I was very glad to see that it was Rob MacGregor who wrote this Indiana Jones novel, as well. He is a very strong writer, and made the first three Indiana Jones novels (this is the fourth of the series) really come alive with energy, humor, and even some education.
It is a year after he lost his wife, Deirdre, and although he is appreciative to still have his teaching job, it is nonetheless a constant reminder of her - particularly the field, Celtic mythology, which is not even his specialty. So, Indiana Jones quits his teaching job in London, and goes back home to the states.
***Spoiler Alert***
He seems on the verge of getting a desirable teaching job at a university, and it appears that he is about to reestablish himself in Chicago as a result. But the job falls through in the last minute, leaving Indiana with only questions about where he is in his life at the moment.
In the meantime, he has gotten back in touch with his best friend Jack Shannon, who is also in Chicago, but a member of a gang family that finds itself, rather suddenly, at war with the Capone gang. They lose the war, and Indy and Shannon have to leave Chicago in haste, making a last minute escape.
On the train, they happen upon the Zobolotsky family, a son and daughter from Russia. Dr. Vladimir Zobolotsky has claimed that he has found the actual Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat in Turkey, and he has a piece of the Ark wood to prove it. Indiana Jones was the only archaeologist of any repute that Zobolotsky could find who took any interest in his venture, and who did not laugh it off immediately as some kind of preposterous scam.
But his daughter, Katrina, is a beautiful young woman, and both Indy and Shannon find themselves quite taken by her. This proves to be a strong source of friction, but it is not the only problem that the expedition will face by a long shot. Zobolotsky was trying to leave Chicago to get away from a menacing pair of Bolshevik twins from the Soviet Union who are determined to stop Zobolotsky's expedition to Turkey to find Noah's Ark, but he is also nervous about his daughter's interest in these young men - particularly Indiana.
Before too long, Vladimir Zobolotsky's own credibility seems questionable, and Indy begins to harbor serious doubts. Plus, there are a lot of strange things going on all around them, wherever they go, and trying to make sense of all this is not an easy prospect.
But things are not what they seem, of course.
Ultimately, there is an expedition to Mount Ararat, and a confrontation with the legendary Jannissary warriors (I have a friend from Egypt who was really fixated on the Jannissaries, and he even had his online name as Jannissary for some time). In the meantime, the Bolsheviks from Russia/the Soviet Union are also trying to stop the expedition for their own purposes, and it leads to a gripping chase right up Mount Ararat.
Yet, this book is actually quite different, ultimately, in what the hesitation that those on the expedition feel, which is unlike some of the other adventure novels that I have read on Indiana Jones. It delves a bit into some very interesting history and, as mentioned already, is informative in this capacity. Yet, you get the feeling that this was an almost adventure, rather than an outright one - if that makes any sense.
Nonetheless, an entertaining, fun read, and a good overall addition to the collection of Indiana Jones novels.
But his daughter, Katrina, is a beautiful young woman, and both Indy and Shannon find themselves quite taken by her. This proves to be a strong source of friction, but it is not the only problem that the expedition will face by a long shot. Zobolotsky was trying to leave Chicago to get away from a menacing pair of Bolshevik twins from the Soviet Union who are determined to stop Zobolotsky's expedition to Turkey to find Noah's Ark, but he is also nervous about his daughter's interest in these young men - particularly Indiana.
Before too long, Vladimir Zobolotsky's own credibility seems questionable, and Indy begins to harbor serious doubts. Plus, there are a lot of strange things going on all around them, wherever they go, and trying to make sense of all this is not an easy prospect.
But things are not what they seem, of course.
Ultimately, there is an expedition to Mount Ararat, and a confrontation with the legendary Jannissary warriors (I have a friend from Egypt who was really fixated on the Jannissaries, and he even had his online name as Jannissary for some time). In the meantime, the Bolsheviks from Russia/the Soviet Union are also trying to stop the expedition for their own purposes, and it leads to a gripping chase right up Mount Ararat.
Yet, this book is actually quite different, ultimately, in what the hesitation that those on the expedition feel, which is unlike some of the other adventure novels that I have read on Indiana Jones. It delves a bit into some very interesting history and, as mentioned already, is informative in this capacity. Yet, you get the feeling that this was an almost adventure, rather than an outright one - if that makes any sense.
Nonetheless, an entertaining, fun read, and a good overall addition to the collection of Indiana Jones novels.
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