Customer Reviews

The Radix

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm lament to say it, since I'm a huge horror fan, but I'm getting to the point where the action-adventure thriller genre is becoming my favorite. That reason is because of books like The Radix by new author Brett King. You can throw Andy McDermott, Scott Mariani, James Rollins, David Wood and J.G. Sandom on that list as well. I was very impressed for the most part with this high octane thriller. It's very intriguiing and informational. There's plenty of action and once the book gets going there are some really nice plot twists and it doesn't let up til the end. There's a substantial betrayal about a third of the way through that you probably won't see coming. The characters are fairly well drawn. I just wish the main protagonist, John Brynstone, had been better described. Basically, all we learn in the book, as far as his appearance goes, is that he's tall, dark haired, and got broad shoulders. There may have been one other thing I forgot.

It took til about page 100 or so before the book really started picking up steam. I couldn't hardly get into it until then. Thank goodness because it ended up being a fantastic book. Major gripes I have is, The Radix, seems to be lacking in mystery. This novel has been touted as being a historical mystery, among other things. There was some mystery, as far as what The Radix was and all of the secret coding. Also, I think the whole Carl Jung(he was a real life psychologist) thing kind of detracted from the overall plot and made it more convoluted than it needed to be(read it and you may see what I mean...it seemed to make it more confusing than necessary). The ending was rather good and I like it that the author didn't pull any punches as some do. Aside from a few minor complaints I thought this was an excellent first novel.

As I mentioned earlier, the book is really informative. Do you know where the Rx symbol for drugs came from? What about why we where a wedding ring on the "ring finger"? Read the book and find out. I don't know how much of the book is fact, but it seemed to be factual to me. What is the Radix you ask? Well, let's just say it's similar to the Holy Grail, in a way. Oh, and as you may already know, many people in the book are after it. Very intriguing premise!

I can't say for sure if I would ever reread this book, but it was more than worth my time to read through it once. As stated before, it's got a little bit of everything. Action, adventure, plot twists, betrayals, secrets, fast pace, mostly well developed characters, plenty of suspense, and a nice story to back it all up. I definitely recommend you pick this up if you're a fan of James Rollins/Clive Cussler type books. I give it 4.25 stars out of 5 or an 8.5 out of 10.

What's really cool is this is the first book in the series! Definitely looking forward to the next one...

If you'd like a synopsis of the book click on the book cover amazon has listed where it says "look inside" then click on back cover and zoom and you're there!

I am a rather avid reader and started a list of books read so I don't purchase the same ones twice (getting older!). This is book 143 on the list chronologically however I put it at the top of all books as it is one of those special books that you better not start unless you have time to keep reading to the fantastic finish. I can't imagine the research it took the author to find and tie so many places and events in history together in this incredible thriller. I could hardly resist heading to the Internet to dig into some of the people, places, and historical information that keeps coming up but I could not stop reading! I absolutely can't wait for his next book!

I'm not much into historical mysteries, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Lots of plot twists and fun facts thrown in. It moved fast and was fun to the end.

This book is an excellent match for people who enjoy thrillers by James Rollins and Steve Berry, this author has a very similar writing style. I love fact-filled fiction and thrillers like The Radix because not only do they include interesting research and detail, but they also keep me turning pages. This book is GREAT, really looking forward to the sequel from Brett King!

This book was great. I'm a fan of the Clive Cussler books, but I have to say that this one was better. It went in depth historically, all the while creating a really compelling story from start to finish. I stumbled across this book in Barnes and Noble, and figured I'd give it a read. Before I knew it, I couldn't put it down. I was totally consumed for two days!

I hope this is the beginning of a new series, because I want more material from Brett King.

Good thriller but not reinventing the wheel. If you're a fan on James Rollins you will probably like this book.

Fantastic book, that keeps you reading. Several family members had a hard time putting down the book, because they wanted to know what would happen next. Can't wait for the second book to read.

The Radix was a great action thriller to read from a first-time author. The Radix is a medicinal plant that was thought to have become extinct centuries ago. A difficult mission turns out even more difficult than expected as the **real** purpose has been shrouded in lies. Add in the cross-purposes by other parties, and this is a non-stop adventure. You WILL have trouble putting this book down.

Typical reviews refer to The Radix as a thrill ride, and entertaining from start to finish. Hard to argue with that. Lately I have been reading novels in the genre of adventure/thriller, with a focus on treasure hunting and puzzle solving. The Radix is one of the best I have picked up so far.

The story was very entertaining throughout, with no lulls whatsoever. The parallel subplots worked well and the switching between them was not too frequent or jarring, and constantly left me wanting to read more. In addition, the author had obviously done thorough research on historical artifacts, Carl Jung, geography, and numerous other topics throughout the book, injecting fictional elements in conjunction with his own theories to create a very exciting story. The complement of imagination to real-world facts worked extremely well, and continuously maintained my interest.

Character development was also well done. By the end I had really gotten to know Brynstone and his traveling companions, without drowning in too much detail. The plot twists around the characters were unexpected in most cases, and there were quite a few surprises.

In summary, I highly recommend this book to those wanting highly entertaining thriller/adventure fiction. I finished my reading experience having felt fulfilled, and also learning a few things. I can't wait for the next book!

Oh my God what a ride . THIS IS SUCH GOOD BOOK I LOVED IT. YEA A NEW BOOK IN 2011 . LOVE THIS AUTHER.