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Το αστέρι της Βαβυλώνας
Η αιγυπτιολόγος Κάντις Άρμστρονγκ ειδοποιείται ξαφνικά ότι ο παλιός της μέντορας, ο καθηγητής Τζον Μάστερς, βρίσκεται σε κρίσιμη κατάσταση μετά από ένα σοβαρό ατύχημα και ζητάει να τη δει. Αλλά όταν σπεύδει κοντά του, αυτό που καταφέρνει μόνο να της πει είναι "βρές το Αστέρι της Βαβυλώνας".
Τι είναι "Το αστέρι της Βαβυλώνας"; Τι είχε ανακαλύψει ο καθηγητής λίγο πριν το περίεργο ατύχημα που προκάλεσε το θάνατό του;
Η Καντίς, μαζί με τον γιο του καθηγητή, τον ντετέκτιβ Γκλέν Μάστερς, βρίσκονται μπροστά σ' ένα σκοτεινό γρίφο. Και τα μοναδικά στοιχεία που έχουν στη διάθεσή τους είναι μια αρχαία επιγραφή σε μια άγνωστη γλώσσα και το κλειδί μιας τραπεζικής θυρίδας...
Η αναζήτηση της αλήθειας θα τους οδηγήσει από το Λος Άντζελες στη Δαμασκό κι από εκεί σ' ένα έρημο νησί της Σκοτίας. Και αποκρυπτογραφώνταςτις προφητείες του Νοστράδαμου, τις ιστορίες των κονκισταδόρ και των σταυροφόρων, θα βρεθούν στα ίχνη μια πανίσχυρης μυστικής αδελφότητας που η γέννησή της χάνεται στα βάθη του αρχαίου κόσμου...
Τι είναι "Το αστέρι της Βαβυλώνας"; Τι είχε ανακαλύψει ο καθηγητής λίγο πριν το περίεργο ατύχημα που προκάλεσε το θάνατό του;
Η Καντίς, μαζί με τον γιο του καθηγητή, τον ντετέκτιβ Γκλέν Μάστερς, βρίσκονται μπροστά σ' ένα σκοτεινό γρίφο. Και τα μοναδικά στοιχεία που έχουν στη διάθεσή τους είναι μια αρχαία επιγραφή σε μια άγνωστη γλώσσα και το κλειδί μιας τραπεζικής θυρίδας...
Η αναζήτηση της αλήθειας θα τους οδηγήσει από το Λος Άντζελες στη Δαμασκό κι από εκεί σ' ένα έρημο νησί της Σκοτίας. Και αποκρυπτογραφώνταςτις προφητείες του Νοστράδαμου, τις ιστορίες των κονκισταδόρ και των σταυροφόρων, θα βρεθούν στα ίχνη μια πανίσχυρης μυστικής αδελφότητας που η γέννησή της χάνεται στα βάθη του αρχαίου κόσμου...
478 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
20 people are currently reading
283 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Wood
199 books523 followersBarbara Wood was born on 30 January 1947 in Warrington, Lancashire, England, UK. Together with her parents and older brother, she immigrated to the United States. She grew up in Southern California and attended Los Angeles Schools. After High School, Barbara attended the University of California at Santa Barbara but left to train as a surgical technician. During this time, Barbara held numerous jobs, before she sold her first novel in 1976. A few years prior, Barbara met her husband George. To date, Barbara has written 22 books, including two under the pen name Kathryn Harvey, these books are quite different from the Barbara Wood's novels and she, her agent and editor agreed that a pen name would serve to indicate the difference. She is an international best selling author with books translated into over 30 languages. The reader is transported to exotic countries that Barbara has meticulously researched to provide her fans with a true sense of the culture and history relevant to each story. At the heart of every book, is a strong, independent woman. Currently, Barbara is busy working on her next story that will, no doubt, showcase an extraordinary heroine in an exciting and intriguing adventure.
When not writing, Barbara often takes time to enjoy the work of other authors, and that of a certain well-known martial artist, whose name is listed among the "Ten things you might not know about Barbara.
When not writing, Barbara often takes time to enjoy the work of other authors, and that of a certain well-known martial artist, whose name is listed among the "Ten things you might not know about Barbara.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
November 25, 2019
Novela bastante entretenida, con un buen comienzo y un buen final. El desarrollo a veces un poco lento y denso. Destaco en la narración la habilidad de la autora de trasladar el relato a otras épocas con sus respectivos personajes, los que van sustentando y develando el misterio en la historia actual. En resumen, se recibe bastante bien lo que se espera de este tipo de novelas de intriga con base en descubrimientos arqueológicos y los misterios que les rodean.
