Golden Buddha (Oregon Files 1)

click here for more details, find new or used items	Clive Cussler, Craig Dirgo Our price £5.99 (£7.99) New from £2.00 Used from £0.01 Pages: 544 (Paperback) ISBN: 0141010312 Pub: Penguin Books Ltd., London Pub date: 2005-03-24 Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1311

Reader Reviews:

Excellent start to an amazing series (0/0 people found this helpful)

The first Novel I read form the Oregon Files was Dark Watch, I avoided the two books Cussler co-authored with Craig Dirgo because of the poor reviews on this site. After finishing Plague ship I was left wanting more from the Oregon, not wanting to wait for the release of the next book, I Read Golden Buddha.
My fears about the co-author were misguided and I have come to realise all that matters is the name in the large print. Cussler's style of prose is engaging as always.
A Book that will grip you form the start and not let go untill you finish subsequently leaving you gasping for the next installment.

Getting tired (0/0 people found this helpful)

Very poor reading, the formula doesnt work. Try the `Soft Target` novels by Conrad Jones they are brilliant books in the same genre.

Ancient Religious Object Nearly Causes Clash of Superpowers (0/0 people found this helpful)

Clive Cussler has written *yet* another exciting action-packed book on a contemporary subject, the theft of an ancient religious object which is also a work of art, the Golden Buddha. The book is filled with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader up at night, furiously turning the pages, wanting to know what happens next. This is the first book in a series in which Juan Cabrillo, along with expert men and women who reside on the ship Oregon, covertly engage in activities to make the world a better place and at the same time, make a huge profit for themselves. The Oregon looks like a rusty old freighter ship. Its deck is loaded with junk. Its wheelhouse is filthy and smelly, a fitting disguise for a ship equipped with the most modern computer technology ever devised, with communications and weapons systems to match. It also includes state-of-the-art underwater craft equally equipped with monitors, sensors, and computer technology to make the impossible ... possible.

The background is set: it is March 1959, the Dalai Lama prepares to leave the summer palace. The Dalai Lama escapes to India where he plans to reside safely, until the time comes when peace returns to Tibet and he can take his rightful place as religious leader of his people. During the 13th century, the Tibetans received a Golden Buddha, as a gift commemorating victory over the forces of Kublai Khan. The statue weighed almost 600 pounds and was jewel encrusted. It was given to the first Dalai Lama in 1372 and remained in the monastery in Tibet, until the Dalai Lama escaped to India, where it was safely transported. Unfortunately, the Golden Buddha disappeared in modern times, at the airport in Manila, Phillipines, when it was to accompany the Dalai Lama to the United States to be put on display.

A secret art auction was taking place in Geneva, Switzerland ... with only seven bidders, all of whom had arrived by invitation only. A California billionairre was the client of one of the highest bidders. Another client with an interest in the Buddha was a wealthy drug lord named Stanley Ho who lived in Macau. He was among the noveau riche whose wealth was obtained from obscure sources. He was trying to legitimize his standing in the community and was holding a party which the social elite were attending. One of these two clients purchased the *real* Golden Buddha ... Of course, there was a mix up. The Corporation was hired to retrieve the *real* statue and return it to its rightful owner, the Dalai Lama. Unfortunately, an exact replica of the Golden Buddha existed in the local temple of Macau and had disappeared. It was rumored that the *real* Golden Buddha had a secret compartment, with important records. The United States collaborated with the Russians to help resolve this disappearance. These two super powers created distractions and territorial disputes with the Red Chinese ... using their desperate need for oil to their advantage. Only, the mysterious secret compartment within the Buddha contained information of a magnitude no one suspected.

Clive Cussler puts the reader through their paces in this fast-paced engaging hard to put down novel. He adds a cast of believable characters with interesting eccentricities. He includes political intrigues and economic resources in the mix, along with a rock band, the Minutemen who were hired to capture the Golden Buddha ... The contemporary theme of freeing Tibet along with returning the Golden Buddha to the Tibetans is the vehicle on which the reader will experience the roller coaster ride of a great reading experience. This is a highly recommended book. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]

Not the Author's Best (0/0 people found this helpful)

Clive Cussler was born in 1931 and grew up in Alhambra, California. He attended Pasadena City College before joining the Air Force. He went on to a successful advertising career, winning many national honours for his copywriting. He has also explored the deserts of the American Southwest in search of lost gold mines, dived in isolated lakes in the Rocky Mountains looking for lost aircraft and hunted under the sea for shipwrecks of historic significance, discovering and identifying more than sixty. He is married with three children, and divides his time between Colorado and Arizona. His credentials as a best selling author cannot be doubted and he has a large `stable' of best selling adventure novels.

I also found this book not up to the author's usual standard. Mr. Cussler seems to be one of these writers who can be very good and take an exciting plot to the limit, or he is pretty grim. I am loathe to criticise too much because other people may find it an excellent read, but it did not do it for me.

If I was on holiday with nothing to read and this was in the hotel library I would not hesitate, but with so much choice in the bookcase at home I would probably pass it over.

Not Really For Me (0/0 people found this helpful)

Clive Cussler was born in 1931 and grew up in Alhambra, California. He attended Pasadena City College before joining the Air Force. He went on to a successful advertising career, winning many national honours for his copywriting. He has also explored the deserts of the American Southwest in search of lost gold mines, dived in isolated lakes in the Rocky Mountains looking for lost aircraft and hunted under the sea for shipwrecks of historic significance, discovering and identifying more than sixty. He is married with three children, and divides his time between Colorado and Arizona. His credentials as a best selling author cannot be doubted and he has a large `stable' of best selling adventure novels.

I also found this book not up to the author's usual standard. Mr. Cussler seems to be one of these writers who can be very good and take an exciting plot to the limit, or he is pretty grim. I am loathe to criticise too much because other people may find it an excellent read, but it did not do it for me.

If I was on holiday with nothing to read and this was in the hotel library I would not hesitate, but with so much choice in the bookcase at home I would probably pass it over.

Similar Products

Dark Watch: A Novel from the Oregon Files (Oregon Files 3)

Skeleton Coast: A Novel from the Oregon Files (Oregon Files 4)

Fire Ice: A Novel from the Numa Files

Blue Gold (Numa Files)

Polar Shift: A Novel from the Numa Files

Categories

Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories: