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Gideon Crew #3
La isla perdida
Gideon Crew, científico y ladrón brillante, sabe que tiene los días contados. Cuando su misterioso jefe le hace un nuevo encargo, Gideon Crew acepta sin pensarlo dos veces, aunque parezca una auténtica misión imposible: Tiene que hacerse con una página del Libro de Kells, un manuscrito de un valor inestimable que actualmente está expuesto en un museo de Nueva York. El sistema de seguridad que protege el libro está considerado perfecto. Sin embargo, este robo resulta ser solamente la primera de una serie de peligrosas aventuras, porque debajo de la suntuosa ilustración de la página hay un mapa del tesoro de la Antigua Grecia cuyo hallazgo podría ser mucho más valioso que cualquier tesoro material... Incluso podría salvarle la vida a Gideon.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
1045 people are currently reading
5612 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Preston
228 books13.3k followersDouglas Preston was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1956, and grew up in the deadly boring suburb of Wellesley. Following a distinguished career at a private nursery school--he was almost immediately expelled--he attended public schools and the Cambridge School of Weston. Notable events in his early life included the loss of a fingertip at the age of three to a bicycle; the loss of his two front teeth to his brother Richard's fist; and various broken bones, also incurred in dust-ups with Richard. (Richard went on to write The Hot Zone and The Cobra Event, which tells you all you need to know about what it was like to grow up with him as a brother.)
As they grew up, Doug, Richard, and their little brother David roamed the quiet suburbs of Wellesley, terrorizing the natives with home-made rockets and incendiary devices mail-ordered from the backs of comic books or concocted from chemistry sets. With a friend they once attempted to fly a rocket into Wellesley Square; the rocket malfunctioned and nearly killed a man mowing his lawn. They were local celebrities, often appearing in the "Police Notes" section of The Wellesley Townsman. It is a miracle they survived childhood intact.
After unaccountably being rejected by Stanford University (a pox on it), Preston attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he studied mathematics, biology, physics, anthropology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy before settling down to English literature. After graduating, Preston began his career at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as an editor, writer, and eventually manager of publications. (Preston also taught writing at Princeton University and was managing editor of Curator.) His eight-year stint at the Museum resulted in the non-fiction book, Dinosaurs in the Attic, edited by a rising young star at St. Martin's Press, a polymath by the name of Lincoln Child. During this period, Preston gave Child a midnight tour of the museum, and in the darkened Hall of Late Dinosaurs, under a looming T. Rex, Child turned to Preston and said: "This would make the perfect setting for a thriller!" That thriller would, of course, be Relic.
In 1986, Douglas Preston piled everything he owned into the back of a Subaru and moved from New York City to Santa Fe to write full time, following the advice of S. J. Perelman that "the dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he's given the freedom to starve anywhere." After the requisite period of penury, Preston achieved a small success with the publication of Cities of Gold, a non-fiction book about Coronado's search for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. To research the book, Preston and a friend retraced on horseback 1,000 miles of Coronado's route across Arizona and New Mexico, packing their supplies and sleeping under the stars--nearly killing themselves in the process. Since then he has published several more non-fiction books on the history of the American Southwest, Talking to the Ground and The Royal Road, as well as a novel entitled Jennie. In the early 1990s Preston and Child teamed up to write suspense novels; Relic was the first, followed by several others, including Riptide and Thunderhead. Relic was released as a motion picture by Paramount in 1997. Other films are under development at Hollywood studios. Preston and Child live 500 miles apart and write their books together via telephone, fax, and the Internet.
Preston and his brother Richard are currently producing a television miniseries for ABC and Mandalay Entertainment, to be aired in the spring of 2000, if all goes well, which in Hollywood is rarely the case.
Preston continues a magazine writing career by contributing regularly to The New Yorker magazine. He has also written for National Geographic, Natural History, Smithsonisan, Harper's,and Travel & Leisure,among others.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/dougla...
As they grew up, Doug, Richard, and their little brother David roamed the quiet suburbs of Wellesley, terrorizing the natives with home-made rockets and incendiary devices mail-ordered from the backs of comic books or concocted from chemistry sets. With a friend they once attempted to fly a rocket into Wellesley Square; the rocket malfunctioned and nearly killed a man mowing his lawn. They were local celebrities, often appearing in the "Police Notes" section of The Wellesley Townsman. It is a miracle they survived childhood intact.
After unaccountably being rejected by Stanford University (a pox on it), Preston attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he studied mathematics, biology, physics, anthropology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy before settling down to English literature. After graduating, Preston began his career at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as an editor, writer, and eventually manager of publications. (Preston also taught writing at Princeton University and was managing editor of Curator.) His eight-year stint at the Museum resulted in the non-fiction book, Dinosaurs in the Attic, edited by a rising young star at St. Martin's Press, a polymath by the name of Lincoln Child. During this period, Preston gave Child a midnight tour of the museum, and in the darkened Hall of Late Dinosaurs, under a looming T. Rex, Child turned to Preston and said: "This would make the perfect setting for a thriller!" That thriller would, of course, be Relic.
