Customer Reviews

The Tomb of Hercules: A Novel

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First thing I would like to say is that I loved hunt for atlantis. This book has more action but no story. Are they meant to be finding the tomb of Hercules? The actual search won't start until about 150 pages remain in this book. The first 400 pages is simply one action scene attached to another with a few pages in the middle to join them together. I love books with heaps of action but their needs to be a point to the action. I thought Chase was acting like a fool and I did not like him as much in this one. It is still a great read, and what you would expect but after reading the first one, I expected a little more. Can't wait for his next on though.

Well, lovers of Clive Cussler and Matthew Reilly will enjoy this, but I have to confess I am no longer a fan of either author. But this is less over the top then Reilly while having the same non stop action style, which is ideal if you want something fast paced that you don't need to think about.
Mainly an action novel with a high body count and lots of swearing, with a slight bit of romance as the two lead characters, Nina (smart beautiful archaeologist) and Eddie (wise cracking ex SAS) have one or two problems with their relationship.
Mindless but fun in it's own way, ideal for a holiday where you want something not taxing!

I had heard for several months the comparison between Andy McDermott and Matthew Reilly--who is, in MY humble opinion the absolute KING of action/adventure novels. So after initially not being able to obtain any books due to them being available mostly overseas, they finally showed up locally and I took the plunge. While I still say that Reilly is the clear winner when it comes to sheer kinetic energy within the pages of ANY novel, Andy certainly is in a respectable 2nd place. Let me be clear: if you think Andy McDermott has plenty of action, then you obviously haven't read Reilly (and I encourage you to do so if that is the case).

Now...The Hunt For Atlantis was a VERY fun debut by an obviously talented and creative adventure author. In particular I enjoyed the mixture of comic relief in the middle of tense situations (provided mainly by Eddie, of course). I Was wondering after finishing Atlantis whether or not Andy could repeat that success or be stuck in a sophomore slump as many authors tend to get. While 'Hurcules' isn't quite as all-out compelling as the first book, I found the entertainment factor to be ratcheted just as high--along with plenty of action.

Some people have aversions to such adventure-drenched novels that feature mythic storylines...but I am NOT one of those people, thankfully. As a fan of Matthew Reilly, I think it rather obvious that the reality of our heroes escapes by razor-thin margins is not my yardstick for measuring if I like a book or not. As long as the author isn't trying to pass off some of the more outrageous types of actions scenes as 'based on fact', I honestly don't care how real or not it may be...I tend to be more concerned with whether or not I am entertained during the whole process, and with Andy McDermott, let me assure you I WAS.

Let me also say that I really enjoyed how Nina and Eddie played off one another. It was plainly obvious at the end of Atlantis that they were becoming more than just friends, and in Hercules that becomes even more so. The snarky attitude of Eddie in the heat of battle and facing impossible odds never ceases to put a smile on my face...enough so that I genuinely look forward to the next Nina & Eddie adventure, which have been available overseas for a long time now, but not in the states--at least not yet. I will be first in line when they do, I promise.

In short, Andy McDermott has quickly become another addition to my "Must Read" list, and while that may not mean anything to you, it certainly means something to me. Kudos Andy...now do something to get those other books available F-A-S-T-E-R, please!

I read the previous novel, and it was a fun, adventurous time. What happened?

In all fairness, this novel moved along, and the action kept things humming. Is that enough to distract readers from the flaws? No.

Without giving away major plot points, there's not a lot of thought that went into the actual Tomb of Hercules, and the story would have been a perfectly respectable action-thriller without a search for the Tomb. Eddie Chase and Nina Wilde race around the globe to rescue someone from Chase's past, and in so doing, uncover plots to endanger and rule the world. Most of the plot development does not involve the Tomb of Hercules, and even by the end, there seems no significance to this lost archeological site.

There are plot turns the author hopes to use to surprise, but they fall flat, neither surprising nor exciting. Sometimes they are almost identical "surprises" with little time between them.

The author tries to insert characterization by establishing that there are problems in the Chase/ Wilde relationship. They fight with each other, and it gets ugly. This not only goes on too long, but it really made me dislike the protagonists. Not the way I would start off a book.

