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I have enjoyed reading Steve Berry in print. Had I known how poorly this book would read, I would not have invested in the electronic version. Not so much on the Kindle. Whoever had the job of transcribing this book from print to electronic version made error after error and then it was obvious that nobody proof read the electronic book. I don`t know if this is a publisher issue or Amazon. Either way, it is not satisfactory.
It brought back for me what I had learned in school about Charlemagne. Really enjoyed reading "The Charlemagne Pursuit" by Steve Berry. Steve Berry includes a section at the end where he separates historical fact from fiction and even refers the reader to history sources. The story is clearly fantastical but it draws you in and becomes a real page-turner. I really appreciate the historical underpinnings. It allows me to feel the time wasn't completely wasted in fantasy. :-)
Steve Berry is an exceptional craftsman in the way he weaves the past into the backstory of the present. Berry's characters are wonderfully revealed with their flaws, hopes, and redeeming qualities. The Charlemagne Pursuit is another in a series of historical thrillers about claustrophobic hero Cotton Malone - book seller, former federal agent, former Naval officer - and a man who longs to know how his father, also a Naval officer, died. The hunt for the truth about his father takes Malone all over the world fighting with or trying to understand Nazis, noble and nasty military members, politicians, long-dead kings, and monks, until he finds his answer in the ruins of an ancient civilization in Antarctica. Also, he never lets the suspense wane.I've passed many a pleasant hour in the company of Steve Berry's imagination. He is one of the best thriller writers of our day and I can't wait for his next novel.
As people started being "eliminated," particularly toward the end, I didn't care at all. This being the 5th novel I've read by Steve Berry, I suppose you could call me a fan. The plot was almost too complicated for it's own good. Everyone (including Malone) was on their respective quest for selfish reasons, and everybody was simply using everyone else as a means to an end. Though I do believe Steve is a good writer that can use/manipulate historical facts to create a great fiction novel, his more recent works haven't drawn me in like his earlier books. And I don't mean complicated as in I couldn't understand it.
And to cram 3 stories into one novel inhibits the authors ability to really develop any one of them. Like a couple of his other novels, this one was good enough for me to get through (and enjoy), but never really sucked me in too much. Perhaps it was because there were essentially 3 stories moving parallel to each other. I mean complicated as in there were too many moving parts with too many (seemingly) unrelated events and circumstances being tied together. The ending wasn't a letdown, (NOT a spoiler) but I had no reason to care about anyone. (Surprisingly, the one involving Cotton Malone was the least entertaining).
And while I haven't given up on him, I'm not exactly rushing out to get his next one.
I read about 5 books a week and love to find great authors with a series of books. Steve Berry fits the bill. Liked this one so much I ordered the rest. Almost finished Amber Room already.Thanks Amazon, great book, great service.
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