Entry 5: The Peril at Delphi

Indy Timeline: 1922

Indiana Jones and the Peril at Delphi is the first in the series of “Indy Novels” put out by Bantam throughout the 1990s.  While authorship of the series would later be handed off to Martin Caidin and Max McCoy, Rob MacGregor wrote “Delphi” as well as the next five books in the series. 

Set in the early 1920’s, Peril at Delphi begins with a young Indy wrapping up his undergraduate degree in Chicago.  Indy comes off as a bit prankish and immature, but given his youth in the timeline, this is believable. 

The story really takes off when we follow Indy to Paris, where he begins his graduate studies at the Sorbonne.  MacGregor succeeds in capturing the spirit and excitement of a young man abroad in an exciting and exotic city.  Descriptions of Parisian nightlife in the 20’s are believable and engrossing, and a number of historical details enrich the experience.  This attention to (and research of) the various locations – Chicago, Paris, Athens, Delphi – adds a lot to the novel. 

In addition to giving good descriptions of interesting settings, the supporting characters are interesting and feel like Indiana Jones.  A seductive and mysterious Greek professor of archeology, a musician friend and classmate from the Jazz clubs of Chicago, a benevolent academic mentor from Chicago, a flaky French ex-lover, a stuffy Brit, a helpful and trustworthy Greek boy – the list goes on and on, but all of these characters feel like they fit in the Indy canon. 

What surprised me about the novel was the amount of sex and alcohol in the story.  This is closer to the Indy of “Raiders” and further from the camp in “Temple” and “Crusade”.  Personally, I thought this was a step in the right direction as it made the story more gritty/realistic and less goofy. 

This is not to say that the story is entirely realistic- the whole premise is based on the legend of the Oracle at Delphi and involves a touch of the supernatural.  All of the supernatural elements are derived from ancient Greek history and legend, which makes it feel “slightly unbelievable” rather than just off the map crazy.  Again though, this felt right to me and very “Indy”. 

The single biggest difference from the movies is the most obvious- this is a novel and not a motion picture.  As a result, the action scenes are relatively far and few between.  The book comes off as more of a character study of a young academic on one of his first adventures abroad and less as an action packed blockbuster.  This did not bother me so much, but makes for a different experience. 

Issues of pacing aside, “Peril at Delphi” makes for an interesting read that fleshes out the Indy character a bit more.  MacGregor is a capable novelist and he is at his best when describing exotic locales and coloring them with bits of researched historical details.  Throw in some colorful characters, a bit of danger, and you have a fun read. 

Indy Rating: 8.0/10