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jwenskovitch's review
2.0
This book could've been 5x better if Du Brul wasn't frequently inserting his own opinions about climate change as page-long monologues and dialogues with useful idiots recently exposed as bad guys. Ignoring the fact that he uses outdated facts and long-debunked theories, it's just poor writing and immediately breaks the flow of the story. I'm surprised that no editor was competent enough to say "Dude, we got it the first time, you really don't need 7 of these."
The story also felt rushed in general, and didn't capture the magic of some of the earlier books in the series.
The story also felt rushed in general, and didn't capture the magic of some of the earlier books in the series.
thogek's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ekapic's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
yoongoongi's review
3.0
3.5/5 Stars
I won a free ARC of this book on Goodreads thanks to the First Reads giveaway program.
I honestly had mixed feeling about the book. The very first page caught my attention. The concept of Amelia Earhart really intrigued me, and I felt like that part was very well written. It set the tone for mystery and made me want to keep reading.
Sadly, I felt that after those very first pages, it all sorta fell flat for me. The characters were not all that likeable. There were parts of each character that made me want to like them, but I found that I didn't really care about any of them as far as the story was concerned. I wish more of the story of Miss Earhart would have been incorporated. I feel like that would've made the book much more enjoyable.
One thing that I really did not like was Jordan. She was sort of a pointless character, and to me, was only there as a piece of meat to satisfy the male readers. haha. I found it gross, and unrealistic, that a twenty-something sex symbol would just want to throw herself at Mercer, a middle aged man. I felt like that was just the writer expressing a fantasy of his. ;)
I was very happy in the end though that Mercer did not end up with Jordan. (SPOILER ALERT, OOPS TOO LATE. xD) I still wish that he would've ended up with no one at all for some reason though. haha
So, overall, not bad. There were some pretty cool ideas, but I feel like this is one for the boys.
I won a free ARC of this book on Goodreads thanks to the First Reads giveaway program.
I honestly had mixed feeling about the book. The very first page caught my attention. The concept of Amelia Earhart really intrigued me, and I felt like that part was very well written. It set the tone for mystery and made me want to keep reading.
Sadly, I felt that after those very first pages, it all sorta fell flat for me. The characters were not all that likeable. There were parts of each character that made me want to like them, but I found that I didn't really care about any of them as far as the story was concerned. I wish more of the story of Miss Earhart would have been incorporated. I feel like that would've made the book much more enjoyable.
One thing that I really did not like was Jordan. She was sort of a pointless character, and to me, was only there as a piece of meat to satisfy the male readers. haha. I found it gross, and unrealistic, that a twenty-something sex symbol would just want to throw herself at Mercer, a middle aged man. I felt like that was just the writer expressing a fantasy of his. ;)
I was very happy in the end though that Mercer did not end up with Jordan. (SPOILER ALERT, OOPS TOO LATE. xD) I still wish that he would've ended up with no one at all for some reason though. haha
So, overall, not bad. There were some pretty cool ideas, but I feel like this is one for the boys.
brettt's review against another edition
4.0
His tour with Clive Cussler's "Oregon Files" done, Jack Du Brul returns to his own series character: geologist, adventurer and do-gooder Philip Mercer, in The Lightning Stones.
Mercer's old mentor and father substitute following the death of his parents has been murdered, and he wants to know why. When he digs into the old man's research, he finds clues to a strange mineral that draws lightning during storms. A multimillionaire invested heavily in clean energy has found a use for it that will help make him rich -- if it doesn't destroy the earth's weather first. Mercer will have to stay ahead of the ruthless profiteer's schemes and solve a decades-old mystery to avenge his friend's death and save the world.
The "Oregon Files" weren't substantially different from Du Brul's regular gig in style and tone. Mercer is tough, dogged, good in a fight and smart enough to figure out what's going on around him. He never gives in, never quits and never shies away from violence if that's what the situation requires. Du Brul is still gifted at action sequences, managing to make plausible an outrageous river ride in a flooded house torn loose from its foundations.
He obviously wants his characters to have more depth than a lot of thrillers do and succeeds at some level, even though a good deal of that depth comes from direct exposition rather than being built into the narrative. Either the limitations of the genre or of Du Brul's own narrative skill keep him from being able to completely hide the wizard behind the curtain.
The Mercer books don't usually rely as much on scientific gadgetary whiz-bang as did the "Oregon Files" but have plenty of science-y goodness to entertain the techno-thriller fan. If they don't hit quite as high as their author aims, they still manage to rise above the herd and aiming high doesn't seem like a bad way to write a book.
Original available here.
Mercer's old mentor and father substitute following the death of his parents has been murdered, and he wants to know why. When he digs into the old man's research, he finds clues to a strange mineral that draws lightning during storms. A multimillionaire invested heavily in clean energy has found a use for it that will help make him rich -- if it doesn't destroy the earth's weather first. Mercer will have to stay ahead of the ruthless profiteer's schemes and solve a decades-old mystery to avenge his friend's death and save the world.
The "Oregon Files" weren't substantially different from Du Brul's regular gig in style and tone. Mercer is tough, dogged, good in a fight and smart enough to figure out what's going on around him. He never gives in, never quits and never shies away from violence if that's what the situation requires. Du Brul is still gifted at action sequences, managing to make plausible an outrageous river ride in a flooded house torn loose from its foundations.
He obviously wants his characters to have more depth than a lot of thrillers do and succeeds at some level, even though a good deal of that depth comes from direct exposition rather than being built into the narrative. Either the limitations of the genre or of Du Brul's own narrative skill keep him from being able to completely hide the wizard behind the curtain.
The Mercer books don't usually rely as much on scientific gadgetary whiz-bang as did the "Oregon Files" but have plenty of science-y goodness to entertain the techno-thriller fan. If they don't hit quite as high as their author aims, they still manage to rise above the herd and aiming high doesn't seem like a bad way to write a book.
Original available here.
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