The Balkan Escape

Cassiopeia Vitt Adventure #1

by Steve Berry, Scott Brick (Narrator)

Steve Berry's first ever eBook original finds an adventurer in a strange and forbidding land, in search of a long lost treasure, and very much in harm's way. 

As a favor to enigmatic billionaire Henrik Thorvaldsen, Cassiopeia Vitt treks into Bulgaria's Rila mountains in search of a buried stash of exceedingly rare artifacts from a bygone civilization: the ancient tomb of a Thracian king. But when her presence is discovered by a shadowy group of Russians secretly mining the area, she needs a way out. Who to trust becomes the question, and her life depends on choosing the right option.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Adventure, Suspense, Short Stories

Audiobook

First published September 10, 2010

About the author

 

Steve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of twenty-two novels, which include: The Last Kingdom , The Omega Factor , The Kaiser's Web, The Warsaw Protocol, The Malta Exchange, The Bishop’s Pawn, The Lost Order, The 14th Colony, The Patriot Threat, The Lincoln Myth, The King's Deception, The Columbus Affair, The Jefferson Key, The Emperor's Tomb, The Paris Vendetta, The Charlemagne Pursuit, The Venetian Betrayal, The Alexandria Link, The Templar Legacy, The Third Secret, The Romanov Prophecy, and The Amber Room. Steve has also co-written a novel with Grant Blackwood,  The 9th Man  (a Luke Daniels Adventure), and four novellas with M. J. Rose:  The End of Forever,   The House of Long Ago,   The Lake of Learning,  and  The Museum of Mysteries,  all Cassiopeia Vitt tales. His books have been translated into 41 languages with over 25,000,000 copies in 52 countries. They consistently appear in the top echelon of The New York Times, USA Today, and Indie bestseller lists. Somewhere in the world, every thirty seconds, one of his novels is sold.

Reviews

[Nostalgia Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't badly written, but it does seem a bit useless as a stand alone short. It easily could have been incorporated into the prologue to The Emperor's Tomb, which this is a prequel to. I appreciate the backstory, but the plot seemed too convenient and it only made me want to see a full length novel about Thracian treasures.

You won't miss anything in The Emperor's Tomb If you don't read this first.

[Cam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cassi is on the hunt for a lost tomb but finds that the Russians are mining close by and needs a way out. Fast paced Steve Berry book.

[PamG · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short story that is a prequel to The Emperor's Tomb. However, I did not feel it added a lot and it is not necessary to read it before you read the novel.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I read The Emporer's Tomb a while ago, and I understand this is a prequel to that story from Cassiopia's perspective.

I really love Steve Berry's books, and his ability to create a story around any subject that doesn't really have definite facts. But I felt this story was written just to fill in some space between novels. I think it could have easily been a chapter or intro to a book, not a story by itself.

Again, I love Berry but am disappointed in this short story.

[Mike Kennedy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very short and not that great of a novella. Revolves around Cassiopeia Vitt and her exploration of an ancient tomb. Once in the tomb she runs into some Russian operatives that have come across some uranium. I wouldn't recommend this story story unless you feel the need to read all of the Cotton Malone series. Especially because Cotton isn't even in this book

[William Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very exciting short story by Steve Berry. I've really enjoyed everything I've read by him.
If you lie historical novels then you need to read his books

[Keith Lovell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A introduction yo Miss Vitt.

[Angela Risner · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very short story that is a prequel to The Emperor's Tomb. It also has a preview of The Emperor's Tomb.

I was kind of disappointed that so much of this was the preview rather than the short story. That being said, it does explain the background between Cassiopeia Vitt and Lev Sokolov. It's well-written and definitely whets your appetite for more.

If you're a diehard fan, you'll want to read it.

[Alex is The Romance Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

A prequel to The Emperor’s Tomb which gives you background story of Cassiopeia Vitt and Lev Sokolo, who I guess play a large role in that book. I just thought why the need for a 30 pager, which could have been the prologue of TET…it’s like the publishers just wanted to make more money!!!!

