Please check back later as I’ll update this entry with a lot more detail.

So, it’s now 2nd July 2006 and I finished this book about a week ago. It was a thoroughly romping good read, full of action and suspense. Of course, it wasn’t terribly well written if we’re honest, but it was entertaining and I was looking for the equivalent of a hamburger rather then a fine steak so it fitted the bill just nicely.

The story concerns the improbable alliance between an agnostic archaelogist and a devout FBI officer (is there any other kind?) who together search for evidence that all religion is based on, essentially, a simple lie. Of course there are various baddies thrown in for good measure. The Vatican, the ‘black ops’ guys, the scientist turned bad and mad. With a few passing nods to Dan Brown, as most of these wannabees manage, it is more of a derivative work of fiction than original thought, but entertaining nonetheless.

If you can ignore a few plot holes and some incredibly fortuitious ‘deus ex machina’ type interventions the book can hold your attention. It certainly held mine.

I won’t reveal the ending because it does little to help you experience the pleasure of the ‘will they, won’t they?’ emotions you should allow yourself to feel. What I will say is that in common with so many books of this kind the ending is significantly weaker than the overall story and leaves you feeling a little short-changed. If you want a pleasant and fairly lightweight read then this isn’t bad, but if you want something scholarly look elsewhere – in my opinion!

I think it’s badly written, but for all that it’s quite interesting and I’d recommend it, if only for the fact you have to approach it with an open mind. The author is a bit too fond of a priori assumptions for my taste, but then nobody said this was a definitive scholarly work. It is, however, thought-provoking, especially if you happen to be a Christian, as I am.

I’ve finished this book now, actually two or three weeks ago, and have to say it’s still badly written. The long genealogical lists were especially wearisome and it felt as though the author was trying to collect more number plates than anyone else to establish his credibility. There were a few interesting and diverting passages and some which genuinely made me question conventional thinking, but it felt very much like a few good ingredients tossed into an otherwise second rate so called banquet.

Passages about monatomic gold and the benefits that accrue from it were fanciful in the extreme. That’s not to say they were wrong, since I have no truly persuasive evidence in front of me either way I’m willing to remain open-minded. But the way the author decided to take passages in this book as definitive proof is a little suspect, I think. You could usefully chop this book into 60-70 pages and probably still get the meat without the filler.

All in all I would say it’s an entertaining 10 minutes, but it wouldn’t sustain itself for an evening.

As always with my little book reviews, a link to Amazon for purchase is provided at the bottom of this page.