The Ark

This one will not strain the brain

This book is an easy, simple read. It reminded me of any one of a number of Clive Cussler's books. The hero in this book can do no wrong, has no flaws, is a perfect human specimen, etc. His sidekicks and associates, if not absolutely perfect, are close to it. The villains are, well ....... villainous. You never doubt for a moment that the hero will win. This is not to say that the book is bad. It was entertaining, but lacked any real depth in plot and character development. If you are looking for a quick and easy summer read, this one will do.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Aaron L Brown's Average Guy Review

You can usually find a great number of novels about any given subject, especially a lost treasure. But sometimes a story comes along that emerges as the definitive work on a particular topic. A few examples off the top of my head would be Raiders of the Lost Ark (it would take a dramatically new and skillful interpretation to top Indiana Jones, likely never happen, ROTL was about the Ark of the Covenant NOT Noah's Ark) and The Loch by Steve Alten (a great story and theory about the Loch Ness monster). As a writer, after reading and seeing these stories, the chapter seemed to be closed for me on these topics. I now feel the same about Noah's Ark. Boyd Morrison's interpretation is so good that there's little hope of topping it.

I could throw out some zippy one-liner comments here like "it's a thrill-a-minute rollercoaster ride that grabs you from the first page and never lets go," but we hear that about every new thriller. The best way for me to describe The Ark is that it's one of the best books I've read in a long time and possibly ever. It's a magical blend of action, adventure, interesting new insights, and fun. And it contains a quality that I feel is hard to come by: a true sense of adventure. A couple of examples as a point of reference: Raiders of the Lost Ark=true sense of adventure, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull=lacking that sense - Orginal Star Wars Trilogy=adventure, Star Wars Prequels=lacking.I'm sure you get the idea.

Another great thing about The Ark is that, from a Christian perspective, it manages to provide a new interpretation of a famous and established biblical event without demeaning or degrading the foundations of the Christian (and Jewish, for that matter) faiths. It simply provides a slightly different interpretation that if found to be true could actually have the opposite effect. The easiest illustration is that if The Da Vinci Code or The Templar Legacy were found to be true, it would rock the religious world and make individuals the world over question their faith and their belief in God altogether. If The Ark were found to be an accurate story, I think it would actually give credence to the faith of many and make many others give greater consideration to the Bible. Although I'm a Christian, I can still enjoy a good story that contradicts something in which I believe. My beliefs aren't shaky enough that a fictional thriller is going to offend me, but it's nice to find a story that can provide a new interpretation without diminishing the original. And no matter how good the book, a story that claims that Moses was a transvestite is never going to be a favorite among the 2-3 billion Christians in the world. This isn't the case with Boyd Morrison's The Ark.

Another interesting tidbit is that the author's bio reads like a work of fiction. If a novelist created a character in a story that had done everything that Boyd Morrison has, readers would find that character's back story far too unbelievable. I won't go into detail here, but check out his website for more information.

The Ark is a great book that I highly recommend to any action adventure fan, and Boyd Morrison is well on his way to being one of the top thriller writer's in the world. My only concern: how is the sequel going to live up to the original?

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Entertaining

An interesting twist to the search for Noah's ark. I truly enjoyed it.

Super book

Really liked it - did not want it to end. I'll likely look for other books by Mr. Morrison.

A new twist on an old idea.

Very entertaining.

Excellent story... great read!

Highly recommend this book. The story is fast paced and the characters are well developed. The story is presented in such a way to make the events plausible. Good job!

Can't Put down Reader

This was a good find and kept me wanting to read. A thriller that wil ltake you to the edge!!

Highly Recommended

Great reading full of action

awesome

this+is+indiana+jones+meets+angels+and+demons.+fantastic+book%2C+one+of+the+best+i+have+ever+read%2C+please+write+more%21

Highly Recommended

If you like excitement and adventure this is the story for you! A real page turner! Morrison takes the time to be descriptive to the point that you feel like you are right there. Excellent Story.

Bam! Pow! Zoinks! Zowie!

Here's another book that's begging to be a Made-For-The-SyFy-Channel movie, best watched on a Saturday afternoon! It's a friggin' roller coaster...pick a page, any page, and you'll find yourself in the middle of a fight, car-chase, or avoided-in-the-knick-of-time disaster caused by men dressed in black. What a fun, cinematic book. A total action-movie script. Can't remember a single characters' name, if my life depended on it...

Good Read

This was the first book I read by Boyd Morrison. I really enjoyed it. The storyline was very original. You have to have an imagination because with all action thrillers there is going to be some stuff that you know can't happen. Good excitement and well thought out. I did not seem some of the twists and turns. The concept was given to us in an original and mind bending way.

