Day: May 19, 2011

4/5, AUTHOR, B, Book Review, Fiction, RATING, Read in 2011, Review Book

2011.25 REVIEW – The Eighth Scroll by Laurence Brown

Tara

The Eighth Scroll 
by Laurence Brown

Copyright: 2008
Pages: 354
Rating: 4/5
Read: May 10 – 19, 2011
Challenge: No challenge
Yearly Count: 25
Format: E-Book

First Line: When death approaches, your life will play before your eyes.

Blurb: Stirring the flames of age-old controversies, The Eighth Scroll by Laurence B. Brown draws on the three Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to create an unbelievably dynamic and powerful story. Set in a world that teeters between orthodoxy and heresy, this thriller is packed with intrigue and adventure. When a Roman Catholic scholar involved in the Dead Sea Scrolls Project hides one of the scrolls because of there heretical message it contains, no one is the wiser until decades later, when a prominent archaeologist discovers reference to the scroll in an archaeological dig. This discovery spurs the world religions into a dangerous game of cat and mouse, in which all who seek the hidden scroll are mysteriously silenced, leaving the salvation of humankind to a father and son, who must either find the hidden scroll … or die trying.

Review: This e-book was sent to me courtesy of Gatekeepers Post for review. This is a little out of my comfort zone, I don’t read a lot of books that have religious aspects. Of course I’ve read The DaVinci Code (who hasn’t?) and I’ve seen this book in the book blog world has been compared to The DaVinci Code. Personally, I think this book was better. It was absolutely packed with action throughout the book. But I did have some issues with keeping up, I’m not sure if my mind was wandering while I was reading or what, but I found myself confused quite a few times. I wouldn’t recommend this book to everyone based on the religious aspect to the book and how it could affect people’s overall beliefs. Otherwise, I think it’s a great thriller and worth reading.

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, R, RATING, Read in 2011, SERIES, SIGMA Force

2011.24 REVIEW – Sandstorm by James Rollins

Tara

Sandstorm 
by James Rollins

Copyright: 2004
Pages: 569
Rating: 4/5
Read: May 11 – 18, 2011
Challenge: No challenge
Yearly Count: 24
Format: Print

First Line: Harry Masterson would be dead in thirteen minutes.

Blurb: An inexplicable explosion rocks the antiquities collection of a London museum, setting off alarms in clandestine organizations around the world. And now the search for answers is leading Lady Kara Kensington; her friend Safia al-Maaz, the gallery’s brilliant and beautiful curator; and their guide, the international adventurer Omaha Dunn, into a world they never dreamed existed: a lost city buried beneath the Arabian desert. But others are being drawn there as well, some with dark and sinister purposes. And the many perils of a death-defying trek deep into the savage heart of the Arabian Peninsula pale before the nightmare waiting to be unearthed at journey’s end: an ageless and awesome power that could create a utopia … or destroy everything humankind has built over countless millennia.

Review: This is my first time reading James Rollins, I have always heard good things about him and I love a great thrill ride of a read and this book fit that bill perfectly. The characters were interesting and the plot was intense at times. There were a few moments in the book where the science involved was a little over my (science-hating) head. I’m not a science fan and I will be the first to admit that the hydrogen-oxygen-antimatter information was way beyond my understanding. Other than that one issue, I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.

Miscellaneous Ramblings

30 Day Book Challenge: Day 4

Tara

Favorite book of your favorite series

Roses are Red. To me this was the absolute best in the Alex Cross series. This is the one where The Mastermind is revealed – and it was definitely quite a shock to me. I went back and read my review on it and I can actually still remember how I felt when The Mastermind was finally out in the open, it was definitely a twist that I never would have imagined. And after reading the following books, well The Mastermind is definitely the best villain that James Patterson could have ever come up with, in my opinion.