Steve Berry’s intrepid, former federal agent Cotton Malone returns for a fifth adventure in The Emperor's Tomb, this time teaming with old flame Cassiopeia Vitt to recover a third century B.C.E. Chinese lamp, which apparently holds the key to how the country will overcome its dependence on foreign oil.
If the description sounds a little stilted, it actually reflects the reader’s attitude toward Berry’s most recent effort. Berry work typically is crisp, page turning adventure, filled with historical details, intrigue, and action set pieces. All of those elements are present in The Emperor’s Tomb, but there’s something hard to pinpoint that drags down the momentum of this novel. Berry’s Malone typically moves breathlessly from adventure to adventure in these novels, a sort of former federal agent turned bookselling Indiana Jones, but this time the character is more introspective and the pace doesn’t seem as pulse pounding. The author fills the back story of the novel with interesting Chinese history, but maybe it’s just too much this time. The action pieces are in place, but a little more implausible and go on a little too long.
I’m not sure what it is about The Emperor's Tomb that’s lacking for me. I’ve enjoyed Berry’s work and will certainly follow his future releases, but something about this book just leaves me cold…
-Michael
-Michael
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