Customer Reviews

The Ark: A Novel

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Archeologist Dilara Kenner has rushed back to the States at the behest of Sam Watson, an old family friend. Sam meets her flight at LAX and explains, "Three days ago, I made a startling discovery at work. It has to do with Hasad." Hasad, Dilara's father, has been missing for three years. Just as Sam begins to tie Hasad's disappearance to a plot to "kill millions, maybe billions" that will culminate eight days hence, the old man collapses, the apparent victim of a very suspiciously-timed heart attack. His final words "Listen! Tyler Locke. Gordian Engineering. Get... his help. He knows... Coleman. Your father's research... started everything. You must... find the Ark."

(I know, I know, we've all seen exactly this sort of opening to any number of thrillers. There are always some adventurers off in search of some holy grail or other, and who also have to save the world along the way. Yes, we've seen these types of stories before, but the thing is, when they're well done, they're entertaining as hell. And folks, this one is REALLY well done. No plot description or talk of well-developed characters will ever give you a sense of why this book stands out so well against the pack of clichéd thrillers. At some point the reader must take a leap of faith and give a new novelist a try. I'm telling you right now, THIS is the one to give a try.)

The eponymous Ark is Noah's, of course. Dilara's father has been hunting it for decades and she's been as dismissive of his work as the rest of the world--but apparently someone was paying attention. First, however, Dilara needs to stay alive long enough to find out who Tyler Locke is. From the moment she leaves LAX, the attempts on her life come fast and furious. She quickly discovers that Locke is an engineer, currently working on a remote oil rig, and figures that may well be the safest place for her. She's wrong. At least Dilara and Tyler have connected, but he's as mystified by Sam's final words as she is. Still, there's no denying that something very suspect is going on, and Tyler is quickly sucked into Dilara's drama.

It is Tyler Locke that debut novelist Boyd Morrison is setting up to be the recurring hero of a series. And if this first adventure is any indication, Locke is up to the task. While he owes a debt to action heroes like Dirk Pitt and Philip Mercer, there's something a bit softer about Tyler. He comes by his "kick-ass" side quite believably, having served as a combat engineer in Desert Storm, but he's as likely to pull a Leatherman tool on you as a gun. Now in his 30's, he's a young widower trying to come to terms with loss. And he has a bit of an egghead side, too--approaching each challenge as an engineering problem. It's more interesting than you might, at first glance, think. Here, for instance, are some thoughts on the conundrum of Noah's Ark:

"From an engineering standpoint, a purely wooden ship bigger than that is untenable. Without the iron frames and internal bracketing that 19th century ships had, a ship the size of Noah's Ark would flex like a rubber band. It would have sprung leaks in a thousand places. Not to mention that in a raging storm like the Flood, wave oscillations would have snapped the frame like a twig. The Ark would have sunk in minutes. Good-bye human race." From there, Tyler analyzes the lifespan of wooden artifacts, the storage capacity of the Ark, and the amount of water it would have taken to cover the earth. This is a man whom likes to throw logic at a problem.

Once Tyler and Dilara have teamed up, however, there is little time for academic discussions. Sam's cryptic words take on horrifying meaning as unfolding events capture the entire world's attention. The events described thus far happen within the novel's first few chapters. Throw in some monster trucks, mysteriously melting movie stars, and megalomaniacs and you've barely brushed the surface of what lies ahead. Boyd Morrison has plotted a wild ride that is guaranteed to keep readers turning pages deep into the night. The Ark is not only intricately plotted, it's smart. Morrison gives his readers credit that they'll be able to follow along, and it's a pleasure to read an author not catering to the lowest common denominator.

I can't claim that this release is my introduction to Morrison's work. The truly cognoscenti have been fans since long before Simon & Schuster came into the picture. But, it's exciting to finally let the rest of you in on this find. I can't wait for the sequel!

