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Padre Anthony Fowler #2
Ugovor sa Bogom
Godine 1943. lekar nacista uzima od jednog jevrejskog bračnog para staru porodičnu relikviju. Šest decenija kasnije pred vratima ozloglašenog nacističkog sadiste pojavljuje se zagonetni sveštenik. Dolazi da povrati relikviju i razotkrije njenu tajnu.
Istovremeno, anonimni multimilijarder finansira arheološku ekspediciju „Mojsije“. Timu koji predvode jevrejski arheolozi pridružuje se Andrea Otero, hrabra novinarka, ubeđena da će dobiti ekskluzivnu priču o iskopavanju izgubljenog Zavetnog kovčega. Andrea ubrzo otkriva da se među članovima ekspedicije nalaze pripadnici raznih tajnih službi. Ona je prinuđena da se bori za život, a pomoć nalazi u osobama od kojih se to najmanje očekuje.
Od vremena četrdesetih godina prošlog veka u Beču i Njujorku do današnjih špijunskih službi u Vašingtonu i tajne ekspedicije u pustinji Jordana, Hurado nas vodi nemilosrdnim pripovedačkim ritmom kroz roman prepun iznenađenja, akcije, opasnosti i misterije.
Nakon njegovog spektakularnog debija romanom Božji špijun, objavljenim u preko 40 zemalja i sa više od pola miliona prodatih primeraka, Gomes-Hurado svojim drugim romanom potvrđuje da je jedan od najboljih predstavnika savremene španske proze.
Istovremeno, anonimni multimilijarder finansira arheološku ekspediciju „Mojsije“. Timu koji predvode jevrejski arheolozi pridružuje se Andrea Otero, hrabra novinarka, ubeđena da će dobiti ekskluzivnu priču o iskopavanju izgubljenog Zavetnog kovčega. Andrea ubrzo otkriva da se među članovima ekspedicije nalaze pripadnici raznih tajnih službi. Ona je prinuđena da se bori za život, a pomoć nalazi u osobama od kojih se to najmanje očekuje.
Od vremena četrdesetih godina prošlog veka u Beču i Njujorku do današnjih špijunskih službi u Vašingtonu i tajne ekspedicije u pustinji Jordana, Hurado nas vodi nemilosrdnim pripovedačkim ritmom kroz roman prepun iznenađenja, akcije, opasnosti i misterije.
Nakon njegovog spektakularnog debija romanom Božji špijun, objavljenim u preko 40 zemalja i sa više od pola miliona prodatih primeraka, Gomes-Hurado svojim drugim romanom potvrđuje da je jedan od najboljih predstavnika savremene španske proze.
414 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 2007
470 people are currently reading
2624 people want to read
About the author
Juan Gómez-Jurado
136 books7,886 followersJuan Gómez-Jurado (December 1977 Madrid, Spain) is an award winning journalist and bestselling author. He is one of the three most successful contemporary Spanish authors along with New York Times bestselling authors Javier Sierra and Carlos Ruiz Zafón. In 2016, Juan celebrated the mark of 6 million readers worldwide.
Juan is the author of nine international bestselling novels: GOD’S SPY, THE MOSES EXPEDITION, THE TRAITOR'S EMBLEM, THE LEGEND OF THE THIEF, SCAR, RED QUEEN, BLACK WOLF and WHITE KING. They have been translated into more than 40 languages. He is also the author of the young adult science-fiction series, ALEX COLT SPACE CADET.
Juan is an avid reader and traveller. He lives in Spain with Sam, his bad behaviored dog.
Juan is the author of nine international bestselling novels: GOD’S SPY, THE MOSES EXPEDITION, THE TRAITOR'S EMBLEM, THE LEGEND OF THE THIEF, SCAR, RED QUEEN, BLACK WOLF and WHITE KING. They have been translated into more than 40 languages. He is also the author of the young adult science-fiction series, ALEX COLT SPACE CADET.
Juan is an avid reader and traveller. He lives in Spain with Sam, his bad behaviored dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 411 reviews
May 26, 2011
You want action? You'll find it in Juan Gomez-Jurado's "The Moses Expedition" (Atria $24.99). The story, told in short chapters (two to five pages), takes readers from Nazi Germany in 1943 to a modern-day high-rise, high-tech company in New York, to the catacombs of Rome and into a hidden canyon in the sweltering desert of Jordan.
Millionaire Raymond Kayn, an aging, ailing industrialist, is financing and leading an expedition to find one of the greatest religious treasures in history: the Ark of the Covenant, a golden casket believed to contain the Ten Commandments. Kayn has part of a map that had been concealed in a gold covered candle since a Nazi war criminal took it from a Jewish couple.
Kayn and his assistant have assembled a diverse search party that includes two characters from an earlier novel by the author. Father Anthony Fowler, a Catholic priest, along with a CIA and Vatican secret service agent and a sassy reporter from Spain were added to the group for reasons made known later.
Others include several tough mercenaries who serve as a security force, a Biblical archaeologist leading a group of students, and a beautiful Israeli doctor in charge of keeping the crew healthy. One of them is a traitor.
There are some terrorists in Claw Canyon, where the camp is set up, and in New York, where secrets held in Kayn's computer system are stored. When one of the archaeologists is killed, the company becomes aware of problems, heightened by religious, ethnic, sexual and cultural conflicts, and the never-ending heat.
Then someone sabotages the water supply. Someone tries to kill the reporter. One of the guards is killed. Soon, everyone is accusing someone else of trying to sabotage the mission. The author moves from crisis to crisis so fast, you sometimes have to check an earlier chapter to know where you are in the story.
By the time you've raced to the finish, you'll be exhausted but also satisfied.
Millionaire Raymond Kayn, an aging, ailing industrialist, is financing and leading an expedition to find one of the greatest religious treasures in history: the Ark of the Covenant, a golden casket believed to contain the Ten Commandments. Kayn has part of a map that had been concealed in a gold covered candle since a Nazi war criminal took it from a Jewish couple.
Kayn and his assistant have assembled a diverse search party that includes two characters from an earlier novel by the author. Father Anthony Fowler, a Catholic priest, along with a CIA and Vatican secret service agent and a sassy reporter from Spain were added to the group for reasons made known later.
Others include several tough mercenaries who serve as a security force, a Biblical archaeologist leading a group of students, and a beautiful Israeli doctor in charge of keeping the crew healthy. One of them is a traitor.
