Inca Gold (Clive Cussler)

Book Description

Nearly five centuries ago a fleet of boats landed mysteriously on an island in an inland sea. There, an ancient Andean people hid a golden hoard greater than that of any pharaoh, then they and their treasure vanished into history -- until now.

1998, the Andes Mountains of Peru. DIRK PITT dives into an ancient sacrificial pool, saving two American archaeologists from certain drowning. But his death-defying rescue is only the beginning, as it draws the intrepid Pitt into a vortex of darkness and danger, corruption and betrayal. A sinister crime syndicate has traced the long-lost treasure -- worth almost a billion dollars -- from the Andes to the banks of a hidden underground river flowing beneath a Mexican desert. Driven by burning greed and a ruthless bloodlust, the syndicate is racing to seize the golden prize...and to terminate the one man who can stop them.

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

This is the only Cussler book I think I have read, because a friend had it while I was staying at their house for a while. Anyone, there are archaelogical adventures, kidnapping, now you have it, now you don't treasures, dodgy people who seem ok, and of course a decent sort of a woman to be rescued and be charmed.

Fun adventure on the high seas.......2007-07-31

Growing up reading Clive Cussler novels, I never thought I would be able to go back to them and enjoy them in the same way. I actually like them more now, for although some of this kind of fiction is stretches of the truth, it easily touches the imagination. Inca Gold is one of my favorite Clive Cussler novels only next to Sahara and Dragon. With Inca Gold, I get to again experience the adventures of the brave character Dirk Pitt, who by now has been explained and defined as an "Indiana Jones meets James Bond" type of character. Needless to say that is pretty close to the truth, and along with that character I was again introduced to a bizarre and tantalizing tale full of an interesting array of bad guys, undersea treasure hunts and historic mysteries that wait to be discovered. If you enjoy International espionage novels from the likes of Ian Fleming or Robert Ludlum, you just might want to take a chance on a Cussler novel and I think that Inca Gold is in fact, one of his greatest treasures.

Another quality book.......2007-06-19

This was my twelfth Cussler book and the stories are still entertaining. Some of the plot is getting predictable, but the books are still a pleasure to read. The struggles Cussler puts his two main characters through can make them seem superhuman at times, but these are fiction books to be read for entertainment value.

trash popular novel.......2007-01-12

This book seems to be one of the worse popular trash novels
I've read.
1) it states there are archeology plundering international companies run by hereditary wealth/ aristocrats
2) that the Chachapoyans were blond blue eyed giants of near 7 feet tall
3) that there are tremendous unknown Inca gold in large secret hiding places

All or at least most of these are pretty probably false.
Some of the stuff about Dirk Pitt and affair with a congress woman and his collection of antique cars is just wishful thinking... ?

Just very bad writing on top of lies of the worst sort?

Inca Gold.......2006-09-11

Inca Gold is one of the more recent Dirk Pitt novels and has the humor of these later ones. In this one there is more emphasis on treasure hunting than on espionage which makes for a ripping yarn. While rescuing some divers, Pitt and his colleages come face to face with an international ring of art thieves and a clue to a massive Inca treasure. While the methods described in finding the treasure, and the treasure itself, are sometimes preposterous, everything somehow works together to make an entertaining adventure story.

Average customer rating:

Incas : Book One: The Puma's Shadow
A sharp drop off from the first novel . . .
Part3: Light of Machu Picchu + a general view of the trilogy
A Welcome Book about an Obscure Subject
Cheezy but somewhat interesting!!

Incas : Book Two: The Gold of Cuzco
A.B. Daniel
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0743432754
Release Date: 2002-11-26

Book Description

In this haunting second book of the internationally bestselling Incas trilogy, the Incan empire is threatened by the Conquistadors, whose insatiable hunger for gold will destroy a glorious, ancient civilization -- unless they can be thwarted by a mystic force greater than any army....

Princess Anamaya's hypnotic blue eyes have seen too much. Having guarded the passage of the dying Emperor, she is now chosen by the gods to stand beside the new Emperor and divine the future of the Incan Empire -- a future shadowed by brutal warriors who worship foreign gods. The Conquistadors and their armies seek to enslave the Incas and loot their sacred temples and royal treasuries, despite Anamaya's attempts to foster peace. When it comes to a prize as valuable as Cuzco, the city of the sacred puma, they refuse to heed her warnings.

The soldier Gabriel has come among Anamaya's people as a conqueror, but the honorable Spaniard is untainted by his companions' lust for wealth and power. His fascination with the splendor of Anamaya's land, and its ancient heritage, is matched only by the passion he and Anamaya come to share. But when his countrymen push forward in their quest to plunder Cuzco, he is forced to join the battle, leaving Anamaya struggling with divided loyalties and their forbidden love in the wake of this first major confrontation between the Spanish and the Incas.

Filled with romance and adventure and colored by the changeless desires that link man and woman throughout the ages, The Gold of Cuzco is a thrilling follow-up to The Puma's Shadow, the first book in the Incas trilogy.

Customer Reviews:

Incas : Book One: The Puma's Shadow.......2007-05-09

Good, but not great. Very good historical information, but a bit too mystical for my taste. Interesting characters; however, there were references to events that were not previously covered in the book. Otherwise worth reading.

A sharp drop off from the first novel . . ........2005-01-20

The first novel read more like a descent work of historical fiction. The second read more like a bad love story.

In "The Puma's Shadow" you were introduced to the Inca culture and lands and the events leading to their demise. Atahualpa and Pizarro came to life and the chapters detailing the events that took place in Cajamarca took me back to a place I visited years ago.

"The Gold of Cuzco" took me no where. The story line was in short, totally unbelievable. The "setting up the scene" was not much better. I was especially disappointed in the descriptions of Sacsayhuaman and Coricancha. It was almost as if the authors had never visited Cuzco, a place from which I had just returned.

Read it if you want to finish the trilogy but don't expect to enjoy it too much.

Part3: Light of Machu Picchu + a general view of the trilogy.......2004-03-17

After reaching the end of the third book of this trilogy, I was left with the following impressions:

1. The most interesting thing about this trilogy is that it focus on a subject that is almost forgotten in historical fiction: the Inca civilization. That alone is reason to buy the trilogy, for those who are interested in the subject.

2. The books are a blend of accurate history and a somewhat corny and water-and-sugar clicheed love story; there are better books on similar subjects, like Gary Jennings' "Aztec" and Collen MacCullough's "First man in Rome" series.

3. The authors chose to portrait too many characters, sometimes confusing the readers, especially when concerning Inca characters. Excluding the Sapa Incas, the other native pre-columbian characters are almost always variations on the same one.

4. When Gabriel, the spanish central character, is not part of the plot, the chapters just drag along, many times boring and tiresome. Anamaya, the main Inca character, lacks strenght.

5. As I read the books, I realised the trilogy starts very well, but ends badly. This should not be a trilogy, but only one book, better edited, with a better-developed plot. The authors focused too much on dead-end fictional characters, while historical figures, when they appeared, were always portraied as evil people.

The third part is very similar to the first two, and the three books should be read as one.

After closing this third book, I felt I liked the trilogy, but could have enjoyed it more, due to the reasons stated above. But as this is the only (as far as I know) fictional account of the Inca civilization, it should get the attention of historical-fiction addicts.

Grade 8.0/10

A Welcome Book about an Obscure Subject.......2004-01-25

I have always been fascinated with the Incas, so I have been eagerly devouring this trilogy.

There is no shortage of historical fiction about, say, Victorian England...or Celts...or other Europeans. As for South Americans, and other non-white peoples...they are virtually untouched. It's about time someone gave the Incas the shelf-space they deserve.

The plot has been covered in several other reviews, so I'll be brief. Gabriel is torn between his loyalty to the conquistador Francisco Pizarro and his love for Anamaya, a beautiful Indian woman who is a sort of supernatural advisor to the Inca Emperors. She in turn loves Gabriel but is sworn to support the Emperor Atahualpa, taken hostage by the Spaniards...and then the newly crowned Manco, who swears to throw the Spaniards from his land.