In 1986, Douglas Preston piled everything he owned into the back of a Subaru and moved from New York City to Santa Fe to write full time, following the advice of S. J. Perelman that "the dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he's given the freedom to starve anywhere." After the requisite period of penury, Preston achieved a small success with the publication of Cities of Gold, a non-fiction book about Coronado's search for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. To research the book, Preston and a friend retraced on horseback 1,000 miles of Coronado's route across Arizona and New Mexico, packing their supplies and sleeping under the stars--nearly killing themselves in the process. Since then he has published several more non-fiction books on the history of the American Southwest, Talking to the Ground and The Royal Road, as well as a novel entitled Jennie. In the early 1990s Preston and Child teamed up to write suspense novels; Relic was the first, followed by several others, including Riptide and Thunderhead. Relic was released as a motion picture by Paramount in 1997. Other films are under development at Hollywood studios. Preston and Child live 500 miles apart and write their books together via telephone, fax, and the Internet.
Preston and his brother Richard are currently producing a television miniseries for ABC and Mandalay Entertainment, to be aired in the spring of 2000, if all goes well, which in Hollywood is rarely the case.
Preston continues a magazine writing career by contributing regularly to The New Yorker magazine. He has also written for National Geographic, Natural History, Smithsonisan, Harper's,and Travel & Leisure,among others.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/dougla...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,123 reviews
April 29, 2018
For the first two books of the Gideon Crew series it was hard not to compare them to Preston and Child's Pendergast series. Unfortunately, when comparing to Pendergast, you have big shoes to fill. Up until now, those shoes were falling off because Crew's feet were too small. But, it seems like Crew has finally had a growth spurt in a big way!
The Lost Island was a fantastic, enthralling, and intricately crafted adventure. Combining science, technology, art, literature, history, adventure, and sarcastic comebacks, I was into this book from page one. In fact, while there is some back story in the first two books, I think if you are short on time you could read this one right after The Ice Limit - note: you HAVE TO read The Ice Limit first, or you may as well not even bother.
I think I am going to end this review here in order to avoid spoilers. But, know this, it is good, it is great, Preston and Child are the masters of the adventure mystery genre (is that a genre? If not, I am coining the phrase here!) You owe it to yourself to read Pendergast and Crew!
The Lost Island was a fantastic, enthralling, and intricately crafted adventure. Combining science, technology, art, literature, history, adventure, and sarcastic comebacks, I was into this book from page one. In fact, while there is some back story in the first two books, I think if you are short on time you could read this one right after The Ice Limit - note: you HAVE TO read The Ice Limit first, or you may as well not even bother.
I think I am going to end this review here in order to avoid spoilers. But, know this, it is good, it is great, Preston and Child are the masters of the adventure mystery genre (is that a genre? If not, I am coining the phrase here!) You owe it to yourself to read Pendergast and Crew!
August 7, 2014
*Eyeroll*
How can my dear authors go so far astray? The beginning was all my dreams bundled together: palimpsests, the Book of Kells, Gideon fooling Sotheby's. Yum. Then before my very eyes, the plot was taken over by 12 year-old boys... the kind who spend their lives drawing pictures of monsters and running about going "raaawarrrrr." Gideon was sidelined by everyone else in the book: his partner, his employer, the island goings-on. I did finish the book, but it won't be pulled out again, and that's a first for a Preston & Child on my shelf.
How can my dear authors go so far astray? The beginning was all my dreams bundled together: palimpsests, the Book of Kells, Gideon fooling Sotheby's. Yum. Then before my very eyes, the plot was taken over by 12 year-old boys... the kind who spend their lives drawing pictures of monsters and running about going "raaawarrrrr." Gideon was sidelined by everyone else in the book: his partner, his employer, the island goings-on. I did finish the book, but it won't be pulled out again, and that's a first for a Preston & Child on my shelf.
December 26, 2022
The Lost Island is probably my favorite of the Gideon Crew series. I enjoyed the early heist scene, and the interplay between Gideon and Amy. Although the plot went in a very unexpected direction, it was plausible in a James Rollins sort of way. I still like the Pendergast books better, but this one was solid and nicely set up a sequel to The Ice Limit. Recommended.
August 13, 2014
Audiobook Review
1 Star
A very foolish book that attempts to reconstruct parts of Homer's Odyssey in the guise of a Gideon Crew saga. I am sorely disappointed in this Preston & Child offering. It is phony, pathetic and pretentious, and seems to be written for the SyFy channel for a 2:00 a.m. airing. Once.
Homer is rolling over in his grave.
1 Star
A very foolish book that attempts to reconstruct parts of Homer's Odyssey in the guise of a Gideon Crew saga. I am sorely disappointed in this Preston & Child offering. It is phony, pathetic and pretentious, and seems to be written for the SyFy channel for a 2:00 a.m. airing. Once.
Homer is rolling over in his grave.
August 26, 2014
This book might have been a three star novel, but once you threw in the Cyclops well that kind of ended it for me. Don't get me wrong, I am a stickler for a good yarn with fantasy and history thrown in on the side, but for some reason the last quarter of the book just did not gel.
It was ok for some mindless fluff to while away a summer's day.
It was ok for some mindless fluff to while away a summer's day.
June 15, 2014
No book has ever made me want to reach through the pages and slap the crap out of a character like this book. It also made me cry. Dammit.
April 14, 2019
What a great amusement park ride— thrills, chills, suspense and a few moments of just dangling in space with no parachute in sight. This is definitely my favorite entry of the series.
Love a book that raises the heart beat and kicks you in the mouth a few times? This is it.
