and Remi Fargo are exploring the Great Pocomoke Swamp in Maryland when they discover a World War II German U-boat. Inside, they find a bottle taken from Napoleonâ??s famous â??Lost Cellar,â?ť and set out to find the rest of the collection. But another connoisseur of sorts is hunting his own prize, and the Lost Cellar is his key to finding it. That man is Hadeon Bondaruk, a half-Russian, half-Persian millionaire, and the treasure will be his, no ma… (more)
Media reviews
The Fargos are interesting characters who should develop along with the series, and Cussler gives us his usual history lesson tied to a fast-moving thriller.
User reviews
LibraryThing member suetu
You do NOT want to play Trivial Pursuit with these two!
“Fortune favors the bold.” That’s the oft-quoted motto of Sam and Remi Fargo, the husband and wife protagonists of Clive Cussler’s latest co-authored offering. Spartan Gold is the first book in a new series penned by Grant Blackwood.
As the novel opens, they’re hip 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 comes as no surprise when the Fargos’ crack research team (back at their home base in La Jolla) links the wine bottles to “Napoleon’s Lost Cellar,” and then links these 12 wine bottles, secreted around the world, to a major hidden treasure. This is because we’d seen the great man make his (unseen) discovery of ancient treasure in the novel’s prologue. It is this unknown treasure that Sam and Remi are seeking, but they’ve got competition in the form of a ruthless, Ukrainian crime boss and his henchmen. Unlike the Fargos, Hadeon Bondaruk knows exactly what they’re seeking and he’ll stop at nothing to possess it. So begins a cat and mouse chase across the globe. It’s an epic scavenger hunt with high stakes. Along the way, there’s breath-taking scenery and a few history lessons leading up to the inevitable showdown between the good guys and the bad guys.
It’s an okay start, as these things go. The characters are more archetypes than flesh and blood people. But, hey, it’s a series; there’s time for character development later. There are some fun supporting characters, most notably Yvette Fournier-Desmarais. I expect we’ll see more of her. Sadly, I can’t say the same for their sidekick researcher, Selma. She was a cardboard cutout masquerading as a character. For now, Sam and Remi display that typical Cusslerian insouciance in the face of danger, and snap off witty banter whenever possible. It’s easy to joke about their arcane knowledge. (The rugs of Yoruk nomads? Really?) And an early reference to Henri Archambault elicits the response, “the Henri Archambault?” Why, yes, Napoleon Bonaparte’s chief enologist. He’s practically a household name.
Still, despite their ridiculous knowledge base, the Fargos are refreshingly fallible. This is probably my favorite thing about the novel. They’re chasing cryptic clues. They have to work really hard to solve them. Sometimes they even have to sleep on it. The puzzle solving is depicted unusually realistically. (I mean, in those National Treasure films, riddles are solved in a matter of seconds.) And Sam and Remi make other mistakes, too. They get lost occasionally. They screw up. What can I say? Imperfect protagonists are infinitely more interesting in my book.
The story is light, very light, and fast-paced for the most part—though my interest did flag a bit in the middle. But then our heroes took the action into the proverbial lion’s den, and that picked things up straight through the ending. By and large the writing is fine, though there are some quirky redundancies to the text.
Fans of Cussler’s signature mix of history and adventure will likely give this one a thumbs up. It’s nothing to write home about, but Grant Blackwood is off to a respectable start.
“Fortune favors the bold.” That’s the oft-quoted motto of Sam and Remi Fargo, the husband and wife protagonists of Clive Cussler’s latest co-authored offering. Spartan Gold is the first book in a new series penned by Grant Blackwood.
