Lost Empire (A Fargo Adventure) [Import] [マスマーケット]

I have read 99% of Cussler's novels, even special ordering Pacific Vortex! because it was almost impossible to find in stores. The Oregon Files are fun, as are the Isaac Bell books, and I can deal with the NUMA Files, even though Austin and Zavala are an inferior copy of Pitt and Giordino. But Lost Empire... wow. Stephen King published a number of books under the name Richard Bachman because he felt that "as Stephen King [I] could publish my laundry list and it would sell." Cussler should mind this tidbit because this book wasn't even a laundry list, it was refuse. So,to say that I was disappointed with Lost Empire is an obvious understatement. It actually made me feel like I was losing my mind at times. I'll explain.

Just about everything in this book was out of focus. There are pages dedicated to hotel rooms and meals that really serve no purpose, and as other reviewers have pointed out, no character development. Even more maddening are segments that are supposed to show how clever the characters are (lifting the bell from the bottom of the ocean, the whole "decoding"), yet they are so poorly written that you wind up confused. Then there are some glaring editorial mistakes that got me so turned around, I went skipping back pages to see what I missed. SPOILERS. For instance, when the Orizanga Codex is introduced, Sam Fargo says "Orizanga, that's something out of Blaylock's journal." I thought, wow I guess I missed that, so I went back 25 pages trying to find out where Orizanga was mentioned earlier. He wasn't. Here's another howler: When Sam and Remi get rounded up by the Madagascar Rebels, they are brought back to their Range Rover which "sat under The Three Wise Men." What wise men? Are there three sages sitting on top of the car? One begins to understand that these wise men are in fact some sort of rock cluster which is never mentioned, named or described. Bad editing. Poor writing. I won't even go into the incessant product placement for Apple.

Why did I feel like I was losing my mind? I would get frustrated with the writing, I would hand the book to my girlfriend and say "do me a favor, read this and tell me if you understand this / can picture what he's trying to describe." Cussler books are not supposed to be like that. They're fun, easy reads. Not ponderous.

So, whatever you do, forgo the Fargoes.

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.

Does Amazon give re-funds? I'm a huge Cussler fan. I buy every book the day it is published. I've been reading and loving his work since I could read. I even learnt to SCUBA dive out of a passion from his books. His recent collaborations with other authors are usually pretty good too (not as good as his own work), but the link with Grant Blackwood isn't working...it's flat out embarrassing. Spartan Gold was awful, the first Cussler I literally put down mid chapter and never picked it up again. I even felt guilty about donating it to Good Will, it was that bad. I thought this was perhaps a one off, a special case of dreadful writing, and thought I'd give the Cussler / Blackwood duo another chance with Lost Empire. It was worse. I didn't think worse was possible.

Reading the 'professional' reviews on the slip cover has no made me doubt the veracity of those reviewers as well.

Mr. Cussler...Clive....shame on you! Worse yet, shame on your editor and publisher for even allowing this to reach the stands!!!