Official Review: Chakana by W.E. Lawrence
Posted: 02 Nov 2016, 18:00
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Chakana" by W.E. Lawrence.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Chakana: Encounter in the Sacred Valley is set during the highly anxious period right before war was declared on Hitler and his rising Nazi party. James Fleming is a young foreign-exchange college student studying in Ohio, enjoying his last moments of freedom before enlisting in the army, when he stumbles into a quicksand-like bog. Kate Rhodes, a local girl, happens to be nearby and hears his screams for help. After a brief spark of attraction, the two go their separate ways.
Eight years later, Kate's older brother, Nick, leads an expedition in Peru. They find an ancient artifact, one that attracts the attention of some seedy fortune hunters. In order to protect himself and the artifact, Nick mails the strange-looking box to Kate and asks her to show it to the University of Ohio's archaeology professor, Dr. Charlie Watson. Worried about Nick, Dr. Watson and Kate travel to Peru and discover Nick has gone missing. After running into James Fleming by pure concidence, they learn Nick's artifact is actually the first of a set of keys meant to unlock an ancient Incan treasure. As a British special agent, Fleming must find the treasure before the Germans, who wish to use the treasure to fund their experiments. Fearing for her brother, Kate insists on joining him.
At first, I thought Chakana was written for a younger audience. However, as the story progressed and I met several in-depth sex scenes, I decided maybe I was wrong. Truthfully, I have no idea who the audience is supposed to be. The style suggests it's a YA (Young Adult) or Midgrade (ages 8 to 12), but the sex scenes were much too mature. In addition, I thought many of the sentences were run-ons, with too many comas and not enough periods. In my unprofessional opinion, I don't think Chakana was edited.
As to the storyline, I found Kate to be annoyingly naive, impatient, and bossy. The other characters said her bossiness was endearing, but it was a bit too much for my liking. The plot progressed very quickly (a little too quickly) and ended at just over three-hundred pages. Overall, I enjoyed the story. It was exciting and original. My only problem was the fact that James and Kate were being chased by fortune hunters throughout the book, yet they never once thought to hide their activities or even wear disguises. They were always found. That just seemed a bit too unrealistic.
Overall, I would rate Chakana a solid 3 out of 4 stars. It was an enjoyable read, though not very thought-provoking. The sex scenes were a bit much and could have been glossed over entirely, but the love between James and Kate was genuine and passionate. If you like the treasure hunting theme, I would also suggest the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters.
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Chakana
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3 out of 4 stars
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Chakana: Encounter in the Sacred Valley is set during the highly anxious period right before war was declared on Hitler and his rising Nazi party. James Fleming is a young foreign-exchange college student studying in Ohio, enjoying his last moments of freedom before enlisting in the army, when he stumbles into a quicksand-like bog. Kate Rhodes, a local girl, happens to be nearby and hears his screams for help. After a brief spark of attraction, the two go their separate ways.
Eight years later, Kate's older brother, Nick, leads an expedition in Peru. They find an ancient artifact, one that attracts the attention of some seedy fortune hunters. In order to protect himself and the artifact, Nick mails the strange-looking box to Kate and asks her to show it to the University of Ohio's archaeology professor, Dr. Charlie Watson. Worried about Nick, Dr. Watson and Kate travel to Peru and discover Nick has gone missing. After running into James Fleming by pure concidence, they learn Nick's artifact is actually the first of a set of keys meant to unlock an ancient Incan treasure. As a British special agent, Fleming must find the treasure before the Germans, who wish to use the treasure to fund their experiments. Fearing for her brother, Kate insists on joining him.
At first, I thought Chakana was written for a younger audience. However, as the story progressed and I met several in-depth sex scenes, I decided maybe I was wrong. Truthfully, I have no idea who the audience is supposed to be. The style suggests it's a YA (Young Adult) or Midgrade (ages 8 to 12), but the sex scenes were much too mature. In addition, I thought many of the sentences were run-ons, with too many comas and not enough periods. In my unprofessional opinion, I don't think Chakana was edited.
As to the storyline, I found Kate to be annoyingly naive, impatient, and bossy. The other characters said her bossiness was endearing, but it was a bit too much for my liking. The plot progressed very quickly (a little too quickly) and ended at just over three-hundred pages. Overall, I enjoyed the story. It was exciting and original. My only problem was the fact that James and Kate were being chased by fortune hunters throughout the book, yet they never once thought to hide their activities or even wear disguises. They were always found. That just seemed a bit too unrealistic.
Overall, I would rate Chakana a solid 3 out of 4 stars. It was an enjoyable read, though not very thought-provoking. The sex scenes were a bit much and could have been glossed over entirely, but the love between James and Kate was genuine and passionate. If you like the treasure hunting theme, I would also suggest the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters.
******
Chakana
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Camogirl217's review? Post a comment saying so!
. Good thing you still enjoyed the book. Good job on the review.