Inca Gold

Rating:
Summary: Golden Reading
Review: From the inside flap: "Deep in a forbidden netherworld of the Andes Mountains, Dirk Pitt uncovers an empire of evil pursuing an untold fortune in...Inca Gold."

This is another in the line of Dirk Pitt adventures. Mr. Cussler is an excellent author who I truly enjoy reading. Mr. Cussler as always does a great job at painting the scenes, and in particular Dirk Pitt. I had the pleasure of reading this book on flight from Washington, D.C. to San Diego. It was extremely hard to put down and I couldn't wait to check into my hotel so I could finish it. Being one who has been obsessed with ships and the sea since I was a child, Mr. Cusslers books are always extremely enjoyable to me.

I have read the following other books by Mr. Cussler.

Atlantis Found
Raise the Titanic
The Sea Hunters (Non-Fiction)

I would highly recommend any of these books.

Mr. Cussler was the recipient of the Edgar Alan Poe award in 1974 for The Mediterranean Caper.

Though I can't think of any authors in this genre to compare him to, I can compare Mr. Cussler to other winners of the award mentioned above such as Stuart Woods.

If you like adventure, then don't leave this book off of your reading list.


Rating:
Summary: Really good for some,...but not for me
Review: I recently read Atlantis Found and I think Inca Gold is much better. Yes, Pitt is still the superman Indiana Jones and of course him and his almost equally superhuman girlfriend save the day. But this time the bad guy was just someone who had a billion dollar operation in the illegal antique buisness and had nothing to do with nazi's. Now this bad guy I can deal with, and this book I actually finished so hey it is an improvement. This book may be great for some readers, but it is not for me. I think i will give up on this arthur for a while until I run out of books to read. But if you are a Pitt fan I would say this is one of the better ones.

Rating:
Summary: From the back cover:
Review: Nearly 5 centuries ago a fleet of boats landed mysteriously on an island in an inland sea. There, an ancient Andean people hid a golden hoard greater than that of any pharaoh, then they and their treasure vanished into history-until now. 1998, the Andes Mountains of Peru. Dirk Pitt dives into an ancient sacrificial pool, saving two American archaeologists from certain drowning. But his death-defying rescue is only the beginning, as it draws the intrepid Pitt into a vortex of darkness and danger, corruption and betrayal. A sinister crime syndicate has traced the long-lost treasure-worth almost a billion dollars from the Andes to the banks of a hidden underground river flowing beneath the Mexican desert. Driven by burning greed and a ruthless bloodlust, the syndicate is racing to seize the golden prize...and to terminate the one man who can stop them: Dirk Pitt!

Rating:
Summary: Must read this book now!!!
Review: STORY: As one editor put,"Dirk Pitt is back in fine form as he rescues two archaeologists from certain death in a Peruvian sinkhole. Before Pitt climbs out of the hole he runs afoul of the Solpemachace, a group of three brothers who steal and sell Indian artifacts. Pitt finds a rope sculpture, a quipu, that points the way to a huge Inca treasure. Meanwhile, the Solpemachace steal the Golden Body Suit of Tiapollo, which leads them to the same treasure inside a mountain in Baja, Mexico." The race for the treasure and the saving of lives are in Pitt's hands.

MY FEEDBACK:
If I was comparing this to "real" literature this book would get rated very low. But thankfully this isn't my first endeavor into a Cussler book so I knew to suspend disbelief and enjoy it for what it is.

As with his other stories, the main character is never really in any danger because he is James Bond, Indiana Jones and The Terminator rolled into one. There is never any doubt that Dirk Pitt will pull off the impossible, which is what makes these stories fun. There is no time to intellecutalize events or think if they are possible or not, they are just there and the reader is along for the ride.

This is my third Cussler book and the reason why I had to knock it down a star is because I just happen to have the luck that the opening few scenes seem to mimic almost event-after-event what happens in another one of his books. The only difference were the characters and locations. That was disappointing, but I quickly got over it and enjoyed the ride.

I cannot comment in detail on Characterization or Plot line because the story is more like a fantasy than something that takes place in real life. In other words, if you've read Cussler before and enjoyed it you are sure to like this story. If this is your first attempt at Cussler, just go into it with the right attitude and you should have fun.

As compared to the other two books from Cussler that I've worked through, this one was the better of the three (Serpent and the other I can't remember the name).

Also, I didn't give it a higher rating because I listened to the audio book version and the reader seemed to not have a lot of life and emotion in his reading. He had great voices for characters, especially Pitt, but when there is an action scene his reading should have been more intense and faster paced in order to draw the listener into the scene more.

Otherwise, it was an enjoyable story.

