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Jul 03, 2011

Elena rated it:

Son partita decisamente scettica nei confronti di questo libro, che stavo per mettere giu' dopo un paio di capitoli perche' parte lento e identico agli altri miliardi di libri del genere. Ma poi la trama decisamente si infittisce e prende ... Nel suo genere direi che merita piu' di 3 stelle, anche se la fine e' un po' troppo stramba, ma darne 4 su 5 e' troppo. Direi 3,5 stelle tutte pero', perche' e' un bell'intrattenimento.

2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Oct 11, 2011

Michelle added it

Religious conspiracy thriller are in abundance these days. Dan Brown proved there was a lot of money to be had in this genre, and authors everywhere were off to the races. On the surface, Sanctus appears to follow the same cookie-cutter format that pervades this genre. Thankfully, Simon Toyne creates something slightly different. Gone are the amoral and corrupt elements of the Roman Catholic Church. Instead, the Church in the Citadel is only loosely affiliated with the Vatican. Ruin, Turkey is f More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 14, 2011

Linda rated it:

The debut book “Sanctus: A Novel” by Simon Toyne in what is to become the first of a trilogy, is written much in the same manner as Dan Brown’s books or “The Daughter of God”. The setting is the mountains of modern day Turkey and is complete with a sacred order of monks, priests, cops, a charity and the search for a hidden religious relic with a secret that leads to almost certain death for those that become involved. The story is full of tension, twists and turns and involves an investigative More...

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Nov 11, 2011

Phair rated it:

Every once in a while I crave a scientific or religious thriller in the mode of Waiting or ,yes, The Da Vinci Code so I picked this one up. A first novel and it sure held my interest from start to finish. First off, nice short chapters followed the action from the pov of the various characters. I LOVE short chapters as they keep me reading (oh, next chapter is only a few pages, then the next chapter is short, too, and before you know it it's LONG past bedtime and I'm still thinking just one More...

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Sep 26, 2011

Jessica at Book Sake rated it:

I really enjoyed Sanctus, up until the last 50 pages or so. The beginning is a bit slow, but the chapters are only a few pages long, so you can finish a few and come back to it later. Once the pace picks up, though, you won’t be able to put it down. There’s so much mystery surrounding everything in this book. The central mystery is the secretive ancient relic that the Sancti are guarding in their mountain monastery, but with every point of view shift, there is something new to discover. It remin More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 22, 2011

Kat rated it:

Who doesn't like a great mystery? You know the kind that keeps you guessing as you keep on reading trying to figure out what is going on, who is in on it and why?

If you're like me, and love a great mystery, check out the very latest book just hot off the presses from Simon Toyne, a debut author, called Sanctus. Based on the Citadel found in Turkey, a secluded monastery built literally into the walls of a mountain that prohibits anyone but the monks from entering is the location for thi More...

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Sep 16, 2011

Gaby rated it:

Reviewers have compared Sanctus to Dan Brown's DaVinci Code. They both delve into the mysteries and possible abuses by organized religion -- particular sects of the Catholic Church. They also share an accessibility and a fastpaced style. Sanctus draws you into the mystery from the very start. The book opens with an errant monk who somehow escapes knowing the secret of the powerful group and his very public repudiation of the sect. The monk seems to be a good person, we sympathize with him an More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 13, 2011

Mo rated it:

From ReadingWithMo: http://www.readingwithmo.com/2011/09/rev...

I received this book back at the end of May, but I try to publish my reviews once the book is available for purchase. It was hard to not read this one. I really wanted to. There were several occasions when I had the book in my hand, only to succumb to my schedule and read something else. The time finally came to read Sanctus and it was every bit as good as I thought it would be.

Sanctus is a thriller with a str More...

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Sep 04, 2011

Stephanie rated it:

Is there merit to the comparisons of Sanctus by Simon Toyne to Da Vinci Code? I would say yes, on the surface.

Sanctus involves an ultra secret religious sect, the Sancti, who guards an impenetrable fortress/monastery called the Citadel. The fictional Citadel is situated near the summit of Taurus Mountain in Turkey and operates much like The Vatican - a law unto itself and funded with wealth accumulated through the centuries. No outsiders are allowed inside the walls of the Citadel for More...

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Aug 28, 2011

Jeannie rated it:

Impressive Debut to the Suspense Thriller Genre

With a show-stopping debut like this, Simon Toyne should skyrocket to the top of the Thriller charts and bestseller lists in no time flat. Watch out Dan Brown, you might need to move over!

In the fictional city of Ruin Turkey, soaring high atop a mountain citadel, where the longest and darkest secret mankind has ever kept resides, many lives are threatened and forfeited to secure the mystery of the legendary Sacrament which has ne More...

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Aug 04, 2011

Freida rated it:

A monk climbs up the mountainside of the Citadel of Ruin, site of the beginnings of the Christian church. Inside the holy mountain is a holy secret, a Sacrament that the monks protect at all costs.

Kathryn Mann has an ancient prophecy, which predicts the fall of the monk, the rise of the monk to unlock the Sacrament, and bring forth a new age.

So when the monk falls from the top of the mountain there are a great many people interested in why other than the Inspector Dav More...

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Sep 18, 2011

Tanja rated it:

A bearded, green-clad monk throws himself of a mountain cliff in Turkey. In the United States, his sister already thinks he's dead as he disappeared eight years ago. She, Liv, is contacted by the police because her brother had her telephone number on him, or rather, in him. He's also swallowed some seeds with inscriptions. Liv travels to Turkey to try to find out why her long-lost brother Sam tried to kill himself. The order of brothers he belonged to is set to prevent her. No members are suppos More...

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Jul 09, 2011

Katy rated it:

A man has climbed the sheer, 1000-foot mountain out of which the Citadel is made. When the tourists who have visited Ruin, Turkey to see this ancient religious fortress arrive, they are astounded to see what looks like a large “T” on top of it; only to discover that it is a man who stands at the edge of the cliff, his arms outstretched and his head lowered. Several hours later, in front of the eyes of the tourist – and the whole world (as the media has appeared) – he jumps. What, if anything More...

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Sep 02, 2011

Paul rated it:

“Sanctus” by Simon Toyne, published by William Morrow.

Category – Mystery/Thriller

In Ruin, Turkey, there is a monastery build on the side of a mountain. It is called The Citadel and it is a country unto itself. No one, except the Monks, have access to the facility that contains untold ancient artifacts, including its most sacred possession, The Sacrament.

Most monks are of the order “Sanctus” but there are a few that have obtained the order of “Sancti”. The Sancti More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 11, 2011

Miles rated it:

Move over "Brown" there’s a new sheriff in town and his name is Toyne – Simon Toyne!

A figure dressed in a hooded green cloth stands resolute, a thousand feet above the fictional city of Ruin, Turkey. Precariously poised on the edge of savage precipice he opens his arms in the shape of a cross and waits, and waits and waits – the wind picks up and a decision is made. Then, with the eyes of the world’s press and gathering crowd of curious onlookers below, he jumps. And so begin More...

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Oct 07, 2011

Raff rated it:

How this pile of steaming crap got to be an "International Best Seller" is the real mystery here. It was arduous work just trying to overlook the incongruity of a story set in "ancient" Turkey where all the characters spoke perfect English and used American idioms.

Especially off-putting was the flitting back and forth between locations, which challenged the reader to remember just who the hell was being talked about in each new chapter. Characters came and left in t More...

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Dec 31, 2011

Donna rated it:

This is the first book I have read on the Kindle which I received for Christmas. So this is part review of the book, part review of the Kindle.

The book is very much in the vein of The Da Vinci Code with a mysterious religious sect, an unknown artifact, an alternative organisation seeking the truth etc etc. But it is fast-moving and has a good story. None of the places or organisations in the book are real but it is written in a way that you could imagine that they are. The descri More...

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Feb 12, 2012

Rachel rated it:

A good book, with a not so surprising twist at the end when you find out what the sacrament actually is. If you've read the Da Vinci code then you'll figure it out less than half way through. Having said that this book is based in a fictional city, with a fictional religion that only loosely ties in with Christianity (presumably this was done so as not to insight the church unlike Dan Brown). This fictionality goes some way to make the story more engrossing, but it also makes it less believable More...

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Sep 19, 2011

Kevin rated it:

There is a lot of things that could potentially undercut this thriller. Do we really need another Christianity is a big lie protected by powerful forces story (with a feminist bent no less)? As with so many thrillers, it requires a very high level of suspended belief and the characters are not particularly deep nor is there much literary flair involved.

On the other hand, it is pretty entertaining. What makes it entertaining, IMO, is the fast paced plot and the suspense not the underl More...

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Aug 15, 2011

BlueTacoMan rated it:

I just finished the galley of Sanctus by Simon Toyne. This is the second time this month I have been pleasantly surprised by a writers first Novel. (The first being Children Of Paranoia by Trevor Shane published by Dutton due out 9/8/11.)

