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River of Death
Reissue of the classic tale of adventure and the dark secrets of a lost city in the Brazilian jungle, from the acclaimed master of action and suspense.
THE LOST CITY
Hamilton knows the way to the ruins deep in the Brazilian jungle - and the secret they hold.
The millionaire who calls himself Smith seeks the lost city to avenge a wrong from his hidden past.
Their journey down the River of Death is an epic of violence and danger. But the secret that awaits them in the lost city is more dangerous still - as a legacy of theft, treachery and murder stretching back to war-torn Europe comes to a deadly climax beneath the ancient walls.
THE LOST CITY
Hamilton knows the way to the ruins deep in the Brazilian jungle - and the secret they hold.
The millionaire who calls himself Smith seeks the lost city to avenge a wrong from his hidden past.
Their journey down the River of Death is an epic of violence and danger. But the secret that awaits them in the lost city is more dangerous still - as a legacy of theft, treachery and murder stretching back to war-torn Europe comes to a deadly climax beneath the ancient walls.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
61 people are currently reading
594 people want to read
About the author
Alistair MacLean
345 books1,205 followersAlistair Stuart MacLean (Scottish Gaelic: Alasdair MacGill-Eain), the son of a Scots Minister, was brought up in the Scottish Highlands. In 1941, at the age of eighteen, he joined the Royal Navy; two and a half years spent aboard a cruiser were to give him the background for HMS Ulysses, his first novel, the outstanding documentary novel on the war at sea. After the war he gained an English Honours degree at Glasgow University, and became a schoolmaster. In 1983, he was awarded a D. Litt. from the same university.
Maclean is the author of twenty-nine world bestsellers and recognised as an outstanding writer in his own genre. Many of his titles have been adapted for film - The Guns of the Navarone, The Satan Bug, Force Ten from Navarone, Where Eagles Dare and Bear Island are among the most famous.
Maclean is the author of twenty-nine world bestsellers and recognised as an outstanding writer in his own genre. Many of his titles have been adapted for film - The Guns of the Navarone, The Satan Bug, Force Ten from Navarone, Where Eagles Dare and Bear Island are among the most famous.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
December 15, 2025
If there is such a thing as a 'boring adventure', 'River of Death' is a perfect example of it.
July 26, 2009
I am working on giving a second chance to authors that I read during my school years and disliked, possibly because they were too demanding for me at the time.
One such author was Grahame Green; I started something and gave up on it, which is a rare occurrence for me. Last year I read Our Man in Havana and was thoroughly entertained - I have since acquired a copy of Brighton Rock which is patiently awaiting my attention.
Alistair MacLean was another writer who I tried and gave up on. Upon encountering a couple of reprints in my local bookstore, I though I'd give him his second chance. 'Twas awful.
The prose starts off terribly florid but fortunately does not stay that way for long. Soon the reader is whisked along a story in which everybody is unpleasant, every incident is a cliche and so is every character. The book has two merits: it's fast paced and short.
Ach y fi!
One such author was Grahame Green; I started something and gave up on it, which is a rare occurrence for me. Last year I read Our Man in Havana and was thoroughly entertained - I have since acquired a copy of Brighton Rock which is patiently awaiting my attention.
Alistair MacLean was another writer who I tried and gave up on. Upon encountering a couple of reprints in my local bookstore, I though I'd give him his second chance. 'Twas awful.
The prose starts off terribly florid but fortunately does not stay that way for long. Soon the reader is whisked along a story in which everybody is unpleasant, every incident is a cliche and so is every character. The book has two merits: it's fast paced and short.
Ach y fi!
January 14, 2017
While this is a novel written more than 30 years ago which begins with Nazi officers ransacking a Greek monastery for personal gain, it soon becomes an action thriller as a group of men and a lone woman, all with something to hide, travel through the Brazilian jungle seeking a lost and mysterious city. This was great story telling and suspense that gradually builds as you get closer to the end but I have to say, I wondered where the Nazis come in. Never fear ... Alistair MacLean had all the strings well in hand and he tells a wonderful tale that I enjoyed reading, so much so that I didn't want to put it down.