May 22, 2021
Ok, this one needs an explanation.
I don't want you to think for a second that this is not a trashy book. It is, by all means.
However, the same way I likedElizabeth Kostova, I like Barbara Wood. She does her research, puts a ton of the hearth in it, even tries to make a world a better place AAAAND that romance feels like written by one very very innocent hand too.
But that's not the reason I've read the book.
This book was a gift my wife received from her grandma, who is not amongst us anymore and who was a major bookworm herself may she rest in peace. And you KNOW that when bookworm gives a book, especially to someone, she cares about, there is something she would like to tell her herself. And you also know that such a book should be read!!! How could I not?
I don't want you to think for a second that this is not a trashy book. It is, by all means.
However, the same way I likedElizabeth Kostova, I like Barbara Wood. She does her research, puts a ton of the hearth in it, even tries to make a world a better place AAAAND that romance feels like written by one very very innocent hand too.
But that's not the reason I've read the book.
This book was a gift my wife received from her grandma, who is not amongst us anymore and who was a major bookworm herself may she rest in peace. And you KNOW that when bookworm gives a book, especially to someone, she cares about, there is something she would like to tell her herself. And you also know that such a book should be read!!! How could I not?
March 13, 2021
Die Geschichte ist wirklich spannend gestartet. Eine Mischung aus Rätseln a la Sakrileg und mehreren Zeitebenen wie bei Lucinda Riley. Leider hatten gerade diese Rückblicke ihre Längen und ich habe mehrfach überlegt diese Stellen zu überspringen.
Am Ende sehr gute drei Sterne, aber leider auch nicht mehr...
Am Ende sehr gute drei Sterne, aber leider auch nicht mehr...
January 24, 2022
Adentrarse en las páginas de La estrella de Babilonia supone convertirse en espectador de una historia clásica de aventuras, donde el peligro, el romance y los secretos son ingredientes habituales en cada capítulo, en un marco donde la arqueología y la religión entregan las claves para entender el alcance de los propósitos de los personajes y acontecimientos involucrados en la narración.
Una historia sencilla, donde tanto los acontecimientos centrales del libro, como aquellos vinculados a recuerdos y trozos de historias pasadas, ayudan a conformar el panorama general del texto, permitiendo desembocar en eventos de trascendencia, tanto para los personajes como para l@s lector@s (En serio que se sufre con ciertos acontecimientos finales, sobre todo quienes amamos el mundo de la lectura).
Puntos menos: Ciertos capítulos con demasiado contenido que en panorámica no sirven mucho a la finalidad de la obra, y no me convence ciertos desenlaces de personajes. Cae en cliches muy re sabidos. Junto con las excesivas referencias religiosas, que a ratos envolvía ciertos eventos en un extraño aire de cursileria.
Una historia sencilla, donde tanto los acontecimientos centrales del libro, como aquellos vinculados a recuerdos y trozos de historias pasadas, ayudan a conformar el panorama general del texto, permitiendo desembocar en eventos de trascendencia, tanto para los personajes como para l@s lector@s (En serio que se sufre con ciertos acontecimientos finales, sobre todo quienes amamos el mundo de la lectura).
Puntos menos: Ciertos capítulos con demasiado contenido que en panorámica no sirven mucho a la finalidad de la obra, y no me convence ciertos desenlaces de personajes. Cae en cliches muy re sabidos. Junto con las excesivas referencias religiosas, que a ratos envolvía ciertos eventos en un extraño aire de cursileria.
March 7, 2021
La estrella de babilonia es muy buen libro, la mezcla entre romance y misterio es muy buena, aunque el final religioso y de casamiento no me gusto mucho, es un libro que a parte de entretener me hizo reflexionar sobre muchos ámbitos culturales y me entrego información arqueológica e historica que no conocía, candice es una mujer que no necesita de nadie para hacer lo que ella quiere por lo que su final codependiente de gleen no me gusto.
Quiero hacer una mención de honor a jeremy por el sacrificio que realizó, me hubiese gustado saber más de su historia.
Mi calificación es un 4.2⭐/5⭐
Quiero hacer una mención de honor a jeremy por el sacrificio que realizó, me hubiese gustado saber más de su historia.