Despite that, I love anything about Cassiopeia, Cotton Malone’s friend and who is one of my favourite characters in this series and I did love seeing her kick ass with the bad guys.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a prequel to "The Emperor's Tomb" which I had already read. It is a short short story, but a little too short for my taste. It did explain the connection between Cassiopeia Vitt and Lev Skolov but I wich he would have just included it at the beginning of the book - I felt the $1.50 I paid Amazon to read this e-book was a bit of a rip-off.

[David Schwan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost too short a story about Cassiopeia Vitt. This story is supposed to be a prequel to The Emperor's Tomb. Cassiopeia Vitt is one of my favorite characters in the Cotton Malone series. The short segment of The Emperor's Tomb included in this story raises some interesting questions.

[Bill Donhiser · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing, I love Steve Berry's novels and this short story was fast paced but even at $.99 I felt ripped off. It was just way to short and an example of publisher's greed. This should have been a free advertisment for the upcoming book.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short & pointless as a stand alone story. The afterword says it introduces a character & motivation for the next book. Didn't make me want to read it. The writing isn't bad, so I plan to look for the first book of the series.

[Elaine C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was the size of a novella, but it was actually a very short prequel to the next book I'm getting ready to read. In fact, it's included as part of The Emperor's Tomb, so technically, I bought it twice!!!

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

New series introduction. Tomb raider.

[Narules · Rating 3 out of 5]

Female Indiana Jones exploring Europe.

[S · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a huge Dan Brown fan and I have been on a hunt for years for an author that gives me the same level of history, puzzles, action, and conspiracy theory. Steve Berry is often recommended to me, but I have yet to read anything of his that has captured me as much as Dan Brown has. I decided to give this short story a try but it unfortunately did not deliver, even as a taste to the next novel in line. The book did peak my interest about the Thracian civilization and I did end up doing a bit of independent research on my own afterwards, but otherwise the short was not very intriguing. I’m going to try some more by Steve Berry to see if I can find anything that meets my Dan Brown standard.

[Ursula Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this short story and thought it would be a nice introduction to an author I have heard about, but never read. This was an interesting and exciting short story about a character that was going to be introduced into one of the author's series. I liked the story, the writing and the character and will check out her novella series. Scott Brick is fabulous on narration as always.

[itchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

that is a man with a mission

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassiopeia Vitt on a mission for Henrik Thorvaldsen, no Cotton Malone but nice to see how strong and smart she is. Good to see Cassiopeia in action. Interesting twist.

[Tracy Smyth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short story that is a prequel to The Emperor’s Tomb, and has Cassiopeia Vitt meeting a Russian that helps save her. A fun short read

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting short story but seems to serve no purpose. I think it leads up to The Emporer's Tomb which I will read next.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Cassiopeia Vitt. She's smart and awesome and kick-butt and completely amazing, but really? I know it's supposed to be a short story, but twenty pages is short even for this. And even though it was only one or two dollars as a Nook book, it was so pointless it wasn't even worth it.
When the story opens Cassiopeia has been captured. You get a little bit of why, but not really enough. Then she talks to the captors, tries to escape, gets stuck, gets rescued by a scientist, and walks out, with him saying "we will meet again."
There, now you don't even have to read it. That was those twenty pages in three sentences. Needless to say, I was dissapointed.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story (31 pages) from Steve Berry. Sets up the connection between Casseopia Vitt and Lee Sokolov which is played out in The Emperor's Tomb. It would be nice to see him develop more of the Casseopia stories. Actually, it'd be nice to have a new one anytime.

[Travis Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Short book. That being said it's a great book none the less, I can't wait for a future book to tie into this one more.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story, but way too short! Hardly a chapter, much less a short story. But still shows that Miss Vitt could certainly stand on her own as a lead character.

[Brandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prequel to The Emperor's Tomb.

The short story explains how Cassiopoeia and Lev Sokolov met and he saved her life. Good background story for Emperor's Tomb.

[Gerald Kubicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the character Cassiopeia Vitt. She must find treasure in mountains full of Russian miners and she has to kick some ass to do it.

[Pierre Tassé (Enjoying Books)]

Short story. I guess I will see the relevance in much later novels.

[Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Cassiopeia Vitt adventure has her trying to excape Russians from inside a mountain. This is a short story.