Customer Reviews

Naitaka (Kodiak Books)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In this second installment of the "Kodiak" book, things really pick up and move. I thought this book was a lot more fun then the previous installment, and it would make a great movie. George Kodiak, cryptozoologist/badass is back, tracking the legendary lake monster Ogopogo up in Canada. Good guys, Bad guys, monsters, and a really big helicopter.
Some of the chapters are right out of a summer blockbuster, much better then those in other recent sci-fi monster books like Meg. This book also doesn't have the sadistic streak that the previous installment featured.
Keep 'em coming!!!

THWACK! That's the sound of Lee Murphy hitting another home run with his second book, NAITAKA. Fans of high-tech thrillers and adventure novels will find themselves right at home in the pages of this book. As he did with the sasquatch in his first book, WHERE LEGENDS ROAM, Murphy portrays the basilosaur as an animal of nature, instead of a bloodthirsty monster. That's not to say there aren't plenty of close calls when it comes to this large, toothy predator. Murphy is a master at mixing realism and action. The overall effect is akin to the Discovery Channel on steroids. George Kodiak continues to be one of the most carefully crafted characters you are likely to encounter. I say this because Kodiak doesn't seem to be designed or crafted at all, he just IS. You can't ask more from an author than that when it comes to character development. Murphy paces the story nicely and is even able to weave a chilling subplot into the action. My advice to anyone reading this is kick back, put your feet up, turn off the Discovery Channel, and take a journey to British Columbia with George Kodiak to solve the mystery of Ogopogo. You'll be glad you made the trip.

I could barely put this one down. A great read from Lee Murphy who is certainly getting the hang of this "novel" business.

Naitaka is a blend of high-tech monster hunting and gripping characters. You'll be dying to find out what happens next and incredulous when you do! Naitaka's not for the faint-of-heart. There's enough action to keep the most avid reader of thrillers occupied. And there's plenty of excellent information that helps lay the groundwork for those not familiar with the subject of cryptozoology.

Don't miss this second installment in the Kodiak Books. Kodiak will certainly grow on you and who knows where Lee will have him jaunting off to next... Do I hear big footsteps coming through an equatorial swamp? ;)

Read Naitaka and keep an eye out for the next of the "Kodiak Books". Better by a long-shot than any fiction I've read in a while.

Naitaka: Lee Murphy does it again.


In his first book, Where Legends Roam, Lee Murphy introduced us to his unique ability to take the available data from the fossil record and integrate it with contemporary information in an interesting and engaging fashion. The end result was a great adventure story with the embedded theory of the survival of Gigantopithecus up until the present day. One cannot enjoy the story without giving serious consideration to his well thought out and researched theory. And, conversely, one cannot consider the theory without enjoying the entwined story.

Naitaka takes us back into the world of Murphy's primary protagonist, George Kodiak. This is the cryptozoologist adventurer who embodies not only the qualities most moral people think are laudable, but who also takes the action that most people wish they could. Here we find him not only solving the mystery of the large creatures reported in inland waters with a link to the sea, but also protecting them from destruction and exploitation. In this installment he comes face to face with his mysterious nemesis who was alluded to in the first book in his series. As in Legends, the action scenes are worthy of any adventure novel or movie. In fact it seems only right to refer to them as scenes since the pictures created in the mind of the reader are so vivid that one feels as though they are watching them on the big screen.

So what does Lee Murphy think the hidden creatures that George Kodiak and others are in search of actually are? By carefully taking the reader through the fossil record and many of the reports of these water dwelling animals over the years he has come to a startling conclusion. He believes them to be surviving members of the ancient whale family of Zeuglodons, or more specifically the Basilosaurus. These creatures are called by many local names, including a number with roots in the language of the original Native Americans, including Ogopogo and Naitaka.

Does this make any sense? On the surface it at first seems preposterous. However, when one carefully considers Murphy's recitation of the characteristics of water dwelling mammals and whales in particular, the picture begins to come into focus. He may indeed be correct about the identity of these creatures.

Again, one may say this is preposterous. That is exactly what people have said through the years when different rare animals were first reported before they were catalogued and their existence was widely accepted in the rest of the world. Who is not familiar with the giant panda or the mountain gorilla? These animals, too, were once the subject of the same shroud of mystery, doubt, and sometimes ridicule that surrounds the lake monsters.

In any case, you would do well to read this book. You will enjoy the adventure of the story itself while learning some facts about water dwelling mammals that would probably never have crossed your mind. In the end you will be entertained and better educated. If and when these animals are more fully understood and catalogued, you will also be able to speak with some knowledge about what you all along suspected to be true.

I may never have had sex with an "attractive" woman. I may still live with my parents, even though I'm in my mid-30's. I may have dressed like Captain Kirk for my high school yearbook photo. But that has nothing to do with enjoying a good book, and this is one of the best! Action, education, fantasy, a little bit of something for everyone. If you liked "Where Legends Roam", you'll love this one!

Lee Murphy has shown his writing talent again in this follow up to Where Legends Roam. Naitaka puts Kodiak in the search for Ogo Pogo. Once again Lee does his research to realistically explain what these creatures are. He also introduces us to some of the monsters from Kodiaks past. The story is full of action, memorable characters and a really cool helicopter appropriately named Megalodon. This is a series I'll keep reading not only for the good stories, but the interesting subject matter the field of cryptozoology has to offer.

One of the better organized and presented novels of this sort to come along in a while. The author writes in a style better than Benchley and is able to keep several subplots going at the same time without boring or confusing the reader. This probably has made-for-television potential, particularly on the SciFi channel. I look forward to reading more of Lee Murphy's books.
Sue Sweeney, Crypto Fan

George Kodiak is back, in his usual fine form! And as always, he doesn't get romantically involved here, but the great adventurer shines. Lee's Zeuglodon is a sympathetic character in her own right, just trying to live this life in peace, but huge and dangerous nonetheless. George's work this time is a grand adventure and triumph over evil as he takes out the bad guys and saves the Basilosaurus with his usual restrained elegance and the power of his personality.

I can't wait for the next book in the Kodiak series, "Heretofore: Unknown", about the Honey Island creature, and Lee informs me that the work is nearing completion, though he's been a little too slothful about completing it to my impatient way of thinking. I'm certain, however, that the end result will be more than worth the wait.

And I've just made an awesome discovery of my own: Lee is an artist of magnificent talent who does his own book covers, which I didn't know! This knowledge is courtesy of Craig Woolheater of TRBC, after I sent him the URL to Lee's web site with the lastest book cover on it, wondering who did the awesome cover art. Lee's latest, the cover of the forthcoming book, can be viewed on his web site at Kodiak books. It's magical, mysterious, absolutely perfect, and reminds me of Mondrian's "Red Tree" in its impact. And as wonderful as it is, the new Kodiak book will fulfill the promise of its cover.

Now, my main question is, will slippery George finally meet the lady who can land him on Honey Island? I'm waiting for the answer to that as eagerly as I'm waiting to find out what the creature turns out to be. Lee's not telling either one, so we'll have to read "Heretofore: Unknown" the minute it becomes available to find the answers.

One more "must have" book by Lee Murphy. Just when you think its save to go back into the lake, George Kodiak is on the track of another beast. This time it's Naitaka. A giant lake predator seen in British Columbia's waters for years. This time Naitaka has run into a human that won't just look. A well-written adventure book. You will enjoy this thriller of thrillers.

Lee grabs you from the first page, and doesn't let go. You're always hoping for more. Since reading this book, I've seen a production on Discovery Channel which covered the same "monster". Everybody who claim to have seem the "creature" can't be halucinating.