Inca Gold [Paperback]

Clive Cussler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 1998

A CLASSIC DIRK PITT ADVENTURE A desperate call for help from a stricken archaeological expedition brings Dirk Pitt to a sacred well high in the Andes. What he discovers as he attempts to rescue two divers lost in the perilous depths, leads him into deadly confrontation with a band of ruthless art-thieves, who plunder ancient sites for their precious artefacts. Dirk Pitt's extraordinary adventures take him to the fabled Lost City of the Dead, lead him in search of a Spanish galleon washed miles inland by a giant tidal wave centuries before, and eventually set him on the trail of a fabulous hoard of Inca gold. But Pitt will need all his skills and tenacity simply to survive as he races to track down the sacred site -- before the richest prize known to man is lost to the world forever!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A chance rescue of two divers trapped in a Peruvian sinkhole leads series hero Dirk Pitt ( Raise the Titanic! ; Deep Six ) into a search for lost treasure that involves grave robbers, art thieves and ancient curses. Cussler's latest adventure novel features terrorists who aren ' t really terrorists and a respected archeologist who is not what he seems; it all boils down to a race between Pitt and some unscrupulous crooks for a cache of Inca gold hidden away from the Spanish and lost since the 16th century. The villains, a society of art and antiquity smugglers called the Solpemachaco , want to get their hands on the Golden Body Suit of Tiapollo, which contains in its hieroglyphics a description of the Inca treasure's hidden burial place. Pitt ends up searching for a jade box containing a quipu , an Inca silver-and-gold metalwork map to the treasure. The box was stolen from the Indians by the Spanish, stolen from the Spanish by Francis Drake and then lost in the South American jungle, but readers who know Pitt know that that a 400-year-old missing clue is only a minor obstacle. Master storyteller Cussler keeps the action spinning as he weaves a number of incredible plotlines and coincidences into a believable and gripping story. It's pure escapist adventure, with a wry touch of humor and a certain self-referential glee (Cussler himself makes a cameo appearance), but the entertainment value meets the gold standard. 550,000 first printing; Literary Guild super release and Doubleday Book Club super release.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Dirk Pitt is back in fine form as he rescues two archaeologists from certain death in a Peruvian sinkhole. Before Pitt climbs out of the hole he runs afoul of the Solpemachace, a group of three brothers who steal and sell Indian artifacts. Pitt finds a rope sculpture, a quipu, that points the way to a huge Inca treasure. Meanwhile, the Solpemachace steal the Golden Body Suit of Tiapollo, which leads them to the same treasure inside a mountain in Baja, Mexico. As both sides race to the treasure, the Solpemachace capture Pitt's girlfriend, Congresswoman Loren Smith. With his lifelong, wisecracking friend, Al Giordino, Pitt braves an uncharted underground river to rescue Loren and stop the Solpemachace. Cussler weaves Inca legends and lore in a spellbinding tale featuring enduring hero Pitt, a skin-diving Indiana Jones with a James Bond attitude. Cussler fans will demand this one. For all fiction collections.
Grant A. Fredericksen, Illinois Prairie Dist. P.L., Metamora
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins Publishers (January 3, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 000647909X
• ISBN-13: 978-0006479093
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (134 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,996,639 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Clive Cussler began writing novels in 1965 and published his first work featuring his continuous series hero, Dirk Pitt(R), in 1973. His first non-fiction, The Sea Hunters, was released in 1996. The Board of Governors of the Maritime College, State University of New York, considered The Sea Hunters in lieu of a Ph.D. thesis and awarded Cussler a Doctor of Letters degree in May, 1997. It was the first time since the College was founded in 1874 that such a degree was bestowed.
Cussler is an internationally recognized authority on shipwrecks and the founder of the National Underwater and Marine Agency, (NUMA) a 501C3 non-profit organization (named after the fictional Federal agency in his novels) that dedicates itself to preserving American maritime and naval history. He and his crew of marine experts and NUMA volunteers have discovered more than 60 historically significant underwater wreck sites including the first submarine to sink a ship in battle, the Confederacy's Hunley, and its victim, the Union's Housatonic; the U-20, the U-boat that sank the Lusitania; the Cumberland, which was sunk by the famous ironclad, Merrimack; the renowned Confederate raider Florida; the Navy airship, Akron, the Republic of Texas Navy warship, Zavala, found under a parking lot in Galveston, and the Carpathia, which sank almost six years to-the-day after plucking Titanic's survivors from the sea.
In September, 1998, NUMA - which turns over all artifacts to state and Federal authorities, or donates them to museums and universities - launched its own web site for those wishing more information about maritime history or wishing to make donations to the organization.
In addition to being the Chairman of NUMA, Cussler is also a fellow in both the Explorers Club of New York and the Royal Geographic Society in London. He has been honored with the Lowell Thomas Award for outstanding underwater exploration.
Cussler's books have been published in more than 40 languages in more than 100 countries. His past international bestsellers include Pacific Vortex, Mediterranean Caper, Iceberg, Raise the Titanic, Vixen 03, Night Probe, Deep Six, Cyclops, Treasure, Dragon, Sahara, Inca Gold, Shock Wave, Flood Tide, Atlantis Found, Valhalla Rising, Trojan Odyssey, Black Wind, Treasure of Kahn and Arctic Drift (the last three with his son, Dirk Cussler) as well as The Chase; the nonfiction books The Sea Hunters, The Sea Hunters II and Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt (R) Revealed; the NUMA(R) Files novels Serpent, Blue Gold, Fire Ice, White Death, Lost City, Polar Shift, The Navigator and Medusa (written with Paul Kemprecos); and the Oregon Files novels Sacred Stone and Golden Buddha (written with Craig Dirgo) and Dark Watch, Skeleton Coast, Plague Ship and Corsair (written with Jack Du Brul).
Clive Cussler lives in Arizona.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just suspend your disbelief and enjoy, October 27, 2003

