Customer Reviews

Indiana Jones and the Philosopher's Stone

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've collected all of the Indy novels and am slowly going through them all, reading them in order. After the side step of Martin Caidin's two novels, the fun and excitement of the real Indy is back in this book. The opening chapter is classic Indy, obtaining (or in this case, just missing) rare antiquities. The 4th book, the Genesis Deluge, is my favorite, but this one (almost finished it) is going to rank up there near the top. McCoy's pacing is terrific, and his attention to details that really set the tone and the time period are classic Indy. The Voynich Manuscript is a great topic for an Indy novel, and McCoy's capturing of Indy's mannerisms and wry humor are indeed welcome after Caidin's characterizing Indy as a CIA operative or some other shenanigans.

I could not believe how fabulous this book was! I was truly amazed! Max Mycoy is a FABULOUS author, and catches all the great aspects of Indy and even Marcus Brody and Sallah. I loved the character Alecia, she was the perfect character to go along with Indy. The villian, Sarducci, reminded me of a cross between Belloq and the man in black from Raiders, EVIL! Mycoy also was able to add that humor in parts where it wasn't expected, which made it seem as if Ford was jumping from the pages I really enjoyed this book, It's a hands down MUST buy! The Prolouge was SOOOOO amazing, that that alone will URGE you to read on, believe me...this book is AMAZING!

This was an absolutely terrific book. Max McCoy is, in my opinion, the best author so far in the Indiana Jones novel series. Here he captures the true spirit of the movies, from Indy's daredevil ride on the OUTSIDE of a 1930's airship to his climactic desert showdown with cruel Italian Facists for the possession of the fabled Philosopher's Stone. Sallah makes a welcome appearance in this book (I hope he'll show up again in some future novel), and Alecia, Indy's female companion this time around, is the best he's ever had. In either the books OR the movies (sorry, Marian and Deirdre, but...). It saddens you to know that their relationship is doomed, but at the same time you can always hope. So while you wait eagerly for Indiana Jones IV to come out in theaters, you can wisely quench your thirst for his adventures by picking up a copy of this book. Don't miss it. Hat's off to McCoy.

Overall, I would say that this was a good book. However, there are a few things that bothered me.

1. The opening sequence was, I feel, meant to mimic the opening of Raiders in an attempt at a tie-in - Maybe Indy doesn't have much luck at procuring Skull Artifacts? But unfortunately it felt more like jungle re-tread than new territory.

2. Evidently Indiana Jones can't find anyone but Redheads to fall for. This seems to be a common thread amongst all three Authors of this series. I mean, I like a good Redhead as much as the next guy, but come on! Not to mention I felt that McCoy was trying too hard to make Alecia Dunstin an independent, free-willed type rather than a three-dimensional character.

3. I really liked the Sarducci character and felt that he was a good solid character with plenty of background, etc. But Alistair Dunstin was cardboard at best. He was really a disappointment after waiting the entire novel to meet him. Not to mention the fact that McCoy foreshadowed him too much. You knew what he was going to do before he did.

4. The book just ended. I can't really say that I appreciate books that just end. Even though the next book, Indiana Jones and the Dinosaur Eggs, pretty well picks up where Philosopher's Stone leaves off, the book built you up until the end and then just kind of petered out in a Deus Ex Machination. On a side note, Alistair Dunstin's last act, in an attempt at repentance, was lame at best and most definitely out of character.

As I said before, overall it is a good book. If you are an Indiana Jones fan and a fan of the books in particular, I would definitely recommend this book. It will entertain you for the few hours it takes to read it.

Amazon doesn't have it listed as yet, but Bantam is reprinting this on Apr 29. They've already reissued 4 of the Indy novels last week, more are on the way this month.

The book was action packed and even gave me a detailed dream but honestly, the book was slow to develop. I read Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Sphinx and I finished it in 4 hours. This I finished in 19 hrs. Why? Because it lacked the thrill and adventure as to what happens next. That is why its a four star rating!

The first of McCoy's Indiana Jones book closely adheres to the script patterns of the original films (and, if one thinks on it, almost the same pattern the Bond films have long followed before that). On first inspection, it is almost paint-by-numbers Indiana Jones. Some fans really like this formulaic approach. We have a pretitle temple labyrinth sequence, meeting with government agents establishing the "macguffin", Indy's meeting with Marcus to discuss how dangerous the adventure will be, meeting up with a damsel, various encounters with villains, mildly romantic interlude with female partner, another ancient temple labyrinth (amazing how dedicated ancient civilizations were to building enormously complicated death traps that survive the ages to shift and transform with minute perfection thousands of years later and then transform back somehow when other raiders only get so far), and, of couse, the macabre supernatural ending where villains are dispatched by their own greed or vanity. I'm amused by the review that questioned whether McCoy had seen the films and wonder if that person wasn't looking for a direct novelization of a film. This may be the most faithful continuation novel of any franchise I've ever encountered.

Despite the obvious trappings of the film formula, McCoy does a really wonderful job with dialogue and in extending the character to consider realworld issues of the day like rationalizing the esoteric nature of his adventurous lifestyle during the Great Depression. He is often held in disdain by fellow archaeologists and is disheartened when he is not recognized, or when the head of Princeton calls his bluff and fires him. The alchemist element is original as is McCoy's choice of fascist fliers over Nazis. Almost every bit of dialogue spoken by Indy is easy to imagine Harrison Ford delivering.

The reckless entry aboard the USS Macon dirigible seemed a bit forced though and certain details could have been better fleshed out here and there. All in all, this is a fun, quick read for those who expect to see the film formula in each continuation novel. As memorable literature, McCoy's Indiana Jones falls short of really creating anything indelible, but he does try admirably sometimes to reach beyond the mold he presumes he is expected to work in.

Indiana Jones and the Philosopher's Stone
By: Max McCoy


In an epic game of tag with the German enemy, Indiana Jones must find the philosopher's stone and save mankind.

Imagine being shot at, almost blown up, almost drowned, and captured by the German army. Oh, and also having to save the world. I think that's pretty intense, No pressure though. Well this is exactly how Indiana Jones felt when he was trying to find the Philosopher's stone. That's right, he was shot at by a bazooka, chased by the German Army, had to swim with someone on his back in five degree water, and narrowly escaped from death. I can swim pretty well but I don't want to break glaciers to get to the deep end. When he meets a woman named Alecia, who accompanies Indy in search of her brother who is the holder of the Stone, she helps him defeat their obstacles. The author, Max McCoy, does a good job of making the reader understand and feel the character's emotion. Towards the end, he was captured by the German Army and merely escaped by a distraction from one of his friends. If I were to be in his place, I think I would die. During their adventures, Indy has: defused a bomb with 3 seconds left, stopped a ship from crashing, and hijacked a boat. That's just a normal day for him. I have seen so many books which have tried to make the reader excited, but this has been the only book that has been successful doing so.


"Indy stretched out on the bunk to think. The gentle hum of the motors was soothing, and there was no sensation of speed or movement. The bunk beneath him felt as steady, he thought, as his bed in the little rented house at 1226 Chestnut back at Princeton...." p. 95

The reason I chose this paragraph is because I like how he explained all of his five senses and described the things he felt. Also, I liked how the paragraph led to a flashback conclusion, and how he compared it to something else that he remembered.


By- Big D

Indiana Jones discovered the Philosopher's Stone 2 years before Harry Potter did!!!
A good read for Indy fans...........the book doesn't deal too much with the stone itself til the last chapter. The rest of the book is Indy's journey to the Stone.
Plus, the whole mysticism of the stone is overlooked.

Professor Indiana Jones finds himself discharged from his teaching position at Princeton and sets out for London to recover the Voynich Manuscript. Some believe the Manuscript contains the secrets to turning lead into gold and granting immortality. Others believe it to be nothing other than a hoax. Indiana seems to think there might be some truth to its supposed powerful secrets as he finds himself being chased by Mussolini's troops. Not only that but the item in question has disappeared and Indy's convinced that an eccentric British alchemist and a crazy Renaissance scholar, named Sarducci, are involved. Which causes a bit of tension between Indy and his love interest in the story, the beautiful Alecia Dunstin, because she's the missing alchemist's sister. Their quest takes them straight to the heart of Rome.

I picked up INDIANA JONES AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE because I had already read INDIANA JONES AND THE DINOSAUR EGGS which is the second book in the series of four Indiana Jones books by Max McCoy. Each of McCoy's books are tied together through the beginning as Indy searches, finds, and has a crystal skull stolen from him time after time.

As both an Indiana Jones story and an adventure story, INDIANA JONES AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE was average. The opening sequence seemed like it was almost copied directly from the opening sequence of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and the there were parts towards the end of the novel that are similar to parts of INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM. I liked the character of Alecia Dunstin, but she didn't seem very developed in this story. The ending felt rushed with hardly any sense of closer. However, I did really enjoy the sequence where Indy goes for a ride aboard and Italian 1930's dirigible. I also liked that Sallah and Marcus Brody were involved in the story, though in rather minor roles.

I didn't enjoy INDIANA JONES AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE as much as INDIANA JONES AND THE DINOSAUR EGGS, but it's not a terrible book. If you're a fan of Indy, you will probably enjoy the book, but just realize that there are a lot of parts in the book that seem just like the movies.