Mi calificación es un 4.2⭐/5⭐
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2021
Me demoré mucho en terminarlo, aunque el libro no es malo, no es el tipo de historia que te engancha a full. Es una lectura para realizar pausadamente y con una trama atravesada por múltiples historias del pasado para complementar la trama central.
Es similar a la película "La momia" pero sin la parte tan "fantasiosa".
Es similar a la película "La momia" pero sin la parte tan "fantasiosa".
December 30, 2023
Je pense vraiment jamais me lasser des livres de Barbara Wood. J'ai connu rebondissement sur rebondissement, sans jamais que mon esprit ce repose. Des liens sont faits alors qu'on aurait pu y pensé étant que lecteurs, mais nous sommes tellement captivés pas la trame du livre que chaque fin de chapitre est surprenant ! Beaucoup de changements d'époques que dans les 2 autres livres que j'ai lu d'elle, ce qui est surprenant et fait la beauté du livre. Néanmoins, je reste un peu sur ma faim au niveau de la fin.
Excellent livre qui pourrait (à mon avis) plaire à beaucoup car il n'est pas "cucu", touche à plusieurs époques de l'Histoire, etc ...
Excellent livre qui pourrait (à mon avis) plaire à beaucoup car il n'est pas "cucu", touche à plusieurs époques de l'Histoire, etc ...
July 21, 2024
Me costó mucho empatizar con los personajes y la historia. La cronología entre ir al pasado, volver a la actualidad, volver al pasado, me distrajo un poco y no leía con la concentración y ganas que quería
La historia en cuanto a pergaminos, historias ocultas del pasado, excavaciones y códigos me encanta, por lo cual me motive a leer este libro, igual me gustó, pero mi favorito de Barbara Wood sigue siendo tierra sagrada 😍
La historia en cuanto a pergaminos, historias ocultas del pasado, excavaciones y códigos me encanta, por lo cual me motive a leer este libro, igual me gustó, pero mi favorito de Barbara Wood sigue siendo tierra sagrada 😍
March 7, 2020
El libro comienza muy bien, contando la historia de Artemisia y Philos, adentrando te en la historia hasta que se vuelve plana, lenta y tediosa. Cuando estás interesándote de nuevo te cuenta otra historia, y cuando vuelves a lo anterior ya ha perdido interés. Una pena porque podría haber sido una gran historia
August 20, 2021
Alles in dem Buch ist "uralt" und "göttlich". Vielleicht liegt es auch an der schwachen Übersetzung, aber so richtig Spannung wollte nicht aufkommen. Die Zeichnung der Charaktere war auch eher durchwachsen. Von meiner Seite gibts nur für ausgesprochene Mystery-Thrillerfans mit Faible für religiösen Hintergrund eine Empfehlung.
May 6, 2025
Les descriptions de Palmyre sont loin de valoir celles de Mathias Enard dans Boussole et la secte c’est de valoir Dan Brown. Roman à l’eau de rose.
March 27, 2017
O Oriente representa sempre, no meu imaginário, um misto de exotismo e curiosidade. Por isso, a simples menção de palavras que com ele se relacionam leva-me a querer saciar a expetativa que em mim incutem.
Foi o que, de certa maneira, aconteceu com este título.
Trata-se de uma narrativa construída com base num encadeamento entre passado e presente, num quadro em que todas as peças acabam por encaixar. Os saltos temporais permitem uma perceção mais abrangente da evolução dos factos e dão a conhecer ao leitor o enquadramento da intriga.
O texto apresenta facetas variadas que incluem aventura e suspense; crime e mistério; romance e factos ligados à História e à Religião.
Candice Armstrong é a arqueóloga a quem John Masters, pede que encontre a “Estrela da Babilónia”.
Prestes a morrer, o velho professor Masters não tem tempo para entrar em grandes pormenores. Assim sendo, quer ela, quer o taciturno filho dele vão encetar uma busca, sem saber ao certo o que têm em mãos.
É na sequência dos seus primeiros passos que surge o vilão da história.
Da Pérsia à Síria, passa-se, então, a jogar trepidantemente ao gato e ao rato, aproveitando-se ele – o vilão - também, do romance que vê transparecer nos olhares de Candice e Glenn Masters.
