The Codex

by Douglas Preston.

A quest for inheritance meets Indiana Jones…

Douglas Preston’s adventure-thriller arrived as a bit of a punt; while browsing through used books at my local Cancer Research UK, I found two novels high on my ‘must buy’ list but needed a third for the £1 offer. Intrigued by the name and ready for a treasure hunt, I added The Codex to my basket.

Ideal for a holiday read, I tossed this paperback in my backpack for a month’s excursion in Crete last year only to read 50 pages. Sadly, this became a common theme, re-reading the same 50 pages only to stall due to work or other commitments. Determined to finish, I took this novel home in June with one goal – Leave it completed or not!

The Codex is the story of Maxwell Broadbent’s, tomb-raider and billionaire, game to make his seemingly ungrateful sons earn their inheritance. Dying of cancer, Maxwell carts off his collection including a Mayan Codex, supposedly a medicinal cookbook of the Amazon, to be buried like an ancient pharaoh and challenges his sons to find him. Of course there is competition, in the form of ex-partner Marcus Hauser and down-on-its-luck Lampe-Denison Pharmaceuticals.

Sadly, this book can only be classified as a holiday read, at best. The main characters were less-than-developed stock caricatures that seemed to tromp through the Honduran jungle for entirely to long, often running into predictable debacles. Coupled with a sugary-sweet ending, Preston left me happy to pass this book along and pleased it only consumed a few hours of my life.

Given its baseness and pedestrian tempo, it is hard to recommend The Codex unless you are looking for something straightforward and unchallenging. Then again, the newspaper might be slightly more interesting?

Next up: As part of my new ‘hobby,’ EuSci, I have agreed to review a popular science book. I offer The Science of Heroes: The Real-Life Possibilities Behind the Hit TV Show by Yvonne Carts-Powell for your consideration.

Reviews in a Minute

Howdy howdy.

I'm starting to think that if you are a real-life adventurer, you don't have time for armchair voyages... It is hard to believe that my last post was over 18 months ago. Boy, have I seen some geography in that time! In the few fleeting hours I've spent at home not recovering from jet lag, I have managed a few titles. In the interests of brevity (and sanity) here are my quick reviews:

1) Keeping Faith by Jody Picoult.

Touching, women's read (but not traditional chick-lit) about a little girl named Faith. Caught in the midst of a messy divorce, Faith discovers an 'imaginary' friend to help her through the toughest times. Exploring issues of personal beliefs, mental illness, exploitation, and love Mrs. Picoult challenges even the most stalwart and pragmatic readers to questions their beliefs. For the first time in a long time, I spent a weekend reading just to see how the story would end. 5*

2) The Sunday Morning Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith.

I picked up this slim jacket for two reasons: 1) To see what everyone was raving about with regards to Mr. McCall Smith; and 2) It is set in the New Town of Edinburgh. A traditional detective story with a less then obvious sleuth this book was a quick read. If you like nosey neighbors, you'll love Isabel Dalhousie. Although not to my taste, Mr. McCall Smith did present a plausible mystery which could be solved by even your most average bear. 2.5*

3) The Alchemist by Paul Coelho.

Mr. Coelho's iconic novel needs little reviewing as there are tomes published on it already. It is the story of a boy's quest to find the Alchemist during which he learns about life and himself. Although greatly applauded as 'a fable for our time,' I was actually less than impressed. But, new age philosophy does little to impress this pragmatist. 3*

4) PS, I Love You by Cecelia Ahern.

Tear-jerking, classic, chick-lit. Although not an avid reader of chick-lit, Ms. Ahern's novel of loss and moving on caught my eye because I was working through similar issues myself. At times hysterically funny, others immensely sad, this was a wonderful holiday read. (Yes, it went in my backpack to Crete for a month!) Do yourself a favor though - read the book and skip the movie! It was horrid. 4*

Rightey oh! Four books in four minutes. Cool! I've just come back from a week in the US during which I read The Codex by Douglas Preston. If you're looking for a beach read of the adventure variety you'll enjoy this book. My review will be coming in early July!

Until then, enjoy the words!