any Indy-ish true adventure books ?

reng

New member
Hello
Have come across a few books that seem a bit Indy-ish, if you are looking for last-minute gifts. Perhaps hard to find, so probably have to be ordered. Sorry for the lateness of these, have been lurking for only about 5 years, so a bit loathe to intrude.
Have not yet read any of these, but some of the reviews seem good. I do have one of them, which alas 'resides' on my stack (pile) of books to read as soon as there is a good pouring-down-rain weekend, or hopefully a small mid-week blizzard.

Perhaps someone with the ear of George Lucas may be able to find the next "MacGuffin" within their pages for the hopefully upcoming Indy 5 movie. Or at least some good scenes for any new Indy films or books. ;)

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"Foreign Devils on the Silk Road: The Search for the Lost Cities and Treasures of Chinese Central Asia" (Paperback), by Peter Hopkirk (Author)
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"Like Hidden Fire: The Plot to Bring Down the British Empire" (Paperback), by Peter Hopkirk (Author)
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"In Quest of Lost Worlds" (Paperback), by Byron Khun de Proro (Author)
He wrote several books. This is said to be one of his more over-the-top fanciful ones, all of which firmly straddle the 'tall tale' line, but it does seem that some of it is actually true.
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All can be found on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk. Not a plug for amazon, but at least easy to find them there and you can get a sense of if you might have interest in them.

If others know of other books of Indy-ish true adventures, of his time period or ours, would like to hear of them. {Actually, consider his time period to be 1899 to present. :D }


May it be well with you



[to mod: if this is not right forum, please move. thanks]
 

Violet

Moderator Emeritus
The next closest thing I have found to Indy adventure books are the Cairo Jim Chronicles (really more for kids and pre-teens, but it's still fun) and they're written by an Australian author. He also writes the Jocelyn Osgood Jaunts (which is a spin-off of Cairo Jim, Jocelyn's kind of a Marion really).

My little bro used to read Geronimo Stilton (it's a kids book series, about a mouse who is a journalist and a few books actually have archaeology-adventures). I tried to get into the Dirk Pitt books, but they didn't really hold me well. I hear Matthew Reilly's pretty good ("Seven Wonders" is supposedly a good read and is an archaeology adventure).
 
Indy-like books

I remember three that were very close to the spirit of Indy.

The first two are two books of a series:
The Takers
The Takers: River of Gold
Both are by Jerry and S.A. Ahern.

I've heard there is a third Takers book but have yet to find it, even on Amazon.com

The other book is probably one of my favorites. It is called The Discovery by Steve Shagan. This was the most Indy-esque, as it had the hero searching for the last word of God given to Moses. This artifact/parchment contained remarkable powers.

I read these when I was in high school, late 1980s, so I'm not sure if they have aged well, but they were great at the time. Maybe I will go back and re-read them as soon as I finish The Lost Tomb, by Dave Gibbens. This book isn't bad and has Indy-type situations, but it has a lot of exposition dialogue. If you thought the scene in the cafe with Indy and Mutt in Crystal Skull contained a lot of exposition, read Dave Gibbens!
 

Goonie

New member
The Sign and the Seal by Graham Hancock
The Quest of the Lost Ark of the Covenant
http://www.amazon.com/Sign-Seal-Que...bs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230112840&sr=8-4
I've got this book. I haven't had a chance to read it yet though. Mine does have a different cover; it's black. Hope to read it soon.

Fingerprints of the Gods by Graham Hancock
http://www.amazon.com/Fingerprints-...bs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230112840&sr=8-2
Another book I have in my library. I did read this one. It was a good one to read before KotCS came out. Pretty interesting stuff. Covers the whole Alien/Mayan concept.
 

Attila the Professor

Moderator
Staff member
Ok, you know what I think the original poster meant. Not fiction, not speculation, but factual narratives about adventures. Things that actually happened to people. Stuff like Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl and No Mercy by Redmond O'Hanlon.

Of course, there's also a bunch of vintage travel literature that could be pretty interesting. Richard Burton and all that.

Also, reng: welcome.
 
Sorry about the fiction books.

Here's a nonfiction one that i've found extremely interesting:
Footsteps: Nine Archeological Journeys of Romance and Discovery by Bruce Norman

It chronicles 9 true-life searches for lost cities (Machu Pichu, Petra, etc). very Indy-like.
 

Raider S

Member
How about reading the book that inspired the Indy character? Read Hiram Binghams' "Lost City of the Incas" about the re-discovery of Machu Picchu. A good tale about real adventure.

Another great book would be "Arabian Sands" by Wilfred Thesiger. His "Marsh Arabs" is just as good. Can't get much better than these.
 

Morning Bell

New member
Finding Atlantis by David King is excellent and is full of adventure and interesting facts about a guy who actually believed he had discovered Atlantis.
 

Archaeoerika

New member
ddschneider1972 said:
Dragon Hunter: Roy Chapman Andrews and the Central Asiatic Expeditions

Really good book, I bought it because it says "True story of a real life Indiana Jones and his search for dinosaurs in the Gobi desert"


I'd also recommend "Under A Lucky Star: A Lifetime of Adventure" by Roy Chapman Andrews. It's an autobiography so you get to read about his adventures from childhood all the way up to his expedition to the Gobi Desert. Andrews is one of my favorite real-life Indy adventurers.
 

Salzmank

New member
I remembered this thread from pre-Dark Ages The Raven and went searching for it now that the site’s back. Happy to find it still here!

To add my $.02 to a thread that hasn’t been commented in since 2010: Has anyone here read travel writer Mark Adams’s nonfiction, Indy-esque Turn Right at Machu Picchu (2011) and Meet Me in Atlantis (2015)? The Atlantis one is particularly Indy-esque and my favorite of the duo, but they’re both very good, with fun, quippy writing and colorful locates and characters. Highly recommended.
 

WilliamBoyd8

Active member
Not exactly Indiana Jones but interesting anyway:

Chasing the Thrill by Daniel Barbarisi, published in 2021.

The book is about the recent American Forrest Fenn treasure hunt.

Traditional treasure hunting meets computers and the internet.

:)
 
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