Indiana Jones and the Genesis Deluge

Indiana Jones: Prequels #4

by Rob MacGregor

A Wash in Evil

London, 1927. Since losing his beloved in the Amazon a year ago, Indiana Jones has settled down with his Ph.D. and taught Celtic archaeology, thinking he has left adventure behind. Yet Indy is rather tempted when a wild-eyed Russian doctor, Vladimir Zobolotsky, tries to recruit him for an expedition to search for Noah’s Ark . . . and he finally takes up the dangerous quest after meeting Vladimir’s alluring daughter, Katrina.

They have set out for Istanbul and then Mount Ararat, the fabled location of Noah’s Ark, when trouble erupts. Kremlin agents, Sicilian “enforcers,” and Turkish bandits all attempt to bar Vladimir, Katrina, and Indiana Jones from the archaeological find of the century . . . and from a certain 950-year-old boatbuilder.

Genres: Adventure, Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Mystery, Action

293 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1992

About the author

Rob MacGregor is author of 19 novels, 14 non-fiction books, and has teamed with George Lucas and Peter Benchley. He is a winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award for mystery writing, and has been on the New York Times best-seller’s list. He writes both adult and young adult mysteries, adventure, and science fiction/fantasy. He’s best known for his seven Indiana Jones novels. He co-authored The Fog with Bruce Gernon, and with his wife, Trish, co-authored three books on synchronicity. His latest book is Aliens in the Backyard: UFO Encounters, Abductions, and Synchronicity. In his spare time, Rob teaches yoga and meditation.

Reviews

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As they moved on, the onlookers trailed after them.
"You think we're in trouble?" Shannon asked, glancing over his shoulder.
"Naw. They're just curious. That's all. The market's safe."
"Then why are you carrying a gun and a whip, and why did you get a knife put in your boot?"
"Just in case I'm wrong."

In Indiana Jones and the Genesis Deluge, archeologist Indiana Jones, recently unemployed after losing his university professorship in London, teams up with his mobster friend Shannon and a Russian father and daughter and embarks on the Russian's expedition to Mount Ararat in Turkey to find Noah's Ark. This book is a bit silly at times, but it succeeds with flying colours at possibly its most important objective: it feels like a genuine Indiana Jones adventure. There are several classic scenes that could be right out of one of Spielberg's films, like one where Indy, armed only with his whip, takes on a gang of elite Ottoman troops.

The book is clearly well-researched, and offers an impressive amount of information on things like Celtic archeology and the Ottoman Empire without ever being boring. The internet came out the year before this book was published, and since there is inevitably time between when a book is finished and when it's published, it's unlikely MacGregor used the internet to do his research for this book. This makes it all the more impressive, because it means he would have book-researched all the topics and details covered in this novel, of which there are many.

Though largely a positive experience, there were a few minor things I didn't like about the book. Though I knew what I was in for, reading a book about finding Noah's Ark, I found the Bible and religious references to be a bit heavy. Three of the characters, Vladimir, Shannon, and Katrina, are very religious, and you are pretty much constantly reminded of this throughout the book. They're always looking for guidance from God, or reading Bible verses, or touching a supposed piece of the Ark to get clues about what to do next...or...well you get the picture. It's a bit much.

Also some of the story didn't make sense, though in a relatively minor sense. There was one scene where Indy and Katrina were surrounded by Ottoman troops, who clearly meant to kill them, and Indy mentioned a meal he just ate, and one of the Ottoman troops, advancing on them, said something like "it was your last." But then they kidnap Indy and Katrina instead, and a little later on Katrina mentions they've been in captivity for at least three days. That didn't really make any sense to me.

This book is really more like 3.75 stars out of 5 for me. It's better than 3.5, because it's so well-researched, and it also has a relatively broad scope, taking the reader from London, to Chicago, to the streets of Istanbul and the mountains of Turkey. That being said, it's not quite a 4-star book to me either, because of the general silliness of some of it, the heavy religious references, and some nonsensical story segments. In the end, however, this really feels like an Indiana Jones adventure, and I had fun reading it. If you're an Indiana Jones fan, this is worth checking out.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel finds Indy searching for the Ark. No, not that ark, but Noah's Ark. Ironic when you think about it. Anyway, I have liked all of the Indiana Jones novels so far and this one was good as well. The only issue I have are the rather abrupt endings. It's almost like the novels are supposed to be a certain length, and then once the length is hit and author immediately wraps it up.

