Customer Reviews

The Last Baktun

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The story is action-packed with a very true-to-character contemporary theme and you won't be able to put it down easily. The characters are also so easy to relate. The story is suitable for any family member read. Loved the book.

The Last Baktun was soo hard to put down! The best book I have ever read! Very easy to read and understand! I got a great glimpse at what archaeologists actually do when they are doing fieldwork. The author really painted a clear picture on everything. I felt like I was actually there! I highly recommend this book! You won't be disappointed!

The Last Baktun by Lisa Westwood follows the adventures of a group of college students who participate in a summer archaeological class that takes them to Yucatan, Mexico. It combines mystery and suspense with factual cultural and historical information about the Mayan civilization.

The author tells a fun story that is equal to any current best seller fiction novel, but cleverly incorporates insights into the work of the current day archeologist as well as the advanced level of civilization achieved by the Mayans. Lias's professional background and college level teaching experience, together provide the reader with more than adequate source information. It is most fortunate that she is a good story teller and writer; for not only is the reader treated with great insights into the Mayan civilization and culture, but gets to learn about them through the enjoyable story told in this novel.

While reading this book, I often took the time to search the Internet for photographs of the locations and sites referred to in the story. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading novels! I hope Lisa continues with more of the adventures of the group of students who are featured in this book.

Near the midpoint of The Last Baktun, one of the student-protagonists comments on the strange goings-on at their archaeological dig by exclaiming, "This is field school, not a mystery novel!"

To this comment, my rebuttal is: "It's both!" Lisa Westwood's background as a professor of archaeology ensures that the reader is going to learn something about archaeology. But, as is true with any good teacher, the information is disseminated in a way that makes the learning effortless, while simultaneously keeping the reader on board with - and eager to unravel- the mystery at the heart of The Last Baktun. And, in the spirit of any great mystery-suspense story, the author never forgets to keep things fun - Lisa's great wit is on display throughout the action.

I especially appreciated the author's gift for writing believable dialogue, a critical element in any novel written in the third-person narrative. The true-to-life dialogue of all characters helps keep the reader guessing as to "who's who" and "what's what" until the satisfying dénouement of the story. Also laudable is the author's generally even-handed commentary on sociopolitical events of our current world; in less-skilled hands, any story dealing with the potential end of the world could have devolved into a "Left Behind" style screed, and the author skillfully keeps the story on track at all times.

All in all, if you like your novels to be filled with suspense, mystery, action, and fun - and you don't mind learning a little something along the way - you will LOVE The Last Baktun.