Official Review: Chakana by W.E. Lawrence
Posted: 21 Sep 2016, 05:29
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Chakana" by W.E. Lawrence.]
2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Travel through Peru for an adventure reminiscent of Indiana Jones with Chakana, by W.E. Lawrence. We follow James Fleming, an English spy, and Kate Rhodes, an American police officer, through various Incan temples to find an ancient treasure even the Nazis covet.
Chakana is an adventure/romance novel that is set just before World War 2. It starts out as Kate helps James out of a sticky situation, a day before he leaves for his hometown England. Years later, Kate receives an Incan artifact from her archaeologist brother in Peru. She seeks help from Dr. Charles Watson, and together, they fly to Peru to uncover the secrets of the artifact. Upon arriving there, however, they discover that Kate's brother, Nick, and his crew, are missing. Kate despairs of ever finding her brother, but through a series of events, she reunites with James, who helps her find Nick. Kate and James, with the help of Dr. Charlie and Nick, must locate the treasure before the local gang and the Nazis do.
From the beginning, Chakana gripped me with its fast-paced plot. It was also very fun and enjoyable with a couple of laugh out loud moments. The book opened my eyes to the wonders of the ancient Incan culture, of which I know very little. There is a lot of reference to Incan gods, architecture, belief, and art. The more I read the book, the more I found myself craving more information about the Incas. For those who love history, this aspect of the book will definitely keep your interest.
Perhaps because it is fast-paced, the book left me unsatisfied with the treasure hunt. Locating the artifacts happened behind the scenes, done by the other characters. The readers have no idea how they figured out the locations of the artifacts, we were just told where they are. And then when the main characters get to the temples, the process of acquiring the artifacts takes no more than a few simple steps. You would think that for something the Incas treasured, they would guard them by laying complex puzzles and deadly traps.
I also found fault with the two leads. James is too careless for a spy. Although he has his clever moments, I felt that his carelessness led to situations that were avoidable. Kate is somewhat immature as she always blamed James for situations that were out of his control. The romance between the two was a bit forced. The first sex scene, especially, was out-of-place. I would have preferred if it happened somewhere in the middle, when the leads have gotten closer.
Despite this, I had fun reading this book. It was informative, enjoyable and very easy to read. I loved learning about the Incas, the action scenes were exciting, and the plot was very easy to follow. There were, however, several misspelled words and a couple of dangling modifiers. Overall, I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars.
I recommend this book to fans of history and archaeology looking for a light and fast-paced read. There are a couple of sex scenes, so this is more suited to mature readers.
******
Chakana
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like dana012's review? Post a comment saying so!
2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Travel through Peru for an adventure reminiscent of Indiana Jones with Chakana, by W.E. Lawrence. We follow James Fleming, an English spy, and Kate Rhodes, an American police officer, through various Incan temples to find an ancient treasure even the Nazis covet.
Chakana is an adventure/romance novel that is set just before World War 2. It starts out as Kate helps James out of a sticky situation, a day before he leaves for his hometown England. Years later, Kate receives an Incan artifact from her archaeologist brother in Peru. She seeks help from Dr. Charles Watson, and together, they fly to Peru to uncover the secrets of the artifact. Upon arriving there, however, they discover that Kate's brother, Nick, and his crew, are missing. Kate despairs of ever finding her brother, but through a series of events, she reunites with James, who helps her find Nick. Kate and James, with the help of Dr. Charlie and Nick, must locate the treasure before the local gang and the Nazis do.
From the beginning, Chakana gripped me with its fast-paced plot. It was also very fun and enjoyable with a couple of laugh out loud moments. The book opened my eyes to the wonders of the ancient Incan culture, of which I know very little. There is a lot of reference to Incan gods, architecture, belief, and art. The more I read the book, the more I found myself craving more information about the Incas. For those who love history, this aspect of the book will definitely keep your interest.
Perhaps because it is fast-paced, the book left me unsatisfied with the treasure hunt. Locating the artifacts happened behind the scenes, done by the other characters. The readers have no idea how they figured out the locations of the artifacts, we were just told where they are. And then when the main characters get to the temples, the process of acquiring the artifacts takes no more than a few simple steps. You would think that for something the Incas treasured, they would guard them by laying complex puzzles and deadly traps.
I also found fault with the two leads. James is too careless for a spy. Although he has his clever moments, I felt that his carelessness led to situations that were avoidable. Kate is somewhat immature as she always blamed James for situations that were out of his control. The romance between the two was a bit forced. The first sex scene, especially, was out-of-place. I would have preferred if it happened somewhere in the middle, when the leads have gotten closer.
Despite this, I had fun reading this book. It was informative, enjoyable and very easy to read. I loved learning about the Incas, the action scenes were exciting, and the plot was very easy to follow. There were, however, several misspelled words and a couple of dangling modifiers. Overall, I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars.
I recommend this book to fans of history and archaeology looking for a light and fast-paced read. There are a couple of sex scenes, so this is more suited to mature readers.
******
Chakana
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like dana012's review? Post a comment saying so!
I really enjoyed the history and adventure in this book, even if the romance was just okay.