SPARTAN GOLD: A Fargo Adventure
Clive Cussler with Grant Blackwood
Putnam Adult
Thriller/Action & Adventure
ISBN: 9780399156427
Bestselling author Clive Cussler is the grand master of adventure fiction, but Grant Blackwood is no slouch, combining sharp character development with plots supported by his own encyclopedic knowledge. The result of their work is a seamless read that is also a treasure trove of historical oddities and mysteries.
The plot of SPARTAN GOLD dips and swirls around Napoleon Bonaparte, one of Western history’s most interesting and controversial figures. The story begins in 1800 with Bonaparte and his army making a daring and dangerous traverse across the Pennine Alps. During the course of their journey, one of Napoleon’s soldiers stumbles across a fabulous treasure trove. The prize consists of two gold pillars that, as legend has it, were taken by Xerxes the Great of Persia when his army raided the treasury at Delphi. Unfortunately for Napoleon, he is unable to transport the treasure. Instead, he creates a map to the treasure, cuts it up into 12 pieces, and conceals each piece as a part of a wine label. Although he had every intention of coming back to retrieve the treasure, later events prohibited him from doing so. And when Napoleon died, the 12 bottles disappeared…until now.
In the 21st century, Sam and Remi Fargo, an intrepid husband and wife team of treasure hunters with significant resources, are exploring a swamp on the Maryland-Delaware border, looking for relics of a legendary bandit who operated in the area. What they discover, however, is far more significant: a World War II German U-boat. Inside, they find a bottle from Napoleon’s limited edition wine, a discovery that sets them off on a quest to find the priceless Persian gold. But the Fargos have some competition in the form of Hadeon Bondaruk, a millionaire who came up the hard way on the brutal field of war. Bondaruk, who is half-Russian and half-Persian, believes himself to be a direct descendant of King Xerxes and the lost treasure --- and the bottles that map the path to it --- to be his birthright.
Bondaruk combines a canny intelligence with a wicked brutality, and while he respects the Fargos’ ability, he also sees them as obstacles to be used and removed as quickly as possible. The Fargos rely more on their encyclopedic knowledge in their pursuit of the treasure, using violence as a last resort. The husband and wife team pursue the treasure as they themselves are pursued by Bondaruk, and the opposing sides race across the world to a climax that is played out against a tableau with a rich --- and bloody --- history.
If you like your thrillers shot through with mystery and history, SPARTAN GOLD should be on your must-read list. The first of a projected series known as The Fargo Adventures, Cussler and Blackwood have created what is undoubtedly destined to be one of the most popular series in the adventure genre.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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