There are some terrorists in Claw Canyon, where the camp is set up, and in New York, where secrets held in Kayn's computer system are stored. When one of the archaeologists is killed, the company becomes aware of problems, heightened by religious, ethnic, sexual and cultural conflicts, and the never-ending heat.
Then someone sabotages the water supply. Someone tries to kill the reporter. One of the guards is killed. Soon, everyone is accusing someone else of trying to sabotage the mission. The author moves from crisis to crisis so fast, you sometimes have to check an earlier chapter to know where you are in the story.
By the time you've raced to the finish, you'll be exhausted but also satisfied.
March 7, 2011
Gomez-Jurado has done an amazing amount of serious research for this book giving the reader quite a history lesson to go along with the constant adventure and suspense(truly from start to finsih). He'll take you back in time through the retelling of the story of how the Ark came to be buried in the desert, through the Nazi hunt for Jews - and one very dispicable Nazi doctor, "The Butcher of Spiegelgrund"- to post 9-11 into the chilling minds of terrorists. The short chapters take you back and forth to the various times and places events are unfolding - including coinciding suspenseful situations in the United States, even taking into account the time difference in the various parts of the world. And he brings it all together, completeing the circle wonderfully.
It's that great kind of thriller that keeps you guessing,not knowing who to trust or what disaster lurks around the corner.Otero and Fowler are characters to cheer for and you just want to warn them of impending danger(of which there is quite a bit). The Author puts you right in the middle of the scene with his vivd descriptions. He also includes on the inside cover pages, what looks like an aerial map of the area the group is excavating, with inset, as well as placements of the camp tents,trucks, etc. I really liked that. You will also find in the back a list of the players, which was very helpful early on - there were over twenty people on the expedition, plus those working back in the states - but after a while you will know all the characters pretty well. Published originally in Spain, it didn't seem like anything was lost in translation - excellent!
It's that great kind of thriller that keeps you guessing,not knowing who to trust or what disaster lurks around the corner.Otero and Fowler are characters to cheer for and you just want to warn them of impending danger(of which there is quite a bit). The Author puts you right in the middle of the scene with his vivd descriptions. He also includes on the inside cover pages, what looks like an aerial map of the area the group is excavating, with inset, as well as placements of the camp tents,trucks, etc. I really liked that. You will also find in the back a list of the players, which was very helpful early on - there were over twenty people on the expedition, plus those working back in the states - but after a while you will know all the characters pretty well. Published originally in Spain, it didn't seem like anything was lost in translation - excellent!
January 7, 2016
ভালো লেগেছে :) যদিও নতুনত্ব তেমন কিছু ছিল না বলতে গেলে। প্রাচীন কোন এক রহস্য, যেটা প্রকাশ পেলে পুরো পৃথিবী জুড়ে নেমে আসবে নরক গুলজার। কয়েক দেশের সিক্রেট সার্ভিস এর পেছনে তাড়া করবে। পেছনে কোন সুপার ভিলেন থাকবে
এখানেও তাই হয়েছে। মূল চরিত্র একজন ভ্যাটিকান সিক্রেট সার্ভিস এর সদস্য। ফাদার এন্থনি ফাওলার। পুরো কাহিনীর সাথে নাতসী বাহিনীর কিছু সিক্রেট ও জড়িয়ে আছে। ঘটনা ক্রমে একটা আরকিওলজিকাল এক্সপিডিশন এর সাথে জড়িয়ে পড়ে সে। সেখানে ঘটতে শুরু করে নানা দুর্ঘটনা।
মূল চরিত্রটা ভালো লেগেছে। আর লেখক বেশ কিছু সময় ইতিহাস এর ক্লাস ও নিয়েছেন বই এ, বোঝাই যায় যে ব্যাপক গবেষনা করেছেন লেখক। এই সিরিজ এর অন্য বই গুলা পড়ার ইচ্ছে থাকল।
এখানেও তাই হয়েছে। মূল চরিত্র একজন ভ্যাটিকান সিক্রেট সার্ভিস এর সদস্য। ফাদার এন্থনি ফাওলার। পুরো কাহিনীর সাথে নাতসী বাহিনীর কিছু সিক্রেট ও জড়িয়ে আছে। ঘটনা ক্রমে একটা আরকিওলজিকাল এক্সপিডিশন এর সাথে জড়িয়ে পড়ে সে। সেখানে ঘটতে শুরু করে নানা দুর্ঘটনা।
মূল চরিত্রটা ভালো লেগেছে। আর লেখক বেশ কিছু সময় ইতিহাস এর ক্লাস ও নিয়েছেন বই এ, বোঝাই যায় যে ব্যাপক গবেষনা করেছেন লেখক। এই সিরিজ এর অন্য বই গুলা পড়ার ইচ্ছে থাকল।
October 16, 2011
Ugh. How does stuff like this get published these days? And why do I finish them?
I picked this up because it was featured in the Goodreads First Readers program (I didn't win) and the premise sounded interesting -- Indiana Jones meets the DaVinci Code in a search for the lost Ark of the Covenant.
While the premise held promise, the execution failed utterly. Our protagonist is a Spanish reporter whose career is on the skids and who is brought in to "cover" the ultra-secret search for the Ark. Sound unrealistic? It is. Why is she really there? Because the Vatican wanted one of its warrior-priests on this mission and the only way to get him to go was to include the Spanish chick. Why? Because the priest saved her life once and now he's responsible for her and if she goes he has to go. Huh? Even the potential of this sub-plot was utterly unexercised.
Anyway, the warrior-priest was potentially compelling, but he fails to contribute to the story after the fifth chapter or so. The Spanish chick (who's a lesbian and who falls in love with a Mossad agent -- which was gratuitous and had nothing to do with rest of the plot) keeps falling down and needing to be rescued. The rest of the characters involve a preening academic, a xenophobic industrial magnate with a mysterious illness, a comic-book fat-boy computer security specialist, and a comic-book Muslim terrorist called "the Syringe".
If it had a point, I'd think it was satire.
Anyway, none of the characters' motivations were obvious. There was no tension in the book. I did turn the pages as quickly as I could, but only because I wanted to get this damn thing out of my read queue and I was too stubborn to put it down.
And, to save all of you the pain of reading this travesty <**spoilers**>, yes, they do find the Ark, but the warrior-priest blows it up in a moment of seeming self-sacrifice. In the epilogue, we see him staggering out of the cave, clutching the one remaining piece of the Ten Commandments that says "Thou Shalt Not Kill". How much more hammy can this get? I'm reminded of Alan Folsom's absolutely wretched The Day After Tomorrow which ends with Hitler's head in a hat box.
