 |
“The Last Templar” begins with a bang and ends with a whimper. This novel- like Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code”- deals with a 13th century conspiracy between the Knights Templar and the Catholic Church, the CIA/FBI, a beautiful archeologist , well, you get the picture. Mr. Khoury is a screenwriter and the novel has a definite cinematic look and feel. His views of religious faith reflect the opinions of modern liberal Hollywood. I could forgive the author for the rather silly and trite storyline but the characters are simply beyond belief. Tess, the heroine, is drop dead beautiful but a reckless, silly, superficial airhead. In pursuit of ambition, her young daughter Kim is all but forgotten as is common sense and decency. Then there’s FBI agent Reilly who is ready to cast a lifetime of faith aside after a 10 minute discussion with Tess and Vance. Clearly there are male airheads as well. And of course one of the especially nasty characters is a Catholic. I realize that Mr. Khoury is a writer, not a theologian, but surely a 15 page rant (which begins in chapter 67) about the evils of Christianity is a bit much. And the arguments are the same old silly comments we’ve heard for a thousand years: “Everything Christians believe in … is all made up”; “Jesus was just a roving wise man…”; Christianity has “definitely passed it’s sell-by date,” etc. Add to this that Mr. Khoury’s Biblical timeframes are totally out of sync with Bible scholars and archeological discoveries, and ask yourself if you really want to waste your time on this one.Read full review
Typical of the genre of quasi-historical thrillers like Dan Brown and Steve Berry, this one is intriguing, makes you think, questions beliefs you thought sacrosanct, and is interspersed with both tidbits of history and thrilling action scenes. Overall, a very good read, worthy of anyone who enjoys or appreciates the genre, no question. I thought the ending was a bit disappointing, but still merits a 4 star review. I do not regret reading it, quite to the contrary, I would read more of Khoury's books without hesitation.
This book was excellent and enthralling. The plot twists and characters were laid out wonderfully and I finished the book in just under a week because I could not put it down. Would have read it quicker if I hadn't gone to work each day. Khoury has offered a piece of historical fiction (accurate up to the destruction of the Knights by Phillip the Fair of France) revolving around the mystery of the last days of the Knights Templar and the final resting place of the Holy Grail. Apparently, suspense comes naturally to Khoury and he has the reader guessing until the final chapter. He uses the premise of an escaped Templar and a letter that he has left behind which points to the fate of the Templars and the decisions made during their final days. Present day finds the search renewed based on this letter. The result is a work of historical fiction which will thrill any Templar lover. Despite many claims that this is a "Da Vinci Code" knock-off, Khoury had this concept long before Dan Brown and his story is more historically based and plausible than the far-fetched "Da Vinci Code". The characters are believable, flawed but valiant, and the villains are underworld types who thrive on carnage, destruction and the accumulation of wealth. Very well done. Khoury should continue writing, and should he do so, his future works should be eagerly anticipated by thriller, mystery and historical fiction lovers. Some people out there are claiming that this book is too much like the work of Dan Brown; I disagree. I enjoyed all 4 of Dan Brown's books, but they are not nearly as well written as this book. Dan Brown uses the story to carry the book where Khoury uses the book to lay out a rich, layered and complex story of historical, epic proportions. Don't be misled by people who write this off too easily. Just consider what they have written, how they have written it and how intelligently they make their argument. I'm not sure why the book has generated such negative reviews, but they are largely undeserved. This book is well worth the read and is a surprisingly fluid novel for a first time novelist. The story is of historical value, so people that claim that it is poorly written or cliche are not true historical fiction afficianado. This is a difficult genre and people are apparently misunderstanding what Khoury has done with this tale. I am a huge fan of historical fiction and of Templar history and this is by far the best Knights Templar fiction that I have read. Steve Berry's The Templar Legacy: A Novel is a good contribution, but this is the best. So, if you want good historically based fiction, this is it. If you want outrageous, impossible or improbable stories based on one or two facts from history, you may want to look elsewhere. I thought this book was excellent and eagerly anticipate Khoury's next offering.Read full review
Solid action story. The religious aspect was curious at first and almost got me to stop reading the book half way through. I'm glad I stayed on though because the ending proved solid. Although the history of the events that take place can be argued, the book is believable and kept me entertained. I would recommend it to people who casually enjoy a good action book without needing to analyze the background of the story. Simply entertaining.
Well, this book is interesting. I've never heard of Raymond Khoury before, and after this book, I'm in debate about if I want to hear of him again. The book is fast pased, yet during this journey, I constantly wondered, why am I taking it? Havn't I read this story before? In the DaVinci Code, Angels and Demons, etc... The answer, unfortunately is yes, its a catch and mouse book, with a new set of "lost" items, and a "Secret organization" and a "church scandal." I put up with it, until the ending, which I felt was a ripoff, and answered my question (if I want to hear about Khoury again) in the negative. But, if you havn't read any Dan Brown thrillers, or are new to the genre, go for it! It'll be a great read, because all my complaints arrise from the fact that I've heard all of this before.Read full review
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in Audiobooks
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on Audiobooks
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- You may also like
