The scholarly adventurer is not a new construct in popular media and fiction. Though Indiana Jones may be one of my favorite smart heroes, many other writers created similar characters long before George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Jules Verne explored huge worlds beyond the everyday while Arthur Conan Doyle focused on the little clues of the everyday that we all leave behind (just ask the writers behind the successful CSI series, The Mentalist, NCIS and others). More recently, Dan Brown brought symbologist Robert Langdon to the fore in his wildly successful book The Da Vinci Code, mixing clues from the past with events in the present.
So when I saw the book The Lucifer Code by Charles Brokaw, I couldn't help but see a connection between the title and Dan Brown's work. But it was the addition of "Lucifer" that intrigued me. How would the Prince of Lies be worked into a Da Vinci Code-type story structure?
Though Brokaw's debut — The Atlantis Code — was released last year, I somehow missed it. And while The Lucifer Code builds on the first book and includes references to earlier adventures, it wasn't required reading beforehand. What I found was that the adventures of linguist Thomas Lourds managed to provide a fun rollercoaster ride that starts quickly and doesn't let up till the end.
Lourds, an older gentleman fresh from his discovery of Atlantis, is heading to Istanbul, Turkey to speak at Istanbul University about his field of linguistics. While still at the airport, he's approached by a beautiful woman. And, being a bit of a womanizer, Lourds is flattered by the attention at first. He's subsequently caught off guard when she aids in his kidnapping. Lourds finds himself in the company of terrorists leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. And when the group eventually descends into the catacombs beneath the city, their leader presents him with a book.
Article comments
1 - Lynne
Mr. Brokaw I enjoyed the "Lucifer Code" very much but when you got to the part involving the mosaic tiles and the search for each item the reader could easily see where you gave up a golden opportunity to secure the reader but instead the reader could see it was rushed. I do not know if your publisher pushed you or what but take the time to go down that avenue and finish your book leaving the reader dying for more-which I would have. Adding Cleena to the sexual tension was a great avenue to choose and very unexpected. Best of luck next time!