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51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Incan Sanctuary, June 21, 2005
In Rollins's second novel, we join an archeological expedition on a dig at an ancient Incan site. As the story opens it is revealed that a mummy found at the site is actually a Spanish priest. The news of this discovery sets many powerful wheels in motion; the first of which causes a collapse of the dig and the entrapment of many of the crew. As the crew tries to escape from the dig and the digs head mounts a rescue, we begin a journey that takes us through history, Incan legends, secret societies, and plenty of action and suspense. Although the title might make one expect a similar setting to his first book, there is very little time spent inside caves or tombs. This time the suspense comes from those who wish to gain something from this Incan site and a legend of "Satan's Blood"; a near magical substance that holds a key to an age-old secret plan. Like the first book, there was some imbalance in eco systems where there seemed to be more predators than the food supply could allow but this time it is less important to the plot and therefore easier to overlook. Both EXCAVATION and SUBTERRANEAN are better than AMAZONIA (his fourth book) with the stories being more complete. Although I suspected some of the book's revelations, I didn't get them quite right. Needless to say, giving too many details would lessen the effect of the book and it is one worth reading.
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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Dig" your way through the first 100 pages..., March 28, 2001
and you'll find a pretty good read. Alright...it's not the most believable premise. (believeable, hell!; this ranks right up there with "there's no travelling in the NBA", the Alien Autopsy, and "I'll still respect you in the morning...") On the other hand, if you like over-the-top "Indiana Jones-type" adventure stories, then you'll find this book very entertaining. Character development is a little weak and in most cases, it's really hard to feel very close to "our heroes", but besides that and believability, those are the only major flaws in this book. I've got to admit that once I finally got into the story, this was a hard book to put down. I'm not big on giving too much of the plot line away in these reviews because I hate it when somebody does that. So, suffice it to say, Rollins does a nice job keeping two plots lines going and tying them together at the end of the book. There's a lot of action in the last 300 pages and it's easy to pick out the "bad" guys in this book - a group who's usually not thought of as being "bad" guys, I might add! (I'm sure this won't be on the Pope's reading list.) If you liked Rollins' first novel, "Subterranean", or if you enjoyed "Neanderthal" and the "Relic" books, you'll probably really enjoy "Excavation" as well. And, like a lot of novelists these days, the "door" is left open at the end of this book for a sequel. I smell "mini-series"!
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A TREMENDOUS improvement over Subterranean..., December 11, 2000
As I read 'Subterranean' I couldn't help but wonder if Mr. Rollins was going to be introduced to what folks in the publishing biz call an 'Editor'...he has such raw talent and great ideas, but they don't get to run through the editors gristmill before they hit the pages. His first novel was a hodgepodge of ideas strung along together in order to keep your interest--and that he did, but at the expense of smooth writing and editing. 'Excavation' remedies a LOT of what I found disappointing in his first novel. As far as I can tell either his talent has greatly increased or an editor finally decided to reign in his ideas and give them direction because SOMETHING has happened in between novel 1 and novel 2--something very good. I found myself drawn into this tale virtually from page 1 and it honestly began to get better, gradually at first, and then like a steamroller with no brakes it takes off and refuses to slow down. I have to say, that the thought of being caught in an archaelogical dig with THOUSANDS of albino tarantulas massing to use YOU for an evening snack was enough to bring the hair on my neck to attention. More detailed, MUCH more complex, 'Excavation' is a great Hollywood movie in-waiting in my opinion. Kinda like 'X-Files' meets 'Indiana Jones'. A great combination and overall, a VERY fun and exciting novel, and when all is said and done, a TREMENDOUS improvement over 'Subterranean'.
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