It is probably the oldest plotline in the world- "man from conquering tribe loves woman from soon-to-be subjugated tribe"... and occasionally "A. B. Daniel" resorts to corny cliche. Example: when Gabriel and Anamaya lay eyes on each other, they instantly fall in love and know that their destinies are linked. Anamaya, who comes from a remote jungle tribe, has blue eyes, which makes the Incas view her as supernatural. I think this is a genetic impossibility, even if her father happened to be a wandering white explorer. In basic genetics we are taught that a child with blue eyes must have two parents with at least one recessive blue-eye gene. This crude plot device is jarring to me.

The pacing of these books could use some improvement. The author(s) don't seem to know what to leave in and what to cut. So there are some sections which are draggy and confusing. Characterizations are less focused than I would like, and motivations for some events remains murky.

On a positive note, these books are very well researched, and they provide a richly textured view of life in Inca times. The spiritual life of the ancient Peruvians is well portrayed. In general I am enjoying these books and finding them passionate, gripping and well worth the effort. I am glad that "A. B. Daniel" finally brought this awesome and neglected culture to life.

Cheezy but somewhat interesting!!.......2003-10-11

I've read this first part of the trilogy. And i think the book was okay, but did rather poorly in dragging me into the inca world and mythology.. I Certainly didn't like to have to flip to the end of the book to find out what "Ushnu" means.

The story is somewhat romanticizing the conquest, which doesnt make it any REAL to the reader (so to speak). G. Jennings had alot of real shocking elements in a story about a shockingly cruel yet poetic and complex civilization. But when it came to Human Sacrifices in this book it was entirely averted (we know they sacrificed people... lets not sidestep the issue to make it comfortable to readers!). It has a bad romantic story involving the two main characters of the story in what can only be described as a typical french passion, which can only be a story to target the female reader. Alot of the side characters come in and out of the story in a flimsy uninformative manner and they feel kind of left out. They should also have studied more on other tribes surrounding the empire, as Jennings laid out in his book, before the spanish arrived. Either that or the Andes was a real boring place to visit before the conquest.

Book Description

Island of the Sun recounts the American psychologist Alberto Villoldo's return to Peru in search of the Quechua Indian shaman Don Jicaram. The authors' earlier book, Dance of the Four Winds, described Villoldo's first initiation, under Don Jicaram, into the secrets of the Inca Medicine Wheel and the spiritual journey of the Four Winds. Villoldo had begun that journey in the South, "where one goes to confront and shed the past." With use of the powerful mind-altering plant ayahuasca, he had continued to the West, a direction also inhabited by fear and death. Now in Island of the Sun he prepares himself for the journey to the North, where lies the wisdom of the ancient Inca shamans. Traveling from Machu Picchu to the "Island of the Sun," a sacred site in Bolivia, Villoldo uncovers a profound secret about the journey to the East--the journey home.

Customer Reviews:

The Proof Is In The Pudding.......2005-10-14

I must say how true it is when they say not to judge a book by its cover! Or, in this case by opinion only with no firsthand experience. I am currently studying with Alberto Villoldo through The Four Winds Society. Alberto will be the first to tell you that you must experience this to really understand and I will attest to that in full measure. The experiences and healing and wisdom of this system are profound. Having been a student and practitioner of alternative modalities since I was 15, I can attest to the fact that this system is like no other - and it works, as quickly as one is able to assimilate the process. Nothing else I tried, including traditional therapy - it only made things worse - has been able to fully release the deep seated issues of the extremely hostile enviroment I was born into and lived surrounded by for the first 30+ years of my life. If you are truly ready to be fully alive and free of the past - this will take you there in a graceful manner. And, it is fun as well as extremely effective. He also does not exclude useful modern medicine, there is a time and place for both.

