In Tongues of the Dead (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: seventy generations, Cardinal Espinosa, Father Valori, New Haven (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of this flawed thriller from Canadian author Kelln (Method of Madness), an autistic boy appears to be able to read the real-life Voynich manuscript, a 500-year-old book written in a language that linguists, historians, religious scholars and even advanced decryption technology can't decipher. By the time Fr. Benicio Valori, a Vatican investigator, arrives at Yale University's Beinecke Library, where the mysterious manuscript is housed, the book is missing from its display room and what's left of a security guard lies nearby. Disregarding orders from his superiors to suspend the mission, Valori uncovers some bombshell revelations concerning the existence of rogue angels, their forsaken offspring and a coverup of biblical proportions. Da Vinci Code fans will enjoy the seamless blend of fact and fiction, pedal-to-the-metal pacing and provocative religious speculation, but the ending comes as a letdown after the exciting build-up. (Apr.)
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Review

"Kelln's new novel weds the real-life phenomenon of the indecipherable Voynich Manuscript, housed in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale, to the Biblical myth of the Nephilim . . . Kelln's straightforward style moves the story along at the quick pace essential to a good thriller."  —Quill & Quire

"A compelling religious thriller, skillfully woven within real-life mysteries."  —Hamilton Spectator

"A page-turner and the writing [is] solidly strong from beginning to end. . . . Kelln is adept at guiding us through the intricacies of church history and scientific theory without ever dropping the thread of the narrative."  —Atlantic Books Today

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Ecw Press (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550228307
• ISBN-13: 978-1550228304
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (72 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,255,171 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poorly written, full of obvious plot twists, February 19, 2009

By	C. Merced (Stamford, CT and sometimes in Puerto Rico) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

(What's this?)

I had intended to start my review by commenting that 'In Tongues of the Dead' was "a rookie effort by a rookie author." But, when I looked up information on the author, I discovered that Brad Kelln had written at least two other books. Books I will not be reading.

The book is based on a great premise. An autistic child seems to be able to read the Voynich Manuscript, a mysterious and undeciphered book held at a Yale library. According to the premise of the book, the book holds the secrets of the nephilim, the children born from the union of angels and human women. A priest, Father Benicio Valori, must protect the child from the angels that are after him and from his own church, since the Vatican is also after the child.

Although the book has an interesting premise, it is poorly executed. The writing seemed to belong more to that of a beginner's writing class than that of an author who has already written a couple of books. The writing is too obvious, too prosaic (both in language and events) and full of predictable, if not fool's proof, plot "twists". The narration is forced, trying too hard, forcing the intrigue and suspense early on in the novel. The author fails to weave the story naturally, forgetting to let each piece fall into place at its appropriate time. Instead, the writer seems to be working with a puzzle that has been finished from the beginning; all the pieces are in place, there is nothing much to discover and all the characters will eventually, and miraculously, bump into each other some way or another, in the middle of the street, as if it were the most natural thing that should be occuring.

The characters themselves are uni-dimensional and barely fleshed out. They are merely shells and react as such. For example, the Vatican sends two henchmen who are nothing more than two stupid thugs. Come on! The Vatican must have better resources than that! Further, the characters in the books seem all too willing and fast to lose their convictions and beliefs. Priests, Vatican henchmen, and the other characters are all put together with cheap tape and they are not holding together well.

The book is not engaging but, at least it is a fast read.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Duped into the Dead., February 4, 2009

By	The Matrix Fan "Video Gamer since 1979." - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

(What's this?)

I was drawn to this book by the selling point of an autistic child that could somehow read a 500-year-old religious text that no one else could. After finishing it, I realized I was tricked into reading a book that I would have ignored otherwise.

Many of the characters in this novel are one-dimensional. Jenna, Benicio, Maury & Jeremy, Azazel & Shemhazai, Father McCallum, and even Matthew himself have little to no background stories. This makes it very hard to care about what happens to them. Since the book's author is a clinical psychologist, it's not surprising that he gave the most depth to the character of Dr. Jake Tunnel, also a psychologist.

From their actions and words, Maury and Jeremy should have been named Beavis and Butthead. The mere idea of a secret Vatican branch sending two foul-mouthed bumbling imbeciles like these to keep a 500-year-old secret from coming to light is completely ridiculous. There are allusions to several evil deeds they have done in the name of the Vatican, but they are never discussed.

Azazel and Shemhazai had my interest from the get-go, but very little is said about them. I would have liked hearing about their generations of suffering and torment. However, this was not explored further.

Much of the novel is told in paint-by-numbers format: So-and-so goes here. A phone call is made to the Vatican. They are followed. They escape. Another phone call is made to the Vatican. They are followed. They escape. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I was very surprised at the weak faith of the characters. Maury and Jeremy fashion their entire lives believing they are Nephilim. Benicio gives them a quick pep talk and all of a sudden, they aren't so sure of themselves. Benicio sees Jenna once after thirteen years and out of nowhere, he's ready to leave the church for her. For characters that claim to be doing God's work, their faith certainly folded like lawn chairs.

It's no surprise that Matthew's autism is clearly used as a selling point for this book. But where is the development? He was poorly depicted as an autistic child who screams whenever he's touched, has no problem urinating outside a public restroom (and yet uses one properly later in the novel) and is mute until he sees the Voynich and begins to speak. His character was stereotypical and quite frankly, insulting. It felt like the author took a quick glance at the definition of autism and slapped the label on this character without bothering to do any research. An attempt is made to justify this with both Benicio and Jake saying they never kept up with child psychology and don't remember much about autism.

Now, I can accept the existence of the Voynich document, and I am willing to accept the existence of the Grigori and the Nephilim, but all it took was one part to ruin the book for me.

Benicio talks about God using the great flood as a means to kill off the Nephilim:

"...When he tried to kill them off, he destroyed the world. Only he didn't get everyone. A few humans survived, and a few Nephilim survived."

Okay, this is where I say WHAT? He didn't get everyone?

Umm...I'm no expert on theology, but the idea of God "trying" to kill someone off is ridiculous. That's like believing a cockroach can hide on a white rug. If God wants someone gone, they're gone. I couldn't suspend my disbelief on that.

The last portion of the book attempted to clean up all the loose ends, but by this time, I was ready for it to be over. This novel felt like a combination of the worst parts of the films "Mercury Rising" and "Fallen". I wouldn't recommend this book.

However, if you have an interest in autism, I would strongly recommend The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time for your fictional needs, or The Way I See It for non-fiction.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The DaVinci Code revisited, April 16, 2009

By	Zombob (U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

(What's this?)

I didn't hate this book, but I didn't love it either. A homage to the DaVinci Code in many ways. I felt that a majority of the characters were underdeveloped, and a few of them were very cartoonish in their actions. The plot was okay, but I had a feeling of deja vu; I've been down this road before and down better roads. This book was just an okay read. If you're looking for The DaVinci Code redux, then you'll probably enjoy this, if you're looking for something more original, then pass this one up.