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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More adventure than revelation, August 29, 2006
This review is from: The Lucifer Gospel (Mass Market Paperback)
If you're a Dan Brown fan and are looking for more revelations, mysteries and puzzles, be warned that this isn't the book for you. Sure, the cover says "The Lucifer Gospel" and the blurb says "an earthshaking truth", but in fact this is more an Indiana Jones-type archaeological adventure with the requisite bad guys, secret passages and creepy crawlies, except that some of them are underwater.
The star, Finn Ryan, is female (which is great) with a multi-purpose macho sidekick to do the rough stuff, but she quickly proves that she's not going to hide in his shadow at crunch time. Starting with an archaeological expedition in the Sahara, Finn and Virgil (the macho sidekick) find a lot more than they originally bargained for, and when they uncover an ancient medallion with an inscription about a secret gospel, their adventure takes them across continents to an under-whelming finale.
Author Paul Christopher won't win any kudos from the tourism boards of Egypt and the Bahamas, and although this is a fast paced action/adventure, if you're buying this based on the blurbs, you'll find it a devilish deception.
Rated: 3.5 stars
Amanda Richards, August 29, 2006
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
shallow yet entertaining, August 29, 2006
This review is from: The Lucifer Gospel (Mass Market Paperback)
I picked up this novel in the Orlando Airport and had managed to finish 1/3 of it by the time my plane touched down in Albany. Mr. Christopher is very adept at setting up scenes and moving the action along at a breakneck pace. The weakness of this novel is Mr. Christopher's inability to flesh out his characters and plot which would have turned this novel into a first rate Preston/Child thriller rather than a sketchy travelogue.
Not to say that "The Lucifer Gospel" isn't entertaining. The novel is a fast read with locales stretching from Egypt to the deserts of Libya, Italy, France, the Bahamas and Illinois (how does Illinois fit in with those exotic locations? You'll find out!) Finn Ryan is hired onto an archeological expedition in Libya led by the enigmatic and mysterious Mr. Adamson, the grandson of an infamous evangelist who just happens to be a little bit crazy. She meets photographer Virgil Hilts who also happens to be working on the dig and together they endure numerous Indiana Jones style troubles pertaining to the discovery of a long lost gospel carried by a Roman soldier named Lucifer Africanus (Anyone thinking that the Lucifer in the novel was THE Lucifer will be sorely disappointed)that will reveal stunning revelations that will rock the world... The plot has been repeated many times the past five years but those who like this sort of book will still be intrigued even though the last third of the book is a tremendous let down.
Like "The Da Vinci Code", Mr. Christopher's novel is a nice bit of reading for a summer day, not to be taken too seriously as it is not deep or well written enough to merit serious consideration.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
don't buy this - borrow it from the library first, October 10, 2006
This review is from: The Lucifer Gospel (Mass Market Paperback)
I was so disappointed in this book. Story lines were left unfinished and explanations were lacking. The female main character, Finn, was supposed to be brilliant but there were times she seemed completely clueless and actually dumb. This author is a Dan Brown wannabe without success. The characters were not particularly likable or unlikable. Certain references using teenage lingo are unnecessary, for example, what is a "wifebeater" as a piece of men's clothing. To me, a wifebeater is an abusive man who should be in jail. SInce I don't know what a 'wifebeater" is in men's clothing, I guess I'm just too old for this book. In addition, the two main characters, finn and Hilts, spend the majority of the book just running from various pursuers and little time was spent developing what the Lucifer Gospel really was. Don't buy this book - borrow it.
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