A few weeks ago, I was hanging out with my brother and watching “Sahara”, the treasure hunting action adventure with Matthew McConaughey. It is a silly, but really fun movie, and as we were watching it, he mentioned that it is based on a Clive Cussler book. I’d heard of the author before, but never read anything of his. Once I looked into it, I learned that my vision of him as a prolific writer was really understated. Cussler has written more than 50 books in his career, 17 of which were bestsellers. Reading about him is really a little fascinating. Not only a writer, he is also the founder and chairman of NUMA, the National Underwater and Marine Agency, which has discovered more than 60 sunken ships and other sites of interest.

But I digress. After watching and enjoying “Sahara”, I decided to pick up one of his books. On my flight back to Seattle, I grabbed “Lost Empire” from the airport book store and dove in. What a fun read. I really enjoyed this book.

“Lost Empire” is part of the “Fargo Adventures” series, which follows Sam and Remi Fargo, two millionaire dive and history enthusiasts. They are vacationing off the coast of Zanzibar when they discover a ship bell off shore while scuba diving. Before they know it, they are being followed and harrassed by mysterious Mexican millitary men who are determined to get the bell and keep them from learning it’s history. The mystery gets deeper and deeper the more the Fargos learn about the bell and the danger gets higher and higher. They end up flying all over the world and learning secrets of the history of the Aztecs that could turn the world on it’s head.

The book is packed with chases, explosions, adventure, discovery, history, and mystery. It was a fun ride. I would love to dive more into his collection of books. This was an easy, fun read, but not as cheesy as much of the light reading that I enjoy. I would recommend this book and I look forward to reading more.

I think I’ve found a new go to author for summer reading. Check him out.