Look, I don't hate many books. My reviews usually tend to look for the positive. But in this case, the gap between the potential for this story and its execution was so wide, that I'm still falling a month later.
I picked this up because it was featured in the Goodreads First Readers program (I didn't win) and the premise sounded interesting -- Indiana Jones meets the DaVinci Code in a search for the lost Ark of the Covenant.
While the premise held promise, the execution failed utterly. Our protagonist is a Spanish reporter whose career is on the skids and who is brought in to "cover" the ultra-secret search for the Ark. Sound unrealistic? It is. Why is she really there? Because the Vatican wanted one of its warrior-priests on this mission and the only way to get him to go was to include the Spanish chick. Why? Because the priest saved her life once and now he's responsible for her and if she goes he has to go. Huh? Even the potential of this sub-plot was utterly unexercised.
Anyway, the warrior-priest was potentially compelling, but he fails to contribute to the story after the fifth chapter or so. The Spanish chick (who's a lesbian and who falls in love with a Mossad agent -- which was gratuitous and had nothing to do with rest of the plot) keeps falling down and needing to be rescued. The rest of the characters involve a preening academic, a xenophobic industrial magnate with a mysterious illness, a comic-book fat-boy computer security specialist, and a comic-book Muslim terrorist called "the Syringe".
If it had a point, I'd think it was satire.
Anyway, none of the characters' motivations were obvious. There was no tension in the book. I did turn the pages as quickly as I could, but only because I wanted to get this damn thing out of my read queue and I was too stubborn to put it down.
And, to save all of you the pain of reading this travesty <**spoilers**>, yes, they do find the Ark, but the warrior-priest blows it up in a moment of seeming self-sacrifice. In the epilogue, we see him staggering out of the cave, clutching the one remaining piece of the Ten Commandments that says "Thou Shalt Not Kill". How much more hammy can this get? I'm reminded of Alan Folsom's absolutely wretched The Day After Tomorrow which ends with Hitler's head in a hat box.
Look, I don't hate many books. My reviews usually tend to look for the positive. But in this case, the gap between the potential for this story and its execution was so wide, that I'm still falling a month later.
May 26, 2011
So just finishing up The Moses Expedition by Juan Gomez-Jurado, all I could think of was, 'Wow, that went fast!'. This is a quick read, one best left for a rainy afternoon. From beginning to end, you are kept at the edge of your seat expecting fast turns and a speedy ending.
The story is about a secret expedition to find the Ark of the Covenant. There are many parties involved, for different reasons. The Indiana Jones series comes to mind while reading this. Aside from the tough translation (From what I heard, this was originally written in Spanish and translated to English) to the confusing pieces of dialogue (especially confusing when more than 2 characters are in conversation, as no detail is given to who is doing the conversing), this book will keep you thinking and turning pages faster than you expect.
I give The Moses Expedition 5 our of 5 stars for its charismatic storyline and attention to detail for each character. By the end, you will be saying to yourself, 'Wow, that went fast!' and probably asking, 'What happens next?'
The story is about a secret expedition to find the Ark of the Covenant. There are many parties involved, for different reasons. The Indiana Jones series comes to mind while reading this. Aside from the tough translation (From what I heard, this was originally written in Spanish and translated to English) to the confusing pieces of dialogue (especially confusing when more than 2 characters are in conversation, as no detail is given to who is doing the conversing), this book will keep you thinking and turning pages faster than you expect.
I give The Moses Expedition 5 our of 5 stars for its charismatic storyline and attention to detail for each character. By the end, you will be saying to yourself, 'Wow, that went fast!' and probably asking, 'What happens next?'
February 11, 2019
Tras Espía De Dios, el Padre Anthony Fowler repite protagonismo esta vez con la búsqueda del Arca de la Alianza como marco de fondo.
Buen ritmo, aventuras y entretenimiento asegurado... No lo nombraría entre mis novelas favoritas de Gómez Jurado, pero sí me gustó.
Buen ritmo, aventuras y entretenimiento asegurado... No lo nombraría entre mis novelas favoritas de Gómez Jurado, pero sí me gustó.
June 13, 2022
4 sterren - Nederlandse paperback
Heinrich Graus, een Oostenrijkse oorlogsmisdadiger, gaat na de Tweede Wereldoorlog als Baltasar Handwurz door het leven en is in het bezit van een kaars van de Joodse familie Cohen. Deze kaars wordt gezocht omdat hij belangrijke informatie zou bevatten over de plaats waar de Ark des Verbonds zich bevindt.
De miljardair Raymond Kayn heeft geld en middelen beschikbaar gesteld om, met een geselecteerde groep mensen, deze schat te gaan zoeken. De groepsleden kennen elkaar niet en worden overal ter wereld vandaan gehaald. Onder de 23 leden bevinden zich de journaliste Andrea Otero en Antony Fowler (priester) alias Tony Brent en lid van de Heilige Alliantie, de geheime dienst van het Vaticaan.
In een expeditie naar Jordanië wordt pas goed duidelijk dat niemand de groep mag verlaten tot de Ark is gevonden. Maar met evenveel enthousiasme als de expeditie- leden zich inzetten om dit doel te bereiken, is een onzichtbare tegenstander er alles aan gelegen om dat te voorkomen. Ondanks het feit dat religie uitgangspunt is van de expeditie, draait men de hand niet om voor een moord als dat het doel dichterbij brengt.
In het boek Vreemde culturen zoals het koffieritueel van de Bedoeïenen en de liefde om als Moslim te sterven voor Allah wordt met overtuiging beschreven. Tevens schuwt hij de dubbele agenda van Het Vaticaan niet of het nu het Nazi-tijdperk betreft of haar visie omtrent het ontstaan van God.
Het besteedt ook tijd aan herkomst en maatschappelijke achtergrond van de belangrijke personages in het verhaal. Dat is van belang omdat dedrientwintig leden van de expeditie voor elkaar volkomen onbekenden zijn. Ook op dat punt is het verhaal mooi rond, maar daar schuilt gelijk een gevaar in.
Een dubieus punt voor mij was is het gemak waarmee, in het verhaal, personen in het verdwijnen. Op enig moment ontstaat de gedachte dat zijn doelstelling is om niemand te laten overleven.