All of this points to poor creativity or lazy writing. I would give it 2 1/2 stars, but I'm rounding it up because it was at least escapist fun.

<Spoiler Alert> May contain references to plot elements. I found the first book in this series mildly interesting because the archeology/adventure/science mix put a different twist on the legend of Atlantis, although females performing derring-do is not high on my list of likes. What Hollywood doesn't understand, and some writers apparently, is that just because a man and woman are coworkers, you don't have to force a romantic interest upon them! This second book in the series is about 25% archeology/adventure, and 75% squabbling couple. The actual excavation/exploration of the tomb literally took place in one chapter. Toss in the co-hero's ex-wife that wants to destroy the world and this is not an archeology adventure, but a lesson in relationship counseling. This is not at all at the level of some the Clive Cussler books where the protagonists are a professional married couple sharing world-threatening adventures. In the Cussler books, the couple is competent and capable, and likable. The Tomb of Hercules is an unpleasant voyeuristic glimpse at fights between ex-marrieds, and fights between current lovers. Leave the romantic conflicts out of books of this type, and focus on what's important - namely the adventure.

When I first found Andy while overseas, I needed a book to read for the flight home. I picked up Atlantis because it looked interesting and it was a huge book.( It was a LONG flight home to Miami from Dubai). I enjoyed how the book grabbed me and held my interest.I loved how he builds the characters and his descriptions defy imagination. Atlantis was the central figure of the book and was mentioned throughout. As soon as I got back and located a few more of his books on Amazon.I decided to buy Hercules, Excalibur, and Osiris all at once... Big mistake. Thinking they would all be the same. I was in for a huge disappointment. With Hercules being as long as it was, I wasn't impressed that just about every sentence Eddie utters is peppered with coarse/offensive and most of the time unneeded profanity. It's about as bad as every other word being F or a word that means the worst kind (If you British). His resentment/hatred for Nina is palpable and McDermott paint Nina in a shrewish/fridgid new light. Makes me wonder if he was going through a breakup himself.
It got to the point where I wanted to take a black crayon and cross out each vulgarity, but then, a majority of each page would have looked like a Freedom Of Information Act acquired Gov't document.
I have NO idea how I even continued to pick the book up after each time that I needed to set it down. Pages, and pages of chase, run, capture, fight, run, fight..with NOTHING to do with the Tomb of Hercules.. I dreaded picking it back up. It collected dust for weeks, I always found a magazine or older book that needed my attention. Recently, I decided that I would finish it. After about 3/4's of the book being read already it HAD to address the Tomb of Hercules eventually.. Well..I picked it back up and They finally got back on track to locate the Tomb of Hercules. It almost seemed to me that at a late point Andy said" Ooops, I got SOO carried away with the chase,curse, capture,curse,run,curse,capture, curse, fight, curse etc I forgot the WHOLE idea behind the title. I better get back to it"
There's no doubt about it. Andy McDermotts books are LOADED with action and adventure. But his books tend to stick to too much action and not enough of the actual story.
Unfortunately.. I feel this writer REALLY hit a home run with His first book on Atlantis, But the rest are pale shadows by comparison. Save your money, borrow it from a friend or the library. If you likeaction adventure,mythological history and archeological finds. Clive Cussler and James Rollins are good authors and 2 of my favorites.

After reading the hunt for Atlantis, this sequel continues in the same vein. They are chased from one place to another, have a big fight, then are chased to another place, have another big fight, then there is a slight pause for some investigation, then another chase and another fight and so on. I like my stories fast moving to a point, but this one goes a little over the top. It was still a good, fast read, but there was not as much substance as Atlantis.

I like the twist with who the real bad guy is, or should I say the final bad guy as there are many who you think are their ultimate nemesis, but the actual hunt for the tomb ends halfway through the book. Not only that, but they never really explore it much as it's just another setting for putting the heroes in jeopardy, rather than being any big revelation. That being said, I still had a great time reading it.

If you like fast-paced non-stop action, this is the story for you. However, if you want more substance, look elsewhere. I still give it four stars (barely) because it kept me interested enough to finish it, and the ending wasn't bad.

