The Sanctuary by Raymond Khoury Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Sanctuary
Book Review: The Sanctuary
Summary: 4 Stars
I certainly did look forward to reading this latest Khoury novel. I have to say that I enjoyed 'The Last Templar' a wee bit more. Khoury's subject matter is always intriguing. This novel started with a bang and then it seemed to get a bit wordy with sporadic action between. I still really liked it though.
Yes this is fiction. Speculative fiction. It should be enjoyed as such.
It brings up an interesting subject. What are the ramifications of a drug or elixir that can extend life another 100 years?
From inside: "...Life is defined by the ambition, the need, the urge, to avoid death. That's what makes us human. It's why we have doctors and hospitals. We're the only species that's aware of our own mortality, we're the only species that actually has the capability, the intellect, the awareness, to aspire to defeat it. It's been an ambition of man ever since we've walked on the planet. It's part of our evolutionary process"
Book Review: The Sanctuary by Raymond Khoury
Summary: 5 Stars
This story took me back to an earlier century and a time when the Pope and Catholic church discouraged independent thinking outside of what the church insisted you know. The very idea of longevity was sacrilege and not allowed to be discussed within the church. The plot takes you back and forth through early centuries up to modern Iraq/Lebanon (post Desert Storm war). It explores the good and bad of long-life and society acceptance. Mr. Khoury's style of writing and plot will keep you on the edge of your seat and totally involved throughout the story line as a villian or hero is revealed page by page. Another must read is THE LAST TEMPLAR by Mr. Khoury also. Happy reading.Book Review: These shouldn't be called review, but opinions
Summary: 2 Stars
I purchased this book right before vacation because I was able to get it for $15. I'm glad I didn't pay any more for it. This was my first book by Khoury (and will probably be my last).
The best part of the book was the dust jacket description; that was well written. The parts of the story that I felt were written the best were the flashbacks to previous centuries. The writing about modern times seemed forced and somewhat contrived. I got the distinct feeling that this book was written because the author forced himself to write it, not because he had a story to tell. The writing got better as the book progressed, but the story got a little "heavy handed".
This book would make an acceptable beach book (thus the two stars instead of one). It'd give you something to do when you get bored watching the other people on the beach, or the crabs skittering across the sand and cleaning out their little "burrows", or watching the waves crashing.
Book Review: Tour de Force - Great Read!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was a very pleasant shock after reading the last Templar. There are similarities in the way the story weaves between the past and present, but the interwoven details of Beirut, the surrounding country, as well as extreme south eastern Turkey and extreme northern Iraq, the people, the sites, delights and hazards were a real treat.
The location of the end of the book is fascinating - and entirely believable, an interesting thing too is it is not far from the part of the old USSR where people in a remote isolated village were said to possess just such a secret. Documentation of it all was impossible because the people were too old for what were considered "reliable records" to have been kept. All that could be verified about these people was they were very very old and in exceptionally good physical condition.
Another thing which is great about this book is the note at the end from the author - with a further discussion of the big secret and bringing it into the context of what is verifiably real, along with links to further information.
The story moved from one shock to another - with twists and subtleties that drew me in and kept me hooked. It was far better, far more believable than DaVinci Code. I was thrown by the mention of Hyenas - but have learned that detail as well as the threat of wolves is very real in those mountains. I am perplexed by some of the other reviews - I had to read them to learn why this book wasn't rated a solid 5 stars. It's still a mystery. Because I quite simply can't recommend this book too highly.
I have little patience for most novels, but I'll read anything I can get from this exceptional author.
Book Review: When you've already seen the inflight movie.
Summary: 2 Stars
Two and a half stars would be more like it. Wanted to like this book and thought that it got off to a brisk start. Characters didn't develop over the course of 460 pages, so much as suddenly lurch into a whole new direction. The role of lead protagonist keeps shifting from one character to another so that ultimately there is no real focus or emotional connection.
Author goes to a great effort to create a detestable arch-villain, capable of horrific crimes, but the character is dispatched quickly at the end, with no real commitment by the author to address or "rescue" the victims.
Great historical detail about some little known periods of Near East history and cultural developments, but some read as if the author was preparing an article for the Britannica. Moves quickly as a page turner, but at the end comes across as ho-hum, so what.