Like Dan Brown, Steve Berry is a guilty pleasure kind of read for me. And for the record, I don’t care much about historical accuracy (or inaccuracy, in Brown’s case,) I just like alternate history and the way these authors spin their stories.I’ve read only 2 other books by Berry so far: The Amber Room and The Venetian Betrayal. I’ve come to like Cotton Malone as a protagonist in Venetian, so it took a while to adjust to someone different, like Miles Lord here in The Romanov Prophecy.I got used to him alright, but I didn’t really like Miles all that much. The Romanovs, Rasputin, and the other historical side-characters were more interesting, which says a lot, considering most of them are dead throughout most of the book. Miles just seems to serve as a focal point for the plot to move forward, and that’s pretty much it. Heck, even characters who appear only during the last few chapters were more interesting than Miles. (Sorry, Miles. I mean, if you haven’t figured out who was really after you after all those security breaches, then… *shrug*)I also had a problem with the first half of the book, which, although it began with a murder attempt (which is as good a beginning as any,) seemed to drag. Berry got into the more intriguing part of the plot–the “treasure hunt”–only about halfway through.What pushed me to continue reading, though, were my interest in the conspiracy surrounding the alleged survival of Anastasia and Alexei, and several years’ worth of fascination with the Imperial Easter Eggs.Did you say Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs, Steve? Now you have my attention.Ever since high school, when I read about the eggs in Judith Krantz’s Princess Daisy (my mother liked Judith Krantz, and there was a time when I had to rely on her for books to read,) I’ve read up on them and Googled them several times. I like looking at the pictures and reading about the history of each egg and finding out where they are now.In this book, Berry used the Lilies of the Valley egg as a plot point. This egg was given by Tsar Nicholas II to the Tsarina Alexandra on Easter (April 5) 1898. It is made of gold, rose pink and green enamel, diamonds, rubies, and pearls.All the Imperial Eggs have a surprise; this one’s are miniature portraits of the Tsar and their 2 elder daughters painted on ivory, which are revealed by turning a pearl knob.The egg is now part of the collection of The Link of Times Foundation (Russia). And that’s all for today’s Imperial Easter Egg lesson. :PThe ending of the book felt a bit rushed. I wanted more of a closure between Miles, Akilina, and the mysterious Semyon Pachenko, who served as the starting point for their quest, as well as some kind of crackdown on the people behind the manipulation of the Tsarist Commission. A royal coronation is well and good as endings go, but I wish Berry provided a few more details to wrap things up.
Didn't really like this book at all. The only reason I kept reading was because I found some of the story that was actually about the Romanovs fairly interesting. If a book has either the Romanovs, Cesare Borgia, ancient Greece/Rome, or Arthurian legend, chances are...I'll like it. So it is saying a lot that I didn't like this book. If you like formulaic conspiracy books (a la Da Vinci Code) it is possible you might like it. But I hate those kinds of books. Small people caught up in something bigger than them, always a man and a woman and some pathetic attempt at sexual tension, people out to kill them to keep the secret, old pretentious men who give unrealistic monologues full of information that they have spent their entire lives doing nothing but researching, following ridiculous clues around the world, and always ending up successful with dues ex machina moments in which the characters learn all the historical information is contrary to the facts that most people believe and cause all the pieces of the puzzle to neatly fall into place. Sorry if I ruined the book (and every other conspiracy book out there) for you ;) You start right in the middle of the action. I get the purpose of this, to bring the reader in, but I had absolutely no connection to the character and that feeling continued throughout the book. Things about the lives of the characters (I guess to help you relate? unsuccessful) are thrown in via the characters thoughts and are forced and so loosely related to what is happening in the story that you wonder why the character would have chosen that particular moment to think about it. Or any moment at all since the back stories are not relevant to the story and are very poor attempts at character development.It was also a little hard to relate to Russia electing to turn back into a tsarist nation.So. That's that.
What do You think about The Romanov Prophecy (2006)?
A decent entry in the historical action/adventure genre. The plot line was, for the most part predictable, but there were a few twists (Berry took a completely different direction by the book's end than I thought he was going to take, which I appreciated) . The characters were one dimensional (as they tend to be in such books--the interest comes from the quest, not the people involved in it). However, the history of the Romanovs and Berry's unique take on the prophecies of Rasputin were fascinating and made the book well-worth the read (although the fact that the missing Romanovs were found in 2007 ruined the fantastic "what if" questions raised as we now know the answers; wish I had read it prior to this discovery). My one main complaint was lots of unnecessary detail about clothing, vehicles, character back stories, etc. Could have easily been 100 pages shorter.
—Amanda
Let me just say that I know nothing about Russia (except what I wrote in a report for 4th grade), yet this book was wonderful.Even with all the history, the backstory, the politics, Steve Berry pulls off a wonderful thriller.I have become very interested in the history of the Romanovs and Russia since finishing this book a few weeks ago. I have become a permanent fan of Steve Berry; I have read his 2 of his other works (3rd Secret, Templar Legacy) and can't wait to read The Amber Room.This book centers on the fate of the heir to the Romanov throne, Czar of Russia. Berry weaves the past and present beautifully. He uses historical fact to create a story of conjecture which results in a work of brilliant historical fiction. The search for the Romanov heir and it's implications on the world, should that person be found, are laid out in a whirlwind journey around the globe. Just as well done as Steve Berry's other offerings.If you like historical thrillers, even if you know nothing about Russia and the Romanovs, READ THIS BOOK!
—Billy
I’ve read all of Barry’s books and this one was a favorite because of the subject matter. I absolutely devour anything relating to the Romanovs, fact and fiction, and this alternate history novel is a fun ride. What if Russia decided to reestablish the monarchy, a commission selecting a Romanov descendant to pick up where Tsar Nicholas II left off almost a century ago? Miles Lord is in Russia to determine whether the frontrunner has a clean slate, but during his research, he discovers a prophecy that Rasputin made prior to his assassination and documents that indicate that there may have been survivors of the 1917 massacre. What ensues is a race against corrupt Russians to find the true heir, a direct descendant of Nicholas II.The first half of the book was bogged down with Lord being chased around Russia. His search eventually leads him and his Russian acrobat companion stateside, where there are more close calls. The action was forgettable, but what made this book deserve 5 stars were the haunting recollections of what occurred to the royal family. Mind you, the flashback narratives stray from the actual history, but this alternate “what if” plotline delivers hope out of this tragedy. The conclusion delivers a satisfying finale and while the premise might not be entirely believable, anyone who enjoys Russian history would get a kick out of this face-paced conspiracy-laden twist on the fate of the Romanovs.
—Julie
