The Secret of Excalibur

I've read every book in the series so far, and the next one is the Covenant of Genesis. His writing has improved a bit from novel to novel and maybe it's my imagination, but I've noticed a more Americanized approach to the text. Don't know if that was deliberate or accidental but it is just something that struck me. This one has Chase and Nina going after Excalibur. Of course, mayhem ensues and they go from one action scene to the next. However, I appreciated the quieter times where they had to stop and breathe, do some thinking, plan and such. Too many thrillers nowadays don't give their stories any realistic down time between chase or battle scenes. I think Andy has become better that way in that the story flows better and is not just a series of chases/battles. The only thing that is a bit over the top, for me, at least, was Nina's abilities. For being an archeologist, she makes one super secret agent type, with guns, dodging bullets (most of the time), jumping, running, and other physical feats that would put a well-trained real agent on their death bed. That being said, this is fiction and it goes right along with the fantastical plot. The stories seem to be hitting their groove a bit better now and are good at delivering the goods. There were no moments (Nina's athletic feats notwithstanding) that made me pause and go "wait a minute." Maybe as a scientist, I would be screaming bloody murder about the plot, but as a reader, I found it highly enjoyable and am looking forward to the Covenant of Genesis. This being a continuous series, there is a back story between Chase and Nina and in each novel, it plays out a bit more. Not sure how far it will go, but right now at least, it is not getting in the way of the story and adds color. We even get to see a bit of Chase's private life. Overall, a great read. Highly recommended.

After reading review after review here regarding Andy McDermott's stuff, I decided to go out and find one of his books locally...only to discover none of his books were (as yet anyway) printed in the States. This was a bit disappointing, but thankfully I didn't have to wait long, as the Hunt For Atlantis was coming soon, with the Tomb of Hercules followed close behind. What I found with Andy McDermott's writing was very akin to Matthew Reilly's. To be entirely honest, neither author will probably win any literary awards...however, what BOTH writers lack in that category, they more than make up in sheer creativity and literally TONS of action and plenty of adventure. While I still put Reilly in a class by himself, because while Andy writes way more than the average amount of action, Reilly would best be described as McDermott on a MOUNTAIN of steroids. Both authors write with cinematic style, and once again, lets be honest: you either like that kind of writing, or you just don't. While some may fall in between, the vast majority are not sitting on the post wondering which side they are on. Personally I love a good novel that allows me to escape my life and gives me the opportunity to have fun journey's within my minds eye...and THIS is the kind of fun I truly love to indulge in now and again. Granted, I rarely read too many books like this in-a-row, but when I have a taste for sheer adrenaline-pumpin' action, I KNOW where to turn. Let me say that one major advantage McDermott has over Reilly is definitely a much more seasoned sense of humor. Sure, Reilly has it, but definitely not to the degree Nina and Eddie expose us to (specifically Eddie) on a fairly regular basis. I must admit, I really like Eddie's sense of humor...especially in the face of (nearly) certain death--which seems to happen on (nearly) every-other-page. Sure, the action borders on the cartoonish at times, but I seriously doubt that Mr. McDermott honestly feels that what he is writing even remotely comes close to what could happen in real life. I believe he has fun typing up scenarios that are purposely difficult to normally conjure up and seeing just how much fun he can have writing his characters out of each increasingly difficult situation. While I really liked Atlantis, and felt that Hercules was good-but not quite AS good, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Excalibur had exceeded both, by a comfortable margin, too. Now without going into details which would spoil anything--which I just don't understand why some reviewers feel the need to do--allow me the opportunity to be very clear here: This is fine brain candy, no more, no less. If you like your stories to be plot-driven and much less character-driven...toss in a creative storyline featuring the Sword of Excalibur and action sequences that would put the majority of all Bond films to shame--than boy do you have a treat waiting for you here. If you are looking for more than that, I assure you, more than likely you a

This book was definitely much better than the Tomb Of Hercules. It actually reminded me of Empire Strikes Back, in which the in-joke of that movie was the hyperdrive didn't work. In this novel it was when Nina and Eddie were going to set the date of the wedding. Character development was so much better, a few plot twist and senseless deaths along the way, but all in all, it was a fun read! A most interesting notion on the history of Arthur and Excalibur, fact and fiction interwoven into a truly good read. The bad guys weren't nearly as bad enough and it was interesting to introduce a quadruple agent into the story, that was hilarious! Highly recommended over Andy's previous novel, and I'm really looking forward to his next 2 books.

This book is just non stop action. Don't expect anything deep here, just fun in an Indiana Jones way. McDermott keeps you on the edge of your seat and chuckling. The characters are fun and entertaining. This is my first McDermott read and am looking forward to the rest of the series.

I liked this book alot. The adventure part was really good but it was kind of actiony which got kind of old. I couldn't read it again for a while but I really liked it the first time.