Indiana Jones and the Peril at Delphi

INTO THE ABYSS OF THE SERPENT. For sixteen centuries the Order of Pythia has awaited the reappearance of the ancient oracle of sacred knowledge at Delphi. An earthquake, rending the earth beneath the ruins, has now heralded her return. Dorian Belecamus, a beautiful and bewitching archaeology professor, sees an opportunity to do more than dig into the past: this is her chance to seize control of her country’s future—by becoming the Oracle of Delphi! And she’s found just the man to help her consummate her scheme. He’s brash, he’s reckless, and he’s fallen under her spell. His name: Indiana Jones.

Their adventure spans the globe from Chicago to Paris to Greece, where, bullwhip in hand, Indy descends into the bottomless pit of the serpent god and finds a sacred stone that holds the key to the oracle’s prophecies. But Dorian has designed an even more sinister fate for young Indy: she means to make him her lover, her priest, and her pawn in a plot to kill the king. Will Indy find the source of Pythia’s powers—or will he find himself sacrificed at Dorian’s altar, a victim of her deadly ambition and desire? - Synopsis found in the back cover

First sentence: Indy hung in the darkness like a quartermoon, suspended by a rope that burned into his chest and armpits.

Peril at Delphi is the very first book in the adventures of Indiana Jones. It gives a good background of Indy's character, beginning with Indy in college and later as a graduate linguistic student. He has a good command of the ancient Greek language. You can also see how Indy develops as a teenager into a young adult, his feelings, and an introduction to his trademark fedora and bullwhip. Indy being Indy, he is not immune to trouble.

As described in the synopsis above, Indy's invited by his beautiful professor to join her in an archaeology project at Delphi, Greece. Little did he know he is being used by her to satisfy her own agenda. She toys with his feelings knowing that he would be susceptible. In the later part of the adventure, more people are involved - people whom he knew, his friends. He has to save them. The game gets more dangerous.

Frankly, this is an OK book and it reads ordinarily. I had expected it to be more gripping and thrilling. Rob MacGregor did well but it could have been better. Having said that, it's still a good introduction to this character called Indiana Jones. I'm off to the next adventure: Indiana Jones and the Dance of the Giants, also by the same author!

Other Indy titles I've read:

• Indiana Jones and the Hollow Earth
• Indiana Jones and the Philosopher's Stone
• Indiana Jones and the Dinosaur Eggs
• Indiana Jones and the Sky Pirates
• Indiana Jones and the Interior World
• Indiana Jones and the Unicorn's Legacy
• Indiana Jones and the Genesis Deluge
• Indiana Jones and the Seven Veils
• Indiana Jones and the Dance of the Giants
• Indiana Jones and the Peril at Delphi
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull