| Title | : | The Aztec Heresy (Finn Ryan, #4) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0451224523 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780451224521 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 346 |
| Publication | : | First published July 1, 2008 |
In search of a Spanish galleon in the Caribbean, archaeologist Finn Ryan and her partner Lord Billy Pilgrim find evidence of a lost Aztec Codex. The invaluable book created by 15th-century explorer and accused heretic Hernan Cortez is said to reveal the secret location of the lost City of Gold. But they are not alone in their quest.
Also on the trail is the head of a menacing religious cadre who'd kill to get it first, and a sociopathic billionaire with his own sinister motives. But while running for their lives, Finn and Billy come upon a more explosive secret that will take them from the Yucatan jungles to the Sonoran Desert, where the stakes are life and death.
The Aztec Heresy (Finn Ryan, #4) Reviews
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That was a fun, fast-paced book. Nothing too deep, lots of action, some evil villains, and some heroes. All unbelievable, but a good escape.
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The premise of this book is rather simple with the standard treasure hunt procedures; good guys, bad guys, some gray but questionable characters and a mysterious religious order all want a piece of adventure while some just want to make some money on it all running loose in the jungle at some point in the story line. When a sunken ship from four hundred years ago, rumored to have carried the location of secret Mayan treasure hidden by Hernan Cortez himself form the Spanish rulers is suddenly a hot commodity for treasure seekers, American Finn Ryan and Brit Billy Pilgrim, all hell breaks loose and people start dying as secrets come out.
Those who simply want to reveal a part of history to the world are being chased by men from Cuba, Mexico, America and even the Vatican finding that all the random activities are somehow connected and they all seem to lead to The City of Gold. It seems that the actions taken by our friends wake those sleeping in slumber over the vigil for such curious behavior. When submarines, lost nuclear bombs, power struggles and a large pharmaceutical company combines forces the only thing that ensures is an outbreak of madness that seem to trail Finn and Billy. They must first find the Codex with the map upon a wreckage of a mysterious ship rumored to have sunk near the Bahamas and then find the temple that houses gold objects found by Cortez.
A sweaty journey through a jungle, ravaged by ants and killer animals and the dives is what makes this book exciting. The story is also a semi espionage type of a thriller with more weaponry and submarine talk than I have ever experienced and while there are a lot of characters in it, only a few are memorable. I didn't enjoy the fact that they were introduced in a bit of a robotic manner, instead of knowing who they were first the reader got to hear their biography and then got to learn of their character later on.
The book, even though wasn't perfect, was entertaining and I read it in about two days because it was somehow strangely alluring and adventure stories are always fun. It wakes up the kid in us who always wanted to be an archaeologist and for those who are always behaving like adults there is plenty of action and dangerous activity. The story was looking very broad when a lot of characters and plots were starting to unfold and I was wondering how on Earth was the author going to tie it all up, in the end he did a pretty good job. I just wish this was more about the treasure itself and little less about crazy people with personal gains but overall a good story. This was more of a 3.5 star book but after finishing it I felt that I had a good time reading it so I give it 4 stars. I am looking forward to reading more of Finn and Billy's adventures as the author has all ready included them in his previous books. This is perfect for hot summer nights with a cool drink in hand and plenty of night to read into, enjoy. -
The Aztec Heresy written by Paul Christopher is a quick moving adventure story about buried treasure in the jungles of South America. The is the fourth book in the series featuring Finn Ryan and her side kicks. While light reading, the series is entertaining especially to while away a cold winter day.
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Not a terribly good book but fun. And a lot of the background sounded like it came case files from organizations I used to work for, and the people sounded like people I have read about or heard of in reports over the years, which was scary and funny at the same time. It has realism in the situations. But, the characters don't seem to be that well developed or evolved during this book. Not good if it is your first exposure to his work. But I liked it. Just wish I had not purchased it new. I finished reading it during a lay-over in Taipei and left it for someone else to enjoy. I might go back and read some of his previous work.
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An interesting read similar to Da Vinci Code but lighter, sort of like Clive Cussler. Our two intrepid heroes, Finn Ryan and Lord Billy Pilgrim, find evidence of a lost Aztec Codex and follow the clues to the Codex and the secrets it reveals. Meanwhile they are chased by a secret group connected to the Vatican, a pharmaceutical owner and his son hunting for a drug that makes anything addictive, Cubans, etc. Finn and Billy are always talking lightly and apparently don't take anything too seriously. While I enjoyed reading it, I missed having some drama to make me care what happens to the characters. I actually cared more for the Cuban submarine commander!
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More American superheroes solving impossible problems, making amazing discoveries and making impossible escapes from deadly traps. The writing style is somewhat common with a few spelling mistakes, very reminiscent of pulp fiction. Good escapist literature on a somewhat reduced intellectual level.
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Quick forgettable adventure.
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Definitely the best in the series. However there were a few editing issues in the edition I was reading, the most annoying which was a distinct tendency to jump from a cliffhanger type situation to another scene within the same paragraph with no separation on the page to show you were starting a new scenario. I have to say I found this extremely annoying and frustrating.
Apart from this the storyline bowled along at a good pace but once again the heroes seem to have an inordinate amount of good fortune so much so it was rather sickening. I also felt the ending was somewhat sudden compared to what preceded it and because of the combination of all these factors I gave it 4 rather than 5 stars. -
It was pretty good, but I wasn’t a big fan of Finn’s character. It was like she tried too hard to be cool and just ended up looking like a show off. I mean, I kinda wished that Paul Christopher had kinda dialed it back on her and just let her have some moments without completely overdoing it. Other than that I liked it. It’s one of those reads that’s good for fans of Indiana Jones. Overall a 3/5 star read.