Reality or fiction?.......2005-05-04

For those seeking more info about Dr. Villoldo's lack of detail and other concerns regarding truthfulness in contemporary shamanism, please see "The Selling of the Shaman and the Problem of Informant Legitimacy" which appears in the Summer 1990 issue of 'Anthropological Research', Volume 46, Number 2. Dr. Villoldo is prominently featured.

ISLAND OF THE SUN by Alberto Villoldo, Erik Jendresen.......2002-12-30

In ISLAND OF THE SUN, co-authored with Erik Jendresen, Alberto Villoldo relates his Peruvian odyssey in search of his teacher, Don Antonio. ISLAND OF THE SUN is a dramatic, poetic adventure -- a profound exercise in suspending ones disbelief, in expecting the unexpected, in stretching the imagination, and in shattering the boundaries of consciousness. In short, it gives a glimpse into the mind of a shaman. It has been said that to know and understand a shaman, one must become a shaman. Villoldo has become a shaman. His story is a captivating articulation of his journey into the unknown; its imagery, vivid and enchanting - "the Sun glistened in playful white sparkles of light on the green waters. I listened to the cicada hiss, the high-pitched cacophony of the birds and the insects, the whir and hiss and chatter and hum that bounced off its surface and filled the clearing with music."

Villoldo sees his mission as that of translating the ancient psychology and truths contained in the Medicine Wheel of the Incas into a Western framework - into a psychology of the sacred. He sees the Medicine Wheel as providing a neurological map for the evolution and transformation of our species by accessing the state of consciousness that informs life. He sees the Medicine Wheel as offering a path through which we can override the oftentimes violent survival mechanisms of our primitive limbic brain.

Villoldo presents the symbolic imagery of the archetypal energies contained in the Medicine Wheel. In the South (serpent), we confront and shed the past like a serpent sheds its skin. In the West (jaguar), we overcome fear and death. By experiencing ourselves as conscious energy, death loses its sting and becomes but a doorway to one of infinite phases in eternity. In the North (hummingbird), we experience the knowledge and wisdom of the ancients. We access a sea of consciousness as vast as time itself. In the East (eagle), we experience a transcendent, comprehensive, vision of what we have learned. We share our story with the world as caretakers of the earth. That, he says, is our return home.

The psychology of the ancients is based on direct shamanic experience in different domains of consciousness. Its approach -- of experience and exploration -- is from the inside out; its goal -- to know, understand, and be in harmony with the forces of Nature. In Villoldo's experience, that approach requires a new state of mind - one that allows but is not distracted by subjective experiences. The skills required come naturally in the process of "serving experiences." He explains that when one's intent is in harmony with the experience, it is served. Otherwise, it is just an experience.

In shamanic awareness, Villoldo experienced innumerable altered states of reality by shifting his perspective to unaccustomed dimensions. The most profound, for me, was his experiencing the integrity of a multisensory dream body awareness in which everything was reflected within him. He described it as like being a champagne bubble with all images of life reflected upon its inner surface. As his teacher later pointed out, in that, everything was reflected but the seer himself, for the seer is invisible.

Purity of intention is the key to shamanic exploration. Abandoning preconceptions is necessary and essential. To master the stillness required in the dream body, Villoldo says that one learns how to be conscious without being self-conscious. Through purity of intention, it is said to be possible to enter a realm beyond dreaming -- a wondrous, rich dimension of magnificent power and splendor. Maintaining purity of intention is the challenge.

Shamans of Peru practiced an alchemy of the soul. They were said to be able to influence the past as well as the future because they understood the relationship between time and light. It is said that in becoming light (an Inca, a Child of the Sun), time was dissolved. Shamans knew that time doesn't fly only in straight lines like an arrow - it also turns like a wheel. When those two kinds of time intersect, says Villoldo, that is sacred, ritual time -- one can influence the past and summon destiny from the future. The challenge is not to let knowledge of the future influence present actions or intent. Therefore, the shaman must be able to keep a secret from himself.

