The Dakota Cipher

By William Dietrich

Ethan Gage wants to enjoy the fruits of victory after helping Napoleon win the Battle of Marengo. But an ill-advised tryst with Bonaparte's married sister has made that impossible. And the fantastic schemes of the wild Norwegian Magnus Bloodhammer soon have Ethan dodging hostile Indians on America's frontier.
With President Thomas Jefferson's blessings, Ethan and Magnus embark upon an expedition into the Western wilderness - keeping their eyes open for woolly mammoths. But another prize secretly impels them: the mythical hammer of the Norse god Thor, allegedly carried to North America more than a century before Columbus. Across a landscape no white man has ever traversed, Gage's skills will be tested as never before - as he braves unimaginable peril en route to the most incredible discovery of all time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Allison & Busby
• Release date: Jul 25, 2011
• ISBN: 9780749010591

William Dietrich

William Dietrich is the author of fourteen novels, including six previous Ethan Gage titles—Napoleon's Pyramids, The Rosetta Key, The Dakota Cipher, The Barbary Pirates, The Emerald Storm, and The Barbed Crown. Dietrich is also a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, historian, and naturalist. A winner of the PNBA Award for Nonfiction, he lives in Washington State.

Reviews for The Dakota Cipher

[comtoc_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is William Dietrich's third adventure featuring Ethan Gage. I really enjoyed the first two Gage books and was excited to come across the newest one. I felt it was lacking in the thrills and intrigue of the first two, but it was still an interesting story. I was interested, too, in the portrayal of the American frontier in 1800. Dietrich does some very thorough research for his books.

[jok_44 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have enjoyed the previous two Gage stories, but this Gage is less self assured, more egocentric, and more driven by his libido. Gage has not grown as a character due to his previous adventures - he has become more simplistic.I agree that the setting was novel, and the description of Louisiana interesting, but this novel lacked some of the exotic allure of the previous two. I look forward to the fourth book, to see if Gage can become less of a caricature.

[karatelpek · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My favorite yet of the Gage series. Everyone knows about the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark, so it was clever of Dietrich to go back a few years and pick the brief period of Napoleonic rule as the setting. I want to go see those runestones in Minnesota! Looking forward to the next book.

[skybalon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

My least favorite of the trilogy so far. The first part felt more like a Harlequin Romance for men. When it gets going it's pretty good, but it takes too long.