Rating:
Summary: Indiana Jones meets NUMA; typical...
Review: This book was totally cool. It was one of the first Dirk Pitt books that I have read and it REALLY got me hooked on the series. Every time I want a good book I automatically think Dirk Pitt. Some people don't like the political intrigue in these books but I think it is one of the most fascinating things about them. That Clive Cussler can master so many characters is amazing. That there is always a different, yet the same, plot around all of his books is stunning. I like the fact that all the stories open up to almost the same scenes. A visit to the past to get some background info and then a whole new cast that are swept into danger and then....... Dun Dun Dun Dun, Dirk Pitt to the rescue. Yayyyy![*] This leads of course to a little romance, as most of the people he rescues are female. Mostly though this book is good action/adventure. Another thing that I think is a definite pro is the fact that we get the villians side of the story too. You get to clearly understand what goes through the evil guy's head and what his motives are, ect., ect., ect. This book is definitely a worthwhile addition to any Dirk Pitt fans collection.

Rating:
Summary: Still one of the best!
Review: This was my first endeavor into the Dirk Pitt series and it remains on one of my favorites. As with all the Pitt books, you must suspend your desire for reality and simply sit back and enjoy the thrill ride, knowing that Dirk and Al will win over all odds in the end. In Inca Gold, Dirk and Al take on a syndicate trying to get away with the long-lost Inca treasure. The adventures in the ancient sacrificial pool and Dirk's travel down the underground river were fantastic fun. I enjoyed Cussler's appearance, as well as the larger roles that Loren and Rudi played in this book. If you truly want to have a few days of enjoyable, escapist reading, you won't go wrong with Inca Gold.

Rating:
Summary: Still one of the best!
Review: This was my first endeavor into the Dirk Pitt series and it remains on one of my favorites. As with all the Pitt books, you must suspend your desire for reality and simply sit back and enjoy the thrill ride, knowing that Dirk and Al will win over all odds in the end. In Inca Gold, Dirk and Al take on a syndicate trying to get away with the long-lost Inca treasure. The adventures in the ancient sacrificial pool and Dirk's travel down the underground river were fantastic fun. I enjoyed Cussler's appearance, as well as the larger roles that Loren and Rudi played in this book. If you truly want to have a few days of enjoyable, escapist reading, you won't go wrong with Inca Gold.

Rating:
Summary: Still one of the best!
Review: This was my first endeavor into the Dirk Pitt series and it still rates as one of my favorites. As with all the books, you must suspend your desire for reality and simply enjoy the ride, knowing that Dirk and Al will win over all odds in the end. In Inca Gold, Dirk and Al take on a syndicate trying to get away with the long-lost Inca treasure. The adventures in the ancient sacrificial pool and Dirk's travel down the underground river were fantastic fun. I enjoyed Cussler's guest appearance, and the larger roles Loren and Rudi played in this book. If you truly want to have a few days of enjoyable, escapist reading, you won't go wrong with Inca Gold.

Rating:
Summary: Who'll destroy Dirk Pitt?
Review: To read "Inca Gold" and find it enjoyable, you must start reading it knowing that it isn't serious. Like in the Indiana Jones movies, everything is gonna be okay in the end, your hero will find a way to escape imminent death, and arrive in time to rescue the pretty girl and all his friends. Knowing this, you're able to start to read. Then you'll have fun. You can't compare Cussler's work with Tom Clancy, for an example. While Clancy almost begs the reader to be taken seriously, inserting in the text a huge amount of technical information, Cussler lets the text go its way. It's almost like he's telling you a funny story that happened to him. But "Inca Gold" is very cool. The story starts when an ancient Inca pit, now filled with water, is explored by an american archeological team, and they find out a time-hidden passageway underwater. From there on, art-smuggling bandits, corrupt governments and poor mexican-village people pop out of Cussler imagina! ! tion. Don't get me wrong, it'a good book, only too implausible. Dirk Pitt is what Cussler would like to be. He's every body childhood superhero, he's got historical cars ( Cussler does, also ), women knocking at his door, doesn't need to work for money, and has a full-time italian-bulldog bodyguard, Al Giordino, his best friend. This is a good book when you want to turn your life off, and don't think of anything, even what you're reading. The story explains itself sooner or later. The only difficulty is the number of characters. There's a time when you don't know who's who. Even Cussler himself does a little appearance in the middle of the book. If you want to have fun and don't want to be smashed by information and hard-facts, this is the book, and I think all Cussler's books must be like this, too. Well, I just bought "Raise the Titanic!", let's see what it's like.

Rating:
Summary: good stuff
Review: very good action adventure with a rollicking setpieces of action, i particular like the bit in the well where pitt dives into.great story too, though, the pace is scuppered slightly by too much talking in the middle. nevertheless, its hairraising adventure all the way.And to reviewers who think who think this meaningless, please lighten up, as this is supposed to be escapism adventure.and to the achaercologist review who says there's no achaerlogist in real life acting as spies, and that there shouldnt be any in inca gold,please try to understand this is FICTION and in fiction anything goes.if you want reality, go and read tesla: man ou of time or something.