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The book was too short for all the characters, which were introduced, and all the action that took place. We did not spend enough time with the main heroes, however I personally don't see that as a huge problem, because they were boring and quite shallow anyway. If the author doesn't care too much about them, why should I as a reader care?
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4th and worst of the Finn Ryan series. The first three were more or less about art... this one lost Aztec treasure. But with drugs, politics, and senseless murder tied in. Among far to many players to keep track of, I kept waiting for Liam Neeson to show up. Wasn’t a total scrap, but glad it was a quick read.
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Un livre qui tient en haleine et fait voyager.
J'ai aimé. -
Didn’t enjoy this one as much as the Lucifer Gospels. It seemed more disjointed but still an easy read.
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Hard to get into and complete. A bit to Dan Brown like.
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An ancient secret.. I love ancient secrets, and lost cities.. An exciting tale with even a hit man I liked, lol..
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3.75*
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The 4th book in the Finn Ryan series. Fun and entertaining adventure.
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This book was a mess. I kept thinking there'd be some adventure regarding the Cortez Codex, which is set up as this mythical document that will lead to untold riches if anyone can find it. They end up in the Yucatan, almost always on the periphery of drug lords and half century old radioactive waste, mutated flora and fauna, etc. I honestly couldn't figure out what this story was supposed to be about.
It's passages like these that make me wonder if Signet even employs editors. Describing a jungle buggy that is used by the drug lord, the author calls it a "bastardized Suzuki Jeep". Jeeps (and it's capitalized, so he knows it's a brand name) are made currently by Chrysler, and throughout the brand's history have NEVER been made by Suzuki. In the same paragraph, he then says, "It was originally an old Jimmy 4x4...". Jimmys were made by GMC and have nothing to do with Jeeps or Suzukis. Maybe that's picking nits, but it's a simple thing to either know or look up, and if the author isn't willing or able to do that, then the editor should have. Dumb mistakes like that sour me on an entire book.
And finally, what ever happened to Harrison Noble? -
There were at least half a dozen (maybe as many as 15) plots elements that could have been spun into an entire book here;squeezing them all int one short novel resulted in a confusing, twitchy and unpredictable reading experience that was not nearly as enjoyable as his previous three novels.
SPOILERS
For those who are interested, major plot elements include (but are certainly not limited to)
1) Sunken Treasure of Cortez
2) The modern incarnation of the Spanish Inquisition
3) The last, secret submarine in the Cuban Navy
4) Evil Vatican bankers
5) a Megalomaniac Mexican drug Lord
6) The Blackmailing son of a Nazi spy
7) A shadowy group that spies on the aforementioned Evil Vatican Bankers
8) An evil/incompetent father/son due operating an unethical international drug conglomerate
9) Nuclear bombs lost during the Cuban Missile crisis
10) Mutated flora and fauna attributed to #9
11) Chinese Special Forces working with the Captain of #3 and after #9
12) A Shadowy Assassin for hire
13) A legendary lost ship in the California desert -
DISAPPOINTED AGAIN! Each of his books disappoints more than the last: A decent premise based on plausible history, slaughtered by poor writing, undeveloped characters and HUGE holes in plot development that leave readers scratching their heads wondering "what just happened???". I've now decided that Christopher's books are best bought in the bargain bin, and left in hotels or on airplanes as throwaway gifts for the next traveller. Christopher consistently starts with a good historical nugget and the potential for a good story, but where Cussler, Steve Berry, Raymond Khoury and Conn Iggulden all deliver depth, richness and maturity of storytelling, Christopher's works consistently fall short. I WANT to like his books, and obviously keep buying them hoping "this one will be great". However, I'm still searching. . .
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Ok, so I picked this one up from the title & cover while waiting for a prescription to be filled. And was totally disappointed. Either the author doesn't know or doesn't care about the difference between Aztec and Maya, and managed to conflate the two through most of the book. Also, pretty much no Aztec (nor enough Maya, if you're accepting the conflation). And no, Spaniards were not cavemen in 521 AD. Sorry. That said, it wants to be Ludlum or someone, not enough mystery (or maybe not enough clues to the mystery?) to even rise to the level of Dan Brown. There was just nothing keeping me guessing. Too much of the action happens off stage, which is irritating. Oh, plot? Group A is searching for a lost manuscript of Cortez's buried treasure. Groups B and possible C are trying to stop them. Woo. I do not recommend it.
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Seems like a whole bunch of folks all get to looking for this ancient codex all at the same. And some of these folks are some very bad people. So now we set off around the globe visiting various locales that the author will fill us in on as far as the history pertains to the story. While traipsing through the jungle however one must be careful of the irradiated ants, they are hungry and pretty damn mean what with their super size and viscous venom. So this is a pretty decent novel fitting into the Finn Ryan series.
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This has the potential to be a good story, but unfortunately is falling FAR short. Simplistic plot, no character development, and WAY too many references to current movies etc.
I decided I would sacrifice for the good of the Goodreads community, and finish this book. Luckily, I made it through without dying of boredom. The end leaves a lot to be desired, and it doesn't even end with the main characters.
Please do not waste your time on this book! -
If you are going to write a book called "The Aztec Heresy" at least do the small amount of research needed to tell the difference between the Aztec and Mayan cultures. I'm not talking about the cover (showing a Mayan pyramid) which is not in the author's control, I'm talking about him consistently making mistakes in the text--even the main character, an archeologist who supposedly grew up in Yucatan, doesn't know the difference. Sad.
