19 Jul 2014

SANCTUS.

SANCTUS by SIMON TOYNE.

SOURCE: A church fete purchase.

THE BOOK {According to the outer back cover}: What is the secret of Sanctus?

Liv Adamsen is a New York crime reporter, Kathryn Mann a charity worker. They are very different people, but their fate is bound together by one man's desperate act.

With the world's media watching, a robed man has thrown himself from the top of the oldest inhabited places on earth, an ancient citadel in Turkey. For some it is a sign of great events to come. For Liv and Kathryn it is the start of a race into danger, darkness and the most remarkable secret in the history of humanity.

It is a secret that the fanatical monks in the citadel will kill, torture and break every law, human and divine, to keep hidden ....

FIRST SENTENCE {Chapter 1}: A flash of light filled his skull as it struck the rock floor.

MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 58}: As he often said, he was thirty-two, earning good money, and whilst most Goths only dreamed of making a living amongst the dead, he was actually doing it.

MY THOUGHTS: Intrigued more than gripped. Whilst hardly the worst of reads nor is Sanctus (the first book in a trilogy) the best - unremarkable characters and a badly flowing plot that jumps around from one thread of the story to another are testament to this. The main problem however lies within the fact that in a market flooded with 'religious conspiracy' novels there is nothing that really sets this one apart.

8 comments:

Kelly said...

It's a shame this one didn't really do it for you. I rather like the cover. I'm guessing you don't feel compelled to complete the trilogy (unless you already have the others and need to resolve any hanging plot threads).

Stephanie Faris said...

Sounds like a complicated story, to me. Just the synopsis sounds too complicated for me!

Mary (Bookfan) said...

I need a well-paced plot if I'm going to read a thriller. Doesn't sound like you're compelled to read the next book in the trilogy.

Brian Joseph said...

I agree that if an author is going to follow a popular formula, the author really need to include something distinctive in the book to make it worthwhile. One wonders that the authors do not always realize that.

Melliane said...

Well I confess I'm not sure, I don't think it's for me...

The Bookworm said...

Not a fan myself of those religious conspiracy novels, i.e. Dan Brown.

Yvonne @ Fiction Books Reviews said...

Hi Tracy,

Whilst, like Naida, I am not a fan of the Dan Brown style of religious conspiracy theory novels, I do enjoy the writing of Layton Green, whose subject matter comprises mostly the Occult and Satanic tendencies.

'Sanctus' probably wouldn't be one for me, although it has received some pretty decent ratings and reviews. I do love that cover art though and the opening line is particularly spine chilling and as you say, piques the interest nicely!

Sorry you were a little disappointed with this choice, better luck with your next book!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Yvonne.

Literary Feline said...

It's too bad the author wasn't able to create more memorable characters or story. The premise sure sounded like it could be good!