Lost Empire

A Fargo Adventure

By: Clive Cussler

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Sam and Remi Fargo, heroes of Spartan Gold, return in this extraordinary new adventure from the number-one New York Times- bestselling author. With Spartan Gold, a daring thriller that Publishers Weekly proclaimed "solidly in the Cussler tradition, [and] sure to please new fans and old," Clive Cussler introduced husband-and-wife treasure-hunting team Sam and Remi Fargo. In their electrifying new adventure, the Fargos make a startling discovery that others would kill to keep hidden....

While scuba diving in Tanzania, Sam and Remi Fargo come upon a relic belonging to a long-lost Confederate ship. An anomaly about the relic sets them off chasing a mystery-but unknown to them, a much more powerful force is engaged in the same chase. Mexico's ruling party, the ultranationalist Mexica Tenochca, is intent on finding that artifact as well, because it contains a secret that could destroy the party utterly.

Through Tanzania and Zanzibar, into the rainforests of Madagascar, and across the Indian Ocean to Indonesia and the legendary site of the 1883 Krakatoa explosion, the Fargos and their ruthless opponents pursue the hunt-but only one can win. And the penalty for failure is death.

Filled with the dazzling suspense and breathtaking action that are Cussler's trademarks, Lost Empire is a stunning new novel from the grand master of adventure.

©2010 Clive Cussler (P)2010 Penguin Audio

Loved it

Wonderful. Have read or listened to all the Cussler books and this is my favorite. Hope for many more adventures from this couple.

Not as crisp as the first

Detail, Cussler's new-found religion, is pretty complicated in this the second in the series. You need to follow his thinking on Google Earth to get the full appreciation of the story and I am not sure that in the end it all connects, it sort of runs out of puff. The thing I hated was the cribbed word for word overview repeat of the background of the heroes from book 1; that is lazy writing and Mr C is better than that. Not sure if I will invest in number 3.

Great book! Read very well !

Great book. The narration was week done! I would suggest this book for anyone who wants to have a adventure.

Typical Fargo book

I enjoy the Fargo books with the bantering that goes on between the two. Not a lot to say because the story is so typical Cussler. I can't read them in succession but I enjoy them sprinkled in once in a while.

Get ready for a great adventure.

Great story. As always Cussler leads you on a rollercoaster of twists and turns.
Scott Brick brings the book to life like he is there.

Lost Empire- fair story. Too much research dialog

Too much research material... boring at times. I struggles to finish the be book. Rate it fair overall.

Lost Empire

Any additional comments?

This review is specific to the first seven books of the Fargo series by Clive Cussler in audiobook format narrated by Scott Brick. All are published by Penguin Audio and are in the area of eleven to twelve hours of listening. Some of The Fargo Adventures have been co-authored with Grant Blackwood, Thomas Perry, Russell Blake or Robin Burcell. Early writings by Clive Cussler did not involve co-authors, however Cussler is in his mid-80s at this writing. All of these books cover a specific era of ancient history and are rich with detail. There is a great deal of historical research, ergo co-authors. The Fargo Adventures series is in the tradition of all Cussler works, i.e., mysteries wrapped around history, a formula that defines his basic plot structure. The difference, in my opinion, is the married couple lead characters in this series, Sam and Remi Fargo, as opposed to the type A macho men, Dirk Pitt and Isaac Bell.

The entire series revolves around ancient treasure, excavation, archeological digs, etc. Think DaVinci Code on steroids with a brilliant engineer and his historian wife as the lead characters, Sam and Remi. Or possibly Nick and Nora or Jonathan and Jennifer Hart with satellite cell phones and iPads. The leads chase clues galore across the world involving everything from deep sea diving to mountain climbing to hot air balloon escapes to spelunking. Exotic cities, exclusive hotels, and sumptuous dining experiences of the locales are explicitly described in each story. Remi and Sam are experts at and can do anything and are very philanthropic. All of their finds are turned over to the local governments or historical societies. The two are not ‘in it for the money’, but rather the adventure. At their California home/office is Selma and her staff. Selma is a researcher who finds answers to the most obscure elements of ancient history, makes travel and equipment arrangements for Sam and Remi, and knows what they need before they need it. The pair independently wealthy enough to have enviable lives traveling the world and getting themselves in and out of trouble, turning the tables on bad guys along the way. Although Sam and Remi are married and deeply in love, the entire series is squeaky clean, i.e., chaste kisses on cheeks. No gratuitous sex, no language issues as is true of all Cussler writing. Don’t hesitate to present as gifts to anyone.

Regarding Scott Brick’s audiobook performances … well … it’s Scott Brick, ergo not much to say. He does a particularly great job with obscure accents and pronunciations. Male and female voices unique, no trouble discerning who-says-what-to-who, nice timing and tempo, solid productions.

Spartan Gold, 2009 = Napoleonic history that begins with Sam and Remi finding a Nazi-era German mini-sub while scuba diving. Ancient bottles of wine found in the sub have them hunting for Napoleon’s lost cellar and more treasure.

Lost Empire, 2010 = Aztec history. Very convoluted, complex story. Clues galore poof away during the story and are wrapped up in neat package in the Epilog. Not my favorite, but finding a mystery (no spoiler) in the Krakatoa volcanic ash is a very cool element of the plot.

The Kingdom, 2011 = Nepal history. Sam and Remi are sucked into a mystery taking them from an egomaniacal Texas baron to Shangri-La!

The Tombs, 2012 = A narcissistic maniac believes he is a descendent of Attila the Hun. Other greedy creeps simply want the riches found in a cadre of tombs, which results in a search for Attila’s final resting place - another tomb.

The Mayan Secrets, 2013, opens in the 16th century with the sheltering of a book containing Mayan history. Sam and Remi battle to preserve a book found in an ancient clay pot. The resulting mayhem begins a wild adventure.

In The Eye of Heaven, 2014, Cussler should have been tougher in the supervision of co-authoring, as the character of Remi has changed to be more of a liability for Sam - she acts like a spoiled child, often wanting to go home. The book might be better if he sent her. The two argue about strategy rather than scheme together as in previous novels - way too much ’sneering'. That, and after all they’ve been through, Remi is jealous? Really? That said, the story: How do ancient artifacts from the interior of Mexico wind up in the hull of a Viking ship found west of Greenland buried in glacial ice? Thus is the mystery of The Eye of Heaven.

The Solomon Curse, 2015. Beneath the waters off the coast of Guatemala lay the structures of a village or town. A wealthy tycoon in Australia is up to no good. There are ancient tales of gold and jewels and yep: Giants! Sam and Remi spelunk their way through adventures and march through jungles to find treasure, dead bodies, and ancient dead bodies. Not quite as ‘thrilling’ as some of the books, but an enjoyable read.

Since the books stand alone, jump in anywhere. Recommended for adventure lovers interested in ‘clean’ reads. Not great literature, just fun reading.

Sam & Remy upset world's history "facts" again

Sam and Remy overcome 10 years of failed searches to illuminate the origins of the atztec people. touches on the US civil war, ancient volcanoes, early sea voyages, not to mention ruthless competition aiming to stop them every step of the way.

One of My Favorites

This was one of my first Audible books, and I have listened to it probably 7 times. It's just that good!

Why do I keep buying these books?

I suppose its the promise of adventure. The books are good but unrealistic, even for fiction.

Why does every character need a Phd, mountains of money, brains, beauty.. Why do Cussler believe we care about the size of Remmies wardrobe? Why do we have to listen to all the specifications of the boat, the gun, the APPLE laptop, the house...

Please Mr Cussler, we love the people, they dont need to be gold plated.