David GibbinsReviews

Yet to read this title.

I wanted to like this book... but didn't quite connect with any of the characters and frequently felt like it was reading a lecture on a topic

5.5/10
A very slow start and a whiz-bang final half/third of the book.

David Gibbins deep dive into maritime archaeology is masterful and entrancing-This is big history at it best. Absolutely fascinating, beautifully written, and impeccably researched.

This book hurt my brain. It made me cranky. I loved the premise, but spent most of the time flipping back and forth through the book trying to decipher random plot nuggets.

For a first book it was enjoyable.
Gibbins starts really strongly tying together the main characters in the book. Once you meet the antagonist I started to lose interest. The climax was short and sudden. Then they stretch out the book to the end and it feels like Gibbins is trying to cram his world in almost refusing to complete the book.
I am interested in seeing how Gibbins evolves as a fiction writer.

In his book, A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks, David Gibbons, underwater archeologist, gives a fascination look at history from the 2nd millennium BCE to WWII through the exploration of shipwrecks. He looks at what is known of each ship’s provenance, where it originated, where it had been before it sank, what it is known about its cargo including what has survived, and a bit of the history of the area where the ship was found and little bit about important historical events of the time.

I enjoyed this book quite a lot but, as other reviewers have pointed out it reads in parts much like a text book and could be rather dry in some places. And, like any book, that covers large periods of history, some is bound to resonate more than others based on the reader’s specific interests. Still, for anyone interested in snapshot portraits of various periods of history, underwater archeology, or the evolution of commerce and/or shipbuilding through the ages, it is well worth a read.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and St Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review

Not a light beach read. Gibbins gives a detailed history of the period around each wreck as well as an inventory of what was found. There are wonderful description of what each item was intended for, inventory numbers, the trade or fight involved in it's sailing and sinking. It's fascinating but reads like a textbook. A history lovers dream but in order to appreciate the detail involved it takes time & effort.

The story is part autobiography, part human history, part ship building techniques, part naval history. It's a wondrous tome for a history buff but casual readers will not be engaged.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance reader copy of this story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#AHistoryoftheWorldinTwelveShipwrecks #DavidGibbins # St.Martin'sPress #Netgalley #navalhistory #shiphistory #Archaeology

This could have been a really fascinating book, but I think the author took the wrong approach in the presentation and organization of the history. This felt very text book, with few events or characters standing out in the sea of facts.
I listened to this on audio, which may also have hampered my enjoyment. I thought for sure an AI was narrating, the vocal rhythm was so punctuated and choppy. I do not recommend the audio.

I loved that each of the Twelve Shipwrecks had a unique story to tell. With hundreds on record and even more yet to be discovered, David Gibbins has chosen each one with a discerning eye. Personal favorites include the Dover Wreck, the oldest seagoing vessel ever found; the Marzamemi Wreck which contained 28 marble columns fit for a Byszantine Church; and the Belitung Wreck, which contained 57,000 Changsha bowls and priceless metals. And of course the legendary Wreck of the Mary Rose! Others include the Uluburun Wreck, the Plemmirio Wreck, the Roskilde Wreck, the Santo Christo de Castel, the Royal Anne Galley, the HMS Terror and the SS Gairsoppa.

However, this one required some effort to get through. Factually, it is flawless, and Gibbins is clearly a master of the field. Structurally though, it is cumbersome and needs refinement. First, Gibbins introduces the shipwreck and describes what was found. He then posits where it was sailing to and from. These portions are great, but you have to sift through a lot to find them. To include as much "world" as possible, Gibbins incorporates temporally adjacent events or loosely tied literary references. A single artifact may be the only link to several pages of surplus information. I often found myself simply googling the shipwreck to stay on track. This book would greatly benefit from footnotes and illustrations. I recommend having a notebook and an encyclopedia to assist with the archaeological terminology. Thankfully Gibbins' enthusiasm and passion for shipwrecks convinced me to stick with it. There's an excellent book buried here, but like an archaeologist you have to have the patience to dig it up.

A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks by David Gibbins is a highly recommended history based around 12 shipwrecks written by an expert in both archaeology and diving. In the prologue Gibbons makes it clear that the twelve shipwrecks he covers provide a springboard for looking at the wider historical context. Shipwrecks are unique because it represents a collection of objects used at the time of the shipwreck and thus can be closely dated. This can offer new historical insights into the past.

