Tag Archives: Dan Brown

Strindberg’s Star, Jan Wallentin (Viking Adult, 2012 {Penguin Audio, Narrator: Graeme Malcolm}) Translated from Swedish by Rachel Willson-Broyles.

Strindberg’s Star by Jan Wallentin, is a paranormal mystery/thriller that weaves 19th century science, secret societies, NAZI mysticism and a quest for the occult into a fascinating story. For more, go to: http://www.sophyanempire.wordpress.com Continue reading

Posted in Conspiracy, Conspiracy Novel, Identity, Paranormal Mystery, paranormal or otherwise unexplained (possibly alien or magic) object, Present Day Sci Fi, Supernatural, Thoughtful, Thriller | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Foucault’s Pendulum, Umberto Eco (Ballantine Books, 1990 (First published Gruppo Editoriale Fabbri Bompiani, 1988) {Translated from Italian by William Weaver}

Foucault’s Pendulum is the thinking man’s answer to Dan Brown’s Divinci Code. It is the ultimate conspiracy novel and one of my favorite books of all time. Densely packed with history and well crafted pseudo-history, the reader must remember that one need not remember every fact or plot-based hypothesis thrown in there in order to enjoy it. Continue reading

Posted in Conspiracy, Identity, Mystery, Post Modern, Stand Alone Novel, Strong Characters, Thoughtful, Uncategorized, Unique or Imaginative World | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Pirate King: Transitions Book Two, R. A. Salvatore (Wizard’s of the Coast, 2008) {Random House Audio, 2009; Narrator: Mark Bramhall}

An epic, High Fantasy novel, The Pirate King by R.A. Salvatore is the second installment in the Transitions Trilogy. It continues the story of Drizzt Do’Urden, the drow elf ranger whose saga is told in some twenty preceding stories, as well as tying in characters from other tales – most notably Captain Deudermont and his crew of Pirate Fighters. It is an excellent addition to the Forgotten Realms Chronicles, but suffers from some of the clichés common to this genre. Additionally, while it was about Pirates it had very few elements of naval combat or high seas adventure in it. On the positive side, it did a remarkable job of mixing complex political intrigue with high action combat. It also brought to a close some of the key storylines of Salvatore’s earlier works. Continue reading

Posted in Chronicle, Cycle, Fantasy, High Fantasy, Political Drama, Post Modern, Ripping Yarn, Saga, Serial, Series, Strong Characters, Trilogy, World | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Digital Fortress, Dan Brown (St. Martin’s Paperbacks)

A fourth rate cyber-action thriller set within the confines of the NSA, this tale focuses on a beautiful and talented young woman whose rise in the intelligence community is seen with envy and suspicion by her colleagues. When she discovers an unlikely plot, however, she must unravel the complex series of conspiracies in order to save the day… or rather in order for her boyfriend to save the day. Continue reading

Posted in Espionage, Mystery, Spy Thriller | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment