Customer Reviews

The Lost Scrolls (Rogue Angel, Book 6)

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

 

 

In general, Rogue Angel falls into my category of escapist reading. I really enjoy the series concept - - strong ethical and moral female (of course she is pretty because an ugly or even plain heroine is just unthinkable) archaeological myths examined, supernatural historical Karmic balancing, immortals with issues, and plenty of action. The best stories in this series contain a religious, family or cult force which is racing to discover/secure/steal something that Annja stumbles into during her regular work as an archaeologist. The construction of Archer's good stories is fairly simple: the preface is innocent with unexpected twists, the denouement based upon investigation, revelation and knowledge, and the resolution explosive. This particular episode was one of my least favorite because the history was slighted, the premise of unlimited power from gems was never fleshed out into any plausible concept, nor was the villain's reasoning concerning the new power sensible; relegating this story into just escape and evade the all-knowing and ever-present bad guys. The Lost Scrolls (Rogue Angel)

After the excellent previous volume in the series (FORBIDDEN CITY) this one was a real disappointment. While the rest of the series has been intelligent this one is not. Annja Creed is visiting an Egyptian dig that is uncovering part of the lost library of Alexandria. Some of the scrolls mention Atlantis. Suddenly the dig is attacked and everyone is killed except Annja and a young language expert. The two find themselves running for their lives from an unknown enemy. Annja's companion believes the oil companies are after them because the scrolls might contain information about Atlantis's power supply.

The two start jumping around the globe (who is paying for this?) and enlisting the help of other unusual characters. It all builds to a final battle that isn't included in the book (yes, you heard me right). A final resolution is reached and the dig is reopened as if no one had been killed.

I don't know who penned this one or if it was a rough draft or what but it was a real disappointment. The premise was good but the details were just not there. Annja suddenly can travel all over the world at a moment's notice. She constantly enlists the aid of others instead of being able to stand on her own two feet. The sword is pretty-much out of the picture this time. Finally there is the final battle that wasn't written. Not only does the action completely skips over the action, but we don't get any information about what happened. We don't even learn anything about the scrolls. Very annoying and frustrating. I know there are people who will like this one for its action even if the story is so flawed but it really seems like it should not be part of the series (much like when Martin Caiden first tackled Indiana Jones and made him well-know for being an expert and detailed planner as well as a superb team builder). Skip this one unless you feel you have to read the whole series. If this is the first you have read in the series, rest assured that the rest of the series is better.

An archaeology team has uncovered THE LOST SCROLLS from the Library of Alexandria. According to linguistics expert, Dr. Jadzia Arkadczyk, these scrolls are from Atlantis and detail information that could disrupt the balance of power regarding the world's energy. Annja Creed is skeptical until the archaelogical site is attacked and she and Jadzia barely escape with their lives. Now Annja and Jadzia find themselves on the run where nowhere is safe....

THE LOST SCROLLS is definitely one action packed tale. The action is almost nonstop throughout the book as Annja and Jadzia are fleeing for their lives. Their trail leads them to a series of unlikely comrades in a variety of international locales. The action is of course quite entertaining but almost a bit overwhelming at times.

Annja Creed is a character I have grown to love. As a modern day reincarnation of Joan of Arc, her selflessness and heroism have shined through each of the previous books. In THE LOST SCROLLS, however, her character appeared almost shallow at times and frequently insecure. In contrast, Jadzia has the distinction of being possibly the most annoying character I have ever encountered in a story. Her constant whining and arrogant attitude were distracting, to say the least. One aspect that made this book less appealing that the previous Rogue Angel books was the superficiality exhibited by both female characters.

The frequent leaps of logic were a bit confusing as Annja and Jadzia fled from one place to the next. The overall plot is quite exciting and I like the conspiracy involving Atlantis but the storyline seemed a bit jagged at times as the flow was a bit uneven. While it is fairly well known that Alex Archer is a pseudonym used by several authors, the changing of authors from book to book has never really been apparent as the stories have flowed smoothly together until THE LOST SCROLLS.

THE LOST SCROLLS is yet another addition to the generally superb Rogue Angels series. This tale is easily a stand alone as THE LOST SCROLLS almost reads as if it is separated from the rest of the series. Many of the underlying aspects and themes seem lost or forgotten as the book appears to focus more on the conspiracy of big oil. Perhaps the next book will return to the style and substance that have made the Rogue Angel series so entertaining.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

I very seldom review things but this book offended me in that I paid good money for it yet didn't get any of the value/entertainment I got out of the previous books.

Though lightweight reading I have very much enjoyed the Rogue Angel series. This book though was very disappointing. I wonder that the publisher even accepted the manuscript. To be honest I consider this book to be as much the publishers fault as the authors as the publisher shouldn't have accepted it or printed it. The plot is confusing and lacking in cohesiveness. The story is disjointed and jumps from scene to scene with little to no continuity. It has none of the sense of identity and character for Annja that you get from the earlier books. It's as if someone else wrote this book other than Alex Archer and that they are not a particularly good writer.

I like the earlier books and would recommend them but this one is not worth the price. To be honest it wasn't even worth the time it took to read it. The only reason I finished it was that I kept hoping it would suddenly pull it together and reflect the earlier books.

UPDATE
I have found out that this series is not written by one author but that Alex Archer is a Fake name that the publishers have multiple people write the series under.

