Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Codex by Douglas J. Preston ISBN: 0-7653-0700-6 Publisher: Forge Books Pub. Date: 08 December, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.59 (44 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Fun read
Comment: I enjoyed this more than I did the recent Preston/Child collobaration 'Still Life with Crows'. In fact, it's the first thriller I've actually finished in recent months. Like another reviewer pointed out earlier, all these authors -- Matt Reilly, James Rollins, Steven Alten, Child/Preston -- are all blending together. If memory serves, the cover of this book and the hardcover of Reilly's 'Temple' are almost identical. I honestly couldn't even finish 'Temple' or Rollin's 'Amazonia' -- those authors always write outlandishly ridiculous stories and stupid characters that yank me out of the book from the very beginning.
Preston fares better here. That's not to say this storyline is exactly believeable or the characters dynamite, because they're not. However, it is FUN and I think the central concept is very imaginative and had me hooked. Unlike Rollins or Reilly, Preston doesn't blow a good idea with poor execution and I happily read this way past midnight. I can't imagine fans of Preston/Childs not enjoying this.
That said, I do hope this spells the end of Crichtonesque books about adventure in South/Central America chasing some priceless Aztec/Mayan/and or Incan ruin. I'll give kudos to Preston for doing it with more imagination and originality than most, but it's time to find some new terriroty.
Rating: 4
Summary: A deadly inheritance
Comment: Being a huge Preston & Child fan. it's obvious to me that novels derived from that union are superior to their individual efforts. The Codex, while being fascinating on many levels lacks the excitement level of other P&C novels.
The plot surrounds the summoning of the three sons of reclusive multimillionaire Maxwell Broadbent to his New Mexico mansion. Broadbent is an obsessive collector of fine art and priceless archeologic artifacts, is considered a glorified grave robber. Upon arrival to the palatial Broadbent estate, the sons Tom, Vernon and Phillip discover the their father's collection, valued at 500 million dollars has apparently been stolen. They learn that the collection, their inheritance, has been spirited away with Broadbent who is dying of cancer, to be interred in tomb somewhere in the world. To claim their inheritance they must find the tomb to prove themselves worthy of its acquisition.
Vernon, Tom and Phillip set off independently of each other to claim the fortune. Vernon, an aimless free spirit sets off with his money hungry spiritual guru. Tom, a dedicated yet poor veterinarian is coaxed by the blonde and beautiful Sally Colorado, an ethnopharmacologist to pursue the collection. Sally, a studier of indigenous medicines, has learned that the collection includes a Mayan codex. The codex written in about 800 A.D. contains thousands of medical prescriptions and preparations derived from plants, animals, insects and minerals native to the rainforest. Such a discovery would be a priceless boon to the pharmaceutical industry. Phillip, an art history professor had the brilliant idea to recruit Marcus Hauser, successful private investigator and former partner of his father. Little did he know that the partnership dissolved prior to Broadbent making his initial lucrative discovery. As a result Hauser secretly abhored Broadbent and was desperate to even the score.
They all embark on a tortuous trek through the disease infested jungles of central Honduras to where they suspect Maxwell Broadbent is entombed. What follows is a harrowing adventure tale with the various parties aided by local minions as they overcome numerous hardships while treking to a remote mythical location.
Although, a cut below the usual Preston & Child quality, The Codex is still a worthwhile read.
Rating: 4
Summary: Enjoyable
Comment: It will be impossible to review this book without a comparison to Lincoln Child's Utopia, so I'll do it first.
This book is smoother than Utopia.
The flow is quicker, the rhythm is more solid, and the book has much more of a brisk pace. Much of this comes from more dialogue and shorter paragraphs.
Is smooth necessarily good? In this case yes. The book is an adventure book, through-and-through, and plays well with the speed. The characters are stereotypes, but they're supposed to be.
The setup of the book, as you can already tell, is a tad contrived. Aren't they always? The rest of the book works, though, with little groaning or reason to complain. The largest groan, perhaps, could be sex between two people that have spent over a month in the wet, rain-soaked jungle without a proper shower or hygeine concerns. Oral sex, in fact. Improbable, unlikely, completely unbelievable.
Overall, though, you can feel the lack of Child, especially after reading Utopia (which, in retrospect, has a lack of Preston). Child seems to be best at bringing slower points of the book - plot developments and information. Preston seems best at bringing the action and dialogue. Neither concentrates much on character development, even though the characters do evolve more here than other adventures they evolve very predictably (yet satisfyingly.)
A solid read, great for the beach or a weekend trip. Recommended.
On a side note: in the battle of the gimmicky, transparent sidekicks Preston takes the lead. Hairy Bugger isn't nearly as throwaway or one-dimensional plotwise as Wingnut was. Wingnut was a huge groan, Hairy Bugger just a mild one.
 |
Title: Death Match : A Novel (CHILD, LINCOLN) by LINCOLN CHILD ISBN: 0385506708 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: 04 May, 2004 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
 |
Title: Brimstone by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child ISBN: 044653143X Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: 03 August, 2004 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
 |
Title: Sandstorm by James Rollins ISBN: 0060580666 Publisher: William Morrow Pub. Date: 29 June, 2004 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
 |
Title: Scarecrow by Matthew Reilly ISBN: 0312289588 Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books Pub. Date: 24 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
 |
Title: Deep Fire Rising by Jack Du Brul, Jack Dubrul ISBN: 0451411188 Publisher: Onyx Books Pub. Date: 02 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