Looking forward to more.

Very entertaining. Good page-turner.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I would highly recommended this book to everybodu. Boyd Morrisonn is one of the best mystery writers that I have come across in years. He keeps you right in the story and keeps you there from the opening to the end.

good mind candy

nice over all, easy to read no real thought involved.

Good Story, novice writing

The Ark is a fantastical tale that takes you from SoCal to Seattle to Arizona to Mt. Ararat. It's certainly a new, unique spin on Noah's Ark, with a fast moving story that keeps the reader interested. Still, Morrison's novice shows. A lot of the writing is cliche, almost as if it's written only because he's trying to write a novel. The dialogue is often shallow, although the characters are developed well, and you do make a connection with them. This book is certainly not a must read, but if you find yourself at the airport without a book during a layover, definitely pick it up.

Move Over Clive Cussler, Here Comes Boyd Morrison!

If you like Clive Cussler's stories, you'll love The Ark. This is an exciting adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I found it almost impossible to put down. At the end of the story I was hungering for more and wondering how long I'd have to wait for the next installment. Keep 'em coming!

Interesting Take on What Might Have Happened to Noah's Ark

This is an excellent action thriller that has a "grab you" beginning where an archeologist has located the legendary "Ark" and lays dying before he can actually see it. With his last strength he leaves a note for his daughter Dalaria.

Dalaria later meets one of her father's collegues at an airport. He tells her he hasn't much time and gives her a present from her father and tells her that her father had located the Ark and is missing. He also gives her some clues and tells her to find Tyler Locke who will know what to do with them. He immediately dies after a strange woman bumps into him. It appears to be a heart attack but Dalaria suspects he was poisoned.

She realizes that her own life is in danger and she must locate Tyler Locke because he is the only one that may have answers and also be able to protect her.

This book is loaded with scenes straight out of a Die Hard movie. Tyler Lock, is an engineer but could also be the next action hero. As Locke gets involved, the baddies that did something to her father and her friend are relentless to try to kill Dilaria and now Locke too.

The book brings into play what may actually have been the story of Noah's Ark and what may have actually happened to it. The bad guys are run by a leader of a religious cult and are also similiar to the bad guy organizations we have seen in the last few Die Hard movies.

The book also seems to borrow some from the National Treasure and DaVinci Code movies. While this book was very good I give it between 4 and 4 1/2 stars because it is not totally unique.

Couldn't put it down!

The Ark is a definite, fantastic read. The theme was great. Excellent characters, intriguing details and information make it an exciting, action packed thriller. Boyd Morrison has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I am looking forward to his next book. I highly recommend The Ark...you won't be sorry.

Suspenseful, Action Adventure

I signed up for a review copy of this book for two reasons. One, because I thought it was Christian Fiction book, and two, because it sounded like an exciting adventure story about Norah's Ark-I hadn't read anything like that before so I was intrigued. This story was most definitely filled with action, adventure and a few more things I never expected.

Dilara Kenner meets Sam Watson, an old family friend, for an urgent meeting in a very public place were he tells Dilara her father had found Noah's Ark right before he went missing. As soon as Sam tells her this and strongly urges her to contact Tyler Locke for help, he dies. This puts her on the run. Dilara realizes that someone is out to kill her and doesn't want her to reach Tyler Locke, who is on an oil rig in Newfoundland. Why did someone want her dead?

Tyler and Dilara's search for the Noah's Ark reveals a plot to take over the world and destroy everything they hold sacred. They begin a race against time to stop this terrorist attack.

I've been spoiled in reading exclusively Christian fiction where I can count on there being no foul language, sex scenes and agree with author's world view. I found the cussing in this book very distracting and unnecessary to the story. This novel made me appreciate Christian fiction books even more. There are ways to convey the same feelings mentioned in this book without the use of cursing. There's an art to pulling that off and I didn't realize how much so until I read this book.

There is only one sex scene in this book and it's not graphic, but I wished it wouldn't have been in there at all. This book didn't disappoint on the action, adventure, drama and suspenseful mission Dilara and Tyler were on. But it would have been a better read for me, personally, if there was no cursing. I also found the authors view of Noah's Ark vastly different from mine, his interpretation of the bible passages he quoted from the bible inside this book didn't match up with anything I had heard of. I was disappointed in this book because it was marketed as Christian fiction. It is not. It's definitely a main stream action adventure story with a very unique and creative twist on the whole Norah's Ark story. I'm sure it will be well received in that market place.

Nora St.Laurent
The Book Club Network www.bookfun.org
Finding Hope Through Fiction www.psalm516.blogspot.com