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Title: Area 51: The Sphinx by ROBERT DOHERTY ISBN: 0-440-23494-8 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 08 February, 2000 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.15 (34 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: Good, but ...
Comment: "The Sphinx" is the fourth in a series of 4 (soon to be 5) books by Doherty relating to fictional events surrounding the existence of aliens on Earth. The premise of the series is quite interesting. Area 51 is a top secret government installation that has been studying aliens for a long time. Actions by the researchers have re-ignited a civil war between two alien factions that landed on Earth a long time ago. The story ties the aliens into many of the mysteries of ancient times, e.g., the existence of Atlantis, the Ark of the Covenant, the building of the Sphinx and the Pyramids in Egypt, and even the building of the Great Wall of China.
What I found most interesting about the series is how Doherty ties together many of these historical enigmas into Area 51 and the history of the aliens. The work seems to be researched quite well and the first two books in the series (Area 51 and Area 51 The Reply) are both entertaining and satisfying.
This book, however entertaining, suffers from a fatal flaw in my opinion. Many subplots in the book are begun but not completed within the book's pages. Whereas the first two books are pretty well self-contained (i.e., the story ends at the end of the book), subplots in this book and the 3rd book (Area 51 The Mission) are not completed before the end of the book. They leave the reader hanging until the next book is purchased. By the time I got half way through Area 51 The Sphinx, I became tired of everything dragging on and not knowing how many of the subplots will end. At the end, I felt very unsatisfied. I wonder if the subplots that began in books 3 aqnd 4 will even end in the next book (Area 51 The Grail).
I have sworn off reading any more books in the series because of the unsatisfying feeling I had at the completion of Area 51 The Sphinx. It is a shame, actually, that such a great premise and a great start to a series seems to have degenerated into a tactic just to sell the next book in the series.
Rating: 4
Summary: Better than previous books in the series
Comment: The Sphinx, book 4 of the Area 51 series, is overall a better novel than the previous ones I've read. This is not really a sequel, but a continuation of the overall story. The author has begun to deviate somewhat from the central storyline, but he makes it work.
This one involves the supposition that the Ark of the Covenant lies beneath the Sphinx. Lisa Duncan's quest is to determine whether or not it really resides there. The usual "aliens tracking humans trying to keep them from learning the truth" occurs here and the storyline builds to a big conclusion.
The book is not a 5-star book due to its dragging in parts and the author trying to tie too many things together. Some of them work and some don't. Things become more unrealistic in the following book -- "The Grail". Read this one if you found the earlier books readable, but don't start with this one. Otherwise, some of the subplots will make little to no sense.
Rating: 5
Summary: Great series
Comment: Very rarely can a series of novels keep up the quality that the first book promises. In this case it is even the other way round. The more we follow the continuation of the story the more suspenseful the plot gets. Maybe that the characters are somewhat wooden and erratic in the descriptions of their actions and feelings now and then (Turcotte and others), but the plot in itself is consistent and conceivable. The series would be one book if it were not too long as it even follows the classical concept of the unity of time. But this is what makes this series such a marvellous read.
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Title: Area 51: The Truth by Robert Doherty ISBN: 0440237068 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 01 January, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Area 51: The Reply by Robert Doherty ISBN: 0440223784 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 09 February, 1998 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Area 51 (Area 51, Book 1) by Robert Doherty ISBN: 0440220734 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 10 February, 1997 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Area 51: Nosferatu by Robert Doherty ISBN: 0440237246 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 01 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Rock by Robert Doherty ISBN: 0440220726 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 09 December, 1995 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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