Still a good read. Another alluring damsel, plenty of bad guys and thankfully some good guys as well. I think this is an underrated series, as Indiana Jones is a great character.

[Maggie Haberman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a blast. Made absolutely no sense. I realised I was reading these books backwards but whatever.

[Mickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The gangster's son who becomes a born again Christian is pretty funny.

Fun book.

[Martyn Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first Indiana Jones prequels book that I’ve read for 7 years, so the previous entries were a little foggy!

There’s not too much reliance on the previous exploits bar the passing reference and Indy’s emotional state, so this was pretty easy to get into regardless of the significant time that’s elapsed.

This time Indy is in search of the Ark, Noah’s ark.

I was expecting a story set primarily on Mount Ararat, focussed on the climb and the search, similar to Raymond Benson’s Bond book High Time To Kill. Instead, the mountain and Ark related plot are condensed to the last 20 pages!

This is a meandering story that really does focus on character, the Russian love interest Katrina, Indy’s mate Jack Shannon and even Al Capone all get a lot of page time before the main adventure really begins.

Recommended?: same as the others really, a simple, enjoyable young adult adventure book that’s captured the essence of the Indy movies. We needed more tombs for a higher star rating but the underground city maze was pretty fun.

[WhatShouldIRead · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another just OK read in this series. I found the story uneven and sometimes would only read a few pages before putting it down. Other times I sailed through chapter after chapter.

The story was OK, nothing special and most of the first part of the book was talking and getting ready to find the Ark.

I honestly think this author is not for me. But since I have all these books, I'll make my way through them again as I know that the writer changes during in this series.

[Jeremiah Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it! I read this one because I found a couple interviews with the author where he said this book was the most popular--due to the Bible story of Noah's Ark. I briefly remember an episode of Unsolved Mysteries that covered the discovery of Noah's Ark--so I was interested.

What I like:
***The twists, turns and cliffhangers
***The history lessons and archeological nuggets
***The writing--it's a very fast, engaging read
***Indy's skepticism of religion and the Bible--entertaining and well done (there's many religious characters and Indy plays off them well--in a way that sparks discussion).
***The descriptions of all the places Indy and pals travel to--I felt like I was on a discussion

What I didn't like:
***I spotted a couple typos--not really a big deal but I noticed them
***The violence--I mean, it is Indiana Jones--so everyone knows what they're in for. But if I saw a the movie I'd probably cover my eyes at a couple points.
***There was a point where I felt Al Capone might join the race for the Ark but alas, that never happened.

[Robert Risher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Indiana Jones finds Noah's Ark? Ridiculous or not, how could I resist that tale? Though it was a complete impulse buy at my local used bookstore, it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable reads I've had in quite some time. Rob MacGregor is spot-on capturing the tone of the early movies, perfectly balancing the action and humor, while maintaining a realistic perspective on the adventure available to Dr. Jones and company. MacGregor intertwines enough history to cement the setting in the 1930s and secure the genre as historical fiction despite a few weird happenings. I enjoyed the book so much that I returned to the same bookstore and bought the complete collection of MacGregor's Indiana Jones, which serves as a history on Jones's archaeological experience. The books are fun and fast-paced, and though out of print, they are highly worthy of your own Jones-esque adventure in search the lost tomes.

[Rob Irwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting novel, this one. After the first three stories, taking Indy from a still boy-ish student to a prototype adventurer who even gets married to a woman previously unheard of in the canon before, Genesis Deluge comes out of the gate promising a big adventure involving Noah’s Ark… and then does all it can to stop the action reaching Noah’s Ark until a few dozen pages before the end of the novel.

Prior to this, I was quite enjoying myself. The novel kicks off with Indy being punted from London University for not being the academic he should be (and setting him up for the more adventurous life we know he will have), then going home to the US and trying to work out what’s next in his life once he arrives there. It felt quite realistic for this stage of Indy’s life and a nice bridging story between the man here in his late 20s and what we know of the character – from the films – in his mid-30s. Good stuff.

Once Indy’s picked up to accompany a party going in search of Noah’s Ark, you can almost hear the Raiders March in your head as all the pieces fall into place for a big adventure. But that’s where the story goes off on some tangents and spends a lot of time on side quests that aren’t as interesting.

In some ways you could say this is, “subverting expectations” and indeed, all the action set in Chicago early in the story (where the organised crime roots of Indy’s friend, Jack Shannon, finally come home to roost in a major way), and then a lot of action set in Turkey, has its moments. But at least I was left wondering the whole time, “When are we going to get to the meat and potatoes of this adventure?”

That would probably be my main criticism of this story; that it takes so long to get to the point. As mentioned, the action throughout the novel is solid. The supporting characters, such as the Russian Dr Zobolotsky, and his daughter Katrina, are solidly drawn. Jack Shannon’s conversion to Christianity – present from the start of the story – feels slightly odd, but no less believable for how these things come about in people’s lives. In many ways I feel the author, Rob MacGregor, is hitting some good ideas, but just not getting to the denouement soon enough – or really having much of a point when he does.

This is also yet another of these MacGregor novels where Indy has some sort of near-death experience near the end of the story which includes a form of mystical encounter. This didn’t feel right the first time MacGregor tried it, and it feels no different in this story. “Here we go again…” I thought to myself as Indy, the ultimate non-believer in anything mystical, has yet another of these scenes foisted on him.

Unlike earlier reviews, at this point in the process I feel I can start making comparisons between what’s come before – especially as MacGregor is keen to make his novels fit together – and I think we’re sitting equal pegging with Indiana Jones and the Peril at Delphi and Indiana Jones and the Dance of the Giants with a 7/10 sort of effort, which is good from the point of view of there being some sort of consistency. Meanwhile, Indiana Jones and the Seven Veils remains out in front of the rest – just.

With a more trimmed-down section in Chicago, and potentially some trims in the Turkey scenes, the novel could have done more with the topic of Noah’s Ark, rather than giving it a, “it’s not the destination, it’s the journey” treatment which is how I presume we’re meant to take the story. It just doesn’t work. Even in a story like Raiders of the Lost Ark, which takes a long time to get to the Ark of the Covenant, we have the mystery of finding the Ark, we have the excitement of the chase for the Ark, then we have the final apocalyptic scenes with the Ark. That’s far more than we get with the Ark in this story. So all told, a frustrating time. Interesting ideas and characters, but not a whole lot to say about its subject matter.

[Friederike Hegelau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kurzweiliges Indy Abenteuer🤠🗻🌅

Es ist 1927 und Indiana Jones leidet noch immer unter dem Verlust seiner ersten Ehefrau Deidre. Etwas lustlos versucht er seinen desinteressierten Studenten in London keltische Archäologie näherzubringen. Er sehnt sich nach einer Veränderung. Kurzentschlossen kündigt er und hofft darauf in Chicago wieder Fuss fassen zu können. Doch es läuft nicht wie geplant. Als er aber auf Drängen seines Freundes Jack Shannon einen Gottesdienst besucht, bei dem ein russischer Arzt namens Zobolotzky behauptet, er habe die Arche Noah entdeckt und plane mit seiner hübschen ebenfalls begeisterten Tochter nochmal dorthin zu reisen, bietet sich ihm unversehens die Gelegenheit für ein willkommenes Abenteuer. Die Reise zum Berg Ararat, auf dem sie liegen soll, gestaltet sich aber alles andere als einfach. Russische Geheimagenten und Janitscharen setzen alles daran die Reisegruppe daran zu hindern ihr Ziel zu erreichen. Indy wird gefangen genommen, verschleppt und fast umgebracht. Doch ein Indiana Jones lässt sich nicht unterkriegen und gibt natürlich alles dafür den archäologischen Schatz zu entdecken📖


Jeder kennt wohl die Indiana Jones Filme und auch wenn sie teilweise bereits etwas älter sind bin auch ich mit ihnen aufgewachsen und war ein großer Fan von Indys Abenteuern. Auch wenn viel Fiktion in der Reihe steckte, zeigte es mir, dass Geschichte durchaus auch spannend sein konnte und brachte mich damals als junges Mädchen dazu Bücher über Hieroglyphen, Ägypten, die Geschichte Europas etc. zu lesen und Dokus darüber anzusehen. Der Start des neuen Kinofilms mit seinem letzten Abenteuer erweckte nun wieder mein altes Interesse und ich erinnerte mich, dass ich in einer hinteren Ecke noch irgendwo ein paar ungelesene angejahrte Romane hatte, die ich mir irgendwann zu Fanzeiten mal zugelegt hatte. Die Geschichte mit der Arche reizte mich irgendwie am meisten und konnte mich auch gleich nach den ersten Seiten abholen. Durch den sehr einfachen Erzählstil tauchte man gleich ab in Indys Welt. Die Reise zur Arche war erstmal lange Zeit nicht in Sicht, jedoch der Weg dorthin, über Chicago nach Griechenland bis zur Türkei inklusive wilder Verfolgungsjagd gestaltete sich doch sehr interessant. Ein wenig mehr Tiefgang wäre schön gewesen, aber es war dennoch ein unterhaltsamer Abenteuerroman, der mir Indy mal wieder etwas näher gebracht hat. Neben den Filmen, die man sich ohnehin immer mal wieder ansehen kann, eine gelungene Ergänzung, die mich zwar nicht vom Hocker gehauen aber dennoch ein paar schöne Lesestunden beschert und mein altes Fanherz wieder erwärmt hat. (3,5/5⭐️🙂)

[Castle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought I would ever read an Indiana Jones book. But the subject of this novel really fascinated me. I was shocked to find out that it was going to be about the Biblical Noah’s Ark. I feel that Indy works best when he’s looking for Biblical artifacts. Raiders and Last Crusade are still the best because of it.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. I just found it to be a lot of fun. I really enjoyed all the Biblical references and banter between the characters. Indy isn’t a man of faith but his friend Jack Shannon is a man of God. Great interactions between them. That was probably my favorite aspect of this book.

There were two things that really bothered me with this book. I felt that Indy was beaten up and capture in almost every other chapter. I know in the films, Indy, would get captured at least once. But in the book it was a constant thing. It kind of got on my nerves after a while. The other thing that really annoyed me was the “love triangle” between Indy, Shannon and Katrina. She’s a Russian woman that’s looking for the ARK with her father, Zobolotsky. Apparently, in a previous book, Indy had married another woman but had died in a plane crash. Indy didn’t seem to have a hard time moving on and getting a little obsessed with the girl in this novel. The other character, Shannon, had this obsession with Katrina as well. Katrina wasn’t a bad character. But there wasn’t much to her. The love triangle felt extremely forced to me. Luckily, the love triangle doesn’t become an issue by the end of the book. There is a time jump and Katrina and Shannon decided to stay together. Or at least it’s heavily implied.

I was shocked that Zobolotsky was shot and killed towards the end. Didn’t see that coming at all. Also, why in the world was there a random taxi driver and his friend joining the adventure? That didn’t make any sense to me.

The book also had a quite a few grammatical and spelling errors. This also surprised me.

Indy finding the Ark and having a conversation with Noah was pretty interesting to read. I love the fact that Indy calls him(Noah) Merlin. I guess the book is letting me believe that Noah’s soul is still within the Ark and Indy spoke to him while he was nearly dying. Kind of reminding me of the ending of Last Crusade.

Overall, I know I said a few negatives for the book. But I really enjoyed it. It felt like a proper Indiana Jones story. Lots of action, new characters, a Bible artifact and it just felt like a period piece. Similar to the films. I wish this story would have been made as a film.

5/5 for me.