(And for the naysayers— sure it was completely unbelievable— but that’s okay. That’s what I want from a book that starts with a treasure map!!)
PS- The nods to Greek mythology was like frosting on this thriller cake!!
Love a book that raises the heart beat and kicks you in the mouth a few times? This is it.
(And for the naysayers— sure it was completely unbelievable— but that’s okay. That’s what I want from a book that starts with a treasure map!!)
PS- The nods to Greek mythology was like frosting on this thriller cake!!
August 22, 2014
This is the first book I've read where I did not like any of the main characters. A book is only enjoyable when you can connect to its characters and this was not the case with The Lost Island. A disappointing read.
August 26, 2014
This book will make you feel stupid. And annoyed. It seriously needed a good editor to shake it up and slap some sense into it. Too bad it didn't get one.
If you're old enough you'll remember the weekly Saturday matinee serials with their crazy cliffhanger endings. You'd always feel a little cheated the next week how easily the hero or heroine overcame whatever peril was placed in their paths, but then forget about it as the next cliffhanger ending grabbed your attention.
This book was one whole lousy cliffhanger ending after the other. Mild spoiler alert. At one point the hero and heroine are clasping each other on the precipice of a cliff, thousands of feet above the ocean with no way down as fire and explosions swirl around them...and a helicopter ladder appears. Wtf?
The authors play too fast and loose with the readers of The Lost Island. There is something slapdash and hurried about the book and it left this reader grouchy as hell. And to make things worse, the freaking book ended on a cliffhanger ending! Except I don't give a flip about the next Gideon Crew book.
If you're old enough you'll remember the weekly Saturday matinee serials with their crazy cliffhanger endings. You'd always feel a little cheated the next week how easily the hero or heroine overcame whatever peril was placed in their paths, but then forget about it as the next cliffhanger ending grabbed your attention.
This book was one whole lousy cliffhanger ending after the other. Mild spoiler alert. At one point the hero and heroine are clasping each other on the precipice of a cliff, thousands of feet above the ocean with no way down as fire and explosions swirl around them...and a helicopter ladder appears. Wtf?
The authors play too fast and loose with the readers of The Lost Island. There is something slapdash and hurried about the book and it left this reader grouchy as hell. And to make things worse, the freaking book ended on a cliffhanger ending! Except I don't give a flip about the next Gideon Crew book.
August 3, 2014
Well, the half star rating might come in handy here, although I probably would go down instead of up. I normally like Preston & Child, but this one was a bit too farfetched. Admittedly, though, it certainly was action filled. The idea of a treasure hunt was so irresistible, it drew me in. The treasure was an intriguing one, too, thankfully not just another billion dollars. But the implausibility of their quest and what they find...that put me off. Still, it's an entertaining read.
October 28, 2017
I'm afraid I have to agree with all the other negative reviewers out there. I mean, where to start with this book? With the hero who doesn't drive the plot and just goes along with things, even when they make no sense? With the ridiculous premise? With the surprisingly poor writing? With the rehashing of Preston and Child's personal cliches? It's hard to find a single part of this book that wasn't screwed up.
So all in all, the book just didn't hang together. Gideon was a complete failure as the hero, Amy was annoying, bossy, aloof and just plain nuts. Glinn acted like a jerk when a softer approach would have gotten him better results. The plot was a travesty of contrivance and lunacy, and the ending was just another stamping out of Preston and Child's usual cliches. Don't bother with this one.
So all in all, the book just didn't hang together. Gideon was a complete failure as the hero, Amy was annoying, bossy, aloof and just plain nuts. Glinn acted like a jerk when a softer approach would have gotten him better results. The plot was a travesty of contrivance and lunacy, and the ending was just another stamping out of Preston and Child's usual cliches. Don't bother with this one.
September 9, 2014
I really liked the first two books in this series. This one, however, leaves me certain that I won't read any more. The story started off ok but immediately hit a snag in one of the major characterizations. When a recurrent character acts in a way that isn't consistent with previous behavior, there needs to be a logical reason.
By the end of the book, I was so angry with the illogical actions of Glinn, who is supposed to be an intelligent and reasonably good guy, that I wanted him torn from limb to limb.
The ending of the book doesn't make emotional or logical sense leaving the reader feeling cheated and angry.
I've read pretty much everything these authors have written, together and singly, and I love the Pendergast books. This book was a total disaster, though the Greek elements and the tie-in with Odysseus's journeys were fun.
By the end of the book, I was so angry with the illogical actions of Glinn, who is supposed to be an intelligent and reasonably good guy, that I wanted him torn from limb to limb.
The ending of the book doesn't make emotional or logical sense leaving the reader feeling cheated and angry.
I've read pretty much everything these authors have written, together and singly, and I love the Pendergast books. This book was a total disaster, though the Greek elements and the tie-in with Odysseus's journeys were fun.
December 22, 2014
Way better than the other two Gideon Crew books! Lots of fun! Sets up book four really well and kinda hints it might be the last.
September 24, 2019
The best in Crew novels. Fun tale and surprising treasure map adventure.
August 19, 2020
3'5 /5🌟
Me ha gustado sigue en la misma línea que los dos anteriores. En plan a Gideon le mandan una misión imposible y al final todo da un giro y los siguientes sucesos son diferentes a los que eran en un principio.