As I was reading "The Ark", I thought that I was reading a Clive Cussler novel for a few minutes. The story is just as fast paced as any Dirk Pitt novel and just as good. The premise centers around Tyler Locke, who happens to be rich, successful, good in a fight, handsome, smart and personable. Basically, he's James Bond but he's an engineer. His best friend, also an engineer, is an ex-wrestler and Army Ranger. So if you can run with this much silliness, then hang on.

Dilara Kenner is your heroine who also happens to be decent in a fight and pretty. Good attributes for your heroine. It turns out that her father was off exploring for the lost Ark from Noah's ark and happens to have found it. But he went missing and Dilara has not heard from her father in three years. Except that a family friend insists on meeting with her and is immediately poisoned in front of her. And the crack assassin teams sent to kill her keep failing. Tyler Locke to the rescue... Good times ensue.

Don't take this novel very seriously. It's a work of fiction and fun at that. Light reading. You know that the villians are going to come back with a diabolical grin and think they've won. And you know that the hero (Tyler) is going to win. Just how it is. But very entertaining. Again, reminds me of some of the earlier Clive Cussler novels before he got too derivative and producing junk. Enjoy this one.

I have to warn people straight off the bat- this book is more action adventure than Indiana Jones. While the character of Dilara is interested in the ark, most of the book doesn't focus around that interest- it is mostly chases, intrigue & action. It is entertaining, but a part of me was disappointed that there wasn't more buildup for it.

After watching her mentor die in front of her eyes, Dilara only really knows two things. One is that he was poisoned by a mysterious woman. The other is that before he died, her mentor told her to search out Tyler Locke to help her search for her missing father's life dream: Noah's ark. With an insane cult leader planning on releasing a horrific virus on the entire world, both Tyler & Dilara know that their time is running out.

The reason I devoted the entire first paragraph of this review to stating that this was mostly an action driven book rather than a James Rollins or Indiana Jones-esque thriller is because I was very much disappointed by it. I did enjoy the book & this is an easy read, but I'll be honest with you- the ark doesn't really come into play until the last fourth or fifth of the book. The book goes into more detail about the high tech gadgets (the coolest of which was a Tesla-powered car) used in the book than any religious or historical information & during some parts of the book I just really wanted a bit more description.

Now for the rest of the review: there's some decent pacing to the novel & I liked the gadgets & technology mentioned in the book. For the most part I liked the main characters, although they never really seemed to be all that deep to me. I'd have liked to have known a little bit more about them. I also liked that there was a bit of re-imagining of the story of Noah's ark & I really, really wished that more info about that could've been interspersed with some research about the ark during the book.

This isn't a bad read & I know that if I'd been fully aware of what type of book it was from the start, I'd have enjoyed it a little more. Probably not enough to give it a higher rating, but a little more than I did. The author shows a lot of promise, but the book is a little green- you can tell that it is one of his first books. I'll say this for him- if this is him "green", then he'll be dynamite when he gets a little more seasoned with his writing. There's just a few little things in the book that just didn't read right or seemed like they were oversights- the only one that bugged me was when Tyler called a teammate... a deaf one, with no mention of how the deaf man was suddenly able to hear a phone call. (I presume technology, but I'd have liked to have had it listed rather than assume the author forgot to mention it. While the character has glasses that can read lips, you can't *see* lips over a phone.)

If you want something light to read & want to read something with some action to it, this is the book for you.

