The Guardians of the Covenant: An Epic Quest for the Bible's Darkest Secret [Paperback]

Tom Egeland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 25, 2009

When a quirky archaeologist finds ancient Viking parchments containing runes and riddles, his mundane life is changed for good. As he embarks on a dangerous quest to discover their origin, he finds himself plunged into the heart of an ancient religious conspiracy, fighting for his life. From Egyptian tombs and antiquarian bookshops in modern day Egypt to the year 1013—when Viking warriors raided a tomb and unknowingly stole the greatest secret of the Old Testament—he is led on a mystifying trail of clues through past and present alike. With powerful forces fighting against him, will he be able to succeed in unveiling a religious cover-up when the consequences of failing are fatal?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

While it might be tempting to refer to Egeland as the Scandinavian Dan Brown, it is important and interesting to note that the Norwegian author was crafting conspiracy thrillers years earlier than Brown. In Egeland’s latest page-turner, he has combined bits and pieces of Norse legend, Egyptian mythology, and the Bible with cryptic codes, ciphers, runes, and symbols that have potentially shattering implications for Christianity. When a colleague who has just unearthed an ancient Viking manuscript is murdered, albino archaeologist Bjorn Belto reluctantly undertakes another globe-spanning quest to unearth the truth. Egeland moves the plot back and forth across the globe and through time with ease, allowing the clues to pile up as the tension builds. Scandinavian mysteries in general are hot and Egeland is still at the top of his game, so expect demand from individuals readers and book clubs. --Margaret Flanagan

Review

"Egeland moves the plot back and forth across the globe and through time with ease. . . . Scandinavian mysteries in general are hot and Egeland is still at the top of his game."  —Booklist

"A complex and fast-paced conspiracy thriller of Old Norse myth, Ancient Egyptian superstition, and Christian secret societies. With codes, runes, hidden maps, [and] archaic symbols, it's a treat for all fans of Steve Berry, Raymond Khoury, and Dan Brown!"  —Kate Mosse, author, Labyrinth

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Product Details

• Paperback: 484 pages
• Publisher: John Murray (June 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0719521432
• ISBN-13: 978-0719521430
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,077,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Worldwide religious scavenger hunt of epic proportions..., October 16, 2011

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mrsrjb - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Guardians of the Covenant: An Epic Quest for the Bible's Darkest Secret (Paperback)

From Nordic countries to Egypt to America to the Caribbean and back again...this (on occasion - a little confusing) book/story introduces one Mr. Bjorn Belto, associate professor of archaeology of University of Oslo, Norway, who says he is albino, but has an odd & whimsical wit and sense of humor about him throughout the book. Bjorn Belto is an interesting character who gets too curious for his own good when he gets into trouble following 'signs' of the Egyptian ankh, Rune tiwaz & Christian cross, trying to solve a historical puzzle of crisscrossing religions of different races throughout the centuries to modern day.

There's a lot of names of people and places in the book to keep track of...ancient and otherwise. The story Bjorn tells is one of not just age old religious mysteries with parchments & scrolls, but of murder too...to get to the 'prize'. What will happen to archaeologist Bjorn Balto if he gets too close or in the way of the prize? And who is 'the sheik' that causes Bjorn so much trouble?
Good book.

[description from Wikipedia] "A scavenger hunt is a game in which the organizers prepare a list defining specific items, using which the participants -- individuals or teams -- seek to gather all items on the list -- usually without purchasing them -- or perform tasks or take photographs of the items, as specified.[1] The goal is usually to be the first to complete the list, although in a variation on the game players can also be challenged to complete the tasks on the list in the most creative manner."