[Alfred Lorenzo Stine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would probably give this 4.5 stars but since there is no option to include .5 stars in the rating, I'll go with 5 stars. Every Indiana Jones book I have read (and in order) from Rob MacGregor has been a tremendously fun read. These books have truly been some of the most fun I've ever had reading a book in a long time. I don't know why I had never heard of these novels before although I have always been an Indiana Jones fan, since I was a child. What first got me into Indiana Jones was the Windows 95 PC game called "Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis" which was one of my favorite video games of all-time. That game has the same feel as these novels. I still can imagine Indy's voice from that video game when I read his lines in these books. What connects that video game to these books is that that video game was produced by Lucas Arts while these books by MacGregor were in part produced by Lucas Film. George Lucas, the co-director and creator of the Indiana Jones movies and Star Wars. Anyway, this book starts off a little slow for the first 50 pages or so, and it also is a bit sad because the beginning of this novel follows a tragic event that happened at the end of the previous book in this series "Indiana Jones and the Seven Veils." So it starts with that sad part, and of course it becomes more sad because Indy realizes he has to leave the university in London. But overall, these books are super fun and some of the best books I've ever read. The language is also not basic and they hold well to the reading level of late high school and early college.

I was also able to find an EPUB version of this book, which apparently was a rare find, and it was fun. I thought that including Al Capone during their stint in Chicago was a bit hard to believe, but then again, it was during the Capone years in Chicago and during Prohibition. Overall, this novel in particular included Christian and Muslim elements related to Noah's Ark. I think MacGregor does a great job painting a picture using details that only someone who had studied the land and culture would understand. These novels were even made before the internet, so the painstaking work of making this historical, believable, and based on fact was quite remarkable.

[Milan Pohl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nepočítaje románové přepisy filmů, "Indiana Jones a biblická potopa světa" zůstává více než 25 let po svém českém vydání jediným "dospělým" jonesovským románem publikovaným v češtině. Těžko říct, proč Riopress v roce 1993 sáhl právě po tomto - čtvrtém! - svazku románové řady, a nikoli po některé z předchozích tří knih, jejichž děj je v knize zhusta referencován. Snad českému nakladateli připadal podařenější než jeho předchůdci, nebo se mu možná prostě jenom víc líbila obálka či název. Všechny tyto teorie mají něco do sebe; z předchozích knih jsem kdysi četl jen "Dance of the Giants", a říci, že mě neuchvátil, by bylo dost slabé slovo. "Biblická potopa světa" mi přece jen připadá o něco zdařilejší; že by se autor za těch pár knížek vypsal?

Problémy s tempem naneštěstí přetrvávají, totéž platí o zbytečné naivitě. Ani nespočítáte, kolikrát se v knize píše, že Indy (případně jeho kamarád Shannon) cítil k hlavní ženské hrdince Katarině "větší přitažlivost než kdy předtím", případně že ho "nikdy v životě žádná jiná žena tolik nepřitahovala". Zápletka jako celek je však poměrně zajímavá, občas dokonce strhující, a totéž platí o vedlejších postavách; chvílemi se na světlo dere i onen pověstný jonesovský humor.

Český překlad je poměrně barvitý (zvláště v dialozích), zároveň však zanesený úděsným množstvím gramatických a pravopisných chyb (soustavné "podpadky" s "d" mě straší i ve spaní), ale též občasných stylistických prohřešků a kostrbatých konstrukcí. Redaktora či korektora tahle knížka neviděla ani z rychlíku, pořádná redaktorská ruka přitom bývala mohla českou verzi náležitě učesat, zažehlit pomačkaný kabátek a pomoci jí jaksepatří prokouknout.

Všeho všudy knížku hodnotím tak pětapadesáti procenty. Že jsem dobrák a že mám rád Indyho, zaokrouhluju to nahoru na tři hvězdičky.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 1st Indiana Jones movie, which originally came out in 1981, was called Raiders of the Lost Ark. ("Indiana Jones" has been retroactively been added to title since at least the DVD release of the early 2000's. So, its full title now is "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark." I understand the logic behind that, to give it continuity with the other movies in the series, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade; Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. But for me, personally, the 1st movie will always be known simply as "Raiders of the Lost Ark.")

