Customer Reviews

The Last Ember

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

After reading and reflecting on this novel, I determined that I have mixed feelings about it.
I loved Barry Bosworth's Land of Marvels and Michener's The Source, two quite different but satisfying historical/archaeological novels. I ignored the red flag of this book--it was advertised as "erudite" in the same passage as comparing it to The Da Vinci Code. (The Da Vinci Code's sensationalism is riddled with poor writing rather than secrets, and is decidedly not erudite.) An oxymoron--but I decided to risk it. My heritage and the opportunity to delve into ancient secrets influenced my decision.

Daniel Levin is scholarly--that is clear. He possesses a wealth of knowledge on Roman and religious history and on the source of ancient artifacts and language. His facility with classical history and the humanities informs the utterly believable and ultimately appealing story. However, it is not riveting, despite Levin's efforts to compel the reader.

Most of the story takes place over the course of one day, and goes back and forth between Rome and Jerusalem. The protagonist, former classics scholar and rising attorney Jonatahn Marcus, has an unresolved, traumatic personal history that is gradually revealed and woven into the plot. Several characters (villains and lofty good guys) converge in a race to find a hidden menorah, which demands a thrilling pace. Unfortunately, the narrative flow is turgid at times. In his effort to combine historical facts within the novel, the author failed to find a rhythm. It often reads like a text, with written descriptions inexpertly lumbering through the prose. The information he gives is integral to the story but gracelessly inserted. Yet I was so intrigued by the facts he presented that it held my interest enough to keep reading.

The author does have a master control over the Byzantine twists and turns, and the pieces of the mystery unfold to reveal a startling story. (There are also terrific little tidbits of information, e.g. the predatory animals brought to the gladiator stage from Asia and Africa contained seeds of exotic flora in their coats. These seeds dropped into the subterranean depths of the Coliseum and blossomed, and remain to this day.) The architecture of the book works; the execution gets in the way.

This is a debut novel, so I expect some flaws. The characters are stock and reductive--if you are looking for depth, you will find it in the archaeology and ancient mysteries but not in the cardboard characters. I didn't feel a tone, either, which prevented a desired, immanent tension from materializing. I suspect that it is related to Levin's inexperience with fictional narrative. The opportunity to spellbind the reader with a dazzling story was limited by its very flow. However, I would take another chance on this author. I have faith that his next novel will be more realized.

"The Last Ember," a legal/historical/religious thriller and a debut novel by Daniel Levin is being compared by many reviewers to the works of Tom Clancy (The Hunt For Red October) and Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code.)

It is, in common with many first works, semi-autobiographical, as they say. Its protagonist, Jonathan Marcus, a practitioner of international law at the major New York law firm of Dulling and Pierce, LLP, finds himself suddenly called to Rome on the case of an ancient archaeological Roman artifact, because he had studied ancient Roman and Greek history, civilizations, and art, and had won a visiting scholar's fellowship at the American Academy in Rome. Levin studied Roman and Greek civilization at the University of Michigan, and is a graduate of Harvard Law School. He won a visiting scholar's fellowship at the American Academy in Rome, and has practiced international law at the major New York firm Debevoise & Plimpton. So let us grant that the author is knowledgeable in ancient Greek and Roman history, art, and civilization; and international law. And, while we're granting him knowledge, we can throw in ancient biblical/Jewish history, art, and civilization,too.

Several reviewers have further compared the neophyte author to Clancy in that he fails to integrate his facts well into his story line; but I, for one, found "Red October" so exciting, I almost forgot to breathe. Although I will grant that Clancy's later works, to me, read like ordnance manuals.

In the interests of full disclosure, I myself, history student at a major American university, studied ancient Roman and Greek history, art, and civilization, and find it still fascinating. I've spent some time in Rome and greater Italy, Athens and Greece. Archaeology absorbs me. I come from the background, and am strongly interested in biblical/Jewish history. I remember clearly being awakened at 4:30 A.M. to make a Sunday at 6 A.M. time slot to look at a Jerusalem water tunnel from biblical times: the city was then still overrun with tourists and it was the only slot available. (Ancient Roman and Israeli water tunnels figure largely in Levin's book). And I am a mystery lover.

