So once you get beyond the cover art (i.e., crucifixion spikes were driven through the wrists and only smaller nails were driven through the palms, if at all), you enter a fun little book that so wants to be The DaVinci Code meets CSI. The dust jacket reveals that the author studied theology, which I found kind of interesting as you wouldn't expect such a person to be as likely to go to the conspiracy theory place. Of course, I was no less surprised by the fact that someone with such a background would misattribute some of the terminology used by the assorted stakeholders in the book. Specifically, when reckoning dates, Jews use the terms B.C.E./C.E. (before the common era/common era) rather than the B.C./A.D. labels--given the fact that they don't see Christ as the Messiah, so don't relate all notions of time in reference to him. Thus, in the story, it ought to be the IDF folks who use this nomenclature, and not the Muslims. Equally annoying is the fact that dates are consistently miscited as 1200 A.D. (vs. A.D. 1200, which is the correct form). Nor, for that matter, would a scientist ever call it "carbon dating." Instead, he/she would more likely say radiocarbon dating or--even likelier given the storyline--he/she would simply refer to it as an AMS date. And they send a single sample to a single lab?! I don't think so! (Even less likelier given whose remains we are led to believe these are.) Seeming petty details, but collectively they undermine the very exactitude that the author has otherwise worked so hard to suggest. Despite the fact that in my estimation this book totally stretched my willing suspension of disbelief past the breaking point, I adored the character Rafak, the highly-placed Palestinian troubleshooter. He consistently exuded a level of calm, he appreciated the high-stakes political nature of the theft, the duplicitous nature of many of the parties involved in the so-called investigation, and was the one ray of verisimilitude in this otherwise pretty contrived story. He, in fact, is what garnered the book a third star in this review. As a concept, I really enjoyed the book--a clever new wrinkle on an old question--however its execution was not as sophisiticated as I would have hoped. Everything was too tidied up--and utterly improbably so--by book's end. In the last few pages the story devolved from the Vatican intrigue of The Name of the Rose to a Dirk Pitt novel. And that's a darned shame, because these characters--and this reader--deserved better.
On his debut novel, The Sacred Bones, author Michael Byrnes brings us a fascinating mix of myths, legends, and themes of today in a controversial story full of intrigue, conspiracy, murder, modern technology and religion- the perfect combination for a breath taking story. The book starts with the story of the Knights of the Temple and their duties regarding the Church and its secrets. The story then moves forward and the suspense starts in Jerusalem's present time. A relic is stolen from beneath The Temple Mount leaving behind death, destruction, and confusion. Both Muslims and Jews are blaming each other for this incident and both start their own investigation. The Israelites authorities bring in antiques expert, Graham Barton, to help with the identification of the stolen relic and its commercial value, whereas the Palestinians bring in political mediador, Razak bin Ahmed bin al-Tahini, to conduct the investigation and to reduce tension among the radical Islamic groups ready to take action for the desecration of their El-Aqsa Mosque.Meanwhile, in Vatican city, American geneticist Charlotte Hennesey, Italian anthropologist Giovanni Bersie, and Father Patrick Donovan work together to analyze and identify the human remains inside an ancient Jewish burial box – an ossuary. This book is a roller coaster of emotions as all these characters find themselves inside a spider web of conspiracy, murder, potential war, cover up of evidence, and zealous actions to protect an ancient secret. Will the truth set them free? Or will the truth cause their death?I highly recommend this book to readers looking for a fiction book tastefully written, while merging difficult topics with the eloquence of an experienced storyteller. I can see this book finding its way to the big screen and becoming a major motion picture.Bravo Mr. Byrnes!
What do You think about The Sacred Bones (2007)?
In the middle of Jerusalem, in a hot spot for Christian, Jewish, and Islamic faiths, an ossuary was stolen. The theft left behind death and chaos. It also pushed the already tenuous relationships between the inhabitants of the area to the breaking point. The Vatican, of course, is involved and is attempting to discover what is really in the ossuary while also trying to keep the investigation (and its involvement) secret. All the while, an investigation is going on to determine who stole the ossu
—Marsha
Reading this book was more akin to watching a movie. It was fast paced and intriguing. I give it moderately high marks for being entertaining. However, it's squarely in the Jesus-Christ-is-just-a-man genre that Da Vinci Code popularized. Like Da Vinci Code though, the underlying premise of the book is contradictory. We are asked to believe that Jesus Christ's remains were kept hidden below the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, and therefore, Jesus was just a man, subject to death. At the same time, we'
—Karen
يا للأسفكان عندى آمال كبيرة بساعات من القراءة الممتعة مع تلك الرواية, لكنها- مثل كثير قبلها و أكثر بعدها - خذلتنى.ما جذبنى إليها أولا هو العبارة المطبوعة على الغلاف الأخير بأنها ( أخيرا رواية تنافس شفرة دافنشى), و لأننى أعجبت جدا برواية شفرة دافنشى فقد ابتعتها و أنا أدرك أن التشابه بين الروايتين منذ البداية سيكون كبيرا.الرواية متشعبة كثيرا على أكثر من محور : رواية صلب السيد المسيح و قيامه من الموت , هيكل سليمان أسفل المسجد الأقصى و مدى صحة ادعاءات اليهود حول وجوده, حقيقة فرسان الهيكل ( و هو موضوع محبب كثيرا لدى الكتاب الغربيين كما هو واضح مع شفرة دافنشى)و صراع الفاتيكان مع من يملكون أسرارا من شأنها تقويض سلطة الكنيسة بكشف حقائق جديدة. لقد فقدت التركيز مع بداية النصف الثانى من الرواية و أصبحت القراءة كعبء ثقيل أتساءل متى سأجتازه. أما آخر خمسين صفحة مثلا فلم أعد أعلم عما تتكلم بالضبط و ما مصير الكتاب أو التابوت ...الخ لذلك صراحة لا أعلم نهاية الرواية أصلا.النجمتان فقط لبعض الحقائق التاريخية و العلمية المذكورة فى الرواية ليس إلا.
—Radwa