After looking at the publishing dates for the books in this series, I figured that there had to be multiple writers. I mean, these books are coming out every couple of months. After reading this book, I was fairly certain this was the case because it is so disjointed and Annja just doesn't seem like the Annja I've come to know and love. After reading the other reviews, I learned that I was right. Yeah me.

I truly love this series so far. The first few books are great enough for me to overlook this one when deciding to continue reading this series. I am definitely going to start reading the next one.

The premise for this book is interesting - archeologists have discovered some scrolls that escaped the burning of the Alexandria library, and these scrolls have some information about Atlantis that Big Oil would like to keep secret. There is a character named Tex who is interesting most of the time. There's a whiney brat/genius linguist named Jadzia. I'm not sure if I like her. She can be annoying as anything, but if she had a little more depth, that would have been OK. There are some gypsy/pirate types that were really interesting, but woefully underdeveloped.

That's pretty much the whole problem with this book - there are some fascinating characters, but the reasons they are fascinating are mostly hinted at, not fully fleshed out. The plot is interesting, but the story doesn't flow smoothly. And the main character, Annja Creed, archeologist and Sword of Joan of Arc wielding superhero, comes off as a shallow damsel in distress. (OK, yes she can still kick butt, but she's not as strong somehow as in other books.) While the previous books in the series seem to have been well researched, this one doesn't delve into any history at all. Yes, they mention Atlantis and the library at Alexandria, but everyone's heard of them. No real interesting tidbits about either were divulged.

Anyway, it's not a bad book, it's just not as great as the previous ones. If this is the one I had started with, I don't know if I would have given the series much of a chance.

It's fluff and, taken as such, is pretty good. The plot is a little harried and disjointed... perhaps a rookie writer on the series? Not sure. The premise is interesting, but the pace falls flat. Still, it's a nice read if not taken too seriously (and I can't see that this series should be taken seriously).

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Annja Creed's latest job is as full of danger as always.

Ancient scrolls are uncovered in Alexandria that are believed to hold vast knowledge about the lost continent of Atlantis. What is revealed on these scrolls are secrets of Atlantian technology that would turn the world's energy concepts upside down.

EuroPetro does not want the information to get out since it would destroy their greedy energy empire and will do anything to stop that from happening, even if it means killing the entire team working on The Lost Scrolls.

Annja's only allies are a fellow American TV Host, Tex, for the network that broadcast's Annja's "Chasing History's Monsters" program and a young Polish girl, Yaja, who is a brilliant linguistics expert, if a little immature and hot-headed. Their enemies chase them across Europe and Asia in a race against time to protect the scrolls.

The concept behind this particular chapter in the Rogue Angel series is fascinating. I love all the legends surrounding the mythical Atlantis so that part of the storyline would have guaranteed my reading it even if I was not already hooked on the series. The idea of oil companies being threatened by some new and advanced energy technology is sadly, something I could see happening in the real world. Mystery abounds in many ways which kept my interest from beginning to end.

The secondary cast of characters adds depth to the story as each one has their own little quirks. I was amused by Yaja's unfortunate problem with short circuiting electronics merely by touching them, if she isn't careful. I have a cousin who years ago could not wear battery operated watches because her body's natural electricity would kill the battery so I especially enjoyed that little minor detail. Tex also is a very intriguing character and I'd have loved more opportunity to get to know him through The Lost Scrolls. Annja's development continues as well as we see her settling into her reluctant role as protector of all things good and it's enticing to see how this added responsibility has made a difference in her life.

I'm still loving this series but I need to take a short break from Rogue Angel after The Lost Scrolls. I am afraid I'll burn out on the series after so many back to back like I read through book 6. It is starting to feel like in the audio versions, less emphasis is being placed on the characters and their growth and more focus is being put on the violence like blood, guts, sword and gun fights. One scene actually turned my stomach a little bit over the explicit detail of the gore. That part is starting to grate on me a bit so I think I'll take a breather and listen to one or two books not from the series before I come back to Rogue Angel.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, February 2009. All rights reserved.

I've read the Rogue Angel series through #9 and enjoy most of them. This is the exception. I have no objection to the violence in the books- they are a basic part of the Rogue Angel formula. The difference is that other books in the series have a basic narrative within which the violence occurs. This book has a very limited plot tied together by fight scenes. It reminds me of movies like "Die Hard". If you like that kind of story, you might enjoy this book.

Out of the books that have been written, I have flown through this one the fastest.

I came across this series following a thread of reviews of other books, and based on reviews I started reading it. It's lightweight but highly enjoyable. Until this one. This entry in the series has so many problems I can't list them all, especially without spoilers. I have not made the effort to post a review before, but people deserve to be warned away from this book.

In this book, Annja bears little resemblance to the woman of the earlier books. She doesn't have moments of introspection so much as nervous breakdowns. The action scenes are even less believable than usual. The characters are even more two-dimensional (hell, one-dimensional). The plot makes no sense whatsoever, and that's after allowing for the gaping holes in it. And the deus ex machina ending made my gorge rise.

I'll be more careful before buying the next few in the series, hoping to avoid any more by this author. I would advise any fan of the series to simply skip this one.

By the way, I was worried from the start when I noticed that the print was a larger font, so that there are only about half as many words per page in this book, making it a far shorter book (to compare, my copy of an earlier entry has 33 lines per page, while Lost Scrolls has only 24).