February 1, 2012
In process notes: A very long time ago, I loved reading MacLean's books, but have strayed away from action/adventure and haven't reread any of his in many years. But they're in my bookcase and I decided to revisit.
This isn't off to a good start; the writing varies from purple prose ("A yellow moon, almost full, had just cleared the horizon and gave its soft and benign light to the softly rolling landscape, lending a magical quality to the otherwise harsh, forbidding outlines of the black and brooding monastery which, any evidence to the contrary, slumbered on peacefully as it had done for countless centuries gone by." Sheesh!) to just plain lazy ("Captain Reinhardt didn't just sound desperate, he was desperate." Please!).
I'll see whether I have the patience for it--I have a bit of interest in what's going on, but I might have trouble getting around the prose.
(Added note: I just looked through all his books' ratings; this one seems to be his lowest-rated book.)
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Finished reading: The writing didn't get much better, although a very occasional nice turn of phrase came up, as when the sign for the otel de aris was described as some misfortune having befallen the H and the P.
The protagonist is the kind of character that particularly appeals to me: The mysterious man of action who seems to know all and see all, is prepared for any contingency, is physically more capable of anything than anyone around him, has nerves of steel, doesn't think twice about killing when it seems necessary, etc.
Still, took me 3 days to get through this lightweight book because I kept nodding off. When it was done, I doubted whether most of the characters and many of the actions and situations had even really been important to the story; felt more as if they had been inserted to fill out the page count. And the whole ending struck me as highly improbable--ok, unbelievable-- in so many ways.
Can't recommend this book.
This isn't off to a good start; the writing varies from purple prose ("A yellow moon, almost full, had just cleared the horizon and gave its soft and benign light to the softly rolling landscape, lending a magical quality to the otherwise harsh, forbidding outlines of the black and brooding monastery which, any evidence to the contrary, slumbered on peacefully as it had done for countless centuries gone by." Sheesh!) to just plain lazy ("Captain Reinhardt didn't just sound desperate, he was desperate." Please!).
I'll see whether I have the patience for it--I have a bit of interest in what's going on, but I might have trouble getting around the prose.
(Added note: I just looked through all his books' ratings; this one seems to be his lowest-rated book.)
-------------
Finished reading: The writing didn't get much better, although a very occasional nice turn of phrase came up, as when the sign for the otel de aris was described as some misfortune having befallen the H and the P.
The protagonist is the kind of character that particularly appeals to me: The mysterious man of action who seems to know all and see all, is prepared for any contingency, is physically more capable of anything than anyone around him, has nerves of steel, doesn't think twice about killing when it seems necessary, etc.
Still, took me 3 days to get through this lightweight book because I kept nodding off. When it was done, I doubted whether most of the characters and many of the actions and situations had even really been important to the story; felt more as if they had been inserted to fill out the page count. And the whole ending struck me as highly improbable--ok, unbelievable-- in so many ways.
Can't recommend this book.
June 14, 2025
DNF @ page 120.
Terrible.
Terrible.
June 12, 2011
I am a big Maclean fan, but this one was pretty disappointing. It is a book written during the later stages of his career, and it looked like he was just going through the motions. The premise of the story was interesting - two Nazis escape to Latin America with looted gold (or one does after cheating the other) and many years later a mysterious man seems to have discovered that gold and all kinds of strange people want to use his services. But unfortunately, the promise of the story stays unfulfilled. There are some vintage Maclean moments, but overall it was disappointing. I have read most of Maclean's best books - maybe I should just re-read them again.