While the Eddie & Nina books may be many things, the one thing they certainly aren't are deep reads. Luckily for us, the books are highly entertaining. The first book introduced us to the dynamic duo, setting up their relationship. The second book follows up on the same formula as the first- sparks flying between the two main characters as they are placed in danger & in pursuit of a historical prize.

This second book has Eddie & Nina a few months or so after the events of the first book. While their relationship was fine at first, they've found that the basic fundamentals of love are a lot less easy than they initially thought. The two of them are constantly at each other's throats. It's no surprise then that when Eddie's beautiful ex-wife Sophia shows up asking for Eddie's help, he's more than eager to assist her. Meanwhile Nina's attempting to not only search for the legendary tomb of Hercules but to also figure out exactly how (or if) she's going to salvage what's left of her relationship with Eddie as dangerous men are pursuing her in hopes of forcing her to work for them.

I really did enjoy this book & like the first one, I could honestly see this making a wonderful series of movies or a great tv show. That's no surprise when you consider that the guy who wrote the series has a history as a tv critic- he knows what should work. I liked that the relationship between Eddie & Nina was rocky in this book- while I would have read it even if they were still cooing at each other, it makes much more sense that they would be hitting the rough parts of reality- that they're just very different. (Like was said in the first Speed movie, relationships based on intense situations rarely work out.)

I also loved the search for Hercules' tomb. The chases were great, but one of the little problems I had with the book was that everything was just overly drawn out towards the end. When we get to the main villain, I couldn't help but roll my eyes- I'd seen it from the beginning & wondered why it wasn't introduced sooner. I was willing to look through that though, since it still made for a good read. The biggest problem I had was that the final hurrah of the villain seemed a little forced. (Slight spoiler.) Why not save the baddie for another book & give our pair a ringmaster to fight against in future books? Why have the bad guy try to send a nuke to New York- why not have them just disappear & then show up later? At some point the series is going to need a solid villain & this person would have been perfect.

In the end though, this book is one of the best examples of potato chip reading. You know it's not anything that will fill you up, but it's so dang good that you can't help but crave more & more as you eagerly devour it. If you want heavier plots & more substantial reading, you'd be better off looking elsewhere. But come on... why not read something just for fun?

I enjoyed this book, but in the end I can't give it more than 4 stars. If Amazon would allow us to give star portions I'd rate it a 3.75 on the enjoyment scale. The first 3/4ths of the book were wonderful- it's just that the end was sort of draggy.

After THE HUNT FOR ATLANTIS proved successful, the UN named archeologist Nina Wilde as the Director of Operations of the International Heritage Agency though she is not even thirty years ago. The mission of the IHA is to safeguard artifacts from looters. Former SAS operative Eddie Chase is her live-in boyfriend and personal protector. Terrorists attack the IHA research station above Atlantis killing everyone. Led by Joe Komosa they force Dr. Bill Raynes to download data onto a flash drive; before dying Raynes sees the last two entries are Wilde and Chase. Officialdom called it a horrible accident.

Three months later, Nina and Eddie hobnob with the rich and famous in New York although Eddie feels like a fish out of water even as they are on the harbor. They meet non-executive director of IHA, affluent Shanghai businessman Richard Yuen Xuan and his wife Lady Sophia. Eddie and Nina get into a nasty public argument and go their separate ways. Nina is determined to find THE TOMB OF HERCULES that she has been researching and Eddie as resolute goes to Singapore to rescue his former wife Sophia from her boorish husband. On separate continents someone tries to kill them. Soon the pair unites on the lam with a powerful adversary in pursuit who wants the Plato manuscript that Nina allegedly has found.

This adrenalin pumped story line is on speed as the plot is filled with action from the start and never takes a breather even for a cocktail on a yacht. Although over the top of the stratosphere make that mesosphere and the characters even the villain never developed beyond fighting and the lead couple making up, fans will have a difficult time putting down Andy McDermott's epic thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Second book in the Nina Wilde/Eddie Chase series. I liked the first and third books best, but you certinly should read this one to get a full understanding of the series. It ran hot and cold in certin parts, but regardless i could not put it down like all the other chapters.