Não olhando a meios para atingir os seus fins, Philo Thibodeau vai ultrapassar e adulterar o objetivo da seita dos Alexandrinos – grupo de depositários e cuidadores do conhecimento recolhido por Alexandre, o Grande, na grandiosa, mas dispersa Biblioteca de Alexandria -.
Depois de conseguidos os originais que, ao longo dos séculos, se perderam dos manuscritos da Bíblia, ele irá deixar-se cegar por uma onda de poder, ambição e loucura e corromper os méritos daquela organização milenar.
É uma narrativa bem escrita e com um início bastante animador. Porém, apesar dos pressupostos, partes há do desenvolvimento em que o conteúdo se revela algo mais denso, por ser mais místico, secreto e oculto.
É um livro bem doseado e que se lê bem: tem ritmo e intensidade.
Eva Laginha
Foi o que, de certa maneira, aconteceu com este título.
Trata-se de uma narrativa construída com base num encadeamento entre passado e presente, num quadro em que todas as peças acabam por encaixar. Os saltos temporais permitem uma perceção mais abrangente da evolução dos factos e dão a conhecer ao leitor o enquadramento da intriga.
O texto apresenta facetas variadas que incluem aventura e suspense; crime e mistério; romance e factos ligados à História e à Religião.
Candice Armstrong é a arqueóloga a quem John Masters, pede que encontre a “Estrela da Babilónia”.
Prestes a morrer, o velho professor Masters não tem tempo para entrar em grandes pormenores. Assim sendo, quer ela, quer o taciturno filho dele vão encetar uma busca, sem saber ao certo o que têm em mãos.
É na sequência dos seus primeiros passos que surge o vilão da história.
Da Pérsia à Síria, passa-se, então, a jogar trepidantemente ao gato e ao rato, aproveitando-se ele – o vilão - também, do romance que vê transparecer nos olhares de Candice e Glenn Masters.
Não olhando a meios para atingir os seus fins, Philo Thibodeau vai ultrapassar e adulterar o objetivo da seita dos Alexandrinos – grupo de depositários e cuidadores do conhecimento recolhido por Alexandre, o Grande, na grandiosa, mas dispersa Biblioteca de Alexandria -.
Depois de conseguidos os originais que, ao longo dos séculos, se perderam dos manuscritos da Bíblia, ele irá deixar-se cegar por uma onda de poder, ambição e loucura e corromper os méritos daquela organização milenar.
É uma narrativa bem escrita e com um início bastante animador. Porém, apesar dos pressupostos, partes há do desenvolvimento em que o conteúdo se revela algo mais denso, por ser mais místico, secreto e oculto.
É um livro bem doseado e que se lê bem: tem ritmo e intensidade.
Eva Laginha
March 5, 2011
Un buon romanzo dove mistery ed archeologia si fondono in maniera abbastanza soddisfacente, ma niente di trascendentale.
August 9, 2011
Bueno... empecé para pasar el tiempo, me gustó hasta el último capítulo, donde de tan ridículo que fue el final me dejó desilusionada con todo el conjunto.
September 1, 2012
This was a really good book :) I love books about archeology!!! It's so interesting!
September 30, 2015
Ελπίζω τα άλλα βιβλία της συγγραφέως να μην είναι τόσο απογοητευτικά.Ο μόνος λόγος που δεν βάζω 1 αστεράκι,είναι γιατί μου άρεσαν τα flashbacks στο παρελθόν.
July 13, 2023
I've read a lot of Barbara's books, which says good things of her writing. I really admire the amount of effort, research and planning that it must've taken her to write this book. However, I have to say it's my least favorite.
This year I read La Adivina, another historical novel bathed and coated in faith and religious discussions, also written by Barbara Wood. That one was my favorite.
I feel like with this specific book, the pace became tiresome, which made me less motivated to read it, resulting in a 5 month long journey when I usually take no more than 1. I also felt that the book made a lot of comparisons too obvious, when it would've been more entertaining to leave some brainwork for the readers. This is just my opinion, and I hope whoever reads it will enjoy it more than I did.
This year I read La Adivina, another historical novel bathed and coated in faith and religious discussions, also written by Barbara Wood. That one was my favorite.
I feel like with this specific book, the pace became tiresome, which made me less motivated to read it, resulting in a 5 month long journey when I usually take no more than 1. I also felt that the book made a lot of comparisons too obvious, when it would've been more entertaining to leave some brainwork for the readers. This is just my opinion, and I hope whoever reads it will enjoy it more than I did.
February 9, 2022
Aunque he leído opiniones muy variadas, este libro me ha tenido enganchada de principio a fin. Sabe como guardar el secreto hasta el final, preguntándote una y otra vez qué pasa por la cabeza de los protagonistas. Si que es verdad que tiene partes que podrían haberse desarrollado mejor (ALERT SPOILER: Por ejemplo, que Glenn recuerde un montón de cosas y muy detalladas en momentos puntuales) pero es muuuuy entretenido.
Le doy 5 estrellas porque yo valoro que me apetezca seguir leyendo el libro a todas horas, y con este libro me ha pasado. Además, leí en una reseña que se escribió justo en la época en la que Dan Brown estaba de moda y al ponerme a investigar sobre sus libros, me he enganchado mucho a El Código Da Vinci, El Símbolo Perdido etc y lo agradezco muchísimo.
¡Lo recomiendo! Si lees a ratitos, no tardas más de un mes en acabarlo.
Le doy 5 estrellas porque yo valoro que me apetezca seguir leyendo el libro a todas horas, y con este libro me ha pasado. Además, leí en una reseña que se escribió justo en la época en la que Dan Brown estaba de moda y al ponerme a investigar sobre sus libros, me he enganchado mucho a El Código Da Vinci, El Símbolo Perdido etc y lo agradezco muchísimo.
¡Lo recomiendo! Si lees a ratitos, no tardas más de un mes en acabarlo.
March 20, 2020
Ugh, I am so mad at this book.
The story was just all over the place and not convincing at all and the tone of it was just so smart ass that it was annoying.
Barbara Wood still knows how to create a good narrative voice, it was not unreadable, but I did not enjoy the conspirative plot at all. And even the last sappy sentence about everyone being reuinited in the afterlife was totally unbearable.
Also the inappropriate kissing in all the wrong moments...i was rooting for Glenn and Candice, but everything has its time and their timing was often very wrong.
The story was just all over the place and not convincing at all and the tone of it was just so smart ass that it was annoying.
Barbara Wood still knows how to create a good narrative voice, it was not unreadable, but I did not enjoy the conspirative plot at all. And even the last sappy sentence about everyone being reuinited in the afterlife was totally unbearable.
Also the inappropriate kissing in all the wrong moments...i was rooting for Glenn and Candice, but everything has its time and their timing was often very wrong.
September 3, 2021
Gleich am Anfang konnte man das Ende zwischen Candice und Glenn erkennen. Aber so ein blödes Ende hätte ich nie erwartet. Die mittleren Teile waren manchmal unerträglich und nutzlos, und meistens war es einfach unglaublich wie die Charaktere sich benommen und was sie als wichtig anerkannten. Das Ende war aber die Krönung der fürchterlichen Geschichte. Ich hab's mühsam geschafft die letzten zehn Seiten zu lesen und kann sagen dass ich das ganze Buch zuende gelesen habe, und das ist das einzig gute was ich über das Buch sagen kann.
August 31, 2020
Es un libro lleno de misterio y enigmas. Es entretenido pero no de los mejores de la autora.
Es un buen libro para leer cuando tienes tiempo ya que algunas veces cuesta que te enganche. Tiene buen inicio y buen final, pero el desarrollo a veces te hace perder un poco el hilo.
Obviamente, porque está escrito por Barbara Wood, es un libro muy bien escrito, que te transporta a diferentes lugares exóticos y te hace sentir ahí.
Es un buen libro para leer cuando tienes tiempo ya que algunas veces cuesta que te enganche. Tiene buen inicio y buen final, pero el desarrollo a veces te hace perder un poco el hilo.
Obviamente, porque está escrito por Barbara Wood, es un libro muy bien escrito, que te transporta a diferentes lugares exóticos y te hace sentir ahí.
March 22, 2024
La estrella de Babilonia, de Barbara Wood, es una espectacular novela llena de aventura, intrigas y pasiones. Sin recurrir a forzadas escenas eróticas, cuotas étnicas o de genero sin ningún aporte al texto y abundantes en novelas de este tipo, la autora mantiene en vilo al lector hasta el punto final. Altamente recomendada. De hecho buscare otros libros de esta autora de mágico teclado.
January 31, 2021
Un libro bastante plano, intento de novela histórica que no consigue camuflar sus carencias y no llega ni a histórica ni a romántica. Si hubiese estado algo más centrado en la historia hubiera ganado mucho.