Het verhaal gaat over een heilig relikwie en de expeditie om het te zoeken.en de tegen standers die het proberen te dwarsbomen.
Maar het beschrijf ook de geloofsovertuiging van verschillende geloof richtingen. Ook de humor van de journaliste Andrea die met haar spontane opmerkingen mijn aan het lachen bracht. Jammer dat het boek maar 400 bladzijdes telt, want het leest erg vlot en de gebeurtenissen volgen elkaar in rap tempo op. En dan is de laatste bladzijde zo een domper. Het boek is uit.
Heinrich Graus, een Oostenrijkse oorlogsmisdadiger, gaat na de Tweede Wereldoorlog als Baltasar Handwurz door het leven en is in het bezit van een kaars van de Joodse familie Cohen. Deze kaars wordt gezocht omdat hij belangrijke informatie zou bevatten over de plaats waar de Ark des Verbonds zich bevindt.
De miljardair Raymond Kayn heeft geld en middelen beschikbaar gesteld om, met een geselecteerde groep mensen, deze schat te gaan zoeken. De groepsleden kennen elkaar niet en worden overal ter wereld vandaan gehaald. Onder de 23 leden bevinden zich de journaliste Andrea Otero en Antony Fowler (priester) alias Tony Brent en lid van de Heilige Alliantie, de geheime dienst van het Vaticaan.
In een expeditie naar Jordanië wordt pas goed duidelijk dat niemand de groep mag verlaten tot de Ark is gevonden. Maar met evenveel enthousiasme als de expeditie- leden zich inzetten om dit doel te bereiken, is een onzichtbare tegenstander er alles aan gelegen om dat te voorkomen. Ondanks het feit dat religie uitgangspunt is van de expeditie, draait men de hand niet om voor een moord als dat het doel dichterbij brengt.
In het boek Vreemde culturen zoals het koffieritueel van de Bedoeïenen en de liefde om als Moslim te sterven voor Allah wordt met overtuiging beschreven. Tevens schuwt hij de dubbele agenda van Het Vaticaan niet of het nu het Nazi-tijdperk betreft of haar visie omtrent het ontstaan van God.
Het besteedt ook tijd aan herkomst en maatschappelijke achtergrond van de belangrijke personages in het verhaal. Dat is van belang omdat dedrientwintig leden van de expeditie voor elkaar volkomen onbekenden zijn. Ook op dat punt is het verhaal mooi rond, maar daar schuilt gelijk een gevaar in.
Een dubieus punt voor mij was is het gemak waarmee, in het verhaal, personen in het verdwijnen. Op enig moment ontstaat de gedachte dat zijn doelstelling is om niemand te laten overleven.
Het verhaal gaat over een heilig relikwie en de expeditie om het te zoeken.en de tegen standers die het proberen te dwarsbomen.
Maar het beschrijf ook de geloofsovertuiging van verschillende geloof richtingen. Ook de humor van de journaliste Andrea die met haar spontane opmerkingen mijn aan het lachen bracht. Jammer dat het boek maar 400 bladzijdes telt, want het leest erg vlot en de gebeurtenissen volgen elkaar in rap tempo op. En dan is de laatste bladzijde zo een domper. Het boek is uit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2010
New to the work of Juan Gomez-Jurado, I wasn’t certain what to expect. I couldn’t have anticipated the fast-paced, nonstop action or gut-wrenching thrill that he masterfully packaged into just a few hundred pages. With its high-octane start, the swell of anxiety caused me to ignore my surroundings as I happily sank my teeth into the search with “The Moses Expedition”.
Father Anthony Fowler is on the hunt; pursuing a one of a kind, priceless object from the past and he is very good at his job. The gold filigree candle—stolen from a Jewish family many years before—is oddly not desired for its precious metal but instead its interior key to unlocking the location of the Ark of the Covenant and the Ten Commandments.
Fowler is unaware that this discovery for the Catholic Church will lead him on an expedition straight into the heart and heat of the Jordanian desert under the assumed control of eccentric billionaire, Raymond Kayn. Surrounded by miles of sand, the dig—already treacherous—takes on a new level of terror as the bodies begin to pile up and Fowler’s old-fashioned sense of duty and personal mission are at odds with the terrorists who will stop at nothing to win the final prize.
Leaping across the globe, Gomez-Jurado can keep pace with any contemporary thriller writer. “The Moses Expedition�� is an unquestionable success.
Reviewed by Suspense Magazine
www.suspensemagazine.com
Father Anthony Fowler is on the hunt; pursuing a one of a kind, priceless object from the past and he is very good at his job. The gold filigree candle—stolen from a Jewish family many years before—is oddly not desired for its precious metal but instead its interior key to unlocking the location of the Ark of the Covenant and the Ten Commandments.
Fowler is unaware that this discovery for the Catholic Church will lead him on an expedition straight into the heart and heat of the Jordanian desert under the assumed control of eccentric billionaire, Raymond Kayn. Surrounded by miles of sand, the dig—already treacherous—takes on a new level of terror as the bodies begin to pile up and Fowler’s old-fashioned sense of duty and personal mission are at odds with the terrorists who will stop at nothing to win the final prize.
Leaping across the globe, Gomez-Jurado can keep pace with any contemporary thriller writer. “The Moses Expedition�� is an unquestionable success.
Reviewed by Suspense Magazine
www.suspensemagazine.com
October 11, 2010
I was talking to a volunteer at the library the other day, and when he found out that I'd been to Jerusalem, he recommended this book to me. I took it home that night and started reading it. At first, I was so-so about the book and questioned the reviews that said things like, "Can't put it down!" etc, because I could have easily put it down at that point.
However, I didn't have much I needed to do that night, so I kept reading, and the farther I got into the book, the more wrapped up in it I got, until it was 12:30 at night and I just HAD to finish it. So a slow start, but...yeah, it makes up for it later.
I did find it fascinating and historically pretty accurate. Almost to the end of the book, the main character (who was a newspaper reporter) was reflecting back on working for a newspaper in September 2000 when Ariel Sharon went up onto the Temple Mount, a move that started the Second Intifada. I found that part especially fascinating because I was in Jerusalem when that happened, and it was damn scary. One of the few times in my life when I truly thought I was going to die. So to see it mentioned so casually in the book was a bit surreal.
So I'm not sure if I enjoyed it as much as I did because I had been to most of the places mentioned in the book or because the book was truly well-written, but either way, I loved reading it. I especially enjoyed the Hebrew characters scattered throughout the book. That was just cool.