January 18, 2020
Utterly shameful! What Alistair MacLean has done in River of Death is steal storylines, imagery, and even characterization (what there is of it) from the much superior writer of Amazonian adventure novels and short stories, Arthur O. Friel. It's not a matter of reusing well established conventions in the genre. Or even reusing the well known imagery and conventions of the sub genre of the jungle story. MacLean, here, has essentially recreated Friel's lost Amazonian world, except for one or two additions. The journey down the river through successive Indian tribes with an almost Darwinian sense of evolution can be found in several of Friel's Lourenco and Pedro stories. The presence of escaped Nazi criminals amidst a secret German infrastructure in South America is but a pale echo of the machinations of the vengeful Germans in Friel's novels who work to frustrate the American veterans of World War I, McKay, Ryan, and Knowlton, in their own explorations. And, of course, the best passage in River of Death, where Hamilton attempts to steal canoes and a launch from a headhunter village, only to be revealed because of the luminous starlight shining down on an Amazonian river, is taken almost entirely from Friel. In imagery, plot structure and positioning. and in its battle and chase sequences.
What new elements did MacLean include in the stolen story? Well, he added the launch to the stolen canoes described above. And this modern tale of Lost Tribes and lost treasure also invents a helicopter and hovercraft to add to the action. MacLean also introduces into the mix the background story of an Amazonian explorer, Dr. Hannibal Huston and his daughter, Lucy, who is also the wife of the protagonist, Hamilton. Huston is based upon the real life English explorer Percy Fawcett, who spent his life looking for the so-called Lost City of Z in the Amazon jungle and who disappeared in 1925 on his last expedition to find the city. Otherwise, River of Death is merely a poorly written, drab, pedestrian version of Friel's work. Without the awe, the amazement, and the mystery that Friel brought to his writing.
To be fair, MacLean is capable of much better than is on exhibit, here. But at bottom, he was a commercial writer, responsive to the wants and needs of the widest possible readership. And River of Death is just piece work. No introspection, of course. But no real adventure either.
What new elements did MacLean include in the stolen story? Well, he added the launch to the stolen canoes described above. And this modern tale of Lost Tribes and lost treasure also invents a helicopter and hovercraft to add to the action. MacLean also introduces into the mix the background story of an Amazonian explorer, Dr. Hannibal Huston and his daughter, Lucy, who is also the wife of the protagonist, Hamilton. Huston is based upon the real life English explorer Percy Fawcett, who spent his life looking for the so-called Lost City of Z in the Amazon jungle and who disappeared in 1925 on his last expedition to find the city. Otherwise, River of Death is merely a poorly written, drab, pedestrian version of Friel's work. Without the awe, the amazement, and the mystery that Friel brought to his writing.
To be fair, MacLean is capable of much better than is on exhibit, here. But at bottom, he was a commercial writer, responsive to the wants and needs of the widest possible readership. And River of Death is just piece work. No introspection, of course. But no real adventure either.
November 4, 2016
Example of the writing: "The chest contained literally thousands of golden coins, so fresh and gleaming they could have been minted that same day." And "A large, fat batman, the boss of the four men serving nonstop behind the bar,hurried forward. His egg-bald pate gleamed in the light: Inevitably, given the local gift for language, he was known as Curly."
I'm taking a forever break with this one. I'd only nabbed it from the little free library bc someone had left a dollar as a bookmark inside, and I thought: shoot, if they are going to pay me a buck, sure, why not try it. But no. Fifty pages in and not my thing. So back to the little free it goes!
I'm taking a forever break with this one. I'd only nabbed it from the little free library bc someone had left a dollar as a bookmark inside, and I thought: shoot, if they are going to pay me a buck, sure, why not try it. But no. Fifty pages in and not my thing. So back to the little free it goes!
June 7, 2010
fine? sorta forgettable, honestly. in fact, i kept putting it down for a few days between reads and kept forgetting who the heck everyone was (or might be, since everyone is being mighty evasive about just about everything). Might have worked better if I read it all in one sitting. I won't be searching out anything else by MacLean, and am sorta hoping that I don't have any more of his sitting on my shelf of hand-me-down books (so that I don't have to actively decide whether to read more by him).
May 22, 2016
This is the first thriller novel that I have read. Like me, if you are reading a thriller for the first time, and beginning this book, I would ask you to have some patience for the first two chapters. The plot is laid out pretty well. The story telling is very compelling.
The way in which each character is introduced and portrayed is very good.
The two main characters:
Hamilton - confident and a conversation controller, no one tells him what to do, he does what he wants how he wants.
