First of all I should disclose that I am a Simon Toyne fan. He captivated me with the first book of his trilogy, Sanctus. The notion of an underground movement to release the Goddess into our male dominated world I found to be truly original. The idea became more and more plausible as Mr. Toyne continued his story into the second book The Key. By the time I finished reading this second installment, I couldn’t believe I was expected to wait for the author to finish writing the third and for it to be released by the publisher. By this time I had become such a Toyne addict that when I learned The Tower would be available in the UK six weeks before the US, I ordered the UK edition. Now that the final installment is available in the US, I feel a bit smug at having read it before the rest of Toyne’s American audience. I don’t want to create a spoiler here, so I will simply quote the synopsis from the dust jacket: “The forbidden Citadel at the heart of the ancient Turkish city of Ruin opens its gates for the first time in history. Why now, after centuries of secrecy? “A deadly disease has erupted within, and threatens to spread beyond its walls. Infected charity worker Gabriel Mann may hold the cure –but can one dying man stop an epidemic? “Without him Liv Adamsen, a former journalist, is vulnerable, surrounded by strangers in the desert oasis that is her new home. Liv, however, has far bigger concerns than just her own life… “In the USA, newly qualified FBI agent Joe Shepherd investigates the disappearance of NASA’s most senior professor. Is it a vanishing act, or something darker? Shepherd’s investigation approaches a powerful conspiracy with a global reach, and profound consequences. “For them all, this much is clear: something big is coming. Something that will change everything. But will it be a new beginning or The End of Days?” Mr. Toyne’s books are not the garden variety mysteries. There are no old ladies or self-possessed inspectors here. Instead, his story germinates from a part of the world most of us have not visited, the interior of Turkey. The spark that sets everything into action is the suicide of an American monk who resided at a monastery called The Citadel. Even the name foreshadows the battle to come. This, however, is also not your typical Church conspiracy puzzle involving the Knights Templar, Messianic bloodlines or Masonic mysteries. This is a full-blown, action packed power struggle. The adage is ‘knowledge is power.’ The monks of the Citadel have amassed a library of the entire world’s knowledge which is off limits to all but the members of a particular rank of the hierarchy, and certainly closed to the outside world. The hierarchy wields such power that there is no conflict or strife or disease within the confines of the monastery. All are devoted to The Sacrament even though only the top echelon knows or understands what it is. Once the sacrament is released into the world, circumstances change. A mysterious plague is unleashed and all available resources are engaged to recover it. Allegiances shift like desert sand leaving the reader to wonder who the good guys are. In true fashion of the genre, readers are given the ah-ha at the end. I have two complaints I would lodge against Mr. Toyne. The first is that his books are such page-turners nearly 500 pages don’t last very long. The second is that I will have to go to readers rehab now that this series has come to an end.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:07:46 +0000
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