Reviewers have further compared first-timer Levin to Brown in that he is just not the finest of writers. His factual interpolations interrupt the flow of the story. His characters are flat and stereotyped; many readers will be able to predict the betrayals and double-crosses necessary for this kind of tale. I was disturbed by the author's arriving at an overblown, device-heavy denouement more reminiscent of an early James Bond film - Thunderball, actually - than a historical mystery. But I thought the author did very well in giving us ancient, medieval, and modern Rome. And, as a confirmed mystery lover, I found the plot, which is supposed to take place in a day, moved quickly enough so that I could ignore most distractions.

Mind you, I'd be the first to say I don't actually know much biblical history, nor know the Old Testament well. I don't know if the iconic menorah at the heart of Levin's tale actually existed or exists. I do know that the author's most important background character, the historian Flavius Josephus, whom the author quotes as having said, "Historians are forgers," existed. He was a first century figure, descended from a Jewish, royal, priestly family, a general at, and eye witness to, the siege and fall of Jerusalem to the Romans. In his works, he always denied that the future Roman Emperor Titus, with whom he eventually soldiered at the siege, ordered the burning of the Temple. And when Titus,son of the Emperor Vespasian, who had actually initiated the invasion of Judea,ascended the Roman throne, he gave Josephus Roman citizenship. At any rate, Josephus's work set the stage for our comprehension of the Dead Sea Scrolls; recent excavations at Masada, site of the Jews' last stand, have proved his description accurate. The medieval Church protected the historian's work, as he is one of the major informants on extra biblical history, as well as early Christian history: he mentions Jesus, John the Baptist, and Jesus' martyred brother James.

Okay, bottom line. I found "Last Ember" so exciting, I was late for dinner.

Beyond my expectations, this debut had me hooked. In an era of "24" we're used to lots of firepower (literally) to compensate for meaningful plot, but in this book (though, too, taking place in only a day and night) archaelogical mysteries, ancient religious disputes and legal puzzles serve up a thought-provoking theme about historical revisionism long after its finish. The double-tiered ancient and modern conspiracy was well-executed and the historical background actually enhanced plot twists that were --even to my jaded eye -- admittedly more clever and unpredictable than the other genre suspense books. I'm sure many others will compare this with Dan Brown but this novel's depth sets it apart (and may disappoint some looking for merely quick pacing at the expense of a thoughtful plot). This novel walks and talks like a thriller, but there are real ideas here, particularly the fragility of the past and how "history is written in fire, but to save it takes only an ember." Most important, in the best tradition of historical thrillers, I'd no idea how much I learned
until the last page was turned.

I found The Last Ember to be a really terrific read. Daniel Levin's debut novel is a thriller full of intrigue, stretching from Jerusalem to Rome and interspersed with biblical history of the Temple Mount that will be of interest to both Christians and Jews. The book addresses current issues of historical revisionism, archeological politics and terrorism.

I can't wait to see the movie!

Daniel Levin's debut novel, "The Last Ember," is fast-paced, well-written and entertaining. The fact that he combines three of my interests (forensic science, antiquities and archaeology) is almost icing on this perfectly created cake.

Levin's protagonist, Jonathan Marcus, is an archaeologist turned lawyer who comes to Rome to prosecute a case. To his surprise, one of the defendants is a former colleague, Emili Travia, from his archaeology days ... and she is trying to present evidence that a particular artifact has been stolen. This artifact is rather familiar to Jonathan, as it is part of his set of studies concerning historian Flavius Josephus.

Throw in a corpse preserved inside a Corinthian column, international terrorism, smuggling and religious jurisdictional issues in the Middle East ... Levin has created a book with numerous layers and subplots that come together artfully at the end in a completely unexpected result.

I am delighted to recommend this to fans of the numerous genres represented in this review. Levin has created a sure-fire bestseller with this work.

(Review based on uncorrected advance proof.)

What hath Dan Brown wrought? In the wake of the vast commercial success of The Da Vinci Code, a number of writers have resorted to imitating Brown's formula in the hope of a bit of fame and or money of their own. Certainly Daniel Levin's The Last Ember is an attempt to ride the Da Vinci bandwagon.

Instead of the Holy Grail, The Last Ember deals with the search for the menorah from the Second Temple, a building destroyed by the Roman's nearly two thousand years ago. This menorah is supposedly a potent symbol of Judaism (and by association, Christianity), and the reestablishment of its existence would give additional historical credence to the ancient Jewish presence in Jerusalem. Conversely, it is the scheme of the Muslim terrorist known only as Salah ad-Din (a name known to more Westerners as Saladin) to find and destroy the menorah, to diminish the historical credibility of the Jews.

