Customer Reviews

Illuminated (An August Adams Adventure)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Sometimes I wish I could stop picking up these thrillers based on literary history. It seems to be a rare skill these days to put together one that really thrills from beginning to end. In Illuminated, Mr. Bronleewe makes an honorable attempt, but falls short.

In this one, there is a secret hidden in the illuminations of Gutenberg bibles, placed there by Johnnes Gutenberg himself. There are not one, but two secret societies--the Orphans and the Order of the Dragon--racing to protect and/or uncover the secret. The secret, of course, leads to an ancient, hidden treasure.

OK, to be honest, I eat this kind of stuff up. And, to be fair, there's a lot of interesting stuff in here about Gutenberg, his bibles, and the history of the period. I'm just having a harder and harder time dealing with the suspension of disbelief required of these novels. And I don't mean the foundations of the story. I'm willing to throw my lot in with those. It's how the action unfolds, which breaks through the boundaries of the credible.

Just a few examples (spoiler alert): the bulk of this novel unfolds over the course of a single airline flight from Europe to America. Granted, that makes for a quick and easy read, but it also puts a strain on the events that have to happen. During the time required for this flight, a librarian steals a Gutenberg from the Library of Congress underneath the noses of professional thieves and killers; an asthmatic, pre-pubescent boy saves his grandmother and himself from multiple professional killers (and interprets a key clue from the Gutenbergs); and our protagonist--in a couple hours--figures out the multiple stages of the hidden secret that has remained unknown for hundreds of years. Then, he misleads his captors as to the meaning of the secret, escapes from a bomb with his family, and discovers the secret for himself.

I'm sorry to everyone who appreciates this kind of action but I like even my thrillers to at least remain within certain bounds of believability. This one crossed the line for me and made it hard for me to enjoy the more pleasurable aspects of this novel. This was an idea that deserved better treatment, I think.

Illuminated is truly an exciting story. For that I have given it three stars.

However I found all of the characters, even 8-year old Charlie, to be remarkably unappealing. August Adams seemed to deserve all of the trouble that came his way. April was simply obnoxious.

Other problems: why was there so much turbulence when August's plane landed in New York, but none when April's plane arrived only minutes later? Why was April's mother constantly referred to as "Grandma Rose", as if being Charlie's grandmother was the only thing worth mentioning about her? Why wasn't much more said about Dr. Winter, who apparently had a key role in the plot? And the dialogue was unrealistic. It did not seem like real conversation.

I feel that Illuminated just missed being a great thriller and was in need of some serious editing. Not to shorten it--at least it isn't weighed down with excessive description--but simply to have it make more sense.

Secret societies, hidden codes, ancient art - This isn't the latest controversy penned by Dan Brown. This is a stunning debut novel from producer/songwriter Matt Bronleewe. Illuminated combines edge-of-your-seat action with a centuries old mystery, creating a story that hooks the reader early and keeps the pages turning.

Most ancient book scholars spend their days in rooms devoid of sunlight examining books many centuries old, but August Adams isn't your standard, everyday archaeobibliologist. Not content to remain in the confines of museums and back rooms, August throws himself into the acquisition and sale of ancient books. Because of August's thirst for adventure he has fractured his relationships with his son and his (now ex) wife, and he struggles to keep his head above water financially.

After a brief prologue introducing the reader to a young Johannes Gutenberg, the man who would later invent the printing press, the book opens with August leaping into the heat of the excitement as the airplane he is on experiences some extreme turbulence. After the turbulence dies down and he returns to his seat we find out that August has found a Gutenberg Bible, one of the rarest, and therefore costliest, books in the world and is delivering it to a buyer in New York. He has high hopes that this one sale will bring him out of debt and put him in better standing with his kid and ex-wife.

August and his family are then swept up into a centuries old mystery involving secret codes hidden within the illuminations in the margins of Gutenberg Bibles and secret societies connected in some way to both the Knights Templar and Count Dracula.

Unrelentingly paced, Illuminated grabs you by the shirt and doesn't let go until long after the final page has been read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good intrigue. Be warned though, this book is NOT for the faint-of-heart; there are one or two scenes that contain somewhat graphic violence.

My only complaint for Mr. Bronleewe is that the book ended too soon. I would have liked more interaction between August and his family, and more information about the secret societies. Matt Bronleewe represents the next generation of Christian Fiction, and the future looks very bright.

