Indiana Jones and the Sky Pirates

This time, Indy goes high-tech which is not surprising knowing that the author, Martin Caidin writes sci-fi. I somehow feel that Indy loses its authenticity in this instalment and it doesn’t read like the typical Indiana Jones adventure. I forced myself to read as much as I could stomach but lost my patience by page 193. It just doesn’t feel like Indy.

In this story (at least until page 193), Indiana Jones puts together an elite team of people to solve the mystery of unidentified flying objects, of which surviving witnesses claim to be extremely futuristic in appearance (like a flying saucer) and lethal too. Indy planted some bogus ancient artifacts for some reasons I still don’t get. And then there’s military involvement. He is building some kind of state-of-the-art flying machine of his era, thanks to connection with the military folks. I kind of lost the plot, really. Maybe I’m dense. Maybe it’s just not Indy to me. It feels weird to see such a shift in his characterisation. He is an archaeologist who is also an expert in ancient languages, for crying out loud! Not some ultra-cool super spy. I hardly hear the mention of his trademark fedora and bullwhip in the plot. Where is the good old Indy that I know and am so fond of?

I’m giving it up (I hate to do this!) and moving on to the next Indy adventure. My advice: Be warned and skip this book. Maybe I’ll read Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark by Campbell Black. Or Hollow Earth by Max McCoy.

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