RA Crossroads No. 5
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
By Neal Wyatt -- Library Journal, 05/21/2008
As Lewis Carroll’s Alice so aptly points out, "What is the use of a book...without pictures or conversations?" Welcome to RA Crossroads, where books, movies, music, and other media converge and whole-collection reader’s advisory service goes where it may. In this column, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull leads me down a winding path.I am not alone in loving the pure escapist fun of the Indiana Jones movies. With the newest Indy offering out tomorrow, a little excavation into the Professor Jones mystique is in order. 
What makes the Steven Spielberg–directed franchise so addictive for me are the motifs of secrets, puzzles, and mythic lore interlaced with the action, adventure, and humor. Add to that a hero who can get out of any fix and the fabulous mix of detail, scene, and setting, and the Indy movies are a sure recipe for success.
But like the popcorn and Junior Mints that we devour in the theaters, the series just makes you hungry for more. To feed your need, consider The Mummy and The Mummy Returns as they offer the same combination of history, archaeology, and action, with an extra bump of romance and a bit more horror.
The National Treasure movies starring Nicholas Cage work as well, supplying puzzles, MacGyver-like skills, and plenty of detail and background. For a funnier take, matching Indy in both good-natured fun and adventure, revisit Romancing the Stone. Stargate, blending history and sf, is also a good bet owing to the strong elements of archaeology and adventure and the same figure-it-out-and-save-the-world ethos. 
For a classic case, consider King Solomon’s Mines (both the 1937 version, which is more faithful to the H. Rider Haggard novel, and the 1950 remake starring Deborah Kerr). Haggard’s She, while dated, entertains as well, full of lost cities, adventure, and danger. Coincidentally, it is being reissued next week in Penguin’s new “Great Books for Boys” series.
The Indy franchise has spawned a number of books, including one by James Rollins based on the newest movie. His Sigma Force books swap the archaeology for science but still supply readers with large doses of history, adventure, and high-octane pacing.
Matthew Reilly’s Temple and 7 Deadly Wonders work, too. Both offer enough archaeology, adventure, and speed to keep readers happy. And while Reilly can strain believability, who can resist a book wherein one of the characters puts his arm into a lava flow to deactivate a booby trap? On the commitment scale, that beats the bug scene in The Temple of Doom any day. 
Clive Cussler’s adventures featuring the indomitable Dirk Pitt should also work for Indy fans. Try Atlantis Found for its mix of ancient civilization and Nazi motifs, plus the heroics of Dirk.
Finally, if you are a gamer, there might be no better match to the movies than reliving them and becoming part of the action. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is a fan favorite; LucasArts has long promised a newer title, now rumored to be released in 2009.