Villoldo's teacher, Don Antonio, points out that in all the great cultures developed north of the equator, God is a descending god -- the Divine comes from the heavens and descends to the Earth. For the Incas, the only great culture to develop south of the equator, the god-force is ascending -- it "rises from Earth to the heavens like the golden corn." Antonio envisions the new caretakers of the Earth as coming from the northern hemisphere. ( A prophecy of hope and perhaps even a vote of confidence, I think, for those of us in the northern hemisphere.)

Villoldo points out the paradox of psychology -- that when we study the human mind, it is the mind studying itself. He adds that modern science has failed to identify the psyche or subject of this study. The mind continues to evade us. From his extensive laboratory research as a psychologist and his inquiries as a medical anthropologist, Villoldo testifies that mind cannot be derived from the neurology of the human brain. He believes that psychology is like physics in that the act of studying the psyche alters it . Villoldo strongly believes that now is the time for humankind to turn consciousness on itself and step into a grander consciousness in the evolution of mankind. He sees the path of the shaman as giving us clues for this process of exploration, discovery, realization, and transformation. He sees the path of the shaman as offering hope for a better world and a new humanity.

Strong, but not as convincing as FOUR WINDS.......1998-12-13

This is a great tale, and fairly accurate and instructive. The Western world is sorely lacking in instruction about the non rational, can't put your tongue on it realities of which the author speaks. While what I know of Peruvian shamanism is very small compared to the author's knowledge and direct experience, I suggest that this effort to capture End Journeys is both admirable and riveting. I have used FOUR WINDS as a guide to non ordinary reality since my discovery of it as a legitimate map; my work in the Celtic otherworld supports what the author here describes in terms of the Peruvian landscapes of non ordinary reality. But personally, from a shamanic perspective, I want more of Antonio's accurate and real mentoring, and less of the neophyte journeyer's somewhat predictable story line. As a tale, the book is not as finely crafted as FOUR WINDS either. Nonetheless, a great read, but just not as instructive or as easy to read as I found FOUR WINDS. /D.L. Smith 12/12/98

INCA & SPANIARD (PIZARRO & THE CONQUEST OF PERU): Book Two: The Gold of Cuzco

Average customer rating:

5 Stars

INCA & SPANIARD (PIZARRO & THE CONQUEST OF PERU): Book Two: The Gold of Cuzco
Albert Marrin
Manufacturer: Atheneum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Central & South America | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0689314817

Customer Reviews:

5 Stars.......2001-05-08

A very readable book for young adults about the Spanish Conquest of Peru. Marrin describes in vivid detail the daily life of the Incas before the Spanish arrived. A warlike people, the Incas valued toughness, courage and obedience to authority. They were not strangers to capital punishment or torture. Like the Aztecs, they practiced ritual human sacrifice to appease the many gods they worshipped. Although their society was highly organized and technologically advanced, they were not prepared for warfare on European terms. When Pizarro arrived, he kidnapped their leader and held him for a ransom of silver and gold. Without their leader to give them instructions, the Incas were helpless to launch a rescue mission; they had been trained to obey orders, not to think for themselves. For many years the Incas made attempts to resist Spanish rule, but in the end, Spanish greed, weapons, cruelty and disease overtook them. A sorrowful yet valuable account of the Spanish impact on the New World.

Valverde's Gold: In Search of the Last Great Inca Treasure

Average customer rating:

Lacklustre - Read the first and last chapters and skip the rest
a bad search by a bad author
Thoroughly researched and mostly entertaining....

Valverde's Gold: In Search of the Last Great Inca Treasure
Mark Honigsbaum
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Incan | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Historiography | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0374191700

Book Description

In 1887, two British sailors landed on the coast of Ecuador and set off across the Andes on a secret mission. Their task was to locate an immense hoard of Inca gold which had been lost for hundreds of years. A botanist who had recently returned from Ecuador had provided them with documents proving it still existed and gave them the route to find it. And find it they did - but both perished before they could make their way back to the cave a second time.