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The Fargos are “treasure hunters and adventurers.” Sam’s background is mechanical engineering and Remi’s is in anthropology and history, but both appear to be polymaths. In their line of work, they have ample opportunity to put their numerous skills to good use.As the novel opens, they’re hip 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 comes as no surprise when the Fargos’ crack research team (back at their home base in La Jolla) links the wine bottles to “Napoleon’s Lost Cellar,” and then links these 12 wine bottles, secreted around the world, to a major hidden treasure. This is because we’d seen the great man make his (unseen) discovery of ancient treasure in the novel’s prologue. It is this unknown treasure that Sam and Remi are seeking, but they’ve got competition in the form of a ruthless, Ukrainian crime boss and his henchmen. Unlike the Fargos, Hadeon Bondaruk knows exactly what they’re seeking and he’ll stop at nothing to possess it. So begins a cat and mouse chase across the globe. It’s an epic scavenger hunt with high stakes. Along the way, there’s breath-taking scenery and a few history lessons leading up to the inevitable showdown between the good guys and the bad guys.
It’s an okay start, as these things go. The characters are more archetypes than flesh and blood people. But, hey, it’s a series; there’s time for character development later. There are some fun supporting characters, most notably Yvette Fournier-Desmarais. I expect we’ll see more of her. Sadly, I can’t say the same for their sidekick researcher, Selma. She was a cardboard cutout masquerading as a character. For now, Sam and Remi display that typical Cusslerian insouciance in the face of danger, and snap off witty banter whenever possible. It’s easy to joke about their arcane knowledge. (The rugs of Yoruk nomads? Really?) And an early reference to Henri Archambault elicits the response, “the Henri Archambault?” Why, yes, Napoleon Bonaparte’s chief enologist. He’s practically a household name.
Still, despite their ridiculous knowledge base, the Fargos are refreshingly fallible. This is probably my favorite thing about the novel. They’re chasing cryptic clues. They have to work really hard to solve them. Sometimes they even have to sleep on it. The puzzle solving is depicted unusually realistically. (I mean, in those National Treasure films, riddles are solved in a matter of seconds.) And Sam and Remi make other mistakes, too. They get lost occasionally. They screw up. What can I say? Imperfect protagonists are infinitely more interesting in my book.
The story is light, very light, and fast-paced for the most part—though my interest did flag a bit in the middle. But then our heroes took the action into the proverbial lion’s den, and that picked things up straight through the ending. By and large the writing is fine, though there are some quirky redundancies to the text.
Fans of Cussler’s signature mix of history and adventure will likely give this one a thumbs up. It’s nothing to write home about, but Grant Blackwood is off to a respectable start.
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LibraryThing member cathymoore
Sam and Remi Fargo are professional treasure hunters. In this first novel in a new series by Cussler they use their combined engineering, archaeological, hand-to-hand fighting and marksmanship skills to romp around the world looking for Napoleon's lost wine collection. Conveniently they are also
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multimillionaires so chartered jets and endless quantities of state of the art equipment are at their disposal at all times. If you can sufficiently suspend your disbelief this is actually hugely enjoyable and very easy to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member TomWheaton
Another good read from this author & his co-writer. The story line keeps the reader turning the pages to find out what will happen to the book's heroes. Somewhat of a departure for the author from the usual villian who has an evil plot to try and take over the world. this adventure intrduces a new
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pair of heroes that will most likely appear in future novels. Am looking forward to the next adveture of the Fargos. Show Less
LibraryThing member candlemark
I...am having a hard time figuring out what to say about this novel. I believe the "ARGH" pencilled in near the end of the copy I read may say it all.
(that "ARGH" no doubt had to do with a xiphos, a Spartan sword, being referred to as having "gleaming steel" showing through on the blade. The xiphos
That, really, says it all. This book read like someone spliced some action scenes into a series of Wikipedia printouts - the entire thing was an infodump. Or, to be more accurate, a series of infodumps pertaining to everything from Nazi minisubs to Napoleonic winemaking techniques to Crimean Sea smuggling tactics. In between, there were lavishly detailed descriptions of how to temporarily disable a speedboat, or extract a tracking chip from an iPhone.