"Bling Bling" Smith - a pretty cunning and deceitful person.
This is surely a must read.
The way in which each character is introduced and portrayed is very good.
The two main characters:
Hamilton - confident and a conversation controller, no one tells him what to do, he does what he wants how he wants.
"Bling Bling" Smith - a pretty cunning and deceitful person.
This is surely a must read.
September 24, 2016
Like Athabasca, which I recently re-read, I remember very little abour River of Death, having read it back in 1982. This plot steps into more familiar territory, leaving behind the terrorist-extortion stories of The Golden Gate, Seawitch, Goodbye California, and Athabasca. Unfortunately, despite double dealings and ex-Nazis, the story doesn't work. MacLean is not comfortable in his Amazon setting, and he reused the plot to Fear Is the Key.
An okay story, but only for true fans.
An okay story, but only for true fans.
May 7, 2015
Alistair MacLean writes good, straightforward action stories, and he does it well. His characters are clear and well-drawn, his dialogue is smooth and snappy, and the plots are very exciting. There aren't any side plots, there's very little subtext, and everything is clearly explained in the end. In short, they're great page-turners, and this story is a great example. It was fun.
January 12, 2016
Read this many years ago and wasn't overly impressed. Have just finished re-reading and its better than I remember. Ok it's not great literature or even one of MacLeans' best but it's an easy and enjoyable read. One word of warning, irrespective of whether you like the book or not, a film was made of this book and it is truly terrible.
April 1, 2016
Nice little jungle adventure story from Alistair Maclean! Gold, Nazi's, a group on a journey to a lost city, natives, traitors...its all a quick read but fun and filled with several last-minutes twists and surprises from Maclean. I kept picturing elements of this story as fitting into Indiana Jones 4. A great weekend read.
July 27, 2009
I read this book when I was younger and really enjoyed it a lot. I read it again this time and still enjoyed it but not as much. There was no real sense of danger or adventure in this reading for me. It was a little monotone. But it was a nice fast read and the basic story was good.
May 12, 2015
The jungles of Brazil have many hidden secrets. The millionaire calling himself Smith searches for a lost city where he hopes to avenge an incident from his hidden past. Along with Hamilton he will brave the dangers of the river and the jungle to reach their goals.
April 30, 2014
The main character reminds of Clarke Gable.
More mystery and intrigue than action, though when there is some it is well balanced, fitting. Frank L Packard's The Gold Skull Murders is in a similar vein, with the emphasis on investigation/mystery/plot.
Different to his other books. Better.
More mystery and intrigue than action, though when there is some it is well balanced, fitting. Frank L Packard's The Gold Skull Murders is in a similar vein, with the emphasis on investigation/mystery/plot.
Different to his other books. Better.
September 3, 2016
Good adventure novel on ww2 back ground, treasure looted by German SS men and Hamilton
trail and adventurous walk to chase culprit in Brazil's jungle .The novel has Alister Maclean's imprint on pace and fast sequences with last page story wrapping. A good read even in today time
trail and adventurous walk to chase culprit in Brazil's jungle .The novel has Alister Maclean's imprint on pace and fast sequences with last page story wrapping. A good read even in today time
July 28, 2017
Search for a lost city in the Brazilian jungle. Follow Hamilton who says he knows the way to get to the place and a millionaire, Smith who heads to the lost city to try and right a wrong from the past. The author knows how to tell an adventure story, check them all out.
June 5, 2011
Completely mindless - a good page turner, but really shallow in plot.
September 23, 2012
Very predictable, cardboard characters. Lacking excitement and originality. McLean is much better than this
May 15, 2013
Bear Island shifted to Amazonian Jungles.
March 30, 2016
Easy to read book on finding Nazis in South America. It is about one good afternoon's read and it is entertaining.
June 15, 2023
Heck yes, another page turner about a square jawed hero beating up nazis, treasure hunters, and natives. Love these tales of adventure
October 3, 2018
This was an old paperback that I found lying around at home that I think my father-in-law gave me. I thought I'd read it and then pass it on to the charity shop. The setting was interesting being in South America and the plot itself was also unusual, however, the story and the characters were formulaic. A relatively quick read that on the whole I was glad that I read the book but would not read it again or recommend it to friends.
