Шибалба

Dane Maddock #10

by David Wood

В легендите го наричат Шибалба – мястото на страха!

Мрачно спускане в света на мъртвите

Откриването на съкровище в Юкатан изстрелва бившите флотски тюлени Дейн Мадок и Боунс Боунбрейк да издирват легендарния Град на мъртвите на маите, където се изправят срещу смъртоносни врагове. От древните руини до пълните с опасности джунгли Мадок и Боунс трябва да надхитрят злата змия Бродърхуд, за да намерят приказния град, преди един стар враг да разкрие неговите тайни и да запрати света в мрака.

Ще оцелеят ли при спускането си в Шибалба?

Завладяващ трилър, който те кара да поглъщаш страниците. Предлага библейски мотиви, древни тайни и противни създания. Един съвременен Индиана Джоунс, който е на път да надмине оригинала.
Джереми Робинсън, автор на „Ефектът на близнака“

Genres: Adventure, Thriller, Fiction, Action, Audiobook, Ebooks

330 pages, Paperback

First published January 2, 2017

About the author

David Wood is the USA Today bestselling author of the Dane Maddock Adventures and many other titles and series. He also writes Science Fiction under the pen name Finn Gray and fantasy as David Debord. He is also a book reviewer, podcaster, and a member of International Thriller Writers and The Horror Writers Association. David and his family live in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Visit him online at www.davidwoodweb.com.

Reviews

[Shaelene (aGirlWithBookss) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my first Dane Maddock book. I love the concept of these books, but sadly they are laking in a lot of ways.

In this book, an archaeologist and his daughter find an artifact that may point to the city of the dead- Xibalba.
Elsewhere, the discovery of an artifact looted from a temple unleashes a mythical Mayan plague on a small remote community. And a bioengineering company takes interest in this disease with nefarious motives.
With everyone after the artifact and the eventual discovery of the city, Dane Maddock and his team are called in to keep the archaeologist and his daughter safe. This should sound like a fun and action-packed book, and for the most part, it was, and had much to offer-

However, what really had me disliking this book was the dialogue between the characters. A lot of it felt awkward, boring, and a little lazy on part of the author. The banter between the Maddock team members was cringy, at one point one of the male characters speculates on the archeologist’s daughter's sexuality, and when it is implied that she is a Lesbian he is put off, and comes off as homophobic. After that, I was very much turned off.

The characters in this are all a little too cliche for me, especially the Maddock team members. The villains are easy to pick out and don't have much depth to them.

I regret very much wasting my time on this book. I really wish I would’ve listened to my gut instinct and just DNF’d when I had the chance.

2 stars.

[Frank Spinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love the Maddock and Bones series. Once again David brought us on a fun filled, action pack adventure through the jungles South America. i could not put this book down.

[Julie Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the last couple of years with covid about this book is a little bit scary and hits close to home as being a real possibility, I just hope you have a Dane and Bones in the world. The story jumps around with three different groups all trying to discover the same thing (for different reason). This works for the story as it doesn't get confusing but you are left wondering what happened to one group as you are told about the next groups problems. Many of the bad guys we have met before in previous books, well if not then than the organisation that they work for but this doesn't mean you have to have read the other books to enjoy this Indiana Jones style adventure. I love the characters and they are the reason I keep jumping into adventures with them. I am so glad Dane is dating Bone's sister, as brother and sister banter can be highly amusing. Off to see how they save the world next.
Dane and Bones are asked to accompany an archaeologists and his daughter as they search for an legendary Maya city, the city of Shadows. But when a deadly out break wipes out a local village, it appears they aren't the only ones looking for the city. A big pharmaceutical company wants to find the city in the hopes it contains the cure to a deadly and unstoppable disease but do they want to help everybody infected? An accident tried has sworn to protect the temple and wish to stop anybody from finding it and Dane's team just want to make it through a live. Can they survive the deadly traps that might just be worse than the illness? And if they do what will happen to the world?
I like the narrator. He is good at telling a story and keeping the listener engaged until the very end.
I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntary left this review.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

1517. On an unknown island near Cuba, Diego de Castile leads his men into a dense jungle searching for gold. After facing wild beast, fever and snake-men, he returned alone with only a jade idol.