As one 5-star reviewer put it, Matt Bronleewe is indeed a man of many talents, and with work, perhaps he could develop into a novelist as well. However, it's clear to anyone who knows much about the craft of writing that this book proves the adage, "It's not what you know, but who you know." Apparently Mr. Bronleewe's contacts in the Christian entertainment industry got him a publishing contract with Thomas Nelson. I can't imagine a good editor accepting it for publication, much less overlooking the sophomoric writing, implausible story line, shallow characterizations, and unbelievable dialog. I've read self-published novels that were much better written than this one. I pitched it into the trash halfway through.

As an avid collector and bibliophile, particularly as regards printing history, I was appalled at Mr. Brownlee's apparent ignorance of the most basic understanding of Johannes Gutenberg (more accurately Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg--"Gutenberg" merely being the name of the house his family owned in Mainz). When I began reading Illuminated, while the prose is a bit turgid, I had high hopes for this book as a new biblio-mystery--one founded in actual fact, unlike the drivel of Dan Brown. Soon, however, it became apparent that Mr. Brownlee had not taken the time to acquaint himself with the most rudimentary facts surrounding Gutenberg and his magnum opus. A few examples: (1) Despite Mr. Brownlee's claims, the locations and ownership of every surviving copy of the Bible are well known and documented. Indeed the only copy remaining in private hands is the copy owned by William Scheide, on pretty much permanent loan to Princeton, where the general consensus is it will remain after Mr. Scheide's demise; (2) Gutenberg did not illuminate, or cause to be illumninated, any of his Bibles. He printed them with blank spaces (often containing a small printed letter to indicate what the illuminator should add. They were to be illuminated to the taste of the purchaser--Gutenberg was attempting to recreate books that looked as if they were hand written by scribes, hence the massive number of ligatures and scribal shorthand he employed in the Bible--it was to mimic scribal handwriting, not to create a new medium apart from the scribal tradition, that came later). Thus, Mr. Brownlee's far-fetched concept of Gutenberg hiding secrets in illuminations spread amongst all the Bibles is nonsensical; (3) Finally, Gutenberg did not hobnob with the great and mighty of the Fifteenth Century. In fact, he was nothing more than a upper middle class merchant who was bankrupt by 1460 following a lawsuit with his partner Johann Fust, his financial backer. Fust and his son in law, Peter Schoeffer, continued the business without Gutenberg, although there is some scant evidence to suggest Gutenberg tried again. Mr. Brownlee should stick to music.

As an aside, it is generally accepted, or at least considered plausible, that the first printed book was not the 42 line Bible, but the Ars Minor, a school primer by Donatus (also often called simply "the Donatus") that was the first book printed from movable type by Gutenberg. Then again, the issue of what exactly Gutenberg invented is an entirely different story--it may not have been "type" as we understand it at all....

For a much better bibliophilic read, try "The Floating Book" by Michele Lovric. It's a drama/mystery/romance revolving around the von Speyers, the first printers to arrive in Venice. Much better written and more well-researched than Illuminated, by far.

After reading the hyperbolic reviews my expectations were high, but this book disappoints. The fundamental idea is good, but the dialog and plot are unbelievable, and there are grammatical errors in the book. It's too bad that it wasn't better edited since it has such good potential.

I found the book good but not great. Matt had a great storyline but failed to tell the whole story. I never quite got into the characters...especially Meng, who I think would be critical to develop. It felt like I was reading a book that was hoping Hollywood would fill in the blanks.

This book rocks. It's like reading a major motion picture. Swift but detailed, you feel involved in the character's lives and still retain the vision and movement of the big picture. Great for summer travels!

This book is great and I got through it in just three days. It is written by newcomer Bronleewe and this is a great achievement for a starter. This book cleverly combines historical fact with conspiracies better than Da Vinci Code ever did. The format of the story is more like 24 than anything else. The main characters of this story is August Adams(rare book dealer), his ex-wife April(works at Library of Congress), and his son Charlie. It revolves around two secret societies(ORPHANS and the ORDER OF THE DRAGON) and a secret hidden in the illuminations of three fifteenth-century Gutenberg bibles. I found myself reading this book like a thrilling movie.

In short, I loved the book. Some people have said it was too violent and for some readers it might be. I personally thought the story line was light hearted enough to make the violence a bit over the top in credibility. I loved the story line, it would make a great movie. With most books, I find myself getting bored at certain spots (beginning introductions and a central lag) but not with this book. Matt writes in such a way as to engage the reader from start to finish. I can't wait to read House of Wolves and I hear he has a third book in the works.

Enjoy!