Truly, this was research porn. Cussler obviously sketched out a vague scenario - one that made next to no sense, veering as it did from Nazi minisubs in the Carolinas to vineyards in France to THE TREASURIES OF DELPHI - and handed it off to his cowriter on a paper napkin. The cowriter clearly enjoys researching, and couldn't bear to eliminate any of his thousands of carefully compiled notes and references. So instead, he incorporated them all into the novel, as its main text. Add a character or two here and there, and a few guns and explosions, and boom! Novel. With convenient Nazi sub on the cover, seeing as all Clive Cussler novels appear to be mandated to have Nazi subs on their cover (if the preview of the next book the publisher is touting in the back is to be trusted).
In all honesty, this wasn't a BAD book. It read quickly, and I even learned a few things. But it was rather like going on a Wikipedia binge and clicking from link to link to link and finding myself, four hours later, on a page that I can't figure out how I got to, bleary-eyed and slightly dizzy. Only with more explosions, and a bit more stilted dialogue.
At least now I know how to take that tracking chip out of my phone, though.
(that "ARGH" no doubt had to do with a xiphos, a Spartan sword, being referred to as having "gleaming steel" showing through on the blade. The xiphos
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was bronze and, in later times, iron. There would be no gleaming steel.)That, really, says it all. This book read like someone spliced some action scenes into a series of Wikipedia printouts - the entire thing was an infodump. Or, to be more accurate, a series of infodumps pertaining to everything from Nazi minisubs to Napoleonic winemaking techniques to Crimean Sea smuggling tactics. In between, there were lavishly detailed descriptions of how to temporarily disable a speedboat, or extract a tracking chip from an iPhone.
Truly, this was research porn. Cussler obviously sketched out a vague scenario - one that made next to no sense, veering as it did from Nazi minisubs in the Carolinas to vineyards in France to THE TREASURIES OF DELPHI - and handed it off to his cowriter on a paper napkin. The cowriter clearly enjoys researching, and couldn't bear to eliminate any of his thousands of carefully compiled notes and references. So instead, he incorporated them all into the novel, as its main text. Add a character or two here and there, and a few guns and explosions, and boom! Novel. With convenient Nazi sub on the cover, seeing as all Clive Cussler novels appear to be mandated to have Nazi subs on their cover (if the preview of the next book the publisher is touting in the back is to be trusted).
In all honesty, this wasn't a BAD book. It read quickly, and I even learned a few things. But it was rather like going on a Wikipedia binge and clicking from link to link to link and finding myself, four hours later, on a page that I can't figure out how I got to, bleary-eyed and slightly dizzy. Only with more explosions, and a bit more stilted dialogue.
At least now I know how to take that tracking chip out of my phone, though.
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LibraryThing member chrisgalle
I'm not a fan of the genre. But the reader in me has to admit this is definitely a pageturner. The book has everything a good adventure story should have: a fabulous treasure dating back to ancient history, riddles and cryptic hints to be followed, a charming couple of treasure-hunters, a ruthless
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adversary and action, plenty of action. In a way it reminded me of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. Only this novel takes you all over the world and its historic protagonists go back to Napoleon, and even further to ancient Sparta and the Persian king Xerxes I. If you are fond of a mix of history and action, you will like this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member DavidLErickson
Of the several Cussler novels I've read, this is only second to The Chase as far as being entertaining, and not so 'made for TV' as a few of the others. Like all his novels, the edge-of-your-seat action never stops, with our heroes Sam and Remi Fargo (a globe trotting, adventure seeking
On another quest, they stumble across a partially sunk German mini-sub from WWII and a broken wine bottle in a boot. Before they can do much of anything they must save a friend from an expert villain who's seeking the wine bottles from Napoleon's Lost Cellar and the treasure they will reveal.
Quite entertaining. Sam and Remi are fun,interesting and believable characters who visit interesting places across the globe as one clue leads to yet another until the final confrontation brings them face-to-face with Hadeon Bondaruk and the treasure is revealed.