In Valverde's Gold, Mark Honigsbaum attempts to unravel a riddle that has inspired frustrating and fatal treasure hunts for centuries. When he delves into the botanist's life and discovers an ancient Spanish treasure guide buried in his notebook, he cannot help but be drawn into the mystery. Undeterred by the cursed history of the gold, Honigsbaum embarks on an epic journey into the last uncharted range in the Andes-the Llanganati Mountains of eastern Ecuador. This is the story of how the lure of gold intoxicates even the most level-headed of historians, and of how men-and women-are seized with the desire to claim treasure from one of the most inhospitable landscapes in the world. Honigsbaum battles through mountains, jungles, and conflicting stories, and, as he draws closer to the hidden cache, illuminates the allure of lost gold and the hold it has on our imagination.

Customer Reviews:

Lacklustre - Read the first and last chapters and skip the rest.......2006-04-24

This book is pretty disappointing. Whilst treasure hunts are inherently interesting (and this one is the biggest of them all), following Honigsbaum is more often than not utterly boring. In each chapter his quest for the lost Incan treasure diverges into a new dead-end avenue, and his research is so hodge-podge that it is difficult to follow.

Much of his prose is boring and ought to have been cut short. For instance, he spends a chapter detailing his study of old Spanish documents in Seville, despite the fact that he finds absolutely nothing of import. Historical research is not exactly something one needs to read about in detail. His prose reads something like, "And suddenly, I put a new search term in the computer! I waited, as the hourglass turned on screen for what seemed an eternity. Then, just as I thought I was about to find the key document, my search came back! 'No Documents Found,' it said." He might then look over an unrelated document, and spend a page talking about a story that has no bearing on the treasure or anything to do with it; it just seems to fill up space in the book.

Overall, the author seems out to intrigue his audience enough to buy the book, but that's the extent of his effort. It's like a bad movie in which the preview only shows scenes with pretty girls and cars blowing up. Suck the audience in, because once you've got their money, what do you care? As I labored to get through Valverde's Gold, all I could think was, "I know exactly how this ends... I mean, if he found the treasure, would he really have written this awful book?"

a bad search by a bad author.......2005-05-09

this is perhaps the most disappointing book i have read in years. i have always loved treasuer hunts but this is just a terrible account of one. the author lays out the basics about the capture of the inca king and all that, but then it disloves into loose ends. he hunts down various people who have information and maps but he seems to alienate them so quickly that he fails to get any helpful data and most of them will speak to him again. further he goes on a trek with a drunk and comes back more than empty handed. a terrible book and a total waste of time and money. wait for the movie "how not to find a treasure for dummies". dgs

Thoroughly researched and mostly entertaining...........2005-02-17

First and foremost, this book is more of a literary and investigative adventure. It's not until the last chapter that the author actually details his own physical search for the fabled treasure in Ecuador of the Incan King Atahualpa. A treasure that by all accounts over the last 500 years may be the most valuable land cache of gold and other precious objects on earth. It provides interesting and entertaining background on the other treasure hunters and explorers who went before him on the search. This leads the reader through labrynthine twists of misinformation, questionable documents/maps and several "characters" the author encounters who come across as gold-crazed swashbucklers. The book is definitely well-researched, but I expected something more along the lines of an Indiana Jones type of real-life adventure and came away with something more along the lines of a day spent in a musty-smelling library....

Average customer rating:

Inca Gold
Clive Cussler
Manufacturer: Pocket Star
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1416525726

Book Description

When a tsunami hit a Spanish treasure galleon, all trace of a golden hoard greater than that of any pharaoh's vanished into history. Until NUMA agent DIRK PITT® dives into an ancient sacrificial pool far into the Andean jungle in order to rescue two archaeologists, and plunges into a vortex of corruption, betrayal, and death. A sinister crime syndicate has traced the long-lost treasure -- worth almost a billion dollars -- from the Andes to the banks of a hidden underground river flowing beneath a Mexican desert. Nothing will stop their ruthless and murderous drive to recover the gold. Nothing, that is, until Pitt and his team place themselves square in the path of danger....

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