The Ark: A Novel [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Archeologist Dilara Kenner has rushed back to the States at the behest of Sam Watson, an old family friend. Sam meets her flight at LAX and explains, "Three days ago, I made a startling discovery at work. It has to do with Hasad." Hasad, Dilara's father, has been missing for three years. Just as Sam begins to tie Hasad's disappearance to a plot to "kill millions, maybe billions" that will culminate eight days hence, the old man collapses, the apparent victim of a very suspiciously-timed heart attack. His final words "Listen! Tyler Locke. Gordian Engineering. Get... his help. He knows... Coleman. Your father's research... started everything. You must... find the Ark."

(I know, I know, we've all seen exactly this sort of opening to any number of thrillers. There are always some adventurers off in search of some holy grail or other, and who also have to save the world along the way. Yes, we've seen these types of stories before, but the thing is, when they're well done, they're entertaining as hell. And folks, this one is REALLY well done. No plot description or talk of well-developed characters will ever give you a sense of why this book stands out so well against the pack of clichéd thrillers. At some point the reader must take a leap of faith and give a new novelist a try. I'm telling you right now, THIS is the one to give a try.)

The eponymous Ark is Noah's, of course. Dilara's father has been hunting it for decades and she's been as dismissive of his work as the rest of the world--but apparently someone was paying attention. First, however, Dilara needs to stay alive long enough to find out who Tyler Locke is. From the moment she leaves LAX, the attempts on her life come fast and furious. She quickly discovers that Locke is an engineer, currently working on a remote oil rig, and figures that may well be the safest place for her. She's wrong. At least Dilara and Tyler have connected, but he's as mystified by Sam's final words as she is. Still, there's no denying that something very suspect is going on, and Tyler is quickly sucked into Dilara's drama.

It is Tyler Locke that debut novelist Boyd Morrison is setting up to be the recurring hero of a series. And if this first adventure is any indication, Locke is up to the task. While he owes a debt to action heroes like Dirk Pitt and Philip Mercer, there's something a bit softer about Tyler. He comes by his "kick-ass" side quite believably, having served as a combat engineer in Desert Storm, but he's as likely to pull a Leatherman tool on you as a gun. Now in his 30's, he's a young widower trying to come to terms with loss. And he has a bit of an egghead side, too--approaching each challenge as an engineering problem. It's more interesting than you might, at first glance, think. Here, for instance, are some thoughts on the conundrum of Noah's Ark:

"From an engineering standpoint, a purely wooden ship bigger than that is untenable. Without the iron frames and internal bracketing that 19th century ships had, a ship the size of Noah's Ark would flex like a rubber band. It would have sprung leaks in a thousand places. Not to mention that in a raging storm like the Flood, wave oscillations would have snapped the frame like a twig. The Ark would have sunk in minutes. Good-bye human race." From there, Tyler analyzes the lifespan of wooden artifacts, the storage capacity of the Ark, and the amount of water it would have taken to cover the earth. This is a man whom likes to throw logic at a problem.

Once Tyler and Dilara have teamed up, however, there is little time for academic discussions. Sam's cryptic words take on horrifying meaning as unfolding events capture the entire world's attention. The events described thus far happen within the novel's first few chapters. Throw in some monster trucks, mysteriously melting movie stars, and megalomaniacs and you've barely brushed the surface of what lies ahead. Boyd Morrison has plotted a wild ride that is guaranteed to keep readers turning pages deep into the night. The Ark is not only intricately plotted, it's smart. Morrison gives his readers credit that they'll be able to follow along, and it's a pleasure to read an author not catering to the lowest common denominator.

I can't claim that this release is my introduction to Morrison's work. The truly cognoscenti have been fans since long before Simon & Schuster came into the picture. But, it's exciting to finally let the rest of you in on this find. I can't wait for the sequel!

As I was reading "The Ark", I thought that I was reading a Clive Cussler novel for a few minutes. The story is just as fast paced as any Dirk Pitt novel and just as good. The premise centers around Tyler Locke, who happens to be rich, successful, good in a fight, handsome, smart and personable. Basically, he's James Bond but he's an engineer. His best friend, also an engineer, is an ex-wrestler and Army Ranger. So if you can run with this much silliness, then hang on.

Dilara Kenner is your heroine who also happens to be decent in a fight and pretty. Good attributes for your heroine. It turns out that her father was off exploring for the lost Ark from Noah's ark and happens to have found it. But he went missing and Dilara has not heard from her father in three years. Except that a family friend insists on meeting with her and is immediately poisoned in front of her. And the crack assassin teams sent to kill her keep failing. Tyler Locke to the rescue... Good times ensue.

Don't take this novel very seriously. It's a work of fiction and fun at that. Light reading. You know that the villians are going to come back with a diabolical grin and think they've won. And you know that the hero (Tyler) is going to win. Just how it is. But very entertaining. Again, reminds me of some of the earlier Clive Cussler novels before he got too derivative and producing junk. Enjoy this one.

I have to warn people straight off the bat- this book is more action adventure than Indiana Jones. While the character of Dilara is interested in the ark, most of the book doesn't focus around that interest- it is mostly chases, intrigue & action. It is entertaining, but a part of me was disappointed that there wasn't more buildup for it.

After watching her mentor die in front of her eyes, Dilara only really knows two things. One is that he was poisoned by a mysterious woman. The other is that before he died, her mentor told her to search out Tyler Locke to help her search for her missing father's life dream: Noah's ark. With an insane cult leader planning on releasing a horrific virus on the entire world, both Tyler & Dilara know that their time is running out.

The reason I devoted the entire first paragraph of this review to stating that this was mostly an action driven book rather than a James Rollins or Indiana Jones-esque thriller is because I was very much disappointed by it. I did enjoy the book & this is an easy read, but I'll be honest with you- the ark doesn't really come into play until the last fourth or fifth of the book. The book goes into more detail about the high tech gadgets (the coolest of which was a Tesla-powered car) used in the book than any religious or historical information & during some parts of the book I just really wanted a bit more description.

Now for the rest of the review: there's some decent pacing to the novel & I liked the gadgets & technology mentioned in the book. For the most part I liked the main characters, although they never really seemed to be all that deep to me. I'd have liked to have known a little bit more about them. I also liked that there was a bit of re-imagining of the story of Noah's ark & I really, really wished that more info about that could've been interspersed with some research about the ark during the book.

This isn't a bad read & I know that if I'd been fully aware of what type of book it was from the start, I'd have enjoyed it a little more. Probably not enough to give it a higher rating, but a little more than I did. The author shows a lot of promise, but the book is a little green- you can tell that it is one of his first books. I'll say this for him- if this is him "green", then he'll be dynamite when he gets a little more seasoned with his writing. There's just a few little things in the book that just didn't read right or seemed like they were oversights- the only one that bugged me was when Tyler called a teammate... a deaf one, with no mention of how the deaf man was suddenly able to hear a phone call. (I presume technology, but I'd have liked to have had it listed rather than assume the author forgot to mention it. While the character has glasses that can read lips, you can't *see* lips over a phone.)

If you want something light to read & want to read something with some action to it, this is the book for you.