Decipher by Stel Pavlou
The Cover:
Ok Ok, I know that the cover of this novel is not very ridiculous... in fact its not ridiculous at all. I was turned on to this book by some of my Co-workers at the used bookstore. They were huge fans of the novel and said I should read it. They did give me a warning though, they said that while the information in the book was meticulously researched and the plot of the book was interesting and captivating the book itself, particularly the dialogue and some of the pacing was a little wacky. I will cover that more in the review of the content. As for the cover, it does actually relate to the content of the book as the glyph on the cover of the book plays a central role in the plot, which features an linguist trying to decipher an ancient language and divert a biblical scale disaster. The cover really isn't that crazy though and for reals... it doesn't fit in with this blog to well.
The Content:
As mentioned above the main plot of the novel Decipher is that some sort of global catastrophe destroyed the civilization of Atlantis about 12000 years ago, and they left us clues indicating that not only same disaster was about to befall us but also how to avert it. The only problem is that those clues are written in an ancient language that no living person can read. Enter the main character and hero of the story Dr. Richard Scott, a man so awesome that he has two first names. Scott is a historian and linguist whose specialty is ancient myths and legends. He also seems to be able to speak every language on earth (except Mandarin, as we find out at a time when speaking Mandarin would really help the progression of the plot.) I am not going to rag on the book too much because its fiction and all, but i could totally believe that Atlantis was destroyed 12000 years ago and that they left us crystals with clues about their destruction written all over them, but it seems a little unbelievable for one guy to speak Egyptian, Phoenician, Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, Cantonese, and god knows how many more languages fluently. (Oh, he can also read all of the written languages associated with the previously mentioned list.) Ok, aside from Dr. Scott, there is also a rag tag team of scientists working to figure out the fantastical technologies left behind by the Atlanteans.
The plot of the novel was actually pretty interesting but the shear amount of data presented in the book made it feel like an almanac sometimes instead of a novel. It is clear that Mr. Pavlou did his research when he wrote this book. He even has a large bibliography citing his references at the end of the novel. I enjoyed the book but I kind of agree with my co-workers, the book could have been a little heavier on plot and character development and lighter on the science and comparative history and religion.
My final verdict is that the book was good, but not great. Definitely worth picking up if you can find it at a used bookstore for cheap, and I happen to know a used bookstore in the Northern Virginia area that will have a copy of it on the shelves later today.
Next Week's Title: Gatling 3 Boarder War