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multi-millionaire couple) defying death at the hands of a Russian-Persian bad guy obsessed with his families Persian heritage at ever turn.On another quest, they stumble across a partially sunk German mini-sub from WWII and a broken wine bottle in a boot. Before they can do much of anything they must save a friend from an expert villain who's seeking the wine bottles from Napoleon's Lost Cellar and the treasure they will reveal.
Quite entertaining. Sam and Remi are fun,interesting and believable characters who visit interesting places across the globe as one clue leads to yet another until the final confrontation brings them face-to-face with Hadeon Bondaruk and the treasure is revealed.
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LibraryThing member Al-G
This is essentially a "Dirk Pitt" adventure, except with a husband and wife team. Oh, and they are treasure hunters, not NUMA employees. Otherwise it is typical Cussler. There is just enough history to build the plot around. Cussler has set the historical background and given Blackwood the main
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characters and then, I assume, allowed him to write from there. It is not a bad book, but it is extremely formulaic (as many Cussler books are) and it is very predictable. It is an enjoyable read, if you are into escapist material and if you can get beyond the formula plot that he uses. Still, if you are not looking for deep, meaningful literature, the book is a fun, easy read. Show Less
LibraryThing member stefferoo
Not my usual read, but I thought I'd break it up with something different. This is an adventure story about a treasure hunting married couple on their quest to find 12 lost wine bottles from Napoleon's "lost cellar." But believing that these bottles hold the key to finding the secret treasure of
I'd never read anything by Clive Cussler before this; his stuff always seemed to be like something my dad would read. I don't say that like it's a negative, just an observation and a speculation of the target audience. I can certainly see why his books are so popular, though. There's lots of action and adventure as our main protagonists the Fargos solve riddles and uncover secrets in a way that is reminiscent of the DaVinci Code.
The only problem is, it's just not too thrilling or suspenseful. Sam and Remi Fargo are a couple of goody-two-shoes always letting their adversaries go free, allowing them to ambush them another day. Sam and Remi always seem to stay a step ahead, but the villains end up catching up, there's usually a struggle, the Fargos win and capture the villains, and then let them go. This cycle must have repeated itself a few more times before the tension just left me for good.
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Xerxes I, the book's villain will stop at nothing to get to them first.I'd never read anything by Clive Cussler before this; his stuff always seemed to be like something my dad would read. I don't say that like it's a negative, just an observation and a speculation of the target audience. I can certainly see why his books are so popular, though. There's lots of action and adventure as our main protagonists the Fargos solve riddles and uncover secrets in a way that is reminiscent of the DaVinci Code.
The only problem is, it's just not too thrilling or suspenseful. Sam and Remi Fargo are a couple of goody-two-shoes always letting their adversaries go free, allowing them to ambush them another day. Sam and Remi always seem to stay a step ahead, but the villains end up catching up, there's usually a struggle, the Fargos win and capture the villains, and then let them go. This cycle must have repeated itself a few more times before the tension just left me for good.
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LibraryThing member dswaddell
The Fargo's find a Nazi minisub in the swamps of Luisianna that leads them on a dangerous quest to stop an egomaniacle wealthy man from obtaining Greek treasure. An entertaining book but the riddle aspect somewhat diffused the storyline. More character developement is needed but a good start to a
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new series. Show Less
LibraryThing member jessica_reads
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
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.
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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.
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LibraryThing member chrisgalle
I'm not a fan of the genre. But the reader in me has to admit this is definitely a pageturner. The book has everything a good adventure story should have: a fabulous treasure dating back to ancient history, riddles and cryptic hints to be followed, a charming couple of treasure-hunters, a ruthless
Show More
adversary and action, plenty of action. In a way it reminded me of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. Only this novel takes you all over the world and its historic protagonists go back to Napoleon, and even further to ancient Sparta and the Persian king Xerxes I. If you are fond of a mix of history and action, you will like this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member DCarlin
Spartan Gold is a fairly quick paced yarn from the Cussler library. Enjoyable, but stretched the imagination a bit.