A mí me gustan estos giros porque no sabes lo que te puedes esperar al final.
En cuanto la historia en principio está interesante y llama la atención. En esta ocasión Gideon tiene que robar la página de uno de los libros más valiosos del mundo que está expuesto en un museo en Nueva York con unas medidas de seguridad imposible de superar. Bueno nadie puede menos nuestro protagonista. Pero esta no es la verdadera misión del prota porque luego de esto deriva a que tiene que buscar con la ayuda de Amy, otra chica que trabaja para Glinn como Gideon, como una planta que cura todo, si estas enfermo o tienes una discapacidad pues te lo cura todo.
Y este puede que sea lo que menos me gustó del libro, porque bueno en si el libro es de misterio pero en plan sin elementos fantásticos, o más específicamente que siempre son muy realistas muy fieles a nuestra realidad 😄. Y pues en este, pues bueno al final lo de la cura y otras cosas que pasan que no voy a decir porque podrían fastidiar la sorpresa cuando aparezca pues un poco fantasía si que es.
Y bueno ya como en todos estos libros cuando realizan la misión todo se complican, descubren cosas super interesantes que dan un giro de la historia e intentan sobrevivir.
Así que bueno lo único que destaca es en lo que se centra la historia que es en buscar la cura. Que oye a mí me gusta, es en plan como una búsqueda de un tesoro o lo típico de la fuente de la juventud, y siempre suelen ser entretenidos leerlos porque siempre hay tensión porque se suelen presentar muchas dificultades. Y he de decir que en este libro si que pasan porque hubo como mínimo dos ocasiones en las que pensé " Meca que al final no acaban la misión por lo menos uno de ellos"🙈
Esa tensión mola te hace meterte en la historia.
En cuanto a cómo está escrito el libro me gustó. Estos escritores me gustan mucho tienen las descripciones justas y si utilizan un lenguaje específico como palabras científicas siempre las explican de manera que se entienda bien.
Metiéndonos en los personajes sigue gustando me mucho Gideon. Valiente, con ese toque de humor que quita tensión en las partes que la tienen y un experto en contar mentiras que flipas. Se inventa cada historia que más de una vez le salva la vida, ya no solo en este libro si no también en los anteriores. Ingeniería social la llama😄.
También me gustó mucho Amy. Quería conectar con algún personaje femenino porque las chicas son poco relevantes en esta saga no me llegaban a convencer , pero en este libro conocí a Amy y me gustó mucho. Me gustan las protagonistas valientes, que son capaces de defenderse solas y Amy es un claro ejemplo de estas protagonistas. Me ha encantado este personaje.
Y otra cosa que me gustó es que pudimos conocer mejor a Glinn el jefe de EES que es la empresa que contrata a Gideon. Tenía mucha curiosidad sobre este personaje porque, bueno no lo he dicho en otras reseñas pero él está en silla de ruedas , con un parche en el ojo y tenía mucha curiosidad de cómo hacía acabado así. Y en este libro a parte de que te explican porqué lo podemos conocer mejor . Así que mi curiosidad se ha resuelto😄.
En cuanto al final me ha gustado. No me he llevado ninguna sorpresa porque es lo que me veía venir. Pero eso no quiere decir que no me haya gustado, creo que es el final que tiene que tener el libro. Y como siempre te lo deja abierto y te deja saber cuál será la siguiente misión que tendrá Gideon.
En conclusión me ha gustado. No es nada del otro mundo porque al final puede ser como cualquier novela de este tipo pero el tema principal de la historia está guay y puede llamar mucho la atención. Y por lo menos a mí me deja con más ganas de seguir con la serie.
Lo recomiendo.
Me ha gustado sigue en la misma línea que los dos anteriores. En plan a Gideon le mandan una misión imposible y al final todo da un giro y los siguientes sucesos son diferentes a los que eran en un principio.
A mí me gustan estos giros porque no sabes lo que te puedes esperar al final.
En cuanto la historia en principio está interesante y llama la atención. En esta ocasión Gideon tiene que robar la página de uno de los libros más valiosos del mundo que está expuesto en un museo en Nueva York con unas medidas de seguridad imposible de superar. Bueno nadie puede menos nuestro protagonista. Pero esta no es la verdadera misión del prota porque luego de esto deriva a que tiene que buscar con la ayuda de Amy, otra chica que trabaja para Glinn como Gideon, como una planta que cura todo, si estas enfermo o tienes una discapacidad pues te lo cura todo.
Y este puede que sea lo que menos me gustó del libro, porque bueno en si el libro es de misterio pero en plan sin elementos fantásticos, o más específicamente que siempre son muy realistas muy fieles a nuestra realidad 😄. Y pues en este, pues bueno al final lo de la cura y otras cosas que pasan que no voy a decir porque podrían fastidiar la sorpresa cuando aparezca pues un poco fantasía si que es.
Y bueno ya como en todos estos libros cuando realizan la misión todo se complican, descubren cosas super interesantes que dan un giro de la historia e intentan sobrevivir.
Así que bueno lo único que destaca es en lo que se centra la historia que es en buscar la cura. Que oye a mí me gusta, es en plan como una búsqueda de un tesoro o lo típico de la fuente de la juventud, y siempre suelen ser entretenidos leerlos porque siempre hay tensión porque se suelen presentar muchas dificultades. Y he de decir que en este libro si que pasan porque hubo como mínimo dos ocasiones en las que pensé " Meca que al final no acaban la misión por lo menos uno de ellos"🙈
Esa tensión mola te hace meterte en la historia.
