Plot summary
The novel begins with Indiana Jones descending down a hillside towards the lost city of Cozán, in the rain forests of Central America. After deciphering the clues in the pyramid, he discovers the Crystal Skull of Cozán and retrieves it, only for the artifact to be snatched away by the main antagonist, Leonardo Sarducci. Sarducci tells Indiana Jones his plan to achieve immortality and orders his partner, Marco, to kill the archeologist. A giant snake eats Marco and Indiana Jones escapes from the temple and returns to a village with his guide, who accompanied him in the expedition.
Jones returns to Princeton University where Marcus informs him of the stolen Voynich Manuscript. Government men visit Jones and try to recruit him into helping them find the mysterious manuscript, but Jones declines. It is revealed that the men said to Jones's superiors about his expedition in Central America being illegal, and Jones is inevitably fired and sanctioned from his job as professor. After searching for a place to sleep, Jones then comes across a bookstore owner who claims to be an enthusiast in alchemist history. He reveals to Jones that the fascists visited him too in search for the manuscript, and that they are also searching for the Philosopher's Stone, an artifact that can turn any metal to gold. Jones contacts the US Government and hurriedly catches up to the USS Macon, dangling from a rope attached to the airship. He foils assassination attempts by Italians onboard.
Jones arrives in England for Alistair Dunstin, but instead finds his sister, Alecia. Jones eventually ends up in Alecia's apartment. Just then, the Fascists arrive and make an attempt on the pair's life. Indy and Alecia escape and the archaeologist learns that Alecia is the last of a dying race of secret metal workers and has a tattoo on her back which is said to hold the key to deciphering the Voynich Manuscript. He is also informed about the history of the stone and that Alistair and Alecia have successfully transmutated substance into gold. She tells him that a prima material is needed to fuel the stone and that there isn't much time if they want to find Alistair alive. The Fascists catch up and, after a daring shootout in the back alleys of London, the two escape with their lives and new found feelings for each other.
Alecia books a garbage freighter for passage to Italy, in hopes that Alistair is there. When Indy joins her, Sarducci appears once again to kill them both. After dumping the load of garbage into the ocean with Indy and Alecia inside, the pair makes their way to one of the flying boats that is part of the Italian air armada AKA The Atlantici that is allowing Sarducci to travel around the globe so fast. The pair make it to Italy where they encounter Sarducci in his office and ask where Alistair is being held. Because Alecia bares a strong resemblance to his deceased wife, Sarducci releases them and accidentally gives them a clue which leads them to Libya where they meet with Sallah.
In the middle of the Libyan desert, on the border to Egypt, the trio meets Prince Farqhuar who leads his rebel army to battle with the "roman pigs". Indy sneaks into the secret Italian base and finds Alistair. The pair sneak out only to be caught when Alistair reveals he was working with the Italians all along. Sarducci plans to execute Indy via firing squad but Prince Farqhuar saves him at the last minute. They survive a sandstorm and Indy decodes the map on Alecia's back.
They arrive at the hiding place of the Philosopher's Stone and Indy and Alistair swim down to retrieve it. Sarducci arrives and takes the group prisoner, stows them in a van and his servant and he open the mechanism and activate the Stone. The stone melts his assistant after they touch it and soon Sarducci finds himself melting too. Alistair, in a last ditch effort, gives his life by jumping into the oasis with the stone. Indy emerges to find Alistair gone with the stone. Indy, Sallah, Alecia and Farqhuar head back to civilization.
Jones goes back home and finds out that the Crystal Skull had been stolen.
Alchemy is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first attested in a number of pseudepigraphical texts written in Greco-Roman Egypt during the first few centuries AD.
Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., also known simply as Indy, is the title character and protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials. The character first appeared in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, to be followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1984, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles from 1992 to 1996, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in 2023. The character is also featured in novels, comics, video games, and other media. Jones is also the inspiration for several Disney theme park attractions, including Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril, the Indiana Jones Adventure, and Epic Stunt Spectacular! attractions.
The Voynich manuscript is an illustrated codex hand-written in an unknown script referred to as 'Voynichese'. The vellum on which it is written has been carbon-dated to the early 15th century (1404–1438). Stylistic analysis indicates it may have been composed in Italy during the Italian Renaissance. The origins, authorship, and purpose of the manuscript are debated. Hypotheses suggest that it is a script for a natural language or constructed language; an unread code, cypher, or other form of cryptography; or a meaningless hoax.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a 1989 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a story co-written by executive producer George Lucas. It is the third installment in the Indiana Jones franchise and a sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Harrison Ford returned in the title role, while his father is portrayed by Sean Connery. Other cast members featured include Alison Doody, Denholm Elliott, Julian Glover, River Phoenix, and John Rhys-Davies. In the film, set largely in 1938, Indiana searches for his father, a Holy Grail scholar, who has been kidnapped and held hostage by the Nazis while on a journey to find the Holy Grail.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a 1984 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the second installment in the Indiana Jones franchise, and a prequel to the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, featuring Harrison Ford who reprises his role as the title character. Kate Capshaw, Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth, Philip Stone and Ke Huy Quan, in his film debut, star in supporting roles. In the film, after arriving in India, Indiana Jones is asked by desperate villagers to find a mystical stone and rescue their children from a Thuggee cult practicing child slavery, black magic, and ritual human sacrifice in honor of the goddess Kali.