Into the fray is thrown Jonathan Marcus, who is obviously modeled after the author: both have degrees in ancient (Roman and Greek) civilization, both went on to get law degrees, and both have worked for a law firm with the initials D & P. Marcus is called to Rome to assist in a legal case involving the provenance of an ancient Roman artifact. Marcus's knowledge helps win the case, but in the process, he realizes the artifact is a clue about the menorah. In addition, it helps bolster his college-days theory that Josephus - generally considered to be one of the great weasels in history - was not a traitor to the Jews, but rather a spy for them in their war with the Romans. Furthermore, Josephus would be responsible for the hiding of the menorah with a series of intricate clues. The hunt is on, with Marcus and Salah ad-Din both seeking the menorah through different (but related means).

The Last Ember is competently written in the sense that Levin is able to move the story along and follow the rules of grammar. On the other hand, this book has some real problems. For those familiar with the suspense genre, The Last Ember is loaded with cliches and coincidences. The characters are cardboard, the plot is predictable and even the supposed big twist - involving Salah ad-Din's true identity - can be seen long in advance.

But suppose you haven't read a lot of these books, so the plot may seem fresh. Even then, the book has problems. Most particularly, Levin doesn't know how to balance exposition and action: the story constantly stalls as the reader is inundated with facts about ancient Rome, many of which have little to do with the story. Even the dialogue is merely a vehicle to disclose additional facts, not give any real insights into the characters

I suppose the fault lies as much with the publisher as with Levin. As a first-time novelist, Levin may be expected to be rough around the edges, but I feel that the publisher was so intent on expoiting the Da Vinci Code craze that it didn't really focus on quality. The Last Ember actually has potential to be a good book, but this potential is unrealized in what we have been given.

Typos, grammatical errors, poor word choices and poor sentence structure made this book difficult to get through. Example: a large, old creaking wooden door "shuttered" (instead of "shuddered") open. A character was described as having the squinty beady eyes of a nocturnal animal [anyone who watches Animal Planet knows nocturnal animals usually have very large eyes...]. More than one character was introduced by the color of his/her hair and style of eyeglasses. The story was entertaining but the weak editing distracted from the experience and I finally simply had to stop reading. Note to author: you tell a good story. Find a strong editor!

I found The Last Ember to be rapidly paced and expertly crafted despite the obvious mountains of research Levin brought to the story. I was actually inspired, while reading, to do some independent research into the history of Flavius Josephus and also the author, himself. (Someone asked if Levin has a website. He does: [...].) Levin has a background in classics and law, and, like Jonathan Marcus, was a visiting scholar at the American Academy in Rome. It's no secret that this book is semi-autobiographical, but only insofar as Marcus' background employs Levin's own field research and expertise.

The dedication, "For my mother, storyteller," is no mistake. As a debut novel, The Last Ember is a masterpiece. Levin takes advantage of his choice to employ a shifting POV, following multiple complex characters, including an incredibly well-rounded villain and sub-villain, each designed with a rich background of religious and ethnic underpinnings. Levin's ability to weave together these characters' disparate worlds into a single, climactic event (the end of this book is no less than heart-wrenching) solidifies Levin's position as a master storyteller.

To dub this book "erudite" is to miss the point entirely. Levin included in this story three arguing cultures and as many religions with one message in mind: History belongs to everyone. To destroy the archaeological totems of one culture is to destroy the history of all of us. I would recommend this book to my fourteen-year-old history nerd goddaughter and also my grandfather, who never finished high school. It has something for everyone who cares a lick about where they come from.

The Lost Menorah
A perfectly preserved 2000 year old female body, religious relics, cryptic messages and codes, ancient espionage, modern day terrorists, international politics, religious history, and biblical archeology all come together in Daniel Levin's debut historical thriller The Last Ember. Although slow to start, once it got going it was a masterful page turner. Brimming with intrigue and action, Mr. Levin has a whole host of interesting characters. The major protagonists are Jonathan Marcus, a young American Lawyer, and a beautiful and very passionate UN preservationist Dr. Emili Travia. The major antagonist is the ruthless terrorist Salah ad-Din (a play on the historic Saladin) who will do anything to find the lost Menorah of the Second Temple and destroy it. Overriding the present day tale is the famed Jewish/Roman historian Flavius Josephus. An extremely complex man of dubious background he rose to great power in Roman Emperor Titus' court. Flavius Josephus' life was beset by ambiguity and this is the cornerstone on which Mr. Levin's intricate tale of a lost religious relic is set. Did Flavius steal the Menorah from Titus and if so where did he hide it? These are the overarching questions that drive this tale of historical intrigue and religious mystery,

