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Picture The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre unfolding in the middle of Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, and you’ll have some idea of what this novel is about. Of course, this tossed salad story that blends high adventure with science fiction isn’t meant to be completely understood. Questions that it raises are frequently more important than the answers that are explored, debated, and left to the reader to accept or reject.
Set in the present day, four couples embark upon an escapade to search for gold in the Sierra Madre mountain range of northern Mexico. Soon after beginning their journey, they witness what appear to be translucent globs or blobs that materialize out of nowhere, and then ooze over, under, around, and through the very earth, rocks, trees, and mountains that surround them. Is this an extraterrestrial sighting? Is it collective hallucination? There is no time for the intrepid explorers to agree however, as two of their party soon vanish after the incident. In short order, they also encounter bandits, indigenous people, drug gangs, and Federal soldiers—some of whom appear to be zombies or ghosts. Plus there’s recurring interplay with the mysterious globs.
Throughout, the group continues their quest for treasure while debating in great detail parallel universes, space-time continuum, and more. Author Merrell’s technique of jumping back and forth between the actual trip and the planning that preceded it does not help in aiding comprehension. Careening from one tense to another too often also makes the writing style less precise than the scientific explorations offered as potential explanations for the weird goings-on. Still, if one is into questions without finite answers, magic, worlds on multiple planes, and peyote cocktails, this book may fill the bill.