Author: Andy McDermott
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
PLOT SUMMARY: It's your standard action adventure story where the main characters Dr. Nina Wilde, heiress Kari Frost (whose father is funding the expedition) and her ex-SAS bodyguard Eddie Chase set out to find the city of Atlantis while some baddies are out to stop them from reaching their objective. You'll discover as you read more of my reviews i suck at giving a summary to a book.
IMHO: The book starts out pretty straight forward. You think you know who the bad guys are and who the good guys are but almost halfway through the book you get the sense that there's more to the story than that. You begin to suspect that some of the characters actually have some ulterior motives and that they might not be the good guys after all....or are they? So, the book isn't really as straight forward as some action adventure books are, like for example The six sacred stones, where the characters are all straight forward. You know who the good guys and the bad guys are. Overall The Hunt for Atlantis is fast-paced and well written. It keeps you wanting to know more. The characters are likeable and believable. The main male character Eddie Chase is not what i expected of a military guy in that he's not your stereotypical hero. Usually these ex-military guys are all portrayed in a stereotypical fashion....tall dark mysterious, or ruggedly handsome or dashing or dangerous looking. But Eddie Chase, he's different. I get the impression he's not conventionally handsome like how the ex-military guys in other books are usually portrayed. He's not the ruggedly handsome type but he is charming and likeable and a real believable hero. You'll find that you end up rooting for him to be the hero of the hour and get the girl in the end. The same can be said for the 2 main female characters. They are not straightforward characters. Dr. Nina Wilde, in the beginning, is not the typical all able female protagonist. She's not that strong or able to fight big guys with big guns with just her martial arts moves. She's a real archeologist....not Indiana Jones. You'll see a transformation in her towards the end of the book. She starts out a little weak and kinda annoying at first but she'll grow on you as the story develops.
Andy McDermott's writing style is exactly what i like in a novel....no-nonsense and fast paced. There's no overly long and elaborate explanations of things. Sometimes there are authors who like to overly explain things from inanimate objects to feelings to nature/sceneries. I can't stand long winded explanation especially about things like a clock on a mantel place or how the sun is shining onto a green meadow. This book doesn't do that and therefore i like it for that reason alone. It's what i call an unputdownable (i know there's no such word) book. My only gripe with the book is that it seems to be more about the characters themselves than a story about the adventure in looking for Atlantis. I wanted to know more about atlantis and it's history but there's a lack in that area, i feel. I think, Matthew Reilly's 'The Six Sacred Stones' plot in terms of the history of the item they're hunting for is better explained. In The Hunt for Atlantis at times i forget what they're looking for. It's like the book concentrates too much on the characters and what they're going through than their objective....which is finding atlantis. But overall it's a good read.
Conclusion: It's a fast-paced read that'll keep you entertained.
Recommendations: If you like action adventure than you should BUY this book or at least borrow it.
Rating: 4 stars for likeable plot, character, pace and unputdownability (not a word...i know. I'm using it anyway).
