Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: The Amulet of Power (Tomb Raider Lara Croft) (Mass Market Paperback)

Lara Croft was created by a team of hundreds, each with specialist knowledge of everything she interacts with - and that's just the story boards. This book was written by Mr Resnick alone. And therein lies all the errors with this tome.

If you are a Lara fan - you will buy this. You will enjoy it through gritted teeth and you will hope to goodness that the next book in the series (The Lost Cult) will be a significant improvement because you'll no doubt buy that too.

It is filled with inaccuracies - Lara appears to use many Americanisms for a start, even if she does drive a Landrover.

It must be a hard act to follow the official novelisations of the two films. Mr Resnick has produced something worthy of taking away with you on Holiday. A true fan would take time off work just to read the book at home and it is the true fans who will be the bulk buyers of this book.

A 'could be better' on your 'must read' list but only because there isn't any other material out there. Eidos - why is this?

* This book is about some Amulet of Mareish that is said to grant the possessor of it an "untold power". How many times have we heard that before, it's really getting tiring. Some want to kill her, some use her to get it, then kill her, she must search all over the Africa from places like Egypt, Sudan and others.
- Now, the Eidos, Tomb Raider's developers and production company, has mentioned on their site and people can read it also on whichever good Lara Croft site you find, details and pieces of what REALLY happened between the time she got buried alive under the Temple Of Horus, and until Angel Of Darkness, when in Paris, she visited her once time mentor, Werner V. Croy.
Some African tribe, called the Shaman, has discovered her and aid her until she comes back up to her feet again. Her whole life in Egypt, that she's been there that is, is based on being with Shamans and traveling the ancient African trade routes, and the tribe getting murdered etc.
The story he wrote is absolutely ludicrous and makes no damn sense whatsoever.
* It is very obvious and easily seen that this author has no common sense about the game or the character, most importantly, whatsoever. He has portrayed Lara Croft very poorly, and gave her the image of a very independent-I don't need your help-control-dangerous-freak of the century.
The infamous phrases such as " Get it through your head that I'm not a frail flower" and other gestures like pointing her gun even at the poor waiter that didn't 'guess' and got ready meal for her perfectly as she demanded.
* And if MISSPOTRAYING the international idol wasn't enough,
he has changed basic knowledge that monkey knows. Lara's guns were ALWAYS referred to as 9mm handguns or twins, now appear to be like some pathetic James Bond style, and the weapons described as "Black Demon 32s" that are custom made and has a chip that recognises her palm print. What in God's name is this NONSENCE all about?
Does Resnick even know at all, what game he is writing about.
Proves us NOT.
Even those people that just see her in GAME commercials, can see her true self, and this is VERY FAR AWAY from it!
* In Angel Of Darkness we clearly see Lara being disturbed and angry, having lived through a very troublesome experience like a near-death, and she being affected by it deeply.
She is mad at Von Croy, because he left her there, with no concern whatsoever that she might still be alive and that there is still chance of her being rescued. In Amulet Of Power, the thought of meeting Von Croy again, puts a smile on her face and wants to take him to dinner and have a long talk with him about her adventures, bla bla, this guy didn't do ANY research at all about anything from this game, and that's the most saddening part of all.

CONCLUSION: DON'T BUY THIS BOOK AS A Tomb Raider novel, just read it as a story from author who made everything up, his own characters, places, and attitude towards everything, and maybe you would give it 3 stars, but since it's 'based on the game', it deserves NOT MORE THEN A ZERO!
Also, it has some interesting parts like poisoned Nile, and deadly scorpions here and there, this remind me of a travel book, because the chapters are cutted by places, and in every other part of the book she's in different countries in Africa like Kenya, you name it, so it's nothing special.
It's a nice pulpy novel to enjoy when needing a break from some serious reading.

I think Mike should stick to his sci-fi books, because if he ever wrote anything based on the so called "official novel from the bestselling video game", he would sure get the game company broke, and the fans of it very angered.