The Lost Island

Gideon Crew, Book 3

By: Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child

Narrated by: David W. Collins

Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Gideon Crew, brilliant scientist, master thief, is living on borrowed time. When his mysterious employer, Eli Glinn, gives him an eyebrow-raising mission, he has no reason to refuse. Gideon's task: steal a page from the priceless Book of Kells, now on display in New York City and protected by unbreakable security.

Accomplishing the impossible, Gideon steals the parchment - only to learn that hidden beneath the gorgeously illuminated image is a treasure map dating back to the time of the ancient Greeks. As they ponder the strange map, they realize that the treasure it leads to is no ordinary fortune. It is something far more precious: an amazing discovery that could perhaps even save Gideon's life.

Together with his new partner, Amy, Gideon follows a trail of cryptic clues to an unknown island in a remote corner of the Caribbean Sea. There, off the hostile and desolate Mosquito Coast, the pair realize the extraordinary treasure they are hunting conceals an even greater shock - a revelation so profound that it may benefit the entire human race - if Gideon and Amy can survive.

©2014 Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (P)2014 Hachette Audio

Great book

Didn't want to put it down. narration was excellent and there was s nice combination is history and fiction.

Unique premise. Well told story

Loved it! Unique & well told story with an interesting twist using some Greek mythology.

The Worst of the Series

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The book wasn't nearly as well written as past books by the same authors. Plot was shallow. Plot and narrative were a bit hokie at times. Several parts stretched logic and were just plan unbelievable. Characters acted completely different than the roles established for them in first two books (example Eli Glinn).

Was The Lost Island worth the listening time?

I listened to the entire book because I liked the series to date. Still by far the worst book I have read or listed to by this pair.

Decidedly lackluster

I was very disappointed. I thought it was rather shallow and contrived. it seems like they just made it up as they went along. I have read and enjoyed many of their books, and was disappointed in this one.

Good, book, but not the best in the series so far

This is the 3rd book in the GIdeon Crew series and as usual, Preston and Child produce an action-packed and multi-turn yarn which often keeps you guessing what will happen next. My only issue with this one is that I wasn't as surprised in this one as I have been in the rest. The plot seemed more predictable as the story evolved. I also would have preferred more background on the Amiko character who had a major role - it was not completely clear (at least to me) why she really acted the way she did. But, like Gideon Crew, her story isn't over yet. A good book and worth reading, regardless of my comments above.

Very good, but with problems.

Interesting story well told — but — Gideon is much more naive than I’d been used too. Also Glyn didn’t really seem to be on his game. Not anticipating the impossible event is understandable, but not considering “pirates” didn’t seem to be in character.

Please lose the musical intermezzos

Fun and fantastical story. Read very well. Just please, no music between chapters.. that's super annoying.

Good fantasy and fun

Much better than previous book. Though fanciful, it still had a lot of credibility. Good read

Love and Not Love this book

I'm enjoying the Gideon Crew series to such a degree that I continue to purchase the next one pretty much the same day I finish the current book in my queue. This particular book had almost too many story threads going on. The Book of Kell theft was really well done, and Gideon is becoming more like James Bond without Q at his side. Gideon's genius and resourcefulness is mind boggling to be sure. However, once paired with Amy and sent off to find a mythological lotus flower, the story gets many jolts of plot twisting crazy that were frequently less believable given Gideon's previous personality. Gideon didn't assert himself when Amy directed their actions to a suicidal level. Gideon's submissive behavior just seemed out of character, and a detriment to a successful mission. Like why the f*c* didn't Gideon insist that Glinn send them a rescue when they beached up on an island after he almost drowned and had lost everything he had packed in a dry bag before abandoning their sinking boat? Why did he let Amy convince him that her hunch to follow in Odysseus's journey to the island of the Lotus Eaters was the right decision, rather than allow Glinn to refit them with proper gear and nutrition and working satellite phones? Why did Gideon and Amy, two incredibly intelligent and capable people, allow the satellite phone to get low on battery power? It was at that point I stopped enjoying the story as much as the previous stories, and just kept reading b/c I sometimes just have to finish. The jolts of unreal plot twists continue to impact, and when Glinn flew into the island with a small army and proceeded to slash and burn and threaten the delicate island environment, I actually had to set the book aside for a few days. Glinn's actions were just so unnecessary! And Gideon doesn't fight to get Glinn to see reason, he just gives up and climbs into a helicopter home, leaving the entire island and it's close to extinct flora and fauna at Glinn's no-mercy attack plan.
And after a deeply saddening ending for the island and all it's plants and creatures, Gideon actually decides to continue working with Glinn? And though I found Amy to be an unlikable character throughout most of the story, I personally thought she made the right choice after surviving the mission with Gideon and Glinn to disappear in the world without a trace.
All that said, I still purchased the next book. I can tell that Gideon continues to survive his genetic death warrant since there's 2 more books in the series.
Keep in mind that I am abundantly willing to suspend belief in reality for the sake of a good story almost 97% of the time, since I have been a science fiction geek my entire life. A good sci fi book can bend and stretch and change reality as we know it with satisfying results. So, my words in this review are just my opinion and reflect my taste in a tale.
David Collins is an excellent narrator for the Gideon crew series, and since a good narrator can elevate the experience for the reader/listener, I'm giving him 5 star kudos.

I love it when a grand conspiracy gets continued

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It was a nice background story, not the best of the series, but not the worst. Mildly entertaining.

Would you recommend The Lost Island to your friends? Why or why not?

My friends don't listen to these types of stories, likely to their benefit. That said,if a friend was a Preston/Child fan, I likely would.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Performance was very good, with clear characters and accents. Nothing really to dislike.

Do you think The Lost Island needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes, and it sets it up nicely at the end.

Any additional comments?

This is a mediocre extension of the series. Not bad, but not brilliant. Mildly recommended with reservations.