afox98's review against another edition
3.0
I'd give this 3 1/2 stars if I could. Not my favorite Steve Berry story - the whole thing felt like it moved slower than most of his action-packed Cotton Malone books. However, it gets props for teaching me a ton of Chinese history, something I know nothing about.
maggie56's review against another edition
4.0
I have been reading Steve Berry since his first novel. I think he is a very
gifted writer and I am addicted to his blend of fiction and non-fiction. I
truely look forward to finishing this book which I can now finish since I just
noticed he has a new one out. (The Bulken...)
Finished finally! Good book but not his best.
gifted writer and I am addicted to his blend of fiction and non-fiction. I
truely look forward to finishing this book which I can now finish since I just
noticed he has a new one out. (The Bulken...)
Finished finally! Good book but not his best.
tuomosuominen's review against another edition
2.0
The Emperor's Tomb involves Cotton Malone in rescuing Cassiopeia Vitt, who for some reason is involved in rescuing a Russian boy, from evil Chinese secret societies (and politicians), who seek world domination based on a the theory of infinite oil supplies. Berry's trademark parallel plots are once again chopped into bite-sized chapters, a technique that starts to become very annoying. Disappointing.
ljjohnson8's review against another edition
4.0
This was Steve Berry's sixth Cotton Malone adventure, and I think it was one of the best. The author narrowed his story more than he has in the past - not so many characters and far-flung secondary plots - and I think it was the better for it. Cotton is - once again - roped into a mission against his will (he is retired, you know). This time he attempts to come to the rescue of the beautiful and mysterious Cassiopeia Vitt, who has been abducted by some very bad people. (But then again, do good people abduct and torture others?) It's all China (with a little Antwerp thrown in) in this book and Berry does an excellent job of making the various locales come alive. There's lots of mysterious artifacts, a secret ancient society (how many of those are there?!?), close calls with death, double/triple/quadruple crossing, running, shooting, acts of garguantuan courage, etc. Great start to the new year.
shayneh's review against another edition
3.0
Quick and fun read, and lots of historical fact mixed in with the cliff-hanger plot. I greatly appreciated the "fact and fiction" section at the end. (Take note, Dan Brown!)
wyatt046's review against another edition
4.0
These books are total guilty pleasures for me but I do really like them
taylorhousebooks's review against another edition
3.0
I wasn't going to continue reading the series, but I had received this book as a gift so I figured what the heck. It was ok. Same issues as previous ones, only a nice interesting development at the end that will probably convince me to read the next one.
libkatem's review against another edition
2.0
I thought this skipped around too much - I don't really have a clear sense of any of the characters. Perhaps if I had read the series from the beginning it would have been less confusing? I don't know.
I like Chinese history, though, so that was fun.
I like Chinese history, though, so that was fun.
tinabaich's review against another edition
4.0
The Emperor's Tomb is the sixth installment in Steve Berry's Cotton Malone series. Cotton Malone is a former U.S. Justice Department agent turned bookseller who frequently finds himself drawn back into his former life. This time the impetus is Cassiopeia Vitt, who has been kidnapped by unknown assailants. Malone quickly reacts to come to her aid and finds that the situation is far larger than Vitt's abduction. What starts out as a simple mission for Cassiopeia quickly finds them both in the middle of a conspiracy surrounding the balance of power in China.
Unlike most entries in the series, the prologue of The Emperor's Tomb does not take place in the distance past but three days after the beginning of this new adventure. This change has no bearing on the effectiveness of the story though. As Malone and Vitt work to understand what is happening and achieve several different goals, they are forced to put their trust in several untrustworthy characters. Will this be their undoing? You'll have to read to find out.
Berry is a master of weaving historical fact into his fiction, and The Emperor's Tomb is no exception. I highly recommend this book to any lover of mysteries and/or thrillers. You don't need to have read the earlier entries in the Cotton Malone series to follow this one, but they're so good, why wouldn't you?
http://iubookgirl.blogspot.com/2011/01/review-emperors-tomb.html
Unlike most entries in the series, the prologue of The Emperor's Tomb does not take place in the distance past but three days after the beginning of this new adventure. This change has no bearing on the effectiveness of the story though. As Malone and Vitt work to understand what is happening and achieve several different goals, they are forced to put their trust in several untrustworthy characters. Will this be their undoing? You'll have to read to find out.
Berry is a master of weaving historical fact into his fiction, and The Emperor's Tomb is no exception. I highly recommend this book to any lover of mysteries and/or thrillers. You don't need to have read the earlier entries in the Cotton Malone series to follow this one, but they're so good, why wouldn't you?
http://iubookgirl.blogspot.com/2011/01/review-emperors-tomb.html