16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Could have been great but..., September 14, 2009
This review is from: The Genesis Secret: A Novel (Hardcover)
This book gets off to an excellent start but is marred by endless disgusting descriptions of psychotic tortures. The historical, cultural and archaeological bits of the book are fascinating and could have carried this book just fine. Why all the gore? Did Mr. Knox envision a broader sales market if he included these descriptions? I'm not all that squemish but this was really over the top. I suspect that even readers who are not bothered by this sort of thing would still have liked the book without it. A writer with Knox's storytelling skills should be able to convey the creepiness of a psychotic killer without sounding like he actually relishes describing every moment of a murder. That's a little creepy in itself. Perhaps it's a result of having a journalistic background.
I've been listening to this on audio while commuting and will finish it by skipping the grimmest tracks to get on with the actual story. But I am seriously disappointed that such a promising mystery/adventure turned out to be chapter after chapter awash in entrails. Characters in this book either get their guts ripped out while still alive or they puke their guts out as an observer of one of these scenes. Way too much focus on guts and not enough on the elements that could have made this a really good thriller.
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42 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Another "Secret" Revealed, May 30, 2009
This review is from: The Genesis Secret: A Novel (Hardcover)
The Genesis Secret begins on a strong premise, the discovery of the possible site of Eden, then deteriorates into another in a long line of thrillers which blend pseudo-philosophical musings, scientific framing for credibility, and gratuitous violence.
An archeological dig at Gobekli Tepe in Turkish Kurdistan reveals evidence of a building which may be 5,000 years older than any previous known structure. The dig also reveals evidence suggesting that the site may also be the location of Eden. Yet, underlying these finds is a seeming antagonism or hatred against the scientists by the locals working on the dig and living in the area. All of this makes for a strong hook into an intriguing storyline. To cap the efforts of the scientists, the lead archeologist is found impaled at the site.
Unfortunately, Tom Knox, the pseudonym for Sean Thomas, a London-based journalist (like his central character, Rob Luttrell) goes off on a tangent by introducing a series of brutal murders in the British Isles. The murders appear to be the work of psychopathic killers. Ultimately, they are connected to a group of privileged Upper-Class college students, linked to a society of the social elite known as the Hellfire Club. This club has a centuries-old history of decadence, depravity and debauchery. Its membership included leaders of society in England and America.
In his efforts to blend these two storylines, Knox strains credulity. Its seems that, despite their history of brutish and brutal behavior, the members of the Hellfire Club may only be acting that way because the leaders may possess a certain genetic strain which results in their behavior.
Evidently, a group of savage and brutal hominoids, the Northmen (evolved possibly from Giganthropithecus), had mated with homo sapiens, thus introducing brutality into the modern human species. This occurred when Gobekli Tepe, a once-peaceful village 11,000 years ago, was invaded by the Northmen who interbred with the natives and introduced the savage gene. This cross-breeding led to the metaphorical expulsion of humanity from the Garden of Eden, and resulted in the rise of the warring nature of humanity. This type of pseudo-science must be grating to anthropologists, other social scientists, and intelligent readers.
The end of the book involves excessive and gratuitous brutality against those Luttrell loves; that end also deals with Luttrell's super-heroic actions to save those he loves. There is also a long-winded pseudo-scientific treatise in which Knox attempts to explain why leaders in the world are often strong, yet ruthless, in their treatment of others; he blames it on the gene introduced in Gobekli Tepe by the Northmen. This philosophical debate occurs just after vicious attacks, a flood, and a deus-ex-machina intervention by a police officer.
Aside from the problem of credibility of the storyline is the character of Rob Luttrell. He is a self-taught reporter who, in the beginning comes off as being illiterate in archeology and anthropology. At the end, though, he has somehow acquired a profound sense of religious history, anthropology, and ethical/moral behavior. At least, Knox had Luttrell stop his incessant drinking; how the man managed to function since he was always drinking to excess in the early parts of the novel is difficult to explain. But, that is poetic licence.
Finally, there is Knox's constant use of short, non-sentences, a writing characteristic that appears in many thrillers. This illiteracy--or perhaps an affectation--is probably intended to move the action of the story along to its end. Sean Thomas is a journalist; his editors must be concerned about Thomas' writing style in his articles. Tom Knox is the fictional incarnation; his editors should also be concerned about the quality of his writing.
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