Easy Go

I've been slogging through a raft of unlikable characters in my reading lately, and I needed a complete change of pace. I was in the perfect mood for an adventure about finding-- and trying to steal-- the lost tomb of a pharaoh. Written under the pen name John Lange while he was still a resident, Michael Crichton's Easy Go was exactly what I needed when I needed it. (The man wrote books while in medical school and as a resident? Did he need no sleep?)

Yes, the book has its problems. The romance was rather feeble. Not only did it not seem to have much purpose in the book, it didn't do a thing for me. The characters were also stereotyped, but that almost goes hand-in-hand with most thrillers where the emphasis is on plot over character.

I show more was more than willing to overlook the weaknesses for the luscious story. Speaking of weaknesses, I have one for a heist story well told, and this one delivers. I've always been fascinated with ancient Egypt and wondered what it would be like to actually find a pharaoh's tomb. From finding one, it's not that big of a jump to wonder what you would actually do with all that treasure-- especially if you thought you had a good chance of stealing it.

If you love ancient Egypt and are in the mood for a bit of fast-paced tomb raiding, give Easy Go a try. You might just enjoy it as much as I did. show less

Another early Crichton thriller, first published under a pseudonym and recently reissued by Hard Case under Crichton's name. This one involves an archaeologist who thinks he's discovered clues to an unknown pharaoh's tomb in Egypt, and a plan to excavate and steal the treasure.

And, again, it's reasonably entertaining, better than a lot of his later stuff. But he has a bad habit of building up the story and then ending with an anti-climactic twist that makes you wonder why you bothered. Again, the caper seems overly convoluted. He throws in lots of little details that are sometimes nifty and sometimes unnecessary.

It's another book that's great for reading on the subway but probably not one to revisit.

Michael Crichton’s early thrillers are high on entertainment quotient and Easy Go is no exception. This is the story of a group of colourful, somewhat formulaic, characters attempting to rob a three thousand year old, heretofore cunningly hidden, Egyptian tomb. The amusing plot is full of action, witty dialogues and vivid descriptions of the locations – from the city of Cairo to the pyramids to the hidden, ancient tomb. About the descriptions, some reviews say that Crichton doesn’t seem to have visited the actual places; all I can say is I enjoyed the imagery presented by my favourite author a lot – realistic or not. In spite of it being a light, pulp-ish novel, there are glimpses of Crichton’s brilliance in the detailing of show more the settings and the factual titbits he incorporates in the narrative. Easy Go, as intended by its creator, is pure fun and nothing else! show less

Crichton is one of my favorite authors, but this little novel is one of his earlier pieces that I haven't read before. It's a nice adventure crime story with some very interesting characters; Tomb Raider and the Mummy meet Ocean's 11 crew. Overall, the ending feels somewhat rushed, but I like being able to see what he was good at even in the earlier part of his writing career plus how he develops over the years. All Crichton fans should read this book.

Net Galley Feedback
[book:Easy Go: A Novel|18078738]
[author:Michael Crichton|5194]

Easy Go was written fifty-six years ago by world-famous author Micheal Crichton during his formative years. Even though the story lacked character development, the plot kept my attention from the beginning until the end. The story dragged during the planning portion of the script, and there was a lack of action. However, the team encountered some difficulties, twists, and turns along the way.

Crichton offered readers a love attraction during the story, which seemed to go nowhere until almost the end, which, by the way, seemed to end rather abruptly. All in all, it was still a decent read that kept me engaged throughout.

Easy Go, easy went. If a book doesn't draw me the people in it, then I want it to wow me with action or something unusual. This was a well-written book that told its story to completion. However in my crawl through the evolution of Michael Crichton, you can see his love for archaeology and adventure here. He is moving away from straight science and the medical field.

“Everything forbidden is sweet.” - Arab Proverb

“This tomb - you want to rob it?” Sure, robbing a tomb in Egypt, what could go wrong? Oh yeah, just a little something known as “The curse of the Pharaohs!”

“Robbing an Egyptian tomb. That’s…that’s childish, it’s infantile, unreal, divorced from everything in the world. It has no relation to anything. And this elaborate plan, with all the moves and countermoves - it’s like little boys playing commando or something.”

There is a lot about Egyptology in this story. A LOT! Lots of history, geography, and anthropology to read through, if you are not as interested in the topic as I wasn't. And the plot itself is basic as it gets - a group robs a tomb in Egypt. Plus, the show more ending stinks.

“For any man, his first tomb was his last.” show less