En cuanto a cómo está escrito el libro me gustó. Estos escritores me gustan mucho tienen las descripciones justas y si utilizan un lenguaje específico como palabras científicas siempre las explican de manera que se entienda bien.
Metiéndonos en los personajes sigue gustando me mucho Gideon. Valiente, con ese toque de humor que quita tensión en las partes que la tienen y un experto en contar mentiras que flipas. Se inventa cada historia que más de una vez le salva la vida, ya no solo en este libro si no también en los anteriores. Ingeniería social la llama😄.
También me gustó mucho Amy. Quería conectar con algún personaje femenino porque las chicas son poco relevantes en esta saga no me llegaban a convencer , pero en este libro conocí a Amy y me gustó mucho. Me gustan las protagonistas valientes, que son capaces de defenderse solas y Amy es un claro ejemplo de estas protagonistas. Me ha encantado este personaje.
Y otra cosa que me gustó es que pudimos conocer mejor a Glinn el jefe de EES que es la empresa que contrata a Gideon. Tenía mucha curiosidad sobre este personaje porque, bueno no lo he dicho en otras reseñas pero él está en silla de ruedas , con un parche en el ojo y tenía mucha curiosidad de cómo hacía acabado así. Y en este libro a parte de que te explican porqué lo podemos conocer mejor . Así que mi curiosidad se ha resuelto😄.
En cuanto al final me ha gustado. No me he llevado ninguna sorpresa porque es lo que me veía venir. Pero eso no quiere decir que no me haya gustado, creo que es el final que tiene que tener el libro. Y como siempre te lo deja abierto y te deja saber cuál será la siguiente misión que tendrá Gideon.
En conclusión me ha gustado. No es nada del otro mundo porque al final puede ser como cualquier novela de este tipo pero el tema principal de la historia está guay y puede llamar mucho la atención. Y por lo menos a mí me deja con más ganas de seguir con la serie.
Lo recomiendo.
August 21, 2014
And of course would I buy this novel by messieurs Preston & Child, mostly because of their Pendergast-series.
The Gideon Crewe series seems to be far more tailored for the cinema, as long as Tom Cruise does not spoil the fun. This book is a combination of genres the Heist genre, the historical/fantastical thriller, some pirates and treasure seekers thrown in and some lost world for good measure (the Arthur Conan Doyle variety it is). And it all delivers an adventure novel that fires on all fronts and manages to entertain in a casual way. It does handle Homers Odyssey in a modern way that does not make it offensive,
As before the Crewe series do deliver fun adventerous novels that seem to be written for a cinema release. For me it lacks the depth of their other work but they should be allowed to have some fun too. And honestly I will watch out for the next installment with pleasure.
The Gideon Crewe series seems to be far more tailored for the cinema, as long as Tom Cruise does not spoil the fun. This book is a combination of genres the Heist genre, the historical/fantastical thriller, some pirates and treasure seekers thrown in and some lost world for good measure (the Arthur Conan Doyle variety it is). And it all delivers an adventure novel that fires on all fronts and manages to entertain in a casual way. It does handle Homers Odyssey in a modern way that does not make it offensive,
As before the Crewe series do deliver fun adventerous novels that seem to be written for a cinema release. For me it lacks the depth of their other work but they should be allowed to have some fun too. And honestly I will watch out for the next installment with pleasure.
April 26, 2016
This book is by far my favorite of the Gideon Crew series. I was so happy when I got an advance copy from my local bookstore. I've been reading Preston & Child since I was a young girl and am happy that they have another series besides Pendergast. I found this book a quick but enjoyable read which I had difficulty in putting down. The plot remained interesting and was difficult to predict. I see this series becoming a new favorite for adventure loving readers.
September 26, 2014
These guys never cease to amaze and entertain. I love all the Gideon Crew books, and this one is the greatest yet. Gideon and his pal, Ami, find a tribe of people and a bizarre creature living on a remote Caribbean island as they search for a plant whose chemical properties may even cure cancer! Action/adventure/sci-fi/horror at its best!
March 25, 2017
i enjoyed this better than the previous ones, although this seems like a great departure from the rest of the series' subject matters
i dunno why eli had to carry a small-ass caliber m16 when the rest of his retinue carry m4a1s
p224: he picked up the cell phone and unlatched the box. amiko watched as he opened it, checked the battery. still at one percent.
he turned it on.
what a bad-ass battery that was, indicating a one-percent charge while on the "off" state
i dunno why eli had to carry a small-ass caliber m16 when the rest of his retinue carry m4a1s
p224: he picked up the cell phone and unlatched the box. amiko watched as he opened it, checked the battery. still at one percent.
he turned it on.
what a bad-ass battery that was, indicating a one-percent charge while on the "off" state
January 27, 2015
There's no shortage of action in this, the third in the series featuring Dr. Gideon Crew - a thief turned scientist with a terminal illness that could take his life at any given moment. As one might expect, that means he's got nothing much to lose, so he's willing to go where no man has gone before.
And man, he does exactly that. I enjoyed it thoroughly - in some ways even more than the first two - but I warn that you'll need more than a modicum of creative imagination to get through it; some parts (make that most parts) cross over to the realm of fantasy. Still, it's fun, moves along quickly and, all in all, didn't dampen my enthusiasm for the series in the slightest.
This one begins as Gideon is brought in to steal a page from the Book of Kells, which is on display in New York City under seemingly impenetrable security. Of course, he pulls it off - only to deliver it to his "boss," the invalid Eli Glinn, who promptly dunks it in something to remove the text and drawings to reveal an ancient treasure map. But all that glitters isn't gold; rather, it's a long-hidden secret that could change the course of both Gideon and Glinn.
Together with a young, beautiful woman named Amy (with whom he was ordered to partner up), he sets off on a journey that traces those of ancient Greeks and takes them to never-before-seen territory. There, they discover - well, you'll just have to read the book to find out what - but suffice it to say the adventure nearly costs them their lives.
I wasn't sure whether a fourth book will be forthcoming, but after finishing this one, it's pretty clear there's one in the works. Count me among those on the waiting list!
And man, he does exactly that. I enjoyed it thoroughly - in some ways even more than the first two - but I warn that you'll need more than a modicum of creative imagination to get through it; some parts (make that most parts) cross over to the realm of fantasy. Still, it's fun, moves along quickly and, all in all, didn't dampen my enthusiasm for the series in the slightest.
This one begins as Gideon is brought in to steal a page from the Book of Kells, which is on display in New York City under seemingly impenetrable security. Of course, he pulls it off - only to deliver it to his "boss," the invalid Eli Glinn, who promptly dunks it in something to remove the text and drawings to reveal an ancient treasure map. But all that glitters isn't gold; rather, it's a long-hidden secret that could change the course of both Gideon and Glinn.
Together with a young, beautiful woman named Amy (with whom he was ordered to partner up), he sets off on a journey that traces those of ancient Greeks and takes them to never-before-seen territory. There, they discover - well, you'll just have to read the book to find out what - but suffice it to say the adventure nearly costs them their lives.
I wasn't sure whether a fourth book will be forthcoming, but after finishing this one, it's pretty clear there's one in the works. Count me among those on the waiting list!
July 4, 2020
A 'Treasure Island' story for the 21st century - and adult readers.
Not adult as in 'adult adult,' but just a more grown-up story. There's treasure maps which need to be sorted out, and mysterious characters in the form of pirates and natives who might be helpful, or not. There's a courageous young chap, a gorgeous young woman - and she's no stereotype, she's actually tougher than the male MC - and off somewhere watching it all a crippled billionaire looking for a little more than mere treasure. There's also comparison to the myths surrounding the heroic and legendary character Odysseus, with his voyage to get home as he battles creatures and witches, Cyclops and sirens. This book has it all.
It's like a romp, though - the typical put your character(s) in a tree and throw rocks at them. You hardly get a breath in from one 'we've got to get out of this or die' scenario to the next. There's no sort of 'reflective pause' for the reader to think, 'now what was that all about?'
But it is adventure and derring-do and cleverness to get out of one predicament after another. (Rather like Odysseus did in his legendary travels.) I enjoyed the first part of the book more than the second as we were still in 'what the heck is this all about territory.' Once things were explained it was getting long and a little tedious in spots...
But hey, it's Preston and Child and I love their books. The MC in this one, Gideon Crew, isn't as fascinating as Aloysius Pendergast (MC in another series they write) but I do think I'd continue reading about Amy (Amiko), the other main character.
Three stars, B- to C+ in my book.
Not adult as in 'adult adult,' but just a more grown-up story. There's treasure maps which need to be sorted out, and mysterious characters in the form of pirates and natives who might be helpful, or not. There's a courageous young chap, a gorgeous young woman - and she's no stereotype, she's actually tougher than the male MC - and off somewhere watching it all a crippled billionaire looking for a little more than mere treasure. There's also comparison to the myths surrounding the heroic and legendary character Odysseus, with his voyage to get home as he battles creatures and witches, Cyclops and sirens. This book has it all.
It's like a romp, though - the typical put your character(s) in a tree and throw rocks at them. You hardly get a breath in from one 'we've got to get out of this or die' scenario to the next. There's no sort of 'reflective pause' for the reader to think, 'now what was that all about?'
But it is adventure and derring-do and cleverness to get out of one predicament after another. (Rather like Odysseus did in his legendary travels.) I enjoyed the first part of the book more than the second as we were still in 'what the heck is this all about territory.' Once things were explained it was getting long and a little tedious in spots...
But hey, it's Preston and Child and I love their books. The MC in this one, Gideon Crew, isn't as fascinating as Aloysius Pendergast (MC in another series they write) but I do think I'd continue reading about Amy (Amiko), the other main character.
Three stars, B- to C+ in my book.
June 16, 2020
It took me a while to get into this and when I did the book was nearly over.
Not sure if it's that I'm just not that much into treasure hunting or if it just wasn't the best time for me to read this book. It didn't grab me.
Not sure if it's that I'm just not that much into treasure hunting or if it just wasn't the best time for me to read this book. It didn't grab me.
March 12, 2020
One of those authors who I liked but this one didn't work for me because the narrative flow was off, especially between the male and female investigators.
MY GRADE: C plus.
MY GRADE: C plus.
