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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I haven't read a Clive Cussler book in a long time and after finishing Darkly Dreaming Dexter I was in the mood for an adventure.
I have several of the Dirk Pitt novels on my shelf that I've bought and not got around to reading yet so I flicked through a few until I settled on one that I liked the look of.
Inca Gold opens in the 16th Century, where Francis Drake is busy pirating his way through the Spanish fleet. He comes across a jade box containing secrets of an Inca treasure and sends it with his second-in-command back to England. Only, the ship is caught in a tidal wave and the treasure is lost forever. Cue Dirk Pitt and NUMA.
There's one thing that can always be guaranteed with Cussler's novels, a swashbuckling adventure. The characters of Pitt and Giordino are like old friends to me now and I enjoy the relationship that they have. As I've read other novels featuring the characters I know how long they have been friends for, so I don't need to know it again but if Inca Gold is your first foray into this world then it's essential information.
The best parts of this book are the action and adventure elements. Pitt and Giordino travel through an underground river, fight the bad guys, explore underwater caves and save the girl. All of these are heart pounding and exciting. It's the stuff in between that lets it down. The dialogue between all of the characters reads like a dodgy movie script, as if it's meant to be heard by other people and not just a conversation.
There's also far too many characters, all with strange names that obviously paint them as bad guys. People are unnecessarily introduced, even so far as the last third of the book. As always, the author himself pops up, which I find a bit cheesy and clichéd. The situations the characters find themselves in are also a bit ridiculous and they always seem to survive, despite the odds against them.
I think I'll also add that Cussler is quite sexist. The females generally are to be saved and are there to make Pitt and Giordino feel good about themselves. They also spend a lot of time crying.
By the time I was halfway through this book, I was counting the pages to the end.
So overall, it was alright, but I've read better by Clive Cussler, so I'll probably delve into another one when I'm craving an adventure.
I have several of the Dirk Pitt novels on my shelf that I've bought and not got around to reading yet so I flicked through a few until I settled on one that I liked the look of.
Inca Gold opens in the 16th Century, where Francis Drake is busy pirating his way through the Spanish fleet. He comes across a jade box containing secrets of an Inca treasure and sends it with his second-in-command back to England. Only, the ship is caught in a tidal wave and the treasure is lost forever. Cue Dirk Pitt and NUMA.
There's one thing that can always be guaranteed with Cussler's novels, a swashbuckling adventure. The characters of Pitt and Giordino are like old friends to me now and I enjoy the relationship that they have. As I've read other novels featuring the characters I know how long they have been friends for, so I don't need to know it again but if Inca Gold is your first foray into this world then it's essential information.
The best parts of this book are the action and adventure elements. Pitt and Giordino travel through an underground river, fight the bad guys, explore underwater caves and save the girl. All of these are heart pounding and exciting. It's the stuff in between that lets it down. The dialogue between all of the characters reads like a dodgy movie script, as if it's meant to be heard by other people and not just a conversation.
There's also far too many characters, all with strange names that obviously paint them as bad guys. People are unnecessarily introduced, even so far as the last third of the book. As always, the author himself pops up, which I find a bit cheesy and clichéd. The situations the characters find themselves in are also a bit ridiculous and they always seem to survive, despite the odds against them.
I think I'll also add that Cussler is quite sexist. The females generally are to be saved and are there to make Pitt and Giordino feel good about themselves. They also spend a lot of time crying.
By the time I was halfway through this book, I was counting the pages to the end.
So overall, it was alright, but I've read better by Clive Cussler, so I'll probably delve into another one when I'm craving an adventure.
This book became one of my favorite Dirk Pitt novels. This story centered on treasure hunting more than the other novels which is my favorite part so that made this book all the better.
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A typical adventure book. I did enjoy it. My only problem was I found Dirk Pitt to be too much of a Superman type character, too good at everything so for me there was no emotional stake and I felt the plot was very predictable. A fun read either way.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
5 stars for Inca Gold by Clive Cussler.
Everytime I pick up a Dirk Pitt novel - I am never disappointed. Fantastic book involving the adventures of Dirk, Al Giordino and Rudi Gunn as they embark on a mission to discover an underground treasure of Inca Gold.
Looking forward to diving into the next book
Everytime I pick up a Dirk Pitt novel - I am never disappointed. Fantastic book involving the adventures of Dirk, Al Giordino and Rudi Gunn as they embark on a mission to discover an underground treasure of Inca Gold.
Looking forward to diving into the next book
Anul 1533 d.Hr.Pe o mare uitată
Veneau dinspre sud, o dată cu răsăritul, pâlpâind ca spectrele unui miraj deşertic, lunecând pe apa ce scânteia sub razele de soare. Velele dreptunghiulare din bumbac ale flotilei de ambarcaţii atârnau fără viaţă sub azurul nepăsător al cerului. Nu se rostea nici o comandă, ci echipajele vâsleau într-o tăcere stranie. În văzduh un şoim se prăvălea în picaje şi se înălţa, ca şi cum i-ar fi călăuzit pe cârmaci spre insula aridă care se ridica în mijlocul mării.
Ambarcaţiile erau construite din mănunchiuri de trestii legate laolaltă şi arcuite în sus, la extremităţi. Şase asemenea mănunchiuri formau coca, a cărei chilă şi traverse erau din bambus. Prova şi pupa înălţate aveau formă de şerpi cu capete de câini, cu boturile îndreptate spre cer, de parcă ar fi urlat la Lună.
Căpetenia flotei şedea pe un jilţ asemănător unui tron, instalat pe prova ascuţită a plutei conducătoare. Purta tunică din bumbac, ornată cu plăcuţe de turcoaz, şi mantie din lână cu broderii multicolore. Capul îi era acoperit de un coif cu panaş şi de o mască din aur, iar podoabele din urechi, colierul masiv şi brăţările de pe mâini sclipeau, de asemenea, gălbui sub razele soarelui. Până şi încălţările sale erau confecţionate din aur. Cu adevărat impresionant era însă faptul că mateloţii purtau podoabe nu mai puţin magnifice.
De pe ţărmul roditor al mării, băştinaşii din tribul local au privit cu teamă şi uimire flota străină care pătrundea în apele lor. Nu încercaseră să-şi apere teritoriul de invadatori. Ei erau simpli vânători şi culegători, care prindeau iepuri în capcane, pescuiau şi culegeau recolta puţinelor plante şi arbuşti pe care îi sădeau. Aveau o cultură arhaică, diferită în mod ciudat de cele ale vecinilor din răsărit şi din miazăzi, care clădiseră imperii întinse. Trăiau şi mureau fără să construiască temple masive închinate zeilor, iar acum priveau fascinaţi etalarea de opulenţă şi forţă care traversa apa. Pentru toţi flota însemna apariţia miraculoasă a unor zeităţi ale războiului din tărâmul spiritelor.
Străinii misterioşi nu i-au băgat în seamă pe oamenii adunaţi pe ţărm, ci au continuat să vâslească spre destinaţia lor. Se aflau într-o misiune sfântă şi ignorau orice le-ar fi putut distrage atenţia. Îşi propulsau impasibil ambarcaţiile şi nici măcar unul dintre ei nu a întors capul pentru a-i privi pe spectatorii înmărmuriţi.
Se îndreptau direct spre pantele abrupte şi stâncoase ale muntelui micuţ care forma insula ce se ridica la 200 de metri peste suprafaţa mării. Insula era nelocuită şi aproape complet lipsită de vegetaţie, iar băştinaşii de pe uscat o numeau „Uriaşa moartă”, deoarece creasta lungă şi scundă a muntelui aducea cu trupul unei femei cufundate într-un somn veşnic. Soarele sporea iluzia, conferindu-i un nimb de o strălucire nepământeană.
În scurt timp echipajele înveşmântate sclipitor şi-au oprit plutele pe o plajă micuţă acoperită cu pietriş, care se deschidea într-un canion îngust. Au coborât velele ţesute cu desenele gigantice ale unor animale fantastice, simboluri ce sporeau şi mai mult teama tăcută şi respectul băştinaşilor care priveau, şi au început să descarce pe ţărm coşuri mari din trestie şi vase de ceramică.
Pe toată durata zilei, încărcătura din ambarcaţii a fost stivuită într-o grămadă imensă, dar ordonată. Seara, când soarele a coborât spre apus, activitatea de pe insulă nu a mai putut fi urmărită de pe malul mării şi prin beznă răzbăteau doar pâlpâiri slabe de lumină. În zorii celei de-a doua zile, flota continua să fie pe plajă, iar mormanul uriaş nu fusese clintit.
Veneau dinspre sud, o dată cu răsăritul, pâlpâind ca spectrele unui miraj deşertic, lunecând pe apa ce scânteia sub razele de soare. Velele dreptunghiulare din bumbac ale flotilei de ambarcaţii atârnau fără viaţă sub azurul nepăsător al cerului. Nu se rostea nici o comandă, ci echipajele vâsleau într-o tăcere stranie. În văzduh un şoim se prăvălea în picaje şi se înălţa, ca şi cum i-ar fi călăuzit pe cârmaci spre insula aridă care se ridica în mijlocul mării.
Ambarcaţiile erau construite din mănunchiuri de trestii legate laolaltă şi arcuite în sus, la extremităţi. Şase asemenea mănunchiuri formau coca, a cărei chilă şi traverse erau din bambus. Prova şi pupa înălţate aveau formă de şerpi cu capete de câini, cu boturile îndreptate spre cer, de parcă ar fi urlat la Lună.
Căpetenia flotei şedea pe un jilţ asemănător unui tron, instalat pe prova ascuţită a plutei conducătoare. Purta tunică din bumbac, ornată cu plăcuţe de turcoaz, şi mantie din lână cu broderii multicolore. Capul îi era acoperit de un coif cu panaş şi de o mască din aur, iar podoabele din urechi, colierul masiv şi brăţările de pe mâini sclipeau, de asemenea, gălbui sub razele soarelui. Până şi încălţările sale erau confecţionate din aur. Cu adevărat impresionant era însă faptul că mateloţii purtau podoabe nu mai puţin magnifice.
De pe ţărmul roditor al mării, băştinaşii din tribul local au privit cu teamă şi uimire flota străină care pătrundea în apele lor. Nu încercaseră să-şi apere teritoriul de invadatori. Ei erau simpli vânători şi culegători, care prindeau iepuri în capcane, pescuiau şi culegeau recolta puţinelor plante şi arbuşti pe care îi sădeau. Aveau o cultură arhaică, diferită în mod ciudat de cele ale vecinilor din răsărit şi din miazăzi, care clădiseră imperii întinse. Trăiau şi mureau fără să construiască temple masive închinate zeilor, iar acum priveau fascinaţi etalarea de opulenţă şi forţă care traversa apa. Pentru toţi flota însemna apariţia miraculoasă a unor zeităţi ale războiului din tărâmul spiritelor.
Străinii misterioşi nu i-au băgat în seamă pe oamenii adunaţi pe ţărm, ci au continuat să vâslească spre destinaţia lor. Se aflau într-o misiune sfântă şi ignorau orice le-ar fi putut distrage atenţia. Îşi propulsau impasibil ambarcaţiile şi nici măcar unul dintre ei nu a întors capul pentru a-i privi pe spectatorii înmărmuriţi.
Se îndreptau direct spre pantele abrupte şi stâncoase ale muntelui micuţ care forma insula ce se ridica la 200 de metri peste suprafaţa mării. Insula era nelocuită şi aproape complet lipsită de vegetaţie, iar băştinaşii de pe uscat o numeau „Uriaşa moartă”, deoarece creasta lungă şi scundă a muntelui aducea cu trupul unei femei cufundate într-un somn veşnic. Soarele sporea iluzia, conferindu-i un nimb de o strălucire nepământeană.
În scurt timp echipajele înveşmântate sclipitor şi-au oprit plutele pe o plajă micuţă acoperită cu pietriş, care se deschidea într-un canion îngust. Au coborât velele ţesute cu desenele gigantice ale unor animale fantastice, simboluri ce sporeau şi mai mult teama tăcută şi respectul băştinaşilor care priveau, şi au început să descarce pe ţărm coşuri mari din trestie şi vase de ceramică.
Pe toată durata zilei, încărcătura din ambarcaţii a fost stivuită într-o grămadă imensă, dar ordonată. Seara, când soarele a coborât spre apus, activitatea de pe insulă nu a mai putut fi urmărită de pe malul mării şi prin beznă răzbăteau doar pâlpâiri slabe de lumină. În zorii celei de-a doua zile, flota continua să fie pe plajă, iar mormanul uriaş nu fusese clintit.