I really wanted to like this book. I love ancient mysteries and the story of Noah's Ark has always fascinated me. That's why I was drawn to this book and the prologue really hooks you. I was ready to be taken on an exciting journey. It started out fine, first few chapters moved along in a fast paced, interesting manner. Unfortunately the book eventually starts to drag and doesn't get rolling again until the last 100 pages. It took me a LONG time to read this book because I wasn't that interested in the story so I just found other things to read and do instead of finishing the book. Over the Christmas holiday I decided it was time to finish it so I could move it from my nightstand. I liked the characters, Tyler, Dilara and Ulric are very well done. I never got used to the name Dilara, doesn't quite roll off the tongue, but it is what it is. As has been stated, Tyler is your modern day Indiana Jones and Ulric is a great villain. No problem with the characters. I just thought it took too long to get to the most interesting part of the story, discovering Noah's Ark, and when they finally got there it was a HUGE letdown. I wanted to SEE the Arc through their description. I wanted to be amazed by the wonder of this magnificent discovery. Instead, I was left totally disappointed. I did NOT see it. The description did NOT provide me the imagery I craved. It was so bland and basic that I was left totally longing for more. Unfortunately it just didn't happen for me. The new twist on Noah's Ark was VERY clever, and from a pure logical point of view it makes a lot of sense. That was a very interesting twist on an ancient story. I think the world disease was a stretch but the Ark itself was very well done. Again, I just wish I SAW the Arc in my mind so I could enjoy the rest of it more.

I would not recommend this book because I believe there are so many better books such as Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, Angels and Deamons, The Lost Symbol, etc. I would also recommend The Seventh Son and Book of Souls by Glenn Cooper. Both were very good. The Moses Stone was also a good read that I would recommend before this one. Give a try if you like. It is a good read, just not great. Add more imagery and more ancient mystery and it would be a very good book. Unfortunately it read more like a police/detective story. Not what I was looking for.

I hope that helps.

I am an avid Jame Rollins and Mathew Reilly fan, but Mr Morrison stands right there with them.... this book was full of action, well developed characters and interesting fiction facts. The engineering twist on everything made it very interesting too. Thankyou Mr Morrison for filling in the gap between my other favorite authors books.... please write more like this and bring Tyler Locke back.

My second "Arktypal" book in 10 days. Both were very good. This one's by first-time author Boyd Morrison and is an original chase-em all over the world archeo-conspiracy thriller strongly in the style of James Rollins and, maybe, Dan Brown. After a world-famous archeologist and certified Noah's Ark nut is murdered on the threshold of achieving his life's ambition (pause.... as three years pass and nothing happens), we find his not-quite-so-famous daughter archeologist Dilara caught up in things as her father's old friend dies in her arms and she narrowly escapes a few attempts on her life to end up in the company of a "Sigma Force" type construction engineer and fixer, 6' 2" hunk Tyler Locke.

Together they try to piece together what has happened, who is after Dilara and now Tyler, and what nefarious world-ending scheme is about to unfold. There is the obligatory romance, and Tyler has the obligatory strong right-hand man, and there is the obligatory bad guy with the huge superiority complex who has engineered the end of the world. So far, so boring. Heading for 1.5 stars.

But what rescues this from average tedium are the plot devices and the pacing. The biblical tie-in is highly original and interesting (and provides food for thought on other related issues) and is resolved well, as well as the precise nature of the Old Testament wrath, aided and abetted here by some modern cell and molecular biology. As a first efforts go this is a very good one. I think Morrison will mature as a writer and look forward to his next novel.

J.M. Tepper

When I read the jacket description in my local bookstore, it sounded like a very interesting read. Frankly, it was quite disappointing.

The basic premise, based on Noah's Ark and a plot to destroy most of humanity is actually a decent one, but in typical churn-em-out thriller fashion, Morrison puts plot before plausibility in several key moments.

The worst part of the book is that the two protagonists are like some 19 year old's wet dream. Dilara Kenner, the rugged, yet perfectly beautiful and brilliant UCLA archaeologist (stop me when you stop believing) is bad enough. But Tyler Locke, the brilliant, handsome, perfectly fit, nerd/engineer ex-special forces, pilot, weapons expert dude who gets to test race cars, airplanes, and giant dump trucks and who flies on private corporate jets wherever he needs to go and just happens to have connections wherever he needs them, plus has a bad relationship with his father and miraculously finds he totally misunderstood his dad and actually has his respect, who makes every right decision, and finds that his enemies never guess at even his simplest ruses...