From the very first line Simon Toyne grabs your attention with "A flash of light filled his skull as it struck the rock floor." While not a book about religion, throughout the book Toyne twists your perceptions of where or how the bible ca More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Oct 24, 2011

Julie rated it:

So, I read the blurb at the library, but was too tight to pay the $4 for a week fee, and booked it out for the $2 for a month fee, which was good as I have the library mountain perched next to my bed. Once I started the book though, I was initially a bit turned off by the authors note which mentions this is the first of a triliogy which is always risky. Often the first book then can't stand alone and always ends up with an unfinished story and a quick unresolved ending.

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Mar 19, 2011

CuteBadger rated it:

An ancient citadel hides many secrets which the resident religious order would kill to protect. Those who try to find out what is hidden there are in constant mortal danger.

I’ve made a point of never reading any Dan Brown because of the hype surrounding his work and due to a hilarious comedy routine about his writing style by Stewart Lee, so when I received a copy of Sanctus my heart sank a little as it is very much in the same mould. However, I’m willing to admit after racing throug More...

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Dec 04, 2011

4cats rated it:

Sanctus is a really good conspiracy thriller that works well both in its plotting and style.

Its set in our world but our world is slightly different. It's mainly set in the fictional city of Ruin (in Turkey) where there is a Citadel which is the heart of religious belief. Within the Citadel is the greatest library in the world containing texts from the earliest of times. It is also rumoured to contain a Sacrament which is watched over by a group of monks (only some know the real se More...

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Sep 21, 2011

Chazz rated it:

I'm disappointed in myself that I stuck with this book to the end. I never really fell for it at any point; I liked the subject matter, a secret society of monks living in caves in Turkey who keep a "Sacrament" secret from the rest of the world, headed by an abbot who believes in enhanced interrogation techniques, played by Dick Cheney.

Now, maybe it's just me, but I really don't care to read about a gunfight for 10 plus pages. If I want a gunfight, I'll watch an episode of 2 More...

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Sep 05, 2011

Julie rated it:

The genre that Dan Brown has made popular has had some big hits (Steve Berry) and some even bigger misses (Raymond Khoury), and I think Sanctus falls on the more favorable end of the spectrum. The story was intriguing and well developed, it had a good pace, the characters were engaging and didn’t do anything ridiculously stupid, the language was expressive, and the dialogue was authentic. The author did a great job of slowly uncovering the mystery of the secretive order housed in the Citadel, a More...

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Sep 07, 2011

Chance rated it:

The start is certainly engaging. A monk is initiated into a secret that motivates him to tell the world in the only way he has open to him - a very public suicide. A flash of supernatural effects, along with the ambiance of the ancient Citadel set the stage. I was intrigued!

The middle section, through written in short chapters with POV tossed between a wide number of characters, still dragged a bit. The characters were stock, for the most part. Evil monks driven by fanaticism to do h More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 27, 2011

S.D. rated it:

Liv Adamsen is a reporter still mourning the loss of her brother eight years ago. He had survivor’s guilt after an accident that took the life of his father and set off to find himself. In a city in Turkey a monk stands on top of a mountain retreat called the Citadel. He jumps to his death, careful to land on the boundary line that would ensure his death is investigated by the authorities rather than claimed by the monks. Strange things are taking place in the Citadel which is not accessible More...

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Nov 29, 2011

Cortney rated it:

*First Reads*

Talk about a thriller! Sanctus was packed with action from beginning to end. If you like religious conspiracies, this one is for you. It will keep you guessing until the end. The ending was brilliant! I would never have guessed it. Great debut novel for Simon Toyne. I cant wait for the second book.

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Jan 20, 2012

K.J. rated it:

I enjoyed this fast-paced, page turning thriller. If Dan Brown was half as good as his book sales suggest, this is the book he could have written – but he’s not, and he didn’t.

I know there are lots of books out there with religious themes of conspiracy and evil deeds, but this stands out, not least because the author has given the Templers and Catholics a break and has made up a religious sect in Turkey.

My one adverse criticism is that I think the author overcooks it at t More...

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Nov 21, 2011

PopcornReads rated it:

Book Giveaway & Review:
Thousands of years ago there were two tribes. One was deeply jealous of the other’s excellent health and long life, so they stole the secret and went to great lengths to then hide and protect it. Over time this truth was swept away, as so many truths are when history is always written by the conquerors.

That secret became the Sacrament. It is far older than any organized religion, dating back to pre-history. It has been guarded for all this time in the Citad More...

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