But whatever you call the movie, the titular Ark was the Ark of the Covenant, the chest that was purported to contain the 10 Commandants. Indiana Jones and the Genesis Deluge could have alternatively been called "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of NOAH'S Ark." Yes, that's what he's looking for in this book. In case you need a reminder, that Ark was that boat that was built by a very old man named Noah. On the orders of God, he had to stock the Ark with 2 of every animal, plus his family, to save them from a flood that covered the whole world.

My mom said that when she was buying this book online for me, a lot of the reviews she saw called it the best Indiana Jones book. I have agree. It was AMAZING!

[Chris Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

After years of clamoring for more Indiana Jones content (besides the Dial of Destiny film, of course), I finally got my hands on one of the prequel books. “The Genesis Deluge” left me incredibly satisfied with Indy’s adventure into finding the potential location of Noah’s Ark, while also introducing me to some pretty interesting & fun characters that aren’t seen in the films.

While this is just one of the few different prequel books, author Rob McGregor gave me enough insight into Indy & his traveling companions to make me invested in this portion of the overarching story. The book does spend a good amount of time in Chicago (a little too much time if you ask me), which got a big pop out of me. My biggest critique of this book is that there are many points where the story isn’t being told through Indy’s eyes. There are tons of perspective switches in the last portion of the book with a bunch of characters I simply didn’t care for. That was a slog to get through, to be honest.

Luckily, there was enough classic Indiana Jones that gave me that feeling of adventure. That’s what I came here for!

Without spoilers, there’s about half a page in this book that absolutely melted my brain (complimentary)!

If anyone knows where to get the other books (at a reasonable price), point me in that direction!

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Closer to 2.5.

I expected an adventure story. The action here is kind of meh. If you are interested in the quest for the Ark part of the story, you only need to read the last 100 or so pages.

The book can be divided into three main sections. Part one is Indy moping about his wife's recent death and his amnesia? about the circumstances. (I'm not really clear on what is happening here, the book sets this up like it is going to be something which Indy is going to be working through for the book, but then this plot of Indy trying to remember or process what happened to Diedre abruptly ends once he changes locations. I suspect the Diedre stuff would make more sense if I read the Seven Veils book, but I probably won't.)

The second part is about Indy in Chicago. The focus is on jazz and the mob. Capone is name dropped a fair bit. I initially was trying to figure out why the Chicago Outfit would be interested in Noah's Ark, because I thought this plot would continue. (And thought, hmmm interesting. Note: It doesn't.) The feel of this section seemed to be similar to the beginning of Temple, but with a trumpeter instead of singer.

Then finally, we get to the adventuring.

[Kiril Valchev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Година след събитията в "Indiana Jones and the Seven Veils" намираме Инди в Лондон, където преподава Келтска археология, към която започва да губи интерес. Всеки и всичко около него, напомнят за шотландското му либе, което трагично загина нейде из шубраците на Амазония. Затова професорът решава да се върне в Чикаго, където да потърси работа. Такава не намира, но пък проблемите бързо намират него. С любезното съдействие на Ал Капоне и приятели, Инди напуска града, готов да се хване на всякаква работа, колкото и шантава да е. Е, плаващата менажерия на Ной е точно такава. Присъединява се към експедиция водена от силно религиозен белогвардеец (с красива дъщеря, разбира се), който е твърдо убеден, че легендарното корито е кацнало върху вр. Арарат. По петите им са болшевишки шпиони и турски бандити.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dial of Destiny prep continues and I managed to finish this just in time for tomorrow's early showing of the new movie!

Rob McGregor continues this wonderful series that takes place between the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and the cinematic adventures -- a young Professor Jones is still mourning the death of his wife and, upon mutual agreement, parts ways with the University of London and returns to Chicago with hopes of teaching at his alma mater. He meets an old friend and then, after being rejected from the University of Chicago, stumbles into a crazy expedition to Turkey to recover Noah's fabled ark. There is some good action and a few great gags in this story (though I'm still not sure what to make of Indy escaping through a sewer only to emerge from an occupied toliet). Of note, this book features the only time that Indy curses in the books.