September 2, 2018
Son mis autores preferidos, pero esta serie no engancha tanto como la de Pendergast. Sigo pasándolo bien con sus libros, pero ya no enganchan tanto como antes. Aun así, es una lectura muy amena y entretenida. Lo recomiendo.
August 15, 2017
I don't care what anyone said about this book... this was the one that introduced me to Preston and Child, and got me to read their books! Yes, yes, I know, the... thing at that place (no spoiler given) might have been quite far-fetched, which I'm sure is the reason for the avg stars given. But the action and adventure was INCREDIBLE
September 16, 2015
The story started out very good. Got a little weird at the end with Ancient Greece references and finding a living Cyclops.
Love the characters, but I felt disappointed with the end of the story.
3.5 stars
Love the characters, but I felt disappointed with the end of the story.
3.5 stars
September 11, 2014
Fun, escapist novel. Fast read. I love the way Preston/Child use ancient history as a driving force and weave it all together. If you just sit back and enjoy, and don't ask too many questions, it's a page turner.
February 21, 2015
I can say that this was a fairly fast read. Beyond that, the authors do not begin to approach the standard of writing they show in the Pendergast series. This is the last of the Gideon Crew series that I will read as they continue to decline with each one.
October 31, 2018
Utterly unbelievable but engaging nonetheless. Full of adventure, a hint of romance, a sense of urgency, and a good blend of mythology and science.
July 29, 2016
I picked up this book-on-CD on impulse at a thrift store a few weeks back. It was cheap, it was by a couple of authors I have enjoyed, and it would give me something to do while driving to and from work every day. The thing is, it's been a long time since I've read a book of theirs, and even when I did, I recognized that their books didn't hold up under close scrutiny. Little did I realize that listening to a book instead of reading it makes the problems with the story stand out even more.
To start with, Gideon Crew, the main character, is pretty stupid. He's supposed to be a genius of some kind, but he makes stupid moves throughout the story. I don't mean making poor choices due to muddled judgment or anything like that; that would make his character more interesting. Instead, he just makes dumb choices that are more for moving the plot along instead of doing anything that supports his character.
Now, granted, this is the third book in a series of books featuring the character, so maybe I've missed some of his development. Still, these books are intended to be standalone stories featuring the same character, and when you leap into a story assuming your readers are going to know your character based off of previous books, you're going to lose some of them. It reminded me a lot of Robert Langdon from Dan Brown's books. In fact, the entire book reminded me of a Dan Brown book, since the characterization was inconsistent, the story was a one-trick pony, and the narrative was pretty horrible.
Anyway, back to Gideon. I had issues with his character from the beginning, since he goes to great lengths to steal a page from the Book of Kells. The entire thieving process involves subjecting the book to explosions, gases, cutting a page from the book, and then spraying the page with sunscreen -- sunscreen! Onto a page from a book that's over a thousand years old! -- but then when the people who hire him to steal the page dissolve the paint from the page to see what's underneath, he loses it because they're destroying a priceless piece of art. Even though he's already done all that other stuff to it, when it's been kept in a pristine environment to protect it from the elements. Plus, he's a bit of a jerk, and strikes me as someone who would be a men's rights advocate, especially considering how he responds to discovering his partner for the job is a woman.
Then again, the authors don't spend a whole lot of time on characterization anyway. In fact, they don't spend much time on anything but plot. Much of what happens is told to us, instead of seeing it happen. This isn't necessarily that the authors tell instead of show (though the do), but that instead of seeing how a character responds to a situation, we read a description of what the situation is instead. Plus, and if there's any book that drives home how adverbs tell instead of show, this is the one. We don't get to see the sweat break out on anyone's brow, or experience the tightening of one's stomach, or see the subtle shaking of someone's hands; the character just "acts nervously".
Preston and Child also fall into the trap of having characters explain things to other characters when there's no need to do so. You know, the whole "You're familiar with...", "Of course...", "Then you already know that..." exchange that smacks of poor storytelling. That happens a lot. And they tell a lot of the story instead of showing it to us. Maybe I was more attuned to it because I was listening to someone else read it as opposed to reading it myself, but I couldn't believe how bad the writing was.
Plot-wise, the story is a bit random, like an episode of The Simpsons from the last ten years or so. We start off with Gideon stealing a page out of the Book of Kells, mentioned above. It involves him staking out the museum, coming up with a plan, executing it (while focusing a lot of attention on a tertiary character who doesn't serve any use in the plan, and is never heard from again), and then having his debriefing with the character who hired him to do the job. It's important to have that page to get the rest of the story going, but it seems weird to put the focus on that plot when the book isn't even the maguffin in the story.
The story is actually about the titular lost island, and once the story finally gets there, I realized how ridiculous it is that it could be lost at all. The authors describe the island as lush, with jungles, 1000-foot cliffs, and enough animals -- armadillos, rats, and two different kinds of monkeys, among others -- that suggest this island is huge. It would have to be, to support that kind of life, but it's supposedly been lost for thousands of years, which strains credibility for me. In a world with satellites and instant communications, it's hard to believe an island that large, that harbored that much life, would go unnoticed.
The authors also bring in the concept of psychohistory, from Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, but they use it as a means for someone to predict another person's behavior. Given that the main tenet of psychohistory is that it can't predict an individual's behavior, and that the concept only works when extrapolated over hundreds or thousands of years, it doesn't ring true to the story. Maybe they weren't expecting their readers to be familiar with the idea of psychohistory, though, and figured they could get away with it.