Miranda Bell and her father Charles are investigating a previously unknown, remote cenote near Tulum. While diving to the bottom she finds a cave containing an altar and a golden disk. When banditos try to steal it from them, Mattock, Bones and Angel show up to the rescue.

Isabella Beltran is the head of drug cartel in in Yucatan Peninsula, a position that she inherited from her step-father. But she is also involved with the indigenous Maya people wanting keep certain ancient ruins and secrets hidden from the public

Footnote: 1) I am getting tired of Bones attitude. His form of flirting is just not right, too weird. When needed it’s not professional at all. In this story I like Isabella better than him. And she’s bad guy.

2) The coordinates that the author listed given to Miranda are way off. It’s outs them either in east Honduras or out in the water.

Fave scenes: Miranda finding the underwater cave, Bones and Maddock sneaking into Chichen Itza, Simpson’s decision and escaping the ball court.

[Isa · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Something unusual happened in the tenth century that undid a thousand years of progress”. What happened to the Maya and their civilization? You just might find out if you give this book a read.

I’d never heard of this author or the “Dane Maddock” series. I stumbled upon this book by chance, and I am so glad I did. I would have rated it 5 stars if there hadn’t been so many spelling and editing mistakes. It was very distracting. But the subject matter was right up my alley! The title alone made me want to read it and within the first few chapters I was delighted to read about things like cenotes, curanderos, El Cadejo, Mayan hieroglyphics, etc. I am a huge sucker for Mexican folklore and Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. I was hooked from the prologue. And what made it better for me was that it inspired me to do some extra research on certain topics which allowed me to expand my knowledge on the stories of gods such as Quetzalcoatl and Huitzilopochtli. I look forward to reading more of Wood’s books of the adventures of Dane Maddock.

[Kristjan · Rating 3 out of 5]

He's back ... after a couple of weaker stories prior to, this one is back on track. In fact, it was focused and on point for nearly all of it and the story was quite entertaining with less pontificating and drama. Part of why I was so interested in this concept is the belief of Xibalba and the use of cenotes was featured in the animated movies in a funny scene where the treasure was being thrown into a cenote as an offering to the underworld (to the shagrin of the main characters who thought they would be getting the gold). Even time I see the term, these scene plays in my head and I have to laugh. In this case, there is a lot more to the myth and that was fun too. Like always, there are plenty of conspiracy concepts that are not well supported by current scholarship ... but that is the world in which Dane Maddock operates, so expect a few facebook memes that should be taken with a grain of salt.

I was given this free advance listener copy (ALC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#Xibalba #AudibookFree

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maddox and his crew with the help of Bell and his daughter tackle one of south americas maya legends and seek out the lords of the underground and the dark city. But the underlying theme is mad scientists looking for a deadly disease and its cure. The disease is similar to Ebola which has no cure and is deadly once infection sets in. But the story line is exciting but not one that I would set foot in.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read. Lots of action that was well paced even though it had a kind of "been there, done that" feel to it. The journey to Xibalba was exciting even if it stretched credibility at times. But then, how much fun would it have been if it was 100% plausible? I will be reading the next book in the series and hoping Bones' jokes (which got old) are fewer.

[Nigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Im a big fan of David Wood's work and really enjoy the Maddock and Bones books. This is another great read based around the Mayan culture and the Xibalba legend (I had to look it up). We find our characters helping out an archeologist looking for a lost city and there begins the story chasing through jungles and add in an old nemesis and we have it.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read series if you have not ever started reading these. This is the continuing (post US Navy service) of Bones and Maddock; two unlikely brothers in arms who quickly became friends. This book is another adventure into almost certain death for them.