The shipwrecks examined are: The Dover Boat constructed in 1575-1520 BC; Royal cargoes at the time of Tutankhamun in 14th century BC and the Uluburun wreck; a Classical Greece wreck off the Aegean coast of Turkey from the 5th century BC; a shipwreck in the Mediterranean from the Roman Empire in the 2nd century AD; 6th century AD Christianity and early Byzantium; Tang China, the Land of Gold, and Addasid Islam in the 9th century AD; 11th century AD Viking warship of King Cnut the Great; the Mary Rose, the flagship of Henry VIII, 1545;the Santo Christo de Castello a Dutch ship from 1667; The Royal Anne Galley, 1721; the HMS Terror, 1848; and the SS Gairsoppa, destroyed by a Nazi U-boat in the Atlantic during World War II. (The final version will include illustrations, an index, bibliography, endnotes, and resources.)

These shipwrecks are the starting point to a larger discussion of world history. It is well-researched and includes many ties into a wider historical context of the time the ship would have been sea worthy. The people, the cargo, the spread of the materials they carried and the beliefs they held are all tied together with the 12 significant shipwrecks and the insight they provide into the times in which they sailed.

Admittedly, I found some of the shipwrecks and their historical context more interesting than others, but A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks will appeal to those who enjoy history and especially maritime history. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2024/03/a-history-of-world-in-twelve-shipwrecks.h...

While an interesting premise, as other reviewers have said the author tends to lecture on areas that the reader needs to know to follow the conspiracy. I enjoy the characters in these novels, and will definitely read the next book in the series, whenever it is released.

Meh. Average "adventure" read. This book/series probably suffers from being so familiar to the Dirk Pitt books. If you read the Dirk Pitt books first, the Jack Howard books feel derivative...and vice versa.

Clive Cussler on steroids!

Archeological treasures, deep historical research, and technological wizardry as well as military machinations make Atlantis a juicy read.

Jack Howard is one determined man, looking for answers to ancient secrets. Traveling across the world, and through time, he slowly connects the dots changing ages-old myths into verifiable facts.

My only complaint is that I thought the author was a bit too detailed. More action and less explanation would have made for a better flow. Still, an excellent choice.

Meu interesse pela legião romana enquanto instituição acabou me levando a este livro e à figura de Cipião, um personagem tão interessante quanto Aníbal, embora este último seja mais famoso e reconhecido pela sua ousadia. A verdade é que Cipião destruiu Cartago e esse é de certa maneira o início da ascensão de Roma, ou seja, muito dessa história me interessa.
Escolher o Profº Gibbins, um arqueólogo PhD para romancear a história de Cipião foi um acerto. O livro é bem escrito, os personagens e situações interessantes, com grande grau de realidade, faz toda a diferença saber sobre o que se está falando, ainda que seja só um romance.
Não fosse os problemas de edição e alguns erros de revisão eu daria 4 estrelas. Em tempo: a Microsoft tem muito zelo e carinho por todo o material transmídia que produz para Halo e eu esperava, neste sentido, que a edição brasileira do romance baseada neste jogo fosse mais bem cuidada.

Jack and Costas go tunnelling under the Giza Pyramids to find out what secrets the heretical pharoah (Akhenaten the sun god of Egypt) was hiding.

Brief synopsis I know - but no spoilers.

Excellent story. Thoroughly enjoyed it!!

2 Intrepid Adventurers (Present-Day Variety)
1 Love Interest (Archaeological Variety)
1 Recently Acquired Daughter (Research Assistant Variety)
1 Lost Roman Legion/Prisoners of War
1 Chinese Secret Society
Innumerable Unrealistic (Yet Fascinating) Info-Dump History Lectures

2 Intrepid Adventurers (Victorian Variety)
1 Ill-Thought Out Tax
1 Nasty Rebellion
3 Rather Horrific Sacrifices
Malaria

1 Sunken Elephantegos (elephant ship)
1 Ship full of Gold Bullion (Imperial Roman variety)
Several Potsherds of Significance
1 Incongruously Sculpted Temple
1 Unexcavated Mountain Tomb
1 Broken Tiger-Gauntlet Sword
2 Jewels of Immortality (separated)

I am a fan of James Rollins books and this book reminded me of his works. The only thing that I found a bit off-putting was the excessive fact dropping about most things. Gave the feeling of reading a technical manual about the equipment being described. But the rest of the story was interesting enough that I will check out other books by this author.