January 7, 2022
La historia es entretenida, pero lo fuera más si no tuviera tantas partes de historia antiguas que al final yo no consideré tan necesarias.
Pero aparte de uno de los personajes del libro "Se lo que estás pensando" de John Verdon, Philo es uno de los más locos y obsesionados que he visto.
Pero aparte de uno de los personajes del libro "Se lo que estás pensando" de John Verdon, Philo es uno de los más locos y obsesionados que he visto.
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July 14, 2014This book was a disappointment beyond belief. It had all the making of a great story: glimpses from the past, archeology, an old sect, adventure, romance, danger, a completely insane antagonist ... what could possibly go wrong?
I'll tell you: This story could not only have been good, it could have been sublime ... if it weren't for the lead characters who spoil just about anything.
Main offender: Candice Armstrong, the female lead whose name is a dead givaway for a Mary Sue. When the reader meets her, she is at the lowest point of her life: Currently unemployed, disrespected from her peers because she thinks that Nefertiti was a Pharao (which is by the way a valid thesis, and I know little about egyptian mythology. Author clearly thinks reader is stupid). Okay, let's be fair. Her own stubbornness has gotten her into trouble, she's highly intelligent but underrated and she's unemployed, so she's the underdoog, right?
No, she is sitting in a nice cottage, has running internet and pities herself. She's currently applying for a tv job, which just might - woe of woes - forbid her to spread her Nefertiti-theory. Feeling sorry for her yet?
But it gets better. She is constantly described as competent and the story calls for a historian, but strangely enough, aside from a translation, she does nothing but looking good and getting internally praised by the male lead. But other than her backstory, she shows no personality whatsoever. She is described as feminine and smart, but aside from knowledge about an ancient language that isn't even her field of expertise (bad research), my knowlege in archeology exceeds hers, and I'm not even an academic, let alone formally schooled in this area.
Second offender: Glenn Marsters ... ho boy, where to start? He's constantly described as good-looking, and his major "flaw" are anger issues ... which are never adressed. He is afraid to pick up a gun and specializes in hostage-situations (which must be quite the problem where he lives, since he doesn't seem to travel much and makes a name out of himself for something like this). So, this unarmed pacifist is no pacifist at all, the gun-thing is just a gimmick to make him unpopular with his peers, so the reader can root for him.
So, we have Candice Sue and Glen Stu running around with an ancient order named the Alexandrians all over the place, hunting them down and trying to kill them. The head of this organisation is some creep named Philo, who in turn was obsessively in love with Glenn's late mother.
Why is this even published?
Next point: Romance. Candice ... sorry, Dr. Armstrong is supposedly a grown woman. Yet she thinks like a teenager in Glenn's presence, her designated love interest and the only thing they ever talk or disagree on is a) they don't want the other to get hurt and are able and willing to ignore each others saying in this and b) that they are in pain. So much pain. But that's all they talk about, I don't see them hurting. Ever. The reader is only informed about their traits, but these are never ever shown. There is no character arc, there is no chemistry, they talk about nothing, they know nothing about each other and have only known each other for two weeks and shared a measly kiss before a painful corny scene, in which Glenn gets down to his knees and aks her to marry him. That's not romance, that's just stupid and far from reality.
Why have I so much invested in this book? Why am I still writing? Because there are little scenes about Alexandrians, about their order and their destiny written in, collected over time in different time periods. There's a story about a young man who learns the meaning of love and sacrifice in prison, a story about a deathseeker knight who killed his wife in rage and finds redemption in himself, a story about Librarians who sacrifice themselves to safe knowledge - these little stories are pure gold. Whenever Candice, Glenn and Philo leave the stage, this book is *good*. In fact, I the short stories have more substance than the overarching plot (or the lack thereof) and they have what Candice & Co desperately needed: A Character Arc. A-R-C. The reader is constantly told that there's everything at stake for Candice and Glenn, but it's a run for their lives. They are never confronted with choices, they never show their true character. They are both attractive people who must fall in love with each other and live happily ever after. We never see any consequences of their flaws (in Candice's case, there is no flaw except for her being shunned by her peers).
The author has a good and playful style, she has the ability to create great characters and stories. How could she fall so low with her leads? How could this book anger me so badly that I wanted to commit the ultimate insult and burn it? Because it insulted me. It insultet any research in history, it insulted a good author who suddenly wrote bad characters, it insulted people who know the meaning of suffering without sitting in a cozy cottage, it insulted atheists, it insulted the reader's intelligence because nothing makes sense in the end.