[rodney parham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not another cave story

Yes it is, but this one is different in that it is entertaining. I will always fall back on this author for a fun read. Easy to read, lots of humor, action packed and just the right length, leaving you wanting more.

[Bob Lowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

bob

Interesting book to read Dane and Bones make a good pair. Bones makes for a better character because he is a little on the wild side you never know what he is going to say. I am looking foward to the next book I read with Dane and Bones in it

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non-stop action!

Another adventure with Bones and Maddock, this time underground in Guatemala. All of the story was pretty believable since there are many caves and ruins in the jungle. Bones always has the best and funniest lines. I am looking forward to the next book.

[C.B. Matson · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Run for your life" action adventure in search of the fabled City of the Dead. The clock is ticking and our team must solve an ancient mystery to halt the spread of a terrible disease. What more can you ask?

[Vicky Coughlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always such a joy to read David Wood books. Maddock and Bones take you on a rollercoaster adventure that leaves you gasping for breath. Unbeatable! If you haven’t read this author, do it fast! What are you waiting for???

[Darel Krieger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story about the Maya and their beliefs, artifacts and monuments and those who want them. A lot of characters to keep track of and a lot of historic Maya names. Other than this it was a fun read.

[Amber K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another thrilling adventure with Maddock & Bones! This time on the hunt for the lost Maya city of the dead! Never a dull moment with faced paced action and humor, I always enjoy these adventures!
Great audio narration as well!

[Siobhan D]

I loved the narration of Jeffrey Kafer, who brings out the pace, adventure and humour.

Maddock and Bones are smart, ruthless, and hilarious together. This time on the hunt for the lost Maya city of the dead. This is full of humour and never a dull moment with fast paced action.

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting and exciting book! I found Miranda to be overly rude for no reason and extremely unlikable but otherwise a great adventure takes place in this book.

[Thelizyouknow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly nice series thriller, this book shows a good deal of knowledge of Mesoamerica, a fine sense of pacing and a good deal of fun.

[Kdwright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read

I really enjoyed all of the action and adventure. This series seems to be very similar to some of Clive Cussler and the Sigma series of James Rollins.

[Raqual Humphries · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is ny far my least favourite of the series. With each book Bones gets worse and a new more unlikable character is added...to the point i found this book a complete waste of my time.

[Swan Bender · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story; it had adventure and humor and bad guys being bad and good guys doing the right stuff and then the ending made things a bit too sketchy

[John McDonnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another ripping yarn of adventure. So much going on with a great pace. Well worth reading.

[Paula Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dane and Bones are on the search for the ancient Mayan City of the Dead. They are looking for Xibalba, the place of fear. While Xibalba is considered a legend by most.... legends often come from a grain of truth..

In order to find Xibalba, they have to fight of a drug cartel and a group called the Serpent Brotherhood. Members of the Brotherhood are easily identified. They are covered in tattoos that create the look of scales. Their search if vital in order to stop a deadly plague.

As always, David Wood creates a beautifully written story that is intense.

Love it!

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maddock and Bones return searching for the legendary Maya city of the dead. A good book that moves at a nice pace, not as good as some of the earlier books but still a nice adventure.

[B. Shaun Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. Very different from other Dane Maddock books. Ending was flat.

[Robert Bradberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

Consistently good. Great characters. Story had the possibility of
becoming enveloped in the supernatural. So glad that was avoided.
Excellent series.

[Jenny Clifford · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book Maddock and Bones are searching for yet another lost city, this time the Mayan City of the Dead. It is a little bit weird that I like these books as much as I do, but I think they are a kind of guilty pleasure. Also, they are potato chips books, as in you always want one more. The characters of Maddock and Bones are very, very stereotypical ex navy seals, and somewhat one dimensional. Each book is based on a historical myth, and they are sometimes a little bit repetitive. But the action and adventure is great and very fast paced, and the books are enjoyable.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced adventure!!