Customer Reviews

The Illumination: A Novel

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Great story, timely without the preachiness and pretense attached these days to novels with a Da Vinci Code feel. So expertly paced and lovingly crafted, not at all over-written. The story is so lean and yet so fulfilling. I appreciate that the Gregory and Tintori didn't try to suffocate me with hundreds of pages of ultimately unsatisfying detail. They keep the story, not just flowing, but leap-frogging from one hair-raising situtation to the next, all the while instilling into their characters a sense of humanity and humility rather than portraying them as fictional super heros. This is an extraordinary piece of fiction. Five stars and nothing less!

Just finished this book (audio) and have fallen in absolute awe of these authors. This is the second book I have listened to by Jill and Karen. Yes, it is a "DaVinci Code" type of story - but, excuse me, there were DaVinci Code type stories out there before the "DaVinci Code" and I get tired of reviewers listing this as a "con." I saw reference to this one place and can't remember but it did not hold me back from buying the audio book. This story is a great adventure and educational experience. I am learning more about Jewish folklore, religion, and myth than I ever knew. Always remember myth is usually based on fact. I highly recommend this to you if you are looking for a great mystery adventure story. OK, I am a sucker for Indiana Jones. But -- WOW! I give it 10 STARS! Go for it.

I so enjoyed Gregory and Tintori's Book of Names that I couldn't wait for this one. I'm happy to say I was not disappointed. It's unique, well-written and researched, and fast-paced. They've included just enough historical information to hold the reader's interest. It's fascinating without reading like a textbook. The plot races at breakneck-speed, but unlike most "event novels," the authors manage to keep you emotionally invested in their characters in the midst of all the action. What motivates Natalie--her relationship with her deceased sister--makes the reader care as well.

Norma Beishir
author, Chasing the Wind

This thriller by Jill Gregory and Karen Tintori has two Americans attempting to safeguard a relic of the primordial light of creation, keeping it out of the hands of various malefactors and delivering it to the Israeli Antiquities Authority. The authors keep a fast pace as diverse villains -- an Iranian fanatic with the evil eye, a Florida cult leader with ambitions to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, a super-secret government agency, and an arch-conservative Jewish terrorist organization -- all seek to get the powerful relic for their own ends.

Museum curator Natalie Landau, aided by a new-found ally in the person of a former television journalist and occasional CIA asset, is the one trying to keep the object out of their hands. After some narrow escapes in New York, she and her ally, D'Amato, experience some more narrow escapes in Rome and jet to Jerusalem for the climactic action.

Natalie is a sympathetic and self-reliant protagonist, displaying a phenomenal ability to fend off brutish male attackers through her mastery of martial arts. In fairness, though, accepting Natalie's feats requires no more suspension of disbelief than for your typical male protagonist in action thrillers.

The authors are quite good at unveiling and developing the esoteric secret of the Eye of Dawn and linking it to the widespread belief in the evil eye. In fact, you have a much better idea of the prevalence of this belief in the Middle East after reading this than you do after finishing Jason Goodwin's most recent thriller, An Evil Eye.

Most of the other characters lack any real dimension and at times seem derivative from The Da Vinci Code and other thrillers in this genre. But the pace is good, the writing is crisp and the sense of urgency is maintained through the end.

A good read that keeps you involved and is believable. It is well written with great character development and great plot

If you like a quasi historical fantasy thriller with really cheap and stupid thrills then this book is for you. Natalie, the main character could double as Wonder Woman and all the rest of the characters are relegated to the background except for her partner, D'Amato who comes up for air once in a while to shoot some badie intent on wresting the ancient relic from Natalie. If you're stranded in an airport or on a desert island by all means give it a read if nothing else is available. A good sense of humor should get you through the book.

SPOILERS: SPOILERS: SPOILERS: READ NO FURTHER: The formulaic writing and plotting is bad enough but the whole "tzorah" schmeil is just too comical. I think it's about 7000 years old or thereabouts. Heres the set-up: The "tzorah"' Let's see now: It's a tiny sliver of GOD'S celestial light so powerful that it outshines the sunlight and powerful beyond human belief and could end the need for oil once we harness it's energy. Thats what the US Prez thinks and he's got his agents on the case. Or we do have the crazed evangelist Christans who want to use it to bring on the rapture and the radical Muslims who want it so they can bring back the Caliphate and Islam shall rule the world. All this and it fits in your pocket too. It dates back from the Garden of Eden and Adam & Eve, I'm not quite sure of what year that was. a little gift from GOD and I guess it passed down all the hundreds of "who begats" to end up on The Ark with Noah 'cuz he needed a little light in the dark Ark. Then Moses and Daniel get it for awhile and then it disappears. Only to be found on the side of the road 5000 thousand or so years later by Natalie's sister who just happens to be in Iraq seeing it half buried in the sand. Oh Come on. Great comedy but no thriller here folks. Some may like this kind of story.

I found this to be am amazing story - a blend of history, mystery, and adventure with a touch of the supernatural all mixed in to provide a great read. The book is highly entertaining, hard to put down, and a real page turner to see what happens next. And perhaps the best part is that the book is a quick read - you don't have to wade through 800 pages to see what happens (although that's alright for certain books too).

I picked this book out on a whim based on the title and perhaps the eye on the cover not knowing anything about the story or author. And I lucked into a golden find. This is a book that I will want to read again in the future just to enjoy the blend of history and adventure again and again - that's how good it is! I also plan to check out the authors' other books as well.

I can't believe the number of one star ratings. This book certainly deserves better. Character development for the two main characters (instead of being too thin) is more than sufficient to develop empathy for them and root for them to succeed. Could two previously unassociated people defeat evil plots in the real world without backup from government agencies? Who cares? This is fiction and highly entertaining at that. There are no super human unbelievable tricks here like there are in some other books. The events are presented realistically as if they could happen.

I encourage you to try this book for yourself and make up your own mind. Don't put too much faith in the low ratings.

I generally do not read joint effort works of literature. However, this one was well worth the read. If you were to take Islam and switch it out with parts of Dan Brown's works as opposed to Christianity this is what you would get. Combined of course with some Israeli warfare and historical accounts. Looking forward to the next joint effort indeed. 4*

I usually like plots like this one--a bit of history, a bit of supernatural, everyone after the same object in a worldwide chase. But this book was a definite disappointment. Point of view changed so constantly that I was never in any one character's head long enough to form any true bonds with the character. And even when we finally do get inside a character's head, it seems that we are held at arm's length from the character's thoughts and feelings. The writing is mechanical, cold and unimaginative. The main character's grief over her sister is reported almost clinically. Important historical detail was often related in the middle of a chase scene--taking the tension and excitement down to the excitement of a boring college lecture. Trite plot devices and rather lame plot twists. Could not wait to finish it so I could read something more fulfilling. Would not even recommend for a beach read.

I read the 'Book of Names' and found it to be very interesting and educating. I was hoping to have the same experience in this one. I was sorely disappointed. There was a lot of history but the characters we so thin yet they managed to stop 3 world wide fanatical groups with very little connections and technical help? Very unlikely even for a fictional book. I will still most likely read the next book but I will be crossing my fingers that it will have stronger characters and a more believable plot line.