Nicolas Flamel was a French scribe and manuscript seller. After his death, Flamel developed a reputation as an alchemist believed to have created and discovered the philosopher's stone and to have thereby achieved immortality. These legendary accounts first appeared in the 17th century.
Jitterbug Perfume is Tom Robbins' fourth novel and was listed on the New York Times Best Seller list in 1985. The book follows two interweaving storylines, one in Ancient Eurasia and one in the present day. The story connects dueling perfumers in Seattle, Paris and New Orleans to a bottle of incomparable perfume created by two unlikely but defiant lovers of the past who seek immortality. Orchestrated by a mysterious Irish philosopher, the past and the present collide when the characters come together and discover the unexpected path to life-everlasting. The book was first published in 1984 by Bantam Books and later published by Random House.
Marion Ravenwood is a fictional character who first appeared in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark. Played by Karen Allen, she enters the story when Indiana Jones visits her in Nepal, needing her help to locate the Ark of the Covenant with a possession originally obtained by her father, Dr. Abner Ravenwood. After 27 years of absence, the character returned in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), portrayed by Allen.
Professor Henry Walton Jones Sr. is a fictional character in the Indiana Jones franchise. He is the Scottish father of Indiana Jones and is a professor of medieval studies at Princeton University. Alongside his academic teachings, Jones Sr. is an author of many books and a professional speaker of his historical subject at many conferences throughout the world. His relationship to his son in the franchise is noted as indifferent due to conflicts on their approaches to their situations, despite the fondness they share for history and archaeology. Throughout much of his life, he dedicated his research into the fabled Holy Grail of Christian legends.
Sallah Mohammed Faisel el-Kahir is a fictional character played by Welsh actor John Rhys-Davies in three of the Indiana Jones films: Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, as well as the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the final film of the series. He also appears in various comics and novels, and is featured in the Disney theme park attractions, the Indiana Jones Adventure and The Great Movie Ride.
Indiana Jones is an American media franchise based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a fictional professor of archaeology, that began in 1981 with the film Raiders of the Lost Ark. In 1984, a prequel, The Temple of Doom, was released, and in 1989, a sequel, The Last Crusade. A fourth film followed in 2008, titled The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. A fifth and final film, titled The Dial of Destiny, is in production and is scheduled to be released in 2023. The series was created by George Lucas and stars Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. The first four films were directed by Steven Spielberg, who worked closely with Lucas during their production.
Indiana Jones and The Spear of Destiny is a four-issue comic book mini-series published by Dark Horse Comics from April to July 1995. It was their seventh series about the adult Indiana Jones.
Indiana Jones and the Dance of the Giants is the second of 12 Indiana Jones novels published by Bantam Books. Rob MacGregor, the author of this book, also wrote five of the other Indiana Jones books for Bantam. Published on May 1, 1991, it is preceded by Indiana Jones and the Peril at Delphi and followed by Indiana Jones and the Seven Veils.
The 39 Clues is a series of adventure novels written by a collaboration of authors, including Rick Riordan, Gordon Korman, Peter Lerangis, Jude Watson, Patrick Carman, Linda Sue Park, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Roland Smith, David Baldacci, Jeff Hirsch, Natalie Standiford, C. Alexander London, Sarwat Chadda and Jenny Goebel. It consists of five series, The Clue Hunt, Cahills vs. Vespers, Unstoppable, Doublecross, and Superspecial. They chronicle the adventures of two siblings, Amy and Dan Cahill, who discover that their family, the Cahills, have been and still are, the most influential family in history.
Indiana Jones and the Peril at Delphi is the first of 12 Indiana Jones novels published by Bantam Books. Rob MacGregor, the author of this book, also wrote five of the other Indiana Jones books for Bantam. It was published January 1, 1991 and was followed by Indiana Jones and the Dance of the Giants.
Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire is a 2012 direct-to-DVD animated musical comedy horror film, and the seventeenth entry in the direct-to-video series of Scooby-Doo films. This installment is notable for being the first of the films to be a musical. The film was released to rent through Amazon Video and iTunes on December 22, 2011. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 13, 2012. It premiered on Cartoon Network on March 3, 2012.
Fullmetal Alchemist is a 2017 Japanese science fantasy action film directed by Fumihiko Sori, starring Ryosuke Yamada, Tsubasa Honda and Dean Fujioka and based on the manga series of the same name by Hiromu Arakawa, covering the first four volumes of the original storyline. It was released in Japan by Warner Bros. Pictures on 1 December 2017. The theme song of the film, "Kimi no Soba ni Iru yo", is performed by Misia.
Solomon or Salomon Trismosin was a legendary Renaissance alchemist, claimed possessor of the philosopher's stone and teacher of Paracelsus. He is best known as the author of the alchemical works Splendor Solis and Aureum Vellus.
