: The Dakota Cipher
Author: William Dietrich
I don’t know if this is part of a series, but it’s sort of like The Davinci Code set in the early 1800s, with a rogue American adventurer discovering ancient artifacts while mingling with historical figures like Napoleon and Thomas Jefferson. The plot is wild — the search is for Thor’s Hammer, which apparently has been hidden in the United States back when the Vikings first landed here and explored the new world — but I really liked the way the author balanced the outrageousness with facts and reality. It helps that our narrator and hero, Ethan Gage, is dubious along with us. But what makes the book worth reading is the hilarious writing style: Gage as the narrator writes in a quaint tongue with colorful terms of speech that are just wonderful. It would be over-the-top for a modern book, but works great for a book set in the old west. The historical aspects are also intriguing. However, I was disappointed with the ending which I found unsatisfying in two ways: first, it doesn’t really end as it sets up for a sequel (ugh), and second (slight spoiler), it is not a happy ending. I suppose it makes sense in some ways in terms of the personalities of the characters, but I still wasn’t too happy. It’s probably not enough to ruin the book, which I really liked until that point, but it’s not the ending I wanted. Still, it does make me curious about other books in this series. I shall have to check them out as I’d like to read more about the adventures of Ethan Gage!
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