Description

Sam and Remi Fargo, heroes of Spartan Gold, return in this extraordinary new adventure from the number-one New York Times- bestselling author.

With Spartan Gold, a daring thriller that Publishers Weekly proclaimed "solidly in the Cussler tradition, [and] sure to please new fans and old," Clive Cussler introduced husband-and-wife treasure-hunting team Sam and Remi Fargo. In their electrifying new adventure, the Fargos make a startling discovery that others would kill to keep hidden...

While scuba diving in Tanzania, Sam and Remi Fargo come upon a relic belonging to a long-lost Confederate ship. An anomaly about the relic sets them off chasing a mystery-but unknown to them, a much more powerful force is engaged in the same chase. Mexico's ruling party, the ultranationalist Mexica Tenochca, is intent on finding that artifact as well, because it contains a secret that could destroy the party utterly.

Through Tanzania and Zanzibar, into the rainforests of Madagascar, and across the Indian Ocean to Indonesia and the legendary site of the 1883 Krakatoa explosion, the Fargos and their ruthless opponents pursue the hunt-but only one can win. And the penalty for failure is death.

Filled with the dazzling suspense and breathtaking action that are Cussler's trademarks, Lost Empire is a stunning new novel from the grand master of adventure.

Details

• Published on: 2010-08-31
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 416 pages

Reviews

Lost Empire...Lost Reader
Lost Empire...Lost Reader

The last time we saw the husband and wife team of treasure hunters, Remi and Sam Fargo, they were off doing their stuff in Spartan Gold, a la Indiana Jones. Now, they are back in a dud of an adventure entitled Lost Empire, again, co-authored by Clive Cussler and Grant Blackwood. Once more, I was left feeling dissatisfied on many levels.

First, I still have no idea what either Remi or Sam looks like. Oh, there are the brief descriptions where Sam is several inches taller than the rebels who capture him or that he can swim quite well, or that he knows some self-defense moves. But I could not see him, physically, as I read the novel. Also, I have absolutely no image of his wife, Remi; she just floats along as a sometimes wise-cracking companion to her husband. Curiously, the only character I can slightly envision is Selma, the researcher, organizer, travel agent, and computer/technical genius who seems to hold the Fargos' lives together by being able to arrange for the rental of planes or boats at critical moments, in often the most inaccessible and poorest countries in the world.

I also have problem with much of the dialogue, especially between Remi and Sam. I was able to switch back and forth, changing the name of the speaker from one to the other, with no differentiation in the dialogue. The other characters speak as "types," simplistically drawn: the evil villains, the manipulating and scheming politician, the revolutionary thugs, the CIA contact able to provide what is needed at a moment's notice.

Beyond the above points, the story is weak, little more than a treasure hunt, with no suspense, and a predictable outcome. True, the Fargos are often threatened by ruthless Rivera, the henchman of Garza, the President of Mexico. Garza, a self-serving, power-hungry politician, is attempting to rebuild both his personal and his nation's images with an attempt to return to the world of the Aztecs--through his ultra nationalistic party, Mexica Tenocha--before European invaders destroyed the Aztecs. Rivera, his personal thug, is a stereotype, able to withstand extraordinary pain and punishment to his body as he pursues the goals of his master.

The story involves a lost Confederate ship whose captain may have found the origins of the Aztec people, the revelation of which would topple Garza's government. The Fargos travel from Tanzania to Zanzibar, Madagascar to Indonesia, with several trips in between to Southern California where they draw upon the computer skills of their research staff led by Selma. Along the way, they are threatened by assorted villains, yet I never got the feeling that they were ever in danger, since they always managed to escape, with a few scratches and bruise, to continue on to their next capture and beating. After all, Indiana Jones never died...he always managed to escape the most outrageous cliffhanging dangers. So, too, do the Fargos manage such derring-do, with minor injuries...including Remi being shot in her leg...something which only manages to slightly incapacitate her.

But, no more spoilers. Let me just say that Lost Empire is written for a ten-year-old seeking some adventure, with comic book dangers and villains, content to read about characters who have superficial appeal and show no unique identities. I think Mr. Cussler and Mr. Blackwood would have done better to have had one lead character, either Sam or Remi, since they are they same, and flesh out that character into someone believable. Then, of course, they might have been able to create real characters, with whom the reader can sympathize and identify.

In his early days, Mr. Cussler wrote some terrific books, with Dirk Pitt and Al Giordano as people we care about. The two are individuals, cleverly drawn, in some ways opposite sides of the same coin. They are friends who watched each other's back, can anticipate the other's words and actions, and yet remain unique. The Fargos are cardboard cutouts by comparison. Perhaps, Mr. Cussler has run out of ideas, or is losing his writing skills, and is attempting to recapture the quality of his early work through co-writers. If that is the case, he should be more selective about his co-writers, and should also spend more time critically editing the final manuscript. If not, future novels of the quality of Lost Empire will find more lost readers.

Cussler and Blackwood ring a different bell.
Sam and Remi Fargo return after their initial run in "Spartan Gold" (9/09). It's difficult to give any novel by Cussler a poor rating. However, The Fargo Adventures is not the strongest of the spinoff series. The Fargos are not Pitt, Austin, Cabrillo, or Bell, but they are fun to follow. Any fictional husband-and-wife team that works well together under duress is refreshing.

There are publishers' reviews and others by Amazon customers will follow. I'd like to leave you with this thought: If you're looking for fun escapist fare, "Lost Empire" will surely ring your bell. Enjoy!

Second time's a charm! (Just like the first)
Though I was a bit wary of another Cussler co-authored series, I picked up the first Fargo Adventure, SPARTAN GOLD, when it came out last year and was very pleasantly surprised. Great, escapist fiction.

The same applies to the second installment, this one, LOST EMPIRE. Sam and Remi Fargo are a lot of fun to follow and the plot has twists, turns, intrigue and adventure galore. Read it in two days and lost some sleep, which for me is a sure sign of a great book.

As with all Cussler books, LOST EMPIRE weaves together seemingly unrelated bits (a lost confederate man-o-war, a ship's bell, Aztecs, a code-filled journal, an ancient scroll) into an engaging story. I enjoyed trying to puzzle things out alongside the main characters.

Loved LOST EMPIRE. Looking forward to the next Fargo Adventure.