I found this to be an interesting book. I knew very little about the Punic Wars (that ancient history class in college was a long time ago) and found Gibbins narrative very informative. Some of the gore was a little too realistic for my tastes and I mentally closed my eyes. I also found that the transitions between the different times a little rough. I would also have liked if the map of the Roman world was a little more detailed. Some of the places mentioned in the book weren't on the map and I had to look them up to make sense of their place in the story.

Had high hopes for this but really didn't like it. It was a waste of time. The lead char is a Mary Sue and wish fulfillment of the author. I would rather have read a nonfiction of the author's real experiences than this.

The plot was incredibly linear. There's a clue, he follows the clue to another clue and then another. No real tension. Just blah.

Ok read but not a patch on my other fake myth authors, lol½

Any author that has to refer to events from their previous five novels in a series within the first two chapters is either really insecure or just plain arrogant. Also worthy to note is that the only recommendations listed on the front and back cover come from the Mirror

Either way I'm up to page 159 and I'm really surprised that I've lasted this long. Characters are two dimensional reflections of every other character, except they've got different specialities. No individualization. BORING!!!

Frankly, the only goal I have for this book is to make certain it gets thrown into the recycling bin downstairs, hopefully never to be seen again

I have read much of this series. It is one of my fall back series. It is not the same as James Rollins but not a bad read.

Good:
David Gibbons is a trained archaeologist. There is so much fact (or at least, supposition based on evidence throughout history) in this book that it is really thrilling to read. His details of the Koya people of India, and the Pashtun people of Afghanistan, were fascinating to read. The basis of the adventure, the possibility of Roman soldiers being captured as slaves, and moving into Asia along the Silk road and then becoming mercenaries; is very realistic and the way that he paints the possible events is beautiful and elegant. This is the kind of fiction I really love, where you learn as you read. Where the lessons are so seamlessly and elegantly woven into the story as to make you feel as if you are a part of it.

I have always been fascinated by books like this! Indiana Jones, Dirk Pitt, Robert Langdon. Each is a wonderful opportunity to learn new and exciting things in the frame of a good story. I am excited to add Jack Howard to my list of awesome characters to follow!

Bad:
The evil baddie sort of felt like a prop piece. One scene we see into his warped reality, then the rest of the time his henchmen are there to add unnecessary pressure to the search and discovery. For me, Howard's family allure, not to mention the amazing finds he was uncovering, were enough to keep me drawn in. Even the ancient Chinese group sworn to protect the jewels was enough. I'm a bit tired of an overarching villian trying to take over the world.

Ugly:
There were a surprising number of grammatical errors in this book, considering it was published by Bantam books, one of the "Big Six" publishing houses. I loved the author's note at the end, showing what was real, what was supposition based on historical findings, and what was pure fiction for entertainment. But there was no author's biography. I had to search the web to determine his credentials and learn more about him as a writer.

Overall, I love the character. I love the fascinating details that the author is able to contribute, and the way the author excites in me my life long passion of learning about other cultures and history. I am definitely looking forward to reading more Jack Howard novels.

The Jack Howard Series fascinate me in that they detail a great deal of action underwater, and as a non-swimmer, I become enthralled with his mainly under sea, or in this case down an abandoned mine, exploits. Mr. Gibbins has done a tremendous amount of research and allied a number of events to produce a very readable instalment in the series. The only problem I had was that there was almost too much factual information involving Heinrich Schliemann and his exploits regarding the discovery of Troy, plus the involvement of William Gladstone and Otto Von Bismarck, along with Nazi concentration camps. It was almost overload, but it did lead to an exciting series of episodes, culminating in a very satisfactory conclusion – although I think that the next book in the series may link back to parts of this one.
Howard and his full time companion Costas have an almost telepathic understanding with each other, enabling them to succeed when others might have failed. The only failing in the book is making the Russian thugs who are involved in the diving as thick as they appear to be in the story – experienced divers would not take that risk! That apart the involvement of Jack Howard’s young daughter, Rebecca, herself training as an archaeologist, and the threat to her well-being, make this a very good read.