A decent Indy outing.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books are still entertaining enough, but the cracks are beginning to show through. MacGregor has a hard time wrapping up the story, and there are long portions of it that are tedious to read. I'm starting to see, too, how much he tells with his narrative; I didn't get that feeling with the earlier books, but this one? Hoo boy.

Three different authors wrote the entire line of Indiana Jones novels (not counting Steve Perry, who wrote one over ten years after this series concluded), and I'll be interested in seeing another author's take on the character. The Genesis Deluge was a 2.5-star read, tops.

[Benji's Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I venture through the 1990s Indy Jones prequel novels, I come across what appears to be the most adult in the series so far: book IV.

The violence is heavier and while I don't necessarily have a problem with cursing in books, it caught me off guard (and perhaps took me out of the story), hearing a couple f-bombs in the story. Being that there weren't any in the films, I was surprised to find them here.

And my word, this book is in need of an editor (or was--not sure if it'll get another reprint). Overall a good tale though, and you MUST read the Rob MacGregor books in order!

[Graeme O'Brien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leaning heavily into the Abrahamic myth that influenced the original trilogy of movies, INDIANA JONES AND THE GENESIS DELUGE does a lot to further develop the characters of Indy himself and his long-standing best friend Shannon. The plot however has a tendency to meander, with the “main event” taking a back seat until the very end, as well as distastefully moving swiftly on from Indy’s tragically-deceased wife.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the best of them so far and the closest to the films in my opinion. I didn't so much care of the love triangle aspect and the mafia tie-in was odd but everything else I liked from the dubious allies, the Russians in pursuit and the ultimate goal. I wish MacGregor would drop it with Indy's visions as that doesn't seem to quite line up with the movies' lore. Anyway, I quite enjoyed this one. This is 4.5 stars.

[Scott Schmidt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't make a habit of reading licensed novels, but I thought I would make an exception for my favorite fictional character. Unfortunately, this one just reaffirmed why I don't read licensed novels. Other than the fact the main character is named Indiana Jones, there was little about him or the plot that was recognizable as the adventuring archaeologist I know and love.

[James Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one has been my least favorite so far. Very slow paced and oddly structured. I want more action out of these books since that’s what the titular hero is famous for. Give me characters I care about and action, mystery, wonder that captivated me. Don’t ramble about history and soup. Three stars for the Russians getting ate by bears toward the end.

[Lauren Lloyd · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a disappointment. Spent a lot of time on pointless stuff and it felt like the second they found the artifact it was gone. The appeal of Indiana Jones is the awe of the artifacts...in this, it was more of a minor moment, and it focused on some out-of-body experience between Jones and Noah. Just odd.

[Christopher Lutz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of setup for a very brief search for Noah’s Ark. apparently you have to read this books I order as there was a lot of references to the previous book I have not read, but that didn’t hamper the experience. In the end, it was a mediocre read that kept getting distracted from the main quest and rushed the ending.

[Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read but I felt like the writing was getting lazy in this one. Two enemies trying to kill them and constantly on their tail all over the world. Abrupt deaths. A quick ending that left me feeling like wait, why, they traveled all that way. Not the best book in the series but still a fun Indiana Jones story with lots of historical tid bits.

[J.W. Surface · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this was not what I was expecting from a Indiana Jones book centered around Noah's Ark. The climax was actually quite anti-climatic, and the action was mild.
However, the writing style was very good, and MacGregor did a great job capturing the character of Indy.

[Caz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I needed half an eternity to finally finish this book. The story is rather boring, and the way leading up to their destination doesn't make sense whatsoever.
Definitely one of the Indy books that can be skipped without a bad conscience.

[Adam Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Indy goes in search of Noah's Ark in the fourth book of Indiana Jones prequel novels.

Not a bad adventure although there were things that bothered me specifically concerning Indy's boot knife.

I will continue reading these eventually.