I'll tell you: This story could not only have been good, it could have been sublime ... if it weren't for the lead characters who spoil just about anything.
Main offender: Candice Armstrong, the female lead whose name is a dead givaway for a Mary Sue. When the reader meets her, she is at the lowest point of her life: Currently unemployed, disrespected from her peers because she thinks that Nefertiti was a Pharao (which is by the way a valid thesis, and I know little about egyptian mythology. Author clearly thinks reader is stupid). Okay, let's be fair. Her own stubbornness has gotten her into trouble, she's highly intelligent but underrated and she's unemployed, so she's the underdoog, right?
No, she is sitting in a nice cottage, has running internet and pities herself. She's currently applying for a tv job, which just might - woe of woes - forbid her to spread her Nefertiti-theory. Feeling sorry for her yet?
But it gets better. She is constantly described as competent and the story calls for a historian, but strangely enough, aside from a translation, she does nothing but looking good and getting internally praised by the male lead. But other than her backstory, she shows no personality whatsoever. She is described as feminine and smart, but aside from knowledge about an ancient language that isn't even her field of expertise (bad research), my knowlege in archeology exceeds hers, and I'm not even an academic, let alone formally schooled in this area.
Second offender: Glenn Marsters ... ho boy, where to start? He's constantly described as good-looking, and his major "flaw" are anger issues ... which are never adressed. He is afraid to pick up a gun and specializes in hostage-situations (which must be quite the problem where he lives, since he doesn't seem to travel much and makes a name out of himself for something like this). So, this unarmed pacifist is no pacifist at all, the gun-thing is just a gimmick to make him unpopular with his peers, so the reader can root for him.
So, we have Candice Sue and Glen Stu running around with an ancient order named the Alexandrians all over the place, hunting them down and trying to kill them. The head of this organisation is some creep named Philo, who in turn was obsessively in love with Glenn's late mother.
Why is this even published?
Next point: Romance. Candice ... sorry, Dr. Armstrong is supposedly a grown woman. Yet she thinks like a teenager in Glenn's presence, her designated love interest and the only thing they ever talk or disagree on is a) they don't want the other to get hurt and are able and willing to ignore each others saying in this and b) that they are in pain. So much pain. But that's all they talk about, I don't see them hurting. Ever. The reader is only informed about their traits, but these are never ever shown. There is no character arc, there is no chemistry, they talk about nothing, they know nothing about each other and have only known each other for two weeks and shared a measly kiss before a painful corny scene, in which Glenn gets down to his knees and aks her to marry him. That's not romance, that's just stupid and far from reality.
Why have I so much invested in this book? Why am I still writing? Because there are little scenes about Alexandrians, about their order and their destiny written in, collected over time in different time periods. There's a story about a young man who learns the meaning of love and sacrifice in prison, a story about a deathseeker knight who killed his wife in rage and finds redemption in himself, a story about Librarians who sacrifice themselves to safe knowledge - these little stories are pure gold. Whenever Candice, Glenn and Philo leave the stage, this book is *good*. In fact, I the short stories have more substance than the overarching plot (or the lack thereof) and they have what Candice & Co desperately needed: A Character Arc. A-R-C. The reader is constantly told that there's everything at stake for Candice and Glenn, but it's a run for their lives. They are never confronted with choices, they never show their true character. They are both attractive people who must fall in love with each other and live happily ever after. We never see any consequences of their flaws (in Candice's case, there is no flaw except for her being shunned by her peers).
The author has a good and playful style, she has the ability to create great characters and stories. How could she fall so low with her leads? How could this book anger me so badly that I wanted to commit the ultimate insult and burn it? Because it insulted me. It insultet any research in history, it insulted a good author who suddenly wrote bad characters, it insulted people who know the meaning of suffering without sitting in a cozy cottage, it insulted atheists, it insulted the reader's intelligence because nothing makes sense in the end.
June 1, 2021
Spannende Story mit Suchtpotenzial.
Read
November 12, 2021Amazing story
May 21, 2022
no está mal
March 30, 2023
En general es entretenido, pero a ratos aburre y el final es decepcionante. Siento que es un libro para pasar el rato, pero muy olvidable.
January 25, 2024
Muy entretenida. Misterio, intriga, Egipto, pasado, presente, investigación, descubrimiento...
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