This book was written in the same style as the previous one, "the book of names", with a lot of action and a very fast pace. The main character, Nathalie Landau, a Jewish museum curator, receives a jewel in the form of an eye, sent by her sister, who gets beaten to death right after having found the jewel, which she thinks is not particularly valuable. What follows is a continuous battle to keep the jewel out of the hands of the malignant people who don't hestitate to kill to retrieve the jewel, which appears to date back to the time of the creation of earth. The story never gets boring, but I feel the constant confrontations with the cold blooded opportunistic ennemies, and subsequent heroism of Miss Landau, do not always make the story credible. A journalist is helping her, but he 's a rather irrelevant character. Moreover, there is little sympathy throughout the story for the innocent people who are ruthlessly slaughtered, as if these are just common facts. I prefer a thriller with more attention for the background and motive behind the crimes. But the story gives us some background history, which is very interesting, for believers as well as atheists. Anyway, am looking forward to reading more books of the duo Tintori/Gregory. When Natalie receives a small gift from her sister, from Iraq where Dana is a reporter for a major news station, Natalie feels like there might be hope to salvage their shaky relationship. But when she finds out that Dana was killed, and her cameraman is missing, Natalie cannot rest until she finds the truth behind the antique necklace and pouch. And she's hoping that Joe D'Amato will be able to help her.I'm a sucker when it comes to action/adventure/intrigue type of stories, and mix religion into it I'm a very happy reader. I absolutely love the genre, and truth be told, I don't think I'll tire of it anytime soon. So it isn't surprising that I was hooked right from the beginning. I couldn't put the book down...good thing it was a P.A. day and the kids kept busy with video and board games...because I needed the time to read.Compared to the authors' previous book, The Book of Names, is was more violent. Which within the context of the story I found that it wasn't out of place, but in my opinion there was a little too much of it. I think it may have helped my need to finish the book, I wanted the good guys to win. I enjoyed the explanation of the Light, the way it was created and the reason behind the various groups wanting it. I liked both Natalie and Joe, they made a good partnership, but it would have been nice to have more background on other characters.
What do You think about Illumination, The (2009)?
A very simplistic thriller in the vein of The Da Vinci Code. A good, no-fuss weekend read.
—silas_writ
after reading this last year, I was kinda scared to go to sleep.
—Justin
A fast paced ride through the Middle East. Well worth a read!
—RhondaR
Not as good as "The Book of Names," but interesting.
—Kie