However, I didn't have much I needed to do that night, so I kept reading, and the farther I got into the book, the more wrapped up in it I got, until it was 12:30 at night and I just HAD to finish it. So a slow start, but...yeah, it makes up for it later.
I did find it fascinating and historically pretty accurate. Almost to the end of the book, the main character (who was a newspaper reporter) was reflecting back on working for a newspaper in September 2000 when Ariel Sharon went up onto the Temple Mount, a move that started the Second Intifada. I found that part especially fascinating because I was in Jerusalem when that happened, and it was damn scary. One of the few times in my life when I truly thought I was going to die. So to see it mentioned so casually in the book was a bit surreal.
So I'm not sure if I enjoyed it as much as I did because I had been to most of the places mentioned in the book or because the book was truly well-written, but either way, I loved reading it. I especially enjoyed the Hebrew characters scattered throughout the book. That was just cool.
January 10, 2019
Excelente!! Me encantooooo como todos los libros que leí hasta ahora de este autor!!!
El libro te engancha desde el principio, tiene un ritmo super ágil y así como si nada llegas al final y en mi caso me quedé con ganas de un poquito mas. La investigación y el estudio sobre todos los temas/escenarios/situaciones que aparecen en el libro es evidente y eso se agradece. Y lo repito con cada libro de este autor pero leerlo es como estar viendo una película o una serie.
Juan Gomez Jurado soy tu fan y evidentemente voy a leer todos tus libros pero quiero hacerlo despacio (no me esta saliendo) porque cuando me quede sin libros voy a sufrir!! (si, soy dramática cuando quiero ;)).
Super recomiendo a este autor y sus libros!!!!
El libro te engancha desde el principio, tiene un ritmo super ágil y así como si nada llegas al final y en mi caso me quedé con ganas de un poquito mas. La investigación y el estudio sobre todos los temas/escenarios/situaciones que aparecen en el libro es evidente y eso se agradece. Y lo repito con cada libro de este autor pero leerlo es como estar viendo una película o una serie.
Juan Gomez Jurado soy tu fan y evidentemente voy a leer todos tus libros pero quiero hacerlo despacio (no me esta saliendo) porque cuando me quede sin libros voy a sufrir!! (si, soy dramática cuando quiero ;)).
Super recomiendo a este autor y sus libros!!!!
April 20, 2021
Leído en 2013 y veo que sin review escrita. Copio/pego lo que puse en otra página.
Al igual que los otros dos libros que he leído de este autor, no defrauda si sabes lo que estas buscando. Es decir, es una novela de intriga y espías sin grandes pretensiones pero que cumple perfectamente con su objetivo : entretiene, engancha y te envuelve con la historia si no eres muy tiquismiquis.
Aunque se lee perfectamente de forma independiente, es posterior a "Espía de Dios", los personajes principales son los mismos.
Aquí encuentras a la CIA, al Mossad, a los Servicios Secretos Vaticanos, el Arca de la Alianza, fieras informáticos, millonarios, militares de la tristemente famosa Blackwaters y a integristas islámicos. De todo, ¿verdad?.
Pues eso, que si queréis leer algo ligero pero bien escrito cumple a la perfección. Si acaso me gustó un poco más el anterior que este, pero ambos cumplen.
Al igual que los otros dos libros que he leído de este autor, no defrauda si sabes lo que estas buscando. Es decir, es una novela de intriga y espías sin grandes pretensiones pero que cumple perfectamente con su objetivo : entretiene, engancha y te envuelve con la historia si no eres muy tiquismiquis.
Aunque se lee perfectamente de forma independiente, es posterior a "Espía de Dios", los personajes principales son los mismos.
Aquí encuentras a la CIA, al Mossad, a los Servicios Secretos Vaticanos, el Arca de la Alianza, fieras informáticos, millonarios, militares de la tristemente famosa Blackwaters y a integristas islámicos. De todo, ¿verdad?.
Pues eso, que si queréis leer algo ligero pero bien escrito cumple a la perfección. Si acaso me gustó un poco más el anterior que este, pero ambos cumplen.
June 17, 2022
Como todos los libros de Juan, no defrauda si sabes lo que estas buscando. Es una novela de intriga, acción y espías sin grandes pretensiones pero cumple con su objetivo : engancha y te mete en la historia si no eres muy tiquismiquis.
Aunque ya tiene su toque, estas novelas tempranas de su carrera no están al mismo nivel que sus últimos bombazos (la trilogía de Reina Roja y sus spin-off) aunque para mí siempre es un acierto recurrir a sus libros en momentos concretos. Nunca me falla.
Eso si, no busques tres pies al gato en la historia. Mezcla de nazis, arqueólogos, millonarios obsesivos, yihadistas, 11S, hackers, guerras varias, hormigas asesinas, agentes del Mossad lesbianas, sacerdotes que parecen personajes del universo Marvel...y el arca de la alianza, como en Indiana Jones. Es imposible hacer algo coherente con todo eso, pero repito, es muy divertida.
Aunque ya tiene su toque, estas novelas tempranas de su carrera no están al mismo nivel que sus últimos bombazos (la trilogía de Reina Roja y sus spin-off) aunque para mí siempre es un acierto recurrir a sus libros en momentos concretos. Nunca me falla.
Eso si, no busques tres pies al gato en la historia. Mezcla de nazis, arqueólogos, millonarios obsesivos, yihadistas, 11S, hackers, guerras varias, hormigas asesinas, agentes del Mossad lesbianas, sacerdotes que parecen personajes del universo Marvel...y el arca de la alianza, como en Indiana Jones. Es imposible hacer algo coherente con todo eso, pero repito, es muy divertida.
August 17, 2010
This book was a true page turner. I just couldn't put it down. The story follows the expedition to discover the Ark of the Covenant. The characters were so real, I felt like I could actually "see" them. Andrea Otero, the smart mouth reporter who just wouldn't give up; Father Anthony Fowler, the priest with ties to the Holy Alliance and the CIA; Raymond Kayn, the reclusive billionaire that bankrolls the trip; and Dr. Harel, who is so much more than meets the eye, just to name a few. This one kept me guessing all the way to the end. This story was anything but predictable. I highly recommend this one.
September 9, 2010
Enjoyable end-of-summer read. First book I've won through Goodreads' book giveaway, & it spurred me on to enter again!
