The Sanctuary by Raymond Khoury Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Sanctuary
Book Review: A bold thriller filled with enough adventure, excitement and speculation to fill three books
Summary: 5 Stars
It's hard to believe that Raymond Khoury's debut novel, THE LAST TEMPLAR, was released only a year ago. Primarily known as a screenwriter for film and television, Khoury immediately established himself as a successful thriller novelist. He further secures his position with his sophomore effort, which may well be the most ambitious fictional work of 2007.
THE SANCTUARY is broad in scope and bold in premise. Spanning time from 1750 to the present, and the world from Italy to the Middle East, the book concerns a quest for that most elusive of treasures: the elixir of, if not immortality, then a greatly increased lifespan. Chief among those engaged in the pursuit is the hakeem, a medical genius whose brilliance is exceeded only by the single-minded barbarism of his experiments. A legendary text --- a mysterious, ancient volume bearing the image of the Ouroboros, a dragon-like snake swallowing its own tail --- once thought to be lost forever and rumored to contain the lost secret of prolonged life suddenly surfaces.
The mere possibility of its authenticity sets off a violent chain reaction of hot pursuit involving the hakeem and a number of enigmatic individuals, including Evelyn Bishop, an archeologist who finds herself at the center of the hunt and whose brief affair with a mysterious stranger some three decades previously may have indirectly set the current events in motion.
Each of the players has an agenda of some kind, but it quickly becomes evident that the hakeem will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. This includes kidnapping Bishop, with the result that her daughter, Mia, is brought dramatically into the proceedings along with two strangers, one of whom has an odd and significant tie not only to Bishop but to the very secret that everyone wishes to possess. The action is almost non-stop, and on those rare occasions when things do slow down a bit, it is tacitly understood that the respite will be temporary.
Khoury's research here is incredibly thorough, so much so that one can only marvel at his ability to keep the story on track, given the multitude of ancillary stories that easily could have been pursued by the historical issues raised. Perhaps one or more of them will be the topic of another work --- I'm hoping for something involving the Phoenicians --- but THE SANCTUARY has enough adventure, excitement and speculation to fill three books.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Book Review: A huge disappointment from Khoury
Summary: 1 Stars
I really liked Khoury's first novel, "The Last Templar", and gave it a rave review last year when it first hit the shelves. I was eagerly awaiting his next book.
What a disappointment. Most writers improve upon the skills they exhibit in their first published work; sadly, Khoury hasn't pulled this off. I didn't think it was possible for a writer to become formulaic with only two published works, but sadly that's what's happened here.
Whereas I found "Templar" to be original, fast paced, and with richly drawn characters, "Sanctuary" was simply a "Templar" knock-off without the upside. The characterizations were flat and - in some cases - confusing. Characters suddenly changed actions and apparent motivations mid-stream simply as a device to create surprise twists in a mundane and linear plot. The "McGuffin" of the story (I won't reveal it so as not to spoil it for others) was unbelievable, and again lacked clarity. Whereas in "Templar" the flashback scenes almost stole the whole book, in "Sanctuary" they were - again - muddled and disjointed.
Further, Khoury wrote this whole thing in the breathless style of pulp fiction, with non-stop chases and gunfights, and cliché damsels-in-distress. Frankly, that's pretty boring. Look at some of Tom Clancy's best work; the scenes of actual violence are few and far between, used to great effect as highlights to the plot, not as the only point to the story. As Hitchcock said, it's not the violence that's terrifying, it's the anticipation of the violence. Khoury needs to learn that lesson.
One last thing. Whoever edited this book needs to take another crack before the paperback version comes out. There are a lot of misusages of American English, unforgivable for a book in which the central characters are all Americans. For example, many times in the book, when writing about a gun being pointed at another character, Khoury refers to the end of the gun barrel as the gun's "nozzle". I don't know what Khoury's native language is, but fire hoses have "nozzles". Guns have "muzzles".
Sorry, can't recommend this one at all.
Book Review: Drags on, and on, and ONNNNNN...
Summary: 1 Stars
I did NOT like this book - too coppy and no explanations of how any; of the many plot changes rally occur.Book Review: Excellent, Intriguing and Rewarding
Summary: 4 Stars
I enjoyed Khoury's first novel, "The Last Templar." Khoury's considerable screenwriting talents drove the plot, making the story play like a movie inside my head as I read it. As he has mentioned in numerous interviews, Khoury originally created "The Last Templar" as a screenplay, and the book was accordingly cinematic from beginning to end.
Good as "Templar" is, Khoury's second novel, "The Sanctuary," is far richer. In "Sanctuary" we find Khoury maturing as a true novelist, rather than a screenwriter. The characters in "Sanctuary" are not created for the screen, but for the page. They are deeper, more nuanced, and most interestingly, more flawed than the ones in "Templar." The "Sanctuary" characters are as multifaceted, and at times as unpredictable, as Beirut, the fascinating city in which much of the story occurs. Beirut itself, a city where what one feels is often incongruent with what one sees, is as much a character as the people Khoury propels through the enthralling action in "Sanctuary." The city mirrors the characters' individual struggles to balance hope and despair, joy and terror, survival and destruction.
The most compelling aspect of the novel is its theme, urging us to assess not only the benefits, but the consequences and responsibilities of living lives much longer than those afforded us by current actuarial tables. The novel wisely suggests our instinctive desire for materially extended lifespans be contemplated with as much focus on the qualitative as on the quantitative. It may not be so axiomatic whoever breathes longest, breathes best.
"The Sanctuary" is a very entertaining novel, by a very astute novelist. It's the best novel I've read this year. I recommend it highly.
Book Review: Fast read that bogs down
Summary: 3 Stars
I found the book a fast read, faster and more riveting than The Last Templar. The scenes read like a movie script for a Matt Damon movie. However, the last part of the book became very convoluted as characters switched from good guy to bad guy and bad guy to good guy. Plot twists are fine, but Indiana Jones would never step out of character.
It seemed that Khoury reached a point in his writing where he didn't know how to end the book.
I felt the secret society connection should have been explained more and had a bigger role in the overall plot.
Yes, I enjoyed the book. I was just hoping for a little bit more.