Inca Gold (Dirk Pitt) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "THE SKELETON RECLINED IN THE SEDIMENT OF THE DEEP pool as if resting on a soft mattress, the cold unwinking eye sockets of the skull..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, Sea of Cortez, Doc Miller (more...)

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

• Mass Market Paperback: 592 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books; First Thus edition (March 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671519816
• ISBN-13: 978-0671519810
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (125 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #482,308 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 12 in The Dirk Pitt Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Paladin08 (Folsom, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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.

8 of 8 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)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great, light read., January 31, 2006

By	Joe - See all my reviews

Clive Cussler at his best. This a another book with a gripping plot and suspensefull story. Cussler is great at piecing together all of the little elements to form a conclusion that is full of imagination. Hats off to Cussler.

On the negative side, the events that occur seem rather unbelievable in parts and some statistics are fully fabricated. This book is a definite library pick but I would be hesitant to buy.