March 16, 2015
"Το ποτάμι του θανάτου", εκδόσεις ΒΙΠΕΡ.
Το πρώτο βιβλίο του Άλιστερ Μακλίν που διαβάζω, και μπορώ να πω ότι έμεινα αρκετά ευχαριστημένος. Μπόλικη περιπέτεια μέσα στις ζούγκλες του Αμαζονίου, πολλές σκηνές δράσης, με επικίνδυνα ζώα, ποτάμια και καταρράκτες, πολλούς εχθρικούς ινδιάνους και άλλα παρόμοια που συναντά κανείς σε εκείνα τα μέρη, και πολλά χρήσιμα πραγματάκια για επιβίωση μέσα στη ζούγκλα.
Επίσης η πλοκή ήταν αρκετά καλή και ενδιαφέρουσα, και οι διάφοροι χαρακτήρες του βιβλίου είχαν και από ένα μικρό μυστικό για την ταυτότητά τους και για το τι έκαναν ακριβώς και τι αναζητούσαν στις ζούγκλες του Αμαζονίου, κάτι που δημιούργησε και λίγο μυστήριο στην όλη υπόθεση, αλλά στο τέλος μαθαίνουμε τα πάντα γι'αυτούς. Πολύ καλογραμμένο βιβλίο, με ωραίες περιγραφές των τοπίων και της επιβίωσης των χαρακτήρων του βιβλίου μέσα στα άγρια μέρη του Αμαζονίου, αλλά οι χαρακτήρες ίσως είχαν λίγο τα προβλήματά τους, με την έννοια ότι δεν έγινε και ιδιαίτερη εκβάθυνση σ'αυτούς, αλλά αυτό δεν με πείραξε και τόσο.
Έχω διαβάσει αρκετά βιβλία με Ναζί, Ναζί hunters και τα τοιαύτα, δεν μπορώ να πω ότι ήταν από τα καλύτερα αυτό, γιατί περισσότερη προσοχή δόθηκε στις περιπέτειες του Χάμιλτον και των υπολοίπων μέσα στη ζούγκλα, παρά για τους ίδιους τους Ναζί, αλλά γενικά η ιστορία μου άρεσε. Το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο του Μακλίν, γενικά παίρνει μέτριες κριτικές, δεν είναι από τα καλύτερά του δηλαδή, αλλά σίγουρα δεν είναι και άσχημο. Μου φαίνεται ότι ο Μακλίν είναι καλύτερος του Μπάγκλεϊ, ο οποίος μου αρέσει βέβαια, αλλά είναι και λίγο διαφορετικοί στο στιλ.
Το βιβλίο αυτό έγινε και ταινία, με ηθοποιούς όπως τους Michael Dudikoff, Robert Vaughn, Donald Pleasence που έχουν παίξει σε γνωστές περιπετειώδης και μη ταινίες, αλλά απ'όσο βλέπω στο IMDb, η ταινία παίρνει εξαιρετικά μέτριες κριτικές.
Το πρώτο βιβλίο του Άλιστερ Μακλίν που διαβάζω, και μπορώ να πω ότι έμεινα αρκετά ευχαριστημένος. Μπόλικη περιπέτεια μέσα στις ζούγκλες του Αμαζονίου, πολλές σκηνές δράσης, με επικίνδυνα ζώα, ποτάμια και καταρράκτες, πολλούς εχθρικούς ινδιάνους και άλλα παρόμοια που συναντά κανείς σε εκείνα τα μέρη, και πολλά χρήσιμα πραγματάκια για επιβίωση μέσα στη ζούγκλα.