I had read "God's Spy" with bookclub, which was a hands-down hit, so I went into this book with great expectations. They were almost, but not quite, met. Plot was engaging and kept me guessing, and I always like the return of a leading character so was glad to see Father Fowler. I didn't much care for Andrea Otero as the lead character; too many times, her behavior left me wondering, "What were you thinking??" Seems to me someone in her position would be a little more savvy. But that aside, this was a fun read and I definitely recommend it!
I had read "God's Spy" with bookclub, which was a hands-down hit, so I went into this book with great expectations. They were almost, but not quite, met. Plot was engaging and kept me guessing, and I always like the return of a leading character so was glad to see Father Fowler. I didn't much care for Andrea Otero as the lead character; too many times, her behavior left me wondering, "What were you thinking??" Seems to me someone in her position would be a little more savvy. But that aside, this was a fun read and I definitely recommend it!
September 6, 2010
WOW!! This was my first book by this author and I was lucky enough to receive it through the Goodreads giveaway program. I was hooked on the very first page and it kept me guessing until the very end. If you like historical thrillers I can't recommend this book enough but I have one warning...once you start reading you will not be able to put it down. Right now I am on my way to search for other books by this author and you can bet any new books will be on my pre-order list. Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to receive your book!!!
May 21, 2011
A dynamic adventure with a staggering number of twists and turns. An enjoyable read if you liked the DaVinci Code, you will enjoy this novel, too.
February 20, 2011
I received this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway, which was definitely cool. :o)
The Moses Expedition by Juan Gómez-Jurado combines archaeology and conspiracy theory with the Holocaust. Overall, it's a fun yarn with decent pacing (though it's a wee bit slow for my liking at the beginning), multiple POVs, and a somewhat complex plot. I have never read the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, but I should imagine that if you liked that book, you would like this one, too.
Unfortunately, I had a number of issues with the book that prevented me from enjoying it.
First, the prose, especially the dialogue, didn't flow for me. It felt stilted. This is probably an issue with the translation, though, and not the author. I'm sure his books read great in spanish. But I kept tripping over the phrasing and dialogue, thinking "that just doesn't sound quite right." The writing itself kept distracting me from engaging with the story.
Another translation issue. One of the characters gets stabbed "at the bottom of his spinal column" and dies. Later, the doctor character remarks, "He has a knife wound at the base of his spine, which is by definition fatal." Uh ... most people, at least in North America, consider the "base of the spine" to be where the lumbar vertebrae meet the sacrum. A knife wound there wouldn't kill you outright, though it would seriously injure you. I think the author probably meant the base of the skull. Big difference.
As far as I know, scorpions have an exoskeleton made of chitin, not keratin. (See chapter 45, and for info on the difference between chitin and keratin: http://www.askabiologist.org.uk/answe...) This is getting into the realm of nitpicking, but for a reader like me, it jerks me out of the story and makes me scratch my head. Probably another bad translation or something.
Another issue that jerked me out of the story multiple times was that there were a large number of long dialogue exchanges with no tags. Normally, if the dialogue is short, and the personalities of the characters talking comes through in their speech patterns, I don't have a problem identifying who's talking. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case here, and I had to go back to the beginning of the conversation to figure out who was saying what. Once again, this really distanced me from the story as a reader.
The key elements in the story are also very tired. Cliché, really. The expedition is going after the Ark of the Covenant (Indiana Jones, anyone?). The über bad guys are Islamic jihadists. (How many times have we seen that since 9/11?) The gentle priest is also a secret bad-ass working for a super top secret group associated with the Vatican. (There are a million conspiracy theories surrounding the Vatican.) Clichés in and of themselves aren't bad. What makes them bad is when the author does nothing new or unusual with them. Goméz-Jurado does accomplish some originality with the priest's personal aim--to destroy the Ark rather than recover it (going against his orders from the Vatican) ... but other than that ... it was fairly predictable.
I didn't care about the characters. At one point, a chapter ends with one of the main characters about to be chopped into bits by a giant propeller. I felt no compulsion or need to find out what happened next. In fact, when I reached this place in the book, I got distracted and didn't pick up the book again for a few days. This is a strong indicator that the author has failed to cause his reader (me) to emotionally connect with his characters.
I almost stopped reading the book at chapter 28. I had just lost interest. But, I decided to keep going and finished the rest of the book in one day. That does say something positive about the last two thirds of the book, but it shouldn't have taken that long to get into the book. All the previously mentioned problems remained throughout, and I really didn't care one way or another when certain characters--even main characters--died.
Every so often, I had to vent to my family at the horrendous depiction of "archaeology" and the idiotic archaeologists involved in the expedition, otherwise I would have strangled something in my frustration. They weren't doing archaeology. They were looting. I hate looting. It's a huge problem and irreparably damages sites for no good reason. So much information is lost when looting happens. It's maddening. I understand there's a whole other debate about archaeological ethics and whether any excavation is acceptable (whether conducted by professionals or not) but this isn't the place to get into that.
If I could give half stars, I would give this book 1.5. I can see why so many people seem to have enjoyed it. There's lots of danger, conspiracy, and it's fun to bounce around between points of view. Nothing is as it seems at the beginning. I like those things, too. There were just so many times that I was thrown out of the story and disengaged that this book really didn't work for me.
The Moses Expedition by Juan Gómez-Jurado combines archaeology and conspiracy theory with the Holocaust. Overall, it's a fun yarn with decent pacing (though it's a wee bit slow for my liking at the beginning), multiple POVs, and a somewhat complex plot. I have never read the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, but I should imagine that if you liked that book, you would like this one, too.
Unfortunately, I had a number of issues with the book that prevented me from enjoying it.
First, the prose, especially the dialogue, didn't flow for me. It felt stilted. This is probably an issue with the translation, though, and not the author. I'm sure his books read great in spanish. But I kept tripping over the phrasing and dialogue, thinking "that just doesn't sound quite right." The writing itself kept distracting me from engaging with the story.
Another translation issue. One of the characters gets stabbed "at the bottom of his spinal column" and dies. Later, the doctor character remarks, "He has a knife wound at the base of his spine, which is by definition fatal." Uh ... most people, at least in North America, consider the "base of the spine" to be where the lumbar vertebrae meet the sacrum. A knife wound there wouldn't kill you outright, though it would seriously injure you. I think the author probably meant the base of the skull. Big difference.
