Friday, September 17, 2010

Book Review: Black Sun

The thriller, Black Sun, is by Graham Brown. It’s not his first book. He’s also the author of Black Rain. While both books center on the same characters, the two can stand on their own. According to Brown’s bio, writing is not his first career. In addition to a degree in Aeronautical Science, he has a law degree. He’s also a pilot. He also, apparently, has a sense of humor. The caption under his author pic says, “The author - looking suspiciously like a game show host.”

Here’s the back cover blurb for Black Sun:
In the heart of the Amazon, NRI operative Danielle Laidlaw makes an incredible discovery, a translucent Mayan stone generating massive waves of energy while counting down toward the infamous apocalyptic date December 21, 2012. And somewhere, there are three more just like it.

What power will be unleashed if all four stones come together? Who created them – and who has them now? Using a cryptic Mayan map and a prophecy that points to the end of the world, Danielle and her team race toward answers. But one staggering question remains: Were these artifacts meant to save us – or to destroy us once and for all?
Black Sun is a thriller with a short time clock relentlessly ticking. Laidlaw has to find the stones and decide whether to destroy them or bring them together. They’re spread all over the world in remote places, none of them easy to get at. Plus, her team is not the only one trying to find them and others will kill to get them. On her team are Professor Michael McCarter, a university scholar, and Hawker, a former CIA agent turned mercenary.

Black Sun kept me turning pages, so it was a fast read for me. Plus, it’s a timely read since there have long been rumors about December 21, 2012 being a date of a Mayan prediction of possible apocalypse. Brown puts adequately difficult blocks along the way and plenty of them. The characters are not only fighting the ticking clock, they’re working to keep the stones away from an adversary who intends to use them for his own evil purpose. They’re also working against some members of the U.S. government.

You’re kept guessing as to what will happen if the stones come together and what might happen if they don’t. You’re also never sure who will live and who will die … and who is right about the stones.

All in all, I give Black Sun a Hel-Yeah!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FTC Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by Kaye Publicity, who did not ask for a review, but did say I might be interested in doing a review, but that’s not why I’m recommending it, nor did it influence my review. It’s nice to see a fully developed female lead in a thriller. Most times it’s a man who moves the story forward and makes decisions. If there’s a female, she’s a secondary character or a love interest. Which begs the question, Why is that? In your family, who do the kids come to when they scrape a knee? The mother. When Billy pushes little Sally down on the playground, who confronts Bully Billy? The big sister. Who somehow manages to cook a roast, bake a cake, make mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach and get it on the table all at the same time and all hot? The wife. Who lifts one side of a couch while using the other hand to push a vacuum under it? The woman. Who better to lead a team to discover an ancient secret and decipher a terrifying prophecy? Yeah, uh-huh, you know who.

18 comments:

  1. Your review had me wanting to pick the book up (even though I thought I had enough of page turners of this nature). But it is your Disclaimer that I will remember forever!

    ReplyDelete
  2. If Helen gives it that hearty of a "Hel-Yeah!" then The Old Silly says, "Hell, yes, I'll buy it!"

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds like a great read.
    And sorry, I'll try to help my wife around the house more.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm totally on board with a well developed female lead. Sounds like another one to add to my ever growing to-read list.

    ReplyDelete
  5. We just had a conversation about this Myan prediction in our house recently. Now I wonder, will reading this book scare me more, or calm me down? Regardless, great review.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Liza, depends on whether you believe if a government found the answer they would do good with it. Ha!

    ReplyDelete
  7. This sounds fantastic!
    P.S. My husband vacuums now. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I bet he'll like vacuuming, Laura. It's so loud, you can block out everything and relax and think. The part I hate is lugging it up and down the stairs.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Intriguing premise, gotta check it out.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love the disclaimer! Yes, I do think women are more likely to save the world... :)

    I've been hearing a lot about the 2012 prophecy lately...should be some great thrillers to come!

    ReplyDelete
  11. That's true, Elizabeth. This may be the first of many to come. (or maybe it's the first I've heard of.)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Graham appears to like black in his titles, even though he's Brown. Looks like a book I should check out, since I'm always dressed in black ... and so on. Have a nice weekend, Helen >:)

    Cold As Heaven

    ReplyDelete
  13. Enjoyed the review. I read his Black rain and enjoyed it a lot, so I know I will like this one.

    Also look forward to your FTC disclaimers. They are always worth a chuckle or two.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Glad to hear you liked Black Rain. I've already hooked my husband on Black Sun, which means he'll probably go buy Black Rain. Thanks Maryann.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hmm, in my house, my husband does half of that. What does that say about me?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Why do you give me all these teasing reviews? I don't have time to read right now but I really think I'll like this one.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Love the disclaimer. Disclaimer writing is an art form that gets scant recognition. Hope all is well with you and family, Simon.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...