Επίσης η πλοκή ήταν αρκετά καλή και ενδιαφέρουσα, και οι διάφοροι χαρακτήρες του βιβλίου είχαν και από ένα μικρό μυστικό για την ταυτότητά τους και για το τι έκαναν ακριβώς και τι αναζητούσαν στις ζούγκλες του Αμαζονίου, κάτι που δημιούργησε και λίγο μυστήριο στην όλη υπόθεση, αλλά στο τέλος μαθαίνουμε τα πάντα γι'αυτούς. Πολύ καλογραμμένο βιβλίο, με ωραίες περιγραφές των τοπίων και της επιβίωσης των χαρακτήρων του βιβλίου μέσα στα άγρια μέρη του Αμαζονίου, αλλά οι χαρακτήρες ίσως είχαν λίγο τα προβλήματά τους, με την έννοια ότι δεν έγινε και ιδιαίτερη εκβάθυνση σ'αυτούς, αλλά αυτό δεν με πείραξε και τόσο.
Έχω διαβάσει αρκετά βιβλία με Ναζί, Ναζί hunters και τα τοιαύτα, δεν μπορώ να πω ότι ήταν από τα καλύτερα αυτό, γιατί περισσότερη προσοχή δόθηκε στις περιπέτειες του Χάμιλτον και των υπολοίπων μέσα στη ζούγκλα, παρά για τους ίδιους τους Ναζί, αλλά γενικά η ιστορία μου άρεσε. Το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο του Μακλίν, γενικά παίρνει μέτριες κριτικές, δεν είναι από τα καλύτερά του δηλαδή, αλλά σίγουρα δεν είναι και άσχημο. Μου φαίνεται ότι ο Μακλίν είναι καλύτερος του Μπάγκλεϊ, ο οποίος μου αρέσει βέβαια, αλλά είναι και λίγο διαφορετικοί στο στιλ.
Το βιβλίο αυτό έγινε και ταινία, με ηθοποιούς όπως τους Michael Dudikoff, Robert Vaughn, Donald Pleasence που έχουν παίξει σε γνωστές περιπετειώδης και μη ταινίες, αλλά απ'όσο βλέπω στο IMDb, η ταινία παίρνει εξαιρετικά μέτριες κριτικές.
August 21, 2016
Some twenty years ago every Indian (in South Asia) knew how to start a Bajaj scooter that ran out of fuel midway. It was a simple trick of just reclining the engine side of the scooter towards the ground and allowing the residual fuel in the engine to flow to the required place. It was a common sight on the roads those days.
Reading River of Death brought back memories of Bajaj days as the book appeared to me as the outcome of a convoluted effort on the part of a legendary writer to run the show somehow with the fast-depleting creative juices. So his endeavor could take the reader just up to the next fuel bunk, not on a joy ride.
The novel has all the elements to build a great story with: Nazi history, a wartime heist, a stealthy escape from aerial bombardment, super wealthy guy planning for a jungle mission, a dangerous Amazon expedition, a helicopter crash, Indian tribes with their blowguns and poisonous darts, and a final commando action. What is more, the main protagonist has a personal heartbreak to goad him on. But these parts do not make a great whole and there is a discordant note throughout the narrative. The story is highly predictable and not quite absorbing.
River of Death lacks the life force that makes Alistair MacLean 's earlier novels such remarkable page turners.
Reading River of Death brought back memories of Bajaj days as the book appeared to me as the outcome of a convoluted effort on the part of a legendary writer to run the show somehow with the fast-depleting creative juices. So his endeavor could take the reader just up to the next fuel bunk, not on a joy ride.
The novel has all the elements to build a great story with: Nazi history, a wartime heist, a stealthy escape from aerial bombardment, super wealthy guy planning for a jungle mission, a dangerous Amazon expedition, a helicopter crash, Indian tribes with their blowguns and poisonous darts, and a final commando action. What is more, the main protagonist has a personal heartbreak to goad him on. But these parts do not make a great whole and there is a discordant note throughout the narrative. The story is highly predictable and not quite absorbing.
River of Death lacks the life force that makes Alistair MacLean 's earlier novels such remarkable page turners.