As far as I know, scorpions have an exoskeleton made of chitin, not keratin. (See chapter 45, and for info on the difference between chitin and keratin: http://www.askabiologist.org.uk/answe...) This is getting into the realm of nitpicking, but for a reader like me, it jerks me out of the story and makes me scratch my head. Probably another bad translation or something.
Another issue that jerked me out of the story multiple times was that there were a large number of long dialogue exchanges with no tags. Normally, if the dialogue is short, and the personalities of the characters talking comes through in their speech patterns, I don't have a problem identifying who's talking. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case here, and I had to go back to the beginning of the conversation to figure out who was saying what. Once again, this really distanced me from the story as a reader.
The key elements in the story are also very tired. Cliché, really. The expedition is going after the Ark of the Covenant (Indiana Jones, anyone?). The über bad guys are Islamic jihadists. (How many times have we seen that since 9/11?) The gentle priest is also a secret bad-ass working for a super top secret group associated with the Vatican. (There are a million conspiracy theories surrounding the Vatican.) Clichés in and of themselves aren't bad. What makes them bad is when the author does nothing new or unusual with them. Goméz-Jurado does accomplish some originality with the priest's personal aim--to destroy the Ark rather than recover it (going against his orders from the Vatican) ... but other than that ... it was fairly predictable.
I didn't care about the characters. At one point, a chapter ends with one of the main characters about to be chopped into bits by a giant propeller. I felt no compulsion or need to find out what happened next. In fact, when I reached this place in the book, I got distracted and didn't pick up the book again for a few days. This is a strong indicator that the author has failed to cause his reader (me) to emotionally connect with his characters.
I almost stopped reading the book at chapter 28. I had just lost interest. But, I decided to keep going and finished the rest of the book in one day. That does say something positive about the last two thirds of the book, but it shouldn't have taken that long to get into the book. All the previously mentioned problems remained throughout, and I really didn't care one way or another when certain characters--even main characters--died.
Every so often, I had to vent to my family at the horrendous depiction of "archaeology" and the idiotic archaeologists involved in the expedition, otherwise I would have strangled something in my frustration. They weren't doing archaeology. They were looting. I hate looting. It's a huge problem and irreparably damages sites for no good reason. So much information is lost when looting happens. It's maddening. I understand there's a whole other debate about archaeological ethics and whether any excavation is acceptable (whether conducted by professionals or not) but this isn't the place to get into that.
If I could give half stars, I would give this book 1.5. I can see why so many people seem to have enjoyed it. There's lots of danger, conspiracy, and it's fun to bounce around between points of view. Nothing is as it seems at the beginning. I like those things, too. There were just so many times that I was thrown out of the story and disengaged that this book really didn't work for me.
August 28, 2018
দীর্ঘ ৫০ বছর ধরে চলা অভিযানের সমাপ্তি হলো কুখ্যাত ডক্টর হেইনরিখ গ্রাউসের মৃত্যুর মধ্য দিয়ে। সি.আই.এ’র অপারেটিভ আর ভ্যাটিকান সিক্রেট সার্ভিসের সদস্য ফাদার অ্যান্থনি ফাওলার গ্রাউসকে খুঁজে পান ভিয়েনা থেকে পঁয়ত্রিশ কিলোমিটার দুরে ক্রিগলাচ শহরে তার বাড়িতে। সাথে উদ্ধার করেন শতাব্দী প্রাচীন একটি মোমবাতি। যার ভেতরে লুকানো আছে হারিয়ে যাওয়া এক মানচিত্রের অংশ।
সেই অংশ ফাওলারকে নিয়ে যায় সুদূর জর্ডানে। শুরু হয় বিশ্বের সবচেয়ে শক্তিশালী আর প্রাচীন এক সম্পদের খোঁজ।