This is one of the best Da Vinci Code type historical religious thriller to come along in quite some time. Far superior to Mr. Brown's latest novel, The Lost Symbol. Mr. Levin has obviously done his homework, and in some cases he literally overwhelms the reader with historical information and supposition. There are plenty of interesting facts, codes, and other items to keep the reader engaged. This book is literally a travelogue of Rome, Jerusalem and The Temple Mount. There are plenty of characters and the story sometimes gets bogged down in the number of competing storylines. Still, the story is engaging enough to keep the reader turning the pages at a fast clip.

Character development was rather shallow due primarily to the number of characters involved. Both protagonists, Marcus and Travia, can be developed in future novels as they have much potential depth.

No gratuitous violence, sex, or language. Some of the action got to be a bit over the top but I did enjoy how Mr. Levin ended the story. It will be interesting to see how he follows this well researched historical fiction. Might be tough to do?

Recommended. A very good debut novel. All in all a great read. Worth the price of a hardback IMHO

Daniel Levin's debut novel is a mixed bag. It has a lot of problems, but nonetheless, I see enough promise in this first novel to encourage me that there will be better things to come.

The Last Ember opens with attorney Jonathan Marcus arriving rather abruptly in Rome. Given his background in archeology and classics, he's been summoned by the firm to consult on a case regarding an artifact of questionable provenance. Jonathan hasn't been back to Italy since he was drummed out of the American Academy following a tragic incident. Suddenly, his past is coming back to haunt him, as it is one of his former friends and classmates opposite him on the witness stand.

Jonathan is a talented lawyer and performs his job well, albeit with reservations. He has found a clue in the disputed artifact, something no one else seems to have discovered. Unable to let sleeping dogs lie, Jonathan starts down a path that leads him straight to his recent legal adversary, Dr. Emili Travia. Soon the two realize they are on the same side as they hunt down clues to the Tabernacle Menorah, the eight-foot solid gold menorah from King Herod's court, lost for millennia.

All such chases have obstacles, and in The Last Ember, baddies abound. Unfortunately, the revelation of their identities, both named and unnamed, were ridiculously anticlimactic. I mean, if you can't figure out the identity of "Salah-al-din" before the reveal, I'll, I'll... revoke your library card! A lot of the "surprises" were well telegraphed ahead of time. Another problem with the novel was that Levin has succumbed to some very convenient plotting. Need to find a person with a highly specialized skill set? One of the protagonists knows just the person! Need to escape the country as a fugitive? I've already got a flight lined up! The two protagonists never make a misstep as then untangle clues that have defied scholars and treasure hunters for centuries--but that's good, because the bad guys and the carabinieri are just as adept at solving ancient puzzles and are hot on their trail.

What does Levin get right? Well, I, for one, really liked the way he blended the Jewish and Christian elements of this tale in interesting ways. It's unfortunate that the Muslims are the villains (though by no means are all of the Muslim characters villainous), but that's the reality of the stories being told at this point in our history. (And that's not a spoiler, BTW.) Had the Catholic Church been the bad guys, that would have been equally clichéd. If it had been the Jews, well, let's not go there.

Quite possibly my favorite thing about this novel was the way he really brought Rome and Jerusalem to life. Levin did an excellent job when describing the ubiquitous ruins found in both places, and the way they blend in with contemporary life. I was fascinated with how ancient civilizations literally built right on top of the ruins of what came before, and the underground sequences were marvelously atmospheric!

I think Levin does a really nice job with the secondary characters, with the unfortunate side effect of having the two protagonists appear to be somewhat bland. His prose is fine, and he's very good with pacing. It's not a short book, but Levin kept the pages turning speedily. And overall, it's a fun story he's telling. There's a lot of interesting history and scholarship. Levin is also making a serious comment on historic revisionism. I can be a very critical reader, but I can't deny that there was fun to be had reading this novel. Despite a flawed debut, I'll be willing to check out whatever Levin comes up with next. I think he has real potential.