December 28, 2014
As I read MacLean's books, I'm discovering they're largely formulaic -- protagonist is mini-God, omnipotent and omniscient, female love interest is not what they seem to be, the bad guys are pretty bad but easily handled by the protagonist, lots of action which usually isn't remotely believable. This book is no exception. At least it's short. Hamilton, the protagonist, takes an expedition on a trip into a South American jungle in search of the Lost City, rumored to have a bajillion items in gold. And it does. He needs neither a map nor compass, as he's been there before and knows all. He repeatedly saves the group from danger. And while actually searching for a Nazi who mysteriously hides himself and his weapons cache and heavy equipment in an impregnable fortress, there is a predictable plot twist, as is often the case in the author's books. This book is a pretty sad effort at entertainment. It's not that entertaining, it's not as action packed as some of his other books, there are very few likeable characters, including the protagonist, and I just couldn't wait to finish it and be done with it. Not recommended. Other than Guns of Navarone, I don't know if I'll be reading any more of his books. I've read four and find his books extremely limiting and poorly written.
November 3, 2021
*Spoiler alert*
A VERY disappointing outing with one of my old favorites. In fact, this may well be MacLean's worst book. As at least one other reviewer has noted, this is copycat work. This story had been told by others, and the book certainly didn't improve on it. The idea of the intrepid explorer in the jungle, the discovery of a hidden treasure absolutely ludicrous in its scope, the failure of the writer even to distinguish between alligators and crocodiles (there are no alligators ANYWHERE in South America, Alistair), the fizzler of an ending--all of these components add up to resounding mediocrity. I give the work a second star only because the writing itself is still great, regardless of the story's abundant defects.
Update of review: Lame and unsatisfying as this MacLean book is, I can now say that I've watched the film, if the word can be used, which was based on it--and the 'film' makes the book look far better by comparison. 'River of Death,' with Michael Dudikoff as a worst-possible version of protagonist John Hamilton, is absolutely hideous and should be avoided at all costs.
A VERY disappointing outing with one of my old favorites. In fact, this may well be MacLean's worst book. As at least one other reviewer has noted, this is copycat work. This story had been told by others, and the book certainly didn't improve on it. The idea of the intrepid explorer in the jungle, the discovery of a hidden treasure absolutely ludicrous in its scope, the failure of the writer even to distinguish between alligators and crocodiles (there are no alligators ANYWHERE in South America, Alistair), the fizzler of an ending--all of these components add up to resounding mediocrity. I give the work a second star only because the writing itself is still great, regardless of the story's abundant defects.
Update of review: Lame and unsatisfying as this MacLean book is, I can now say that I've watched the film, if the word can be used, which was based on it--and the 'film' makes the book look far better by comparison. 'River of Death,' with Michael Dudikoff as a worst-possible version of protagonist John Hamilton, is absolutely hideous and should be avoided at all costs.
August 27, 2018
I'm just now rereading this fascinating tale of mystery and Nazi secrets and rivalry located in the impenetrable jungles of South America. Maclean's books are guaranteed to entertain and pass the time.
With MacLean, there's always some kind of basis in real history. This time it has to do with Nazis that escaped Germany after WWII into South America taking huge amounts of loot with them. The Nazis ended up colonising large tracts of the jungle, founding German villages as well as forming close ties to the top echelons of the politics and business in the countries that they settled in.
This book is ostentatiously about a search for a lost jungle city that is rumoured to contain untold riches. In reality, however, the search is for two Nazi war criminals one of whom is trying the hide from the vengeance of the other. They both are pursued by a government agent called Hamilton, the hero of the story.
And as always, a MacLean wouldn't be a MacLean, if alcohol didn't play a role in the proceedings.
With MacLean, there's always some kind of basis in real history. This time it has to do with Nazis that escaped Germany after WWII into South America taking huge amounts of loot with them. The Nazis ended up colonising large tracts of the jungle, founding German villages as well as forming close ties to the top echelons of the politics and business in the countries that they settled in.
This book is ostentatiously about a search for a lost jungle city that is rumoured to contain untold riches. In reality, however, the search is for two Nazi war criminals one of whom is trying the hide from the vengeance of the other. They both are pursued by a government agent called Hamilton, the hero of the story.
And as always, a MacLean wouldn't be a MacLean, if alcohol didn't play a role in the proceedings.
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