বোস্টন থেকে জর্ডা��ের রুক্ষ মরুভূমি, বিশ্বাসঘাতকতা আর শত্রুর পেতে রাখা ফাঁদকে বুড়ো আঙ্গুল দেখিয়ে চলতে থাকে ফাওলারের অভিযান। ঘটনা মোড় নিতে থাকে রোমাঞ্চকর সমাপ্তির দিকে।
পাঠক, ‘কন্ট্রাক্ট উইথ গড’ আপনাকে পরিচয় করিয়ে দেবে সহস্র বছর আগে ঈশ্বর আর মানুষের মাঝে সম্পাদিত হওয়া অদ্ভুত এক চুক্তির সাথে। ঠিকানা দেবে এমন এক গুপ্তধনের, যা স্রেফ পাগলামো বলেই মনে হবে আর যার নাম শুনলে চমকে উঠবেন আপনি।
হুয়ান গোমেজ-হুরাদো’র ‘গডস্ স্পাই’ আমি আগে পড়েছি। সেজন্যই ‘কন্ট্রাক্ট উইথ গড’ শুরুর আগেই জানতাম আরেকটি মাস্টার ক্লাস পড়তে চলেছি। লেখকের ‘মেদ হীন, গতিময়’ লেখা ভালো লেগেছিল আগেই, ‘কন্ট্রাক্ট’ নতুন করে পরিচয় করিয়ে দিল ‘রহস্য, কোড, হিটালের নাৎসি বাহিনী আর অতীতের’ নানা অলি গলির সাথে। বইটিতে ক্যারেক্টার ডেভলপমেন্ট সুন্দর, সংলাপ স্পস্ট-যতটুকু দরকার ততোটুকুই। প্লট গোছানো-বেশ গবেষণা করে লেখা বোঝা যায়। অল্প কিছু জায়গা ছাড়া ইচ্ছে করে কাহিনীকে টেনে বড় করা হয়নি। গল্পের প্রয়োজনে যতটুকু এ্যাকশন এসেছে তা যথেষ্ঠ চতুরতার সাথে লেখা হয়েছে, অযথা বর্ণনার বালাই নেই। মরুভূমির বর্ণনা পুংখানুপুংখ; যা ভালো লেগেছে। টান টান উত্তেজনার কারনেই গল্পে কোথাও পাঠকের মনযোগ ছিন্ন হবার ভয় নেই।
তবে, ট্রেজার হান্টিং নভেলের প্রতিষ্ঠিত ছক ভেঙ্গে ‘কন্ট্রাক্ট উইথ গড’ বেড়িয়ে আসতে পারেনি। হারিয়ে যাওয়া একটি সিক্রেট, সর্বজ্ঞানী একজন রহস্যভেদী, সুপার পাওয়ার ভিলেন, ধর্ম আর বিজ্ঞানের রেস, সব মিলে পৃথিবী বদলে দেয়া একটা আবিস্কার - এসবই আছে এখানে। সাতন্ত্র যা, তা গল্প বলার ধরনে আর এটাই আপনাকে বইটি পড়তে বাধ্য করবে। তাছাড়া, যে রহস্য নিয়ে গল্প শুরু হয়েছিল শেষে তার ভালো একটা ডিটেইলিং আশা করেছিলাম। লেখক বিষয়টা স্কিপ করে গিয়েছেন যা ভালো লাগেনি। সাথে শেষের দৃশ্যগুলো আরেকটু পার্ফেকশনের দাবি রাখে বলে মনে হয়েছে।
সুলেখক ও অনুবাদক শরীফুল হাসানের সাথে পরিচয় তাঁর লিজেন্ডারি সৃস্টি ‘সাম্ভালা ট্রিলজি’র মধ্য দিয়ে। তারপর মন্ত্রমুগ্ধের মতো একে একে পড়েছি ঋভু, রাত্রি শেষের গান, আঁধারের যাত্রী থেকে হালের জনারন্যে একা কয়েকজন সহ সবক’টি মৌলিক উপন্যাস। অনুবাদের মধ্যে ‘মেইজ অব বোনস্’ আর ‘ডার্কলি ড্রিমিং ডেক্সটার’ আগে পড়লেও এই বইটি পড়তে দেরি হয়ে গেল। বিশ্বাস করুন পাঠক, এটা এমন একটি বই যা দেরিতে শুরু করার জন্য আপনার শুধু কষ্টই বাড়বে।
অনুবাদ ভালো লেগেছে। পুরো গল্প জুড়ে ভাষার সাবলীল ব্যবহার বেশ প্রাণঞ্জল ছিল। বাংলা প্রতিশব্দের সঠিক প্রয়োগ, গোছানো বাক্য গঠন আর সামঞ্জস্যপূর্ণ সংলাপ, অনুবাদে শরীফুল হাসানের মুন্সিয়ানাই প্রমাণ করে।
মৌলিকের সাথে আবারও অনুবাদ চালিয়ে যাবার জন্যে আমি অনুবাদক’কে বিনীত অনুরোধ করবো।
বাতিঘরের বইয়ের বাঁধাই নিয়ে বলার বিশেষ কিছু নেই। বাঁধাই বরাবরের মতোই উন্নত। বইটা একটু আগের জন্যই স্কয়ার বাইন্ডিং মিসিং। কাগজ আর কম্পোজ মানসম্পন্ন, পরিচ্ছন্ন। মূল বইয়ের অনুকরণে ‘ডিলান’এর প্রচ্ছদ বেশ চমৎকার, সুন্দর ভাবে বাংলায় মানিয়ে গিয়েছে।
কয়েকটি জায়গায় প্যারা আর কম্পোজে কিছুটা খাপছাড়া লেগেছে বিশেষ করে ২৭ নং অধ্যায়ে। তাছাড়া, যতিচিহ্নের ব্যবহার বুঝে করা হয়েছে। কিছু শব্দের পরস্পর জুড়ে যাওয়া সহ কয়েকটি জায়গায় ‘ঘন্টা’ ‘ঘন্টায়’ হয়ে যাওয়া ছাড়া তেমন কোন ভুল বানান চোখে পড়েনি।
যারা ড্যান ব্রাউন আর জেমস রোলিনস’এর বাহিরে গিয়ে কোড ব্রেকিং আর ট্রেজার হান্টিং গল্পের সাথে অতীতের হারিয়ে যাওয়া রহস্যের মিশেল খুঁজছেন, তাদের জন্য পার্ফেক্ট চয়েজ ‘কন্ট্রাক্ট উইথ গড।’ সত্যি বলছি, দি দ্য ভিঞ্চি কোড’এরপর এই জনরার কোন উপন্যাস পড়ে এতোটা ভালো লাগেনি। আমি ব্যক্তিগত ভাবে লেখকের ‘ফাদার অ্যান্থনি ফাওলার সিরিজ’এর ২য় বই ‘দ্য মোজেস এক্সপেডিশন’ পড়ার ইচ্ছা রাখি, সাথে যদি শরীফুল হাসানের অনুবাদ হয়, তাহলে তো কথাই নেই ...।
ছাপানো কপিগুলো বিক্রী হয়ে যাওয়ায় বর্তমানে আউট অফ প্রিন্ট ‘কন্ট্রাক্ট উইথ গড।’ ৩২০ পৃষ্ঠার বইটি প্রথম প্রকাশীত হয়েছিল ২০১৩ সালের বইমেলায়। দাম ছিল ২৫০ টাকা মাত্র। অনুবাদক আর প্রকাশক ফ্রেন্ড লিস্টে থাকায় দু’জনের কাছেই বইটি পুনমুদ্রনের অনুরোধ জানিয়ে শেষ করছি।
ধন্যবাদ সবাইকে। খুব ভালো থাকুন সবাই। শুভ রাত্রি।
🌀ডাঃ তানভীর, রংপুর-কুড়িগ্রাম হাইওয়ে, রংপুর।
সেই অংশ ফাওলারকে নিয়ে যায় সুদূর জর্ডানে। শুরু হয় বিশ্বের সবচেয়ে শক্তিশালী আর প্রাচীন এক সম্পদের খোঁজ।
বোস্টন থেকে জর্ডা��ের রুক্ষ মরুভূমি, বিশ্বাসঘাতকতা আর শত্রুর পেতে রাখা ফাঁদকে বুড়ো আঙ্গুল দেখিয়ে চলতে থাকে ফাওলারের অভিযান। ঘটনা মোড় নিতে থাকে রোমাঞ্চকর সমাপ্তির দিকে।
পাঠক, ‘কন্ট্রাক্ট উইথ গড’ আপনাকে পরিচয় করিয়ে দেবে সহস্র বছর আগে ঈশ্বর আর মানুষের মাঝে সম্পাদিত হওয়া অদ্ভুত এক চুক্তির সাথে। ঠিকানা দেবে এমন এক গুপ্তধনের, যা স্রেফ পাগলামো বলেই মনে হবে আর যার নাম শুনলে চমকে উঠবেন আপনি।
হুয়ান গোমেজ-হুরাদো’র ‘গডস্ স্পাই’ আমি আগে পড়েছি। সেজন্যই ‘কন্ট্রাক্ট উইