I know, I've been missing for a little while (to the numerous many of you who are completely AVID readers of this blog ((see, it's funny 'cause I'm pretty sure I don't have any of those 'you's)), but I've been backtracking a little bit and re-reading some books that made it onto my list o' favorites. I did just finish reading a book for the first time though.
The Hunt For Atlantis is my first novel I've read by McDermott, and I'm impressed. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though. The only two action/adventure author slots I've allotted for my Favorite Authors list have already been taken by Matthew Reilly and Jeremy Robinson, however, McDermott would be a ... I would say distant third favorite. Back to the review: this novel introduces Nina Wilde (archeologist/all around braniac) and Eddie Chase (ex-SAS/bodyguard/not even remotely attractive sounding). I'm kind of happy that McDermott didn't make Eddie Chase some sort of swoon-worthy gorgeous specimen of an ex-SAS dude, because then I think the novel would be more about the him-her (Mulder/Scully-esque) storyline than the actual adventure storyline that it ends up following. Without giving away any major plot points, Wilde is contracted by a guy to find the original Atlantis. For people that don't know much about Atlantis, it might be a good idea to just kind of skim a wikipedia article about it, just so you're aren't like, "So, what's Atlantis and why are they looking for it in the middle of the ocean?" and such during the book. (This did make me want to read The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne though.) Granted, you can read the book and gather a kind of rough history of Atlantis and it isn't vital you know every bit of history associated with it. The book is less of a history lesson that some books can be (kinda The da Vinci Code?? even though I really enjoyed reading it) and more of a what's-going-to-happen-when-they-get-there type of book.
The plot thickens when you find out that there is a group of people out there who are directly trying to sabotage any and all attempts at somebody finding Atlantis (they even murder to accomplish this.) I'd say this novel had a pretty good plot twist in it, but I still found myself counting down the pages until I was done reading it.
Some cons: as far as the action goes, it was alright. It took me about a week to read this book, and that was mostly because I'd read some, then put it down and read a few chapters of Harry Potter or this really awful book I tried reading called The Devil Has Dimples. (Gah! Nightmare!) I feel like one of the main differences between one of my two favorite action/adventure authors (Reilly or Robinson) is that with their books, I'm constantly flipping pages, excited to see where the book is going to go, only to be disappointed that I've reached the end of the novel. They seem more cover-to-cover action, whereas this book... was more like ... chapter-of-action-to-few-chapters-of-blahness-to-chapter-of-action. I wasn't as on the edge of my seat with this novel that I would say I usually am with an action/adventure novel. But this all goes saying I still enjoyed the book and I will definitely read the rest of the series, it just may take me awhile. I'll probably read 4-5 books in between each one rather than read them back to back.
Another thing: with the way the book ended, it seemed a wee bit too convenient for the main characters. That's all I've gotta say 'bout that.
Goodreads Rating: Three out of Five stars (liked it)
And here's a little blurb for those of you whose interest was piqued by my comment about The Devil Has Dimples. A woman finds out she's adopted, goes to some backwoods town to find out who her father is after her mother passes away, meets and falls in love with the town lawyer. Now, sounds like an okay concept. The actual format/writing of this book reads like an ADD kid. "Hi. Do you like cake? I have a frog. I love riding my bike. Oh, look, a rock. Hi, again. I want a pretzel." I got about halfway through it before I decided to cut my losses and go back to McDermott.
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