Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Apr 13, 2009

Patrick rated it:

I wonder how many variations and adaptations of ‘King Lear’ there are. Innumerable, I suppose. ‘The Codex’ is another—well, at least in precept. It has nothing to do with Shakespeare except for the idea of a wealthy man making his kids suffer for their inheritance.

It’s actually a pretty good idea for an action adventure as opposed to a family drama. In this case, a fabulously rich (aren’t they always?) Maxwell Broadbend will give his three sons their inheritance—a half a billion doll More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 04, 2008

Skyw4lker rated it:

Did the first 24 chapters - everything has been set; the search, the place, the swamp, and the help from local villages. There are 3 teams in search of the buried treasure; Tom & Sally, Philip and his father old friend, Vernon and the Teacher. Along with couple of strong armies. Seems more a race to the treasure buried by Max. The only gift given to the 3 sons - is it worth the challenge...
Yup is worth the challenge...not to spoil your reading. But is something you must read on to find ou More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 19, 2009

Nancy rated it:

If you want a few hours of just sheer enjoyment & good old fashioned adventure (which I happen to really enjoy) then pick up a copy of this book and start reading. I had so much fun with this book!!

now a brief plot summary:
Three men appear at the gates of a grand house in New Mexico, each summoned there by letter from their father. They are Philip, Vernon & Tom Broadbent, their father Max Broadbent. When they ring the bell to be admitted, nothing happens. Worried about their f More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 12, 2007

Brooke rated it:

I'm a huge fan of the series of books co-authored by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I also enjoyed Child's first solo novel, but Preston's The Codex left me wondering if Child is the heart of their writing duo (although Child's Utopia certainly had some plot holes).

In The Codex, Maxwell Broadbent is a multi-millionaire who is dying of cancer. Instead of simply leaving his fortune to his three sons, who were never able to live up to his unreasonably high expectations, he decides t More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 30, 2012

Dolphe rated it:

Nothing epic here, but Preston entertains with a fine tale of an overbearing father and his put-upon sons. It has a nice bit of adventure and even tries to throw in a message that there are more important things in life than money. I don't watch "Lifetime" movies, so I guess I needed the reminder.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 25, 2008

Robin rated it:

Right after I started this one, it seemed familiar. I think my dad listened to it on audio when it came out in hardback and told me about it. Three sons, an inheritance, and their crazy old man who decides to make them prove themselves by burying himself and his "treasure" in a tomb for them to seek out and claim. Action-packed, psycho bad-guy, lots of jungle adventure, and even a little romance. A quote on the cover compares it to Indiana Jones and the Amazing Race, and it's not too f More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 15, 2011

Yvann rated it:

Summary: Mayan jungle adventure: three brothers must search the world for their father's tomb, in which they will find their inheritance of his art collection. They're not the only ones looking, either.

This little thriller depended hugely on the bizarre and wonderful characters it contained. The three brothers were particularly different: Philip - sartorially obsessed, sporting a briar pipe, and bristly and indignant when questioned; Vernon, the indecisive hippy; and Tom, the simple, s More...

0 comments like

Nov 04, 2010

Mckinley rated it:

Ok, I’ll be upfront and admit that I wasn’t impressed with this story. I thought it was predictable and the dialog left a lot to be desired. On the positive side, it was a quick -- lite and fluffy read (good for airplanes or the beach). The story starts with a robbery that isn’t a break-in at all. Instead a tremendously wealthy tomb raider, Maxwell Broadbent, has spirited his collection of treasures from his home and away from his sons who are counting on their inheritances. He offers his three More...

0 comments like

Apr 24, 2010

Pikachu rated it:

i'm kind of surprised this was written in the 2000s... i mean, it seemed so dated, i was SURE it had to have been written in the 90s. i mean come on, vhs tapes? no cell phones? please.

this was a pretty good story. three sons have to find their inheritance in the deep south american jungle because their rich father feels that they've grown too soft. but the sons aren't the only ones searching for the treasure - which is estimated to be somewhere around 500 million dollars. it's a lot More...

0 comments like

Jan 07, 2009

Amanda rated it:

A really great book reminiscent of Michael Crichton. An action based mystery and adventure with some roots in South American culture and history. An eccentric, rich, former tomb robber buries himself and his collection of art and artifacts in a tomb (King Tut Style) and challenges his three sons to find him in order to get their inheritance. With many twists and turns in the plot the book is a page turner with the reader racing to see the end.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 29, 2012

Monica rated it:

The Codex was an enjoyable adventure of survival through the jungles of Honduras. The author, Douglas Preston, certainly put his characters through everything imaginable during their travels. Not many surprises as far as plot goes, and yet the climax was still pretty exciting. Not bad for something to listen to on your commute.
SPOILER ALERT! Read no further if you want to remain free of any knowledge of the story.
The main disappointment I had with The Codex was with the character of More...

0 comments like

Jul 27, 2009

Patty rated it:

I loved the Preston/Child collaboration for their Pendergast mystery series. I'm currently reading Preston's first book, the non-fiction "Dinosaurs in the Attic: An Excursion into the American Museum of Natural History". It's well written and I'm really enjoying it so I got this book on CD to listen to while driving to the East Coast.
I'm not sure if it is the reader or if this novel is just bad. It seemed to start out ok but just little things didn't seem necessary or realisti More...

1 comment like

Jul 19, 2010

Loraine rated it:

All I can say is, Wow was this a great book ! Its so full of adventure and excitement, why they never made this into a movie is really everyone's loss .
This story is about 3 brothers who find out there very wealthy but eccentric father, who they have been estranged from ,and who is dieing of cancer, just packed all his art and millions of dollars worth of property off to be buried in a tomb somewhere in the world for them to find .
One of the sons is not interested in looking for hi More...

0 comments like

Apr 14, 2009

John rated it:

Although this book kind of started slow, it finished quite well. It involved what I would call the predictable romantic attraction of individuals in extream environments; however, it also had some quite interesting and funny turns and twists. Towards the end it was good enough that I would sit and listen to what was happening instead of just turning off the car and going to whatever. The story (spoiler): a very rich man goes off to bury himself with all his riches - gives his three sons a ch More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 22, 2009

Evelyn rated it:

Faced with terminal cancer, notorious treasure hunter Maxwell Broadbent decides to entomb himself with his huge collection of artifacts leading his three sons to track down their inheritance.
Another wild adventure from one-half of the Preston/Child team. Nonstop action--you won't be able to put it down. Preston's books are similar to the ones he writes with Lincoln Child. Highly recommend.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 23, 2010

Jay rated it:

Have you ever gone on a second date and wondered: "what was I thinking?" Reading Preston's "The Codex" after I lavished such praise last month on my first encounter with him in the recent "Impact" gave me the concern that it must have been infatuation and not lasting love when I gave him five stars.

Not that the "The Codex" is a bad read. Far from it. I enjoyed it and thought he did a fine job making the characters believable and worth spendi More...

0 comments like

Feb 21, 2011

Lize rated it:

I dubbed Mr. Preston’s first solo effort (without his normal writing partner, Lincoln Child) “The Kotex” around page 33. And then it got even worse. This was a serious letdown. Take all the elements that I didn’t like from the earlier "Mount Dragon", and you have this book. (At least I seem to be getting a feel for which author is responsible for which parts of the duo’s books.) A cowboy hero, a shrill, humorless, uber-bitch heroine, a villain who all but twirled his moustache and hiss More...

0 comments like

Nov 24, 2011

Dee rated it:

I've had this book in my TBR pile for so long I'd almost forgotten it was there. What a great book! I've never read Douglas Preston before but I've heard good things and this lived up to the hype. It's a good action/adventure novel in the vein of Matthew Reilly's Temple. A multi-millionaire (who is dying of cancer) leaves his three sons a video message telling them that he has taken all their inheritance (treasures, relics, etc) and buried them and himself somewhere. If they want their inhe More...