If you expect a story that resembles an action movie with Bruce Willis, then you won't be disappointed. This is exactly a story like that. Nice entertainment, although I admit that I did not like everything.
This is not my first story with Dirk Pitt. I've read [b:Atlantis Found|41707|Atlantis Found (Dirk Pitt, #15)|Clive Cussler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389418438l/41707._SY75_.jpg|255727] before, so I have some comparison. I don't know why, but I think I liked Pitt better in Atlantis Found, I think he had more peculiar charm in that one. This of course doesn't mean I don't like him in this book. Though his indestructibility and ability to survive any kind of death are almost grotesque. And probably in this book even more visible. At times, a pinch of realism could be useful.
The plot, or maybe I should say the idea for it is fine. I have not been interested so far in the cultures of the Incas and other civilizations from this period and area, so it is difficult for me to say to what extent the story is based on some facts or even legends. That is why I lack the perspective to find out where fiction mixes with the actual history. Certainly, the plot of this book sounds much more credible than the intricate intrigue in Atlantis Found that combines the threads of the lost Atlantis and the revival of the Third Reich. On the other hand, I regret it a little. That plot, detached from reality, captivated with its completeness, imagination and ability to combine all these unbelievable elements into one fairly coherent whole thing. Anyway, the plot of this book is fine and pretty entertaining.
What I didn't like are sometimes too detailed and too scientific explanations of some technical things. Very often they are woven into the action extremely clumsy. One of the characters asks how this or that works and the other answers him with all the technical details. This is very unnatural and sometimes simply boring. This is also goes over other dialogues, which sometimes also sound artificial and forced. Cussler makes sure that the reader knows what is going on all the time, he explains everything, even the obvious things. It's good that he tries to do this through the conversations of his characters and not just descriptions, but it leads to strange unnatural dialogs. I won't even mention that it annoys and disturbs.
Fans of the author's work will surely appreciate the fact that the author himself appears in this book as one of the less significant episodic characters.
On the whole, I liked this story although I expected better entertainment. I will certainly go for this author's books in the future. In this book, I think I liked the most the relationship between Pitt and Giordino.
This is not my first story with Dirk Pitt. I've read [b:Atlantis Found|41707|Atlantis Found (Dirk Pitt, #15)|Clive Cussler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389418438l/41707._SY75_.jpg|255727] before, so I have some comparison. I don't know why, but I think I liked Pitt better in Atlantis Found, I think he had more peculiar charm in that one. This of course doesn't mean I don't like him in this book. Though his indestructibility and ability to survive any kind of death are almost grotesque. And probably in this book even more visible. At times, a pinch of realism could be useful.
The plot, or maybe I should say the idea for it is fine. I have not been interested so far in the cultures of the Incas and other civilizations from this period and area, so it is difficult for me to say to what extent the story is based on some facts or even legends. That is why I lack the perspective to find out where fiction mixes with the actual history. Certainly, the plot of this book sounds much more credible than the intricate intrigue in Atlantis Found that combines the threads of the lost Atlantis and the revival of the Third Reich. On the other hand, I regret it a little. That plot, detached from reality, captivated with its completeness, imagination and ability to combine all these unbelievable elements into one fairly coherent whole thing. Anyway, the plot of this book is fine and pretty entertaining.
What I didn't like are sometimes too detailed and too scientific explanations of some technical things. Very often they are woven into the action extremely clumsy. One of the characters asks how this or that works and the other answers him with all the technical details. This is very unnatural and sometimes simply boring. This is also goes over other dialogues, which sometimes also sound artificial and forced. Cussler makes sure that the reader knows what is going on all the time, he explains everything, even the obvious things. It's good that he tries to do this through the conversations of his characters and not just descriptions, but it leads to strange unnatural dialogs. I won't even mention that it annoys and disturbs.
Fans of the author's work will surely appreciate the fact that the author himself appears in this book as one of the less significant episodic characters.
On the whole, I liked this story although I expected better entertainment. I will certainly go for this author's books in the future. In this book, I think I liked the most the relationship between Pitt and Giordino.
I think I liked this one more then Sahara. Also aware I am reading these books in a strange order but I’m picking them up from the op shop when I see them so eh. But yeah I think Pitt is more likeable in this one. Very exciting. Also author has a way of explaining things without making me feel dumb and then when he does explain something that I know I get a little excited. So ya it was nice.