By 

Erik1988 "beingawriter dot wordpress dot com" (Folsom, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Inca Gold (Clive Cussler) (Mass Market Paperback)

STORY: As one editor put,"Dirk Pitt is back in fine form as he rescues two archaeologists from certain death in a Peruvian sinkhole. Before Pitt climbs out of the hole he runs afoul of the Solpemachace, a group of three brothers who steal and sell Indian artifacts. Pitt finds a rope sculpture, a quipu, that points the way to a huge Inca treasure. Meanwhile, the Solpemachace steal the Golden Body Suit of Tiapollo, which leads them to the same treasure inside a mountain in Baja, Mexico." The race for the treasure and the saving of lives are in Pitt's hands.

MY FEEDBACK:
If I was comparing this to "real" literature this book would get rated very low. But thankfully this isn't my first endeavor into a Cussler book so I knew to suspend disbelief and enjoy it for what it is.

As with his other stories, the main character is never really in any danger because he is James Bond, Indiana Jones and The Terminator rolled into one. There is never any doubt that Dirk Pitt will pull off the impossible, which is what makes these stories fun. There is no time to intellecutalize events or think if they are possible or not, they are just there and the reader is along for the ride.

This is my third Cussler book and the reason why I had to knock it down a star is because I just happen to have the luck that the opening few scenes seem to mimic almost event-after-event what happens in another one of his books. The only difference were the characters and locations. That was disappointing, but I quickly got over it and enjoyed the ride.

I cannot comment in detail on Characterization or Plot line because the story is more like a fantasy than something that takes place in real life. In other words, if you've read Cussler before and enjoyed it you are sure to like this story. If this is your first attempt at Cussler, just go into it with the right attitude and you should have fun.

As compared to the other two books from Cussler that I've worked through, this one was the better of the three (Serpent and the other I can't remember the name).

Also, I didn't give it a higher rating because I listened to the audio book version and the reader seemed to not have a lot of life and emotion in his reading. He had great voices for characters, especially Pitt, but when there is an action scene his reading should have been more intense and faster paced in order to draw the listener into the scene more.

Otherwise, it was an enjoyable story.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inca Gold, September 10, 2006

By 

Sarah Sammis "Avid BookCrosser" (Hayward, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inca Gold (Clive Cussler) (Mass Market Paperback)

Inca Gold is one of the more recent Dirk Pitt novels and has the humor of these later ones. In this one there is more emphasis on treasure hunting than on espionage which makes for a ripping yarn. While rescuing some divers, Pitt and his colleages come face to face with an international ring of art thieves and a clue to a massive Inca treasure. While the methods described in finding the treasure, and the treasure itself, are sometimes preposterous, everything somehow works together to make an entertaining adventure story.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of his Best!, August 10, 2006

By 

Orthodork (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inca Gold (Clive Cussler) (Mass Market Paperback)

I love this novel because I read it after taking an extensive anthropology course at UT in Meso-American culture. Most of the facts checked out (well, come on, who writes 100% authentic historic "fiction"? the main word here is "fiction") and as always, Clive brought the action.