Sorry, have I lost you yet? Tyler Locke could never, will never, SHOULD never exist, and if he does, all other men with any sense of self-respect should hunt him down with torches and pitch-forks and string him up outside of town.

That said, their primary enemy, Sebastian Ulric, is actually a pretty cool character in some ways, but he's still a walking cliche'. The only thing missing is a lovely long hair Persian cat for him to stroke while he outlines his malevolent plan for world domination.

I can't elaborate on this without a bit of a SPOILER, a minor one, but nonetheless, here I go:

-----
With all Sebastian's meticulous planning, his clever coup-de-grace is ridiculously easy for the heroes to uncover and disarm. On the Genesis Dawn, his little plague machine is booby-trapped, but it's just left out in the open and horribly easy for the FBI and CDC guys to secure and disarm.

If I were Morrison (and I'm not)... wait, better yet, if I were Sebastian, I would have gotten to my cabin a day early with all my clout and hooked up a hidden plague machine that nobody could see, disguised as a normal piece of furniture, then hooked up the obvious one as in the book, so that the good guys would secure the obvious one, leaving behind my more malevolent hidden one to do its nasty work on the ship
-----

Anyway, it is a terribly flawed book, and I hope that whomever is hired to write the screenplay has the guts to slash it up a bit to make it a little more plausible, and a little more realistic.

Eh, I can't say anything bad about the way the book was written. But it's the same book as a Dirk Pitt book. Take one beautiful and talented woman add an over-capable male with connections to wealth and assets, blend well with an impossible task....

I think this book has been written every 4-5 years by someone else. Same story - same charactors - SOSDD

Ok, this is a thriller, somewhat in the Indiana Jones mold, as it does involve an archeological artifact as its prime focus, but it seems that most of this book is a more action orientated run-from-the-insanely-crazy-bad-guys than a quiet unraveling of ages old clues, Jones style. The artifact in question is none other than Noah's Ark, but how the finding of this artifact would pose a severe threat to modern day humanity, and how it is related to certain unusual `accidents' at the beginning of the book, doesn't really come to the fore until quite late in the book. In the meantime, we follow archeologist Dilara, whose father had devoted much of his life to finding Noah's Ark, and Tyler Locke, all-around super-guy, as they avoid various deadly traps set by a shadowy personage, with little clue as to just why they are targets.

All this is quite fun, but there is a certain amount of implausibility to the pair's hair-breadth escapes, and the characterization of the two is only ok, without a large amount of depth that could really reel the reader into their predicament. Other characters are almost stick figures, there to move the plot and little else. The constant action makes for quick page-turning, but I think I would have preferred to have a little more philosophical theme work and a more emotional portrayal of the main characters thrown in.

Perhaps the best thing about this book is that it provides a semi-plausible explanation both for what Noah's Ark and the Flood really were, and as a consequence of that how it might be possible for such an artifact to still be present in today's world. The re-interpretation of the Biblical description actually makes a fair amount of sense and fits fairly well with what is known about how the early books of the Bible were written, translated, and re-translated over the years. Scientifically, some of what is presented here is quite good and accurate, but at the same time there are items presented here that will stretch the reader's sense of believability.

The ending is, unfortunately, entirely too predictable and nearly clichéd. It does manage to tie up all the plot ends and resolve the main character's development, but it doesn't grab or surprise.

A decent read, with an interesting premise, but not earth-shaking.


Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

The idea sounded fun and the endorsements were stellar. What happened? Who got paid for the endorsements? James Rollins saying 'it was flawlessly executed." Huh? Really? I don't believe it.
The story was like a teen novel: "By the time they find out what really happened, it will be too late to stop us."
The writing read like a second draft, flat and uninspiring, and the characters were thinly written, very one dimensional and worse, not believable. I like thrillers, and I like fast paced reads,
but this one was so boring and predictable by the middle of the book, I couldn't wait to just be done with it. I didn't like or feel connected to any character at all. Bad news for any story.