0 comments like

Jan 17, 2009

Melody rated it:

Grabs you from the first few scenes! Should be a movie!

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 02, 2007

Maribel rated it:

It seems generic to say this is like an Indiana Jones movie but it is really a fascinating page turner. You are immediately drawn into the characters (3 brothers who search for their billionare fathers' ancient artifacts). It sounds weird, I know, but it was actually REALLY good. Hope you enjoy.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 21, 2008

Kelly rated it:

I liked the premise of this book - rich man buries himself with his 1.5 billion treasures and challenges his three sons to find him and it if they want their inheritance. Lots of murder and backstabbing. I enjoyed the Mayan jungle lore and native elements and backstory most of all.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 19, 2011

China rated it:

THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING. I loved it from start to finish. It was action packed, puzzling, exciting, romantic and hilarious! It is seriously one of the best books I've ever read. Preston has a way of keeping the story moving quickly, but still delivering minute and important details without letting the story drag. After the first page I was hooked. The characters he described and introduced in the book were so easily for me to see in my head. I was able to connect to them in such a heartfelt wa More...

0 comments like

Dec 18, 2008

Lisa rated it:

I really liked this book.. as I was reading this I thought it was different from his other books. Meaning the Pendergast novels. Not so much past history involved just action and a little different story. Very interesting and a good read

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 13, 2008

Frank rated it:

I love this author, as well as Lincoln Child (a co-author), and this is my favorite yet. The vivid detail and imagery, as well as a storm surge of excitement gives this novel re-read status. Hated that it had to end. Thankee

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 27, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

This summer I would have gladly skipped seeing the new Indiana Jones movie to stay home and reread this incredible adventure.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 25, 2009

Mazel rated it:

Bonjour du pays des morts !

Ainsi débute la vidéo laissée par un richissime collectionneur à ses trois fils.

Ils apprennent que leur père s'est enterré vivant avec ses trésors dans une cité perdue d'Amérique centrale. Celui qui découvrira sa retraite héritera de sa fortune.

Mais les trois frères ne sont pas les seuls à convoiter ces pièces inestimables... en particulier un manuscrit maya du XIe siècle, le Codex, qui pourrait révolutionner l'industrie pharmaceu More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 05, 2011

Cathy rated it:

We listened to this on CD while traveling. I guess I can't say it was a page turner, it was a CD popper. As soon as we'd get back in the car my boys would say, "Turn it back on, Dad." Not much sleeping during this story.

Maxwell Broadbent, calls his three sons home. Upon arrival they find a house devoid of all the treasures their uber rich father has collected over the years. A cryptic message, "Find me and you will find your inheritance." invites them to search fo More...

0 comments like

Dec 30, 2008

Lugene rated it:

Exciting adventure with views into human nature.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 26, 2010

Mike rated it:

This is one of Douglas Preston's earlier solo thrillers. It involves Mayans, a mysterious book of ancient knowledge (the codex of the title), skeezy people, father/son stuff, all that guy novel jazz. It's a fairly quick read and at times can be a bit silly, but, when I read thrillers, I think of a blog post I read once (I think it was The Onion A/V Club) that said that rock music is best when it's a little silly and it starts to go bad when the artist starts to take him or herself seriously. I t More...

0 comments like

Jul 06, 2011

Terence rated it:

I've long been a fan of the Douglas Preston-Lincoln Child oeuvre that includes Relic, Thunderhead, Still Life With Crows, et al; in my opinion they are the best written and most intelligent of the thriller genre. After hearing Preston read at the local Tattered Cover, we picked up several of his individually written novels, and they are every bit as entertaining as the Preston-Child ones, maybe with a little harder edge to them. This one is about three brothers whose acerbic father's dying wis More...

0 comments like

reviews