The narrator of the audio book -- David W. Collins -- is fine. His delivery is crisp and formal, and he doesn't read so fast that I got lost in the narrative. He has a (mostly) distinct voice for each character, and he seems pretty good with accents, but whenever he spoke for a Latino character, I couldn't get a sense that his accent fit. Also, when a character had to yell, he wasn't really yelling; he was just affecting a yell. I don't know if that's normal in audio books (I don't listen to enough of them to tell), but it was a little distracting.
I could keep going, but look, I've said before that Preston and Child are a guilty pleasure. I enjoyed the hell out of The Relic and especially Riptide, and I recommend them a lot, but The Lost Island is a wreck. I'd probably be even more angry about it if I had actually read the book, but since I listened to the book in the car while driving, I at least didn't waste time with it.
To start with, Gideon Crew, the main character, is pretty stupid. He's supposed to be a genius of some kind, but he makes stupid moves throughout the story. I don't mean making poor choices due to muddled judgment or anything like that; that would make his character more interesting. Instead, he just makes dumb choices that are more for moving the plot along instead of doing anything that supports his character.
Now, granted, this is the third book in a series of books featuring the character, so maybe I've missed some of his development. Still, these books are intended to be standalone stories featuring the same character, and when you leap into a story assuming your readers are going to know your character based off of previous books, you're going to lose some of them. It reminded me a lot of Robert Langdon from Dan Brown's books. In fact, the entire book reminded me of a Dan Brown book, since the characterization was inconsistent, the story was a one-trick pony, and the narrative was pretty horrible.
Anyway, back to Gideon. I had issues with his character from the beginning, since he goes to great lengths to steal a page from the Book of Kells. The entire thieving process involves subjecting the book to explosions, gases, cutting a page from the book, and then spraying the page with sunscreen -- sunscreen! Onto a page from a book that's over a thousand years old! -- but then when the people who hire him to steal the page dissolve the paint from the page to see what's underneath, he loses it because they're destroying a priceless piece of art. Even though he's already done all that other stuff to it, when it's been kept in a pristine environment to protect it from the elements. Plus, he's a bit of a jerk, and strikes me as someone who would be a men's rights advocate, especially considering how he responds to discovering his partner for the job is a woman.
Then again, the authors don't spend a whole lot of time on characterization anyway. In fact, they don't spend much time on anything but plot. Much of what happens is told to us, instead of seeing it happen. This isn't necessarily that the authors tell instead of show (though the do), but that instead of seeing how a character responds to a situation, we read a description of what the situation is instead. Plus, and if there's any book that drives home how adverbs tell instead of show, this is the one. We don't get to see the sweat break out on anyone's brow, or experience the tightening of one's stomach, or see the subtle shaking of someone's hands; the character just "acts nervously".
Preston and Child also fall into the trap of having characters explain things to other characters when there's no need to do so. You know, the whole "You're familiar with...", "Of course...", "Then you already know that..." exchange that smacks of poor storytelling. That happens a lot. And they tell a lot of the story instead of showing it to us. Maybe I was more attuned to it because I was listening to someone else read it as opposed to reading it myself, but I couldn't believe how bad the writing was.
Plot-wise, the story is a bit random, like an episode of The Simpsons from the last ten years or so. We start off with Gideon stealing a page out of the Book of Kells, mentioned above. It involves him staking out the museum, coming up with a plan, executing it (while focusing a lot of attention on a tertiary character who doesn't serve any use in the plan, and is never heard from again), and then having his debriefing with the character who hired him to do the job. It's important to have that page to get the rest of the story going, but it seems weird to put the focus on that plot when the book isn't even the maguffin in the story.
The story is actually about the titular lost island, and once the story finally gets there, I realized how ridiculous it is that it could be lost at all. The authors describe the island as lush, with jungles, 1000-foot cliffs, and enough animals -- armadillos, rats, and two different kinds of monkeys, among others -- that suggest this island is huge. It would have to be, to support that kind of life, but it's supposedly been lost for thousands of years, which strains credibility for me. In a world with satellites and instant communications, it's hard to believe an island that large, that harbored that much life, would go unnoticed.
The authors also bring in the concept of psychohistory, from Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, but they use it as a means for someone to predict another person's behavior. Given that the main tenet of psychohistory is that it can't predict an individual's behavior, and that the concept only works when extrapolated over hundreds or thousands of years, it doesn't ring true to the story. Maybe they weren't expecting their readers to be familiar with the idea of psychohistory, though, and figured they could get away with it.
The narrator of the audio book -- David W. Collins -- is fine. His delivery is crisp and formal, and he doesn't read so fast that I got lost in the narrative. He has a (mostly) distinct voice for each character, and he seems pretty good with accents, but whenever he spoke for a Latino character, I couldn't get a sense that his accent fit. Also, when a character had to yell, he wasn't really yelling; he was just affecting a yell. I don't know if that's normal in audio books (I don't listen to enough of them to tell), but it was a little distracting.
I could keep going, but look, I've said before that Preston and Child are a guilty pleasure. I enjoyed the hell out of The Relic and especially Riptide, and I recommend them a lot, but The Lost Island is a wreck. I'd probably be even more angry about it if I had actually read the book, but since I listened to the book in the car while driving, I at least didn't waste time with it.
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