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The Illumination: A Novel
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Product Description
It gleamed up at her like a small golden egg encrusted with jewels of lapis lazuli, carnelian, and jasper. The classic eye, one of the most ancient symbols of protection.
Natalie Landau, a museum curator with an expertise in Mesopotamian protective amulets and magical beliefs, has received a puzzling gift from her sister Dana--a necklace with a blue evil eye pendant on it. The Evil Eye is a symbol of protection common throughout the world, with a history connecting it to many religions.
When Natalie learns Dana was murdered only hours after sending the gift, she begins to think her evil eye amulet had something to do with her sister’s death. As she races to discover the origin of the pendant, Natalie is sucked into an international battle between powerful religious factions, each battling for the eye, which turns out to be far more valuable—and far more powerful--than she could ever imagine.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #1050980 in Books
- Published on: 2008-01-08
- Released on: 2009-01-20
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Hardcover
- 320 pages
Features
- ISBN13: 9780312375973
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Gregory and Tintori follow their first thriller, The Book of Names (2007), with another average Da Vinci Code knockoff. In the near future, MSNBC reporter Dana Landau is murdered in Iraq after the chance purchase of the Eye of Dawn, an amulet believed to have supernatural powers. Fortunately, Landau managed to send off the talisman to her sister, a curator at a New York City museum devoted to the ancient Near East, before the bad guys who want to use it for evil tracked her down. The U.S. government also seeks the Eye of Dawn in hopes of harnessing its potential to solve the energy crisis. Muslim extremists scheming to destroy the Temple Mount in Jerusalem complicate a plot full of overly familiar action sequences and chase scenes. Still, the authors deserve credit for one original element—an underdeveloped attempt to link J.R.R. Tolkiens saga of magical jewels, The Silmarillion, with the Old Testament. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
Praise for The Illumination
“The intrigue is high. The excitement is palpable. The story is priceless. Combining mysticism, history, and fanaticism, this is one thriller that's simply impossible to put down until you've reached the ending - breathless and so well satisfied. Tintori and Gregory are first rate story tellers! ”--M.J. Rose, international bestselling author of The Memorist
“Jill Gregory and Karen Tintori return with another extraordinary thriller after their outstanding The Book of Names. Their new novel, The Illumination, skillfully weaves history, ancient art, dark legend and religious fanaticism into a story of high-stakes terror and international intrigue. The excitement stays at a high pitch from the opening scene at the looted Iraqi National Museum to the final sensational twist. A page-turner. extraordinaire.”--New York Times bestselling author Douglas Preston, co-author of The Monster of Florence and The Wheel of Darkness
“Stirring and imaginative. A tense, intelligent, and surprising thrill. Drum tight in execution, fueled by imagination, the plot is as sharp as a broken shard of glass. If you like your tales loaded with intrigue, treachery, and a wealth of secrets you're going to love The Ilumination.”-- New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry, author of The Charlemagne Pursuit and The Templar Legacy
Praise for The Book of Names
"WATCH OUT DAN BROWN. . . an intelligent suspense thriller that combines the Kabbalah, tarot and the forces of good and evil into a tense murder mystery . . .The Book of Names self-assuredly fulfils the requirements of the religious thriller."--The Economist
"[A] page-turner . . .[Gregory and Tintori's] intriguing premise helps separate this tale from garden-variety religious thrillers. And where others have tried and usually failed, the authors give succinct explanations of the principles of kabbalah and Gnosticism, both complex and often misunderstood. Compulsively readable."--Booklist
“Book of Names grabs you on page one and doesn’t let you go. Weaving together the Kabbala, the tarot, and the forces of good and evil, this chilling thriller has a self-assured voice and all the right elements to make for a nonstop, nail-biting read.”--M.J. Rose, author of the international bestseller The Venus Fix
“Relentless and riveting, THE BOOK OF NAMES speeds you across continents and centuries in the ultimate seductive read. From fascinating characters to real-life legends, this debut ranks as unforgettable.”-- Gayle Lynds, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Spymaster
“Intricately plotted historical suspense . . . an intriguing synthesis of Jewish mysticism and modern murder mystery. A swift, intelligent thriller.”--Kirkus
“Convincing characters and a rapidly moving plot combine to create an enjoyable religious thriller . . .”--Library Journal
“Readers seeking a page-turning suspense novel . . . look no further. This book will definitely keep your attention and pull you in . . . until the end.”--JewishInStLouis.org
"An engaging Jewish fairytale with plenty of action . . . chock full of thrills."--Mary Martin Reviews
From the Back Cover
The gift
A pendant that gleams like a small golden egg encrusted with jewels of lapis lazuli, carnelian, and jasper. It’s the classic evil eye—a symbol of protection common throughout the world, with a history connecting it to many religions.
The recipient
Natalie Landau, a museum curator and expert on Mesopotamian protective amulets and magical beliefs.
The giver
Natalie’s sister, Dana—murdered just hours after sending the gift. Does the evil eye have something to do with her death?
The Illumination
As Natalie races to discover the origin of the pendant, she is sucked into an international battle between powerful religious and government factions, each battling for the eye, which turns out to be far more valuable—and far more powerful—than she could ever imagine…
“A PAGE-TURNER EXTRAORDINAIRE.”—New York Times bestselling author Douglas Preston
“The intrigue is high. The excitement is palpable. The story is priceless.”—M.J. Rose
Customer Reviews
Hold On!
Great story, timely without the preachiness and pretense attached these days to novels with a Da Vinci Code feel. So expertly paced and lovingly crafted, not at all over-written. The story is so lean and yet so fulfilling. I appreciate that the Gregory and Tintori didn't try to suffocate me with hundreds of pages of ultimately unsatisfying detail. They keep the story, not just flowing, but leap-frogging from one hair-raising situtation to the next, all the while instilling into their characters a sense of humanity and humility rather than portraying them as fictional super heros. This is an extraordinary piece of fiction. Five stars and nothing less!
The Illumination
Just finished this book (audio) and have fallen in absolute awe of these authors. This is the second book I have listened to by Jill and Karen. Yes, it is a "DaVinci Code" type of story - but, excuse me, there were DaVinci Code type stories out there before the "DaVinci Code" and I get tired of reviewers listing this as a "con." I saw reference to this one place and can't remember but it did not hold me back from buying the audio book. This story is a great adventure and educational experience. I am learning more about Jewish folklore, religion, and myth than I ever knew. Always remember myth is usually based on fact. I highly recommend this to you if you are looking for a great mystery adventure story. OK, I am a sucker for Indiana Jones. But -- WOW! I give it 10 STARS! Go for it.
Poorly written
I read the 'Book of Names' and found it to be very interesting and educating. I was hoping to have the same experience in this one. I was sorely disappointed. There was a lot of history but the characters we so thin yet they managed to stop 3 world wide fanatical groups with very little connections and technical help? Very unlikely even for a fictional book. I will still most likely read the next book but I will be crossing my fingers that it will have stronger characters and a more believable plot line.