LibraryThing member Alan1946
First book in new Cussler series. Sam and Remi Fargo are apparently capable of anything! Good job they have plenty of money to finance their adventures. Very good at clue finding, riddle solving and treasure hunting. Fun read but the ending is a little too simple.
LibraryThing member buffalogr
First book in new Cussler series. Sam and Remi Fargo are apparently capable of anything! Builds on Cussler's love of treasure hunting and I guess Sam is a reflection of what Cussler wants to be. He certainly has Indiana Jones characteristics. The plot is fast moving--a page tuner. But, turn off the
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brain and don't expect much reality. Entertaining. Would make a good TV serial. Show Less
LibraryThing member Carol420
Spartan Gold is the first book in a new series penned by Grant Blackwood. The Fargos are "treasure hunters and adventurers." Sam's background is mechanical engineering and Remi's is in anthropology and history, but both appear to be polymaths. In their line of work, they have ample opportunity to
As the novel opens, the Fargo's are hip 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. So begins a cat and mouse chase across the globe. It's an epic scavenger hunt with high stakes. Along the way, there's breath-taking scenery and a few history lessons leading up to the inevitable showdown between the good guys and the bad guys.
How much you like this book depends a lot on how much you like Sam and Remi as characters. Their dialogue and tastes reminded me of Nick and Nora Charles, but their ability to mix it up with baddies is more like Charlie's Angels. Sam and Remi rely more on thinking, deception, and martial arts than on brute force . . . but they can shoot straight when they have to. I found that they grew on me as the book went along. I think that the authors didn't do enough to establish their backgrounds in the book's beginning. But it's the first... give it a chance.
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put their numerous skills to good use. As the novel opens, the Fargo's are hip 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. So begins a cat and mouse chase across the globe. It's an epic scavenger hunt with high stakes. Along the way, there's breath-taking scenery and a few history lessons leading up to the inevitable showdown between the good guys and the bad guys.
How much you like this book depends a lot on how much you like Sam and Remi as characters. Their dialogue and tastes reminded me of Nick and Nora Charles, but their ability to mix it up with baddies is more like Charlie's Angels. Sam and Remi rely more on thinking, deception, and martial arts than on brute force . . . but they can shoot straight when they have to. I found that they grew on me as the book went along. I think that the authors didn't do enough to establish their backgrounds in the book's beginning. But it's the first... give it a chance.
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LibraryThing member kimmy0ne
a good adventure
LibraryThing member PhillipThomas
An enjoyable, but fast-paced read. A lot of ground, literately and figuratively, is covered within the pages.
Nice to meet some more of Cussler's characters - the Fargos.
Nice to meet some more of Cussler's characters - the Fargos.
LibraryThing member ecataldi
This is my first ever Clive Cussler - he's really popular at the library so I said screw it and decided to give one of his books a chance. Its not great literature but it's entertaining and fast paced. It's like a modern day uber-wealthy Indiana Jones going on adventures with his wife (if he had
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one). I liked the history aspect of it and it was fast paced - there is never a slow moment. Treasure hunting team Sam and Remy Fargo stumble upon a World War II German U-boat in in the Pocomoke Swamp - the fact that a German vessel made it inland with no one ever knowing is impressive but what is even more impressive is what they find inside - an old French wine bottle. Could it be part of Napoleon's lost cellar? They soon realize they aren't the only ones on the treasure hunt, Hadeon Bondaruk, a half Russian, half Persian millionaire will do whatever it takes to stop the Fargos and seize their research - could it be there is another layer to the mystery? Great listening for the car - I think I'll continue with the series. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2009-08
Physical description
528 p.; 4.25 inches
ISBN
9780425236291