2 Intrepid Adventurers (Present-Day Variety)
1 Love Interest (Archaeological Variety)
1 Recently Acquired Daughter (Research Assistant Variety)
1 Lost Roman Legion/Prisoners of War
1 Chinese Secret Society
Innumerable Unrealistic (Yet Fascinating) Info-Dump History Lectures

2 Intrepid Adventurers (Victorian Variety)
1 Ill-Thought Out Tax
1 Nasty Rebellion
3 Rather Horrific Sacrifices
Malaria

1 Sunken Elephantegos (elephant ship)
1 Ship full of Gold Bullion (Imperial Roman variety)
Several Potsherds of Significance
1 Incongruously Sculpted Temple
1 Unexcavated Mountain Tomb
1 Broken Tiger-Gauntlet Sword
2 Jewels of Immortality (separated) ( )

Good:
David Gibbons is a trained archaeologist. There is so much fact (or at least, supposition based on evidence throughout history) in this book that it is really thrilling to read. His details of the Koya people of India, and the Pashtun people of Afghanistan, were fascinating to read. The basis of the adventure, the possibility of Roman soldiers being captured as slaves, and moving into Asia along the Silk road and then becoming mercenaries; is very realistic and the way that he paints the possible events is beautiful and elegant. This is the kind of fiction I really love, where you learn as you read. Where the lessons are so seamlessly and elegantly woven into the story as to make you feel as if you are a part of it.

I have always been fascinated by books like this! Indiana Jones, Dirk Pitt, Robert Langdon. Each is a wonderful opportunity to learn new and exciting things in the frame of a good story. I am excited to add Jack Howard to my list of awesome characters to follow!

Bad:
The evil baddie sort of felt like a prop piece. One scene we see into his warped reality, then the rest of the time his henchmen are there to add unnecessary pressure to the search and discovery. For me, Howard's family allure, not to mention the amazing finds he was uncovering, were enough to keep me drawn in. Even the ancient Chinese group sworn to protect the jewels was enough. I'm a bit tired of an overarching villian trying to take over the world.

Ugly:
There were a surprising number of grammatical errors in this book, considering it was published by Bantam books, one of the "Big Six" publishing houses. I loved the author's note at the end, showing what was real, what was supposition based on historical findings, and what was pure fiction for entertainment. But there was no author's biography. I had to search the web to determine his credentials and learn more about him as a writer.

Overall, I love the character. I love the fascinating details that the author is able to contribute, and the way the author excites in me my life long passion of learning about other cultures and history. I am definitely looking forward to reading more Jack Howard novels. ( )

Duas culturas antigas e um tesouro perdido em um passado distante - que segredos ele pode esconder? E até onde alguém iria para possuí-lo? A trilha começa nas ruínas Romanas e leva a um naufrágio na costa do Egito. Em pouco tempo, o arqueologista marinho, Jack Howard e seu time de cientistas e antigos integrantes das Forças Especiais acabam adentrando as misteriosas selvas da Índia por perseguirem as pegadas de um lendário grupo de legionários Romanos. Enquanto isso, em um lago no Quirguistão, uma bela mulher descobre um segredo que tem tirado as vidas de inúmeros caçadores ao longo dos séculos. ( )

I definitely didn't enjoy this one as much as [b:The Last Gospel|1149598|The Last Gospel|David Gibbins|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51K7PwgIKzL._SL75_.jpg|1220234] but it wasn't a bad book. Far less action than in others and the ending was pretty crap. Felt like nothing was resolved at all. This book was really more about the author wanting to fictionalize one his ancestors and tie his family to some great part of history.

On the positive side it fired my interest in India and has lead me to plan a trip there this year. ( )

While this is Gibbins' fourth novel featuring Jack Howard and his trusty sideick Costas, this is the first I've read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The story is set in present day India and Afghanistan, but it switches back and forth between 2009 and 18th-century India, with a prologue set in Ancient China and during the time of Ancient Rome.

Colonel John Howard, who is the main character's great-great grandfather, goes on one last journey before disappearing without a trace. Fast forward present day, and Jack Howard, the protagonist, will finally find out how and why. Along the way, he will be aided by long-time friend Costas, his daughter Rebecca, and a chock-full of other supporting characters.

The journey takes Howard and his team from Egypt to India to Afghanistan to Kyrgyzstan and finally to China, with life-threatening dangers and major discoveries along the way. While this novel is really an archaeological fiction, I found it more akin to a treasure hunt adventure. But this is by no means a bad thing, since there is a lot of action throughout the book.

The plot, while almost Indiana-Jones-esque, is interesting, and in depth detail is given to every location visited by the characters. One can almost feel the heat and humidity of the jungles of India, the arid dryness of desertic Afghanistan. The descriptions given are so precise, one could imagine themselves there with the characters. That's how immersive the plot is.

The characters in themselves almost seem real to the reader. The camaraderie between Jack and Costas is palpable. Rebecca is her own person, eager to discover the world and having a natural talent for archaeology. Even the supporting characters are full of depth, with a personality and uniqueness of their own.

However, there was some kind of disappointment. The title character, the so-called Tiger Warrior, member of a secret society that has existed for many generations, is only given a small part in the book, and his leader is never seen, only mentioned by the main characters. Even his demise, well, sucks.

Overall, this is a great read, and although part of a series of books starring Jack Howard, works great as a standalone novel. I'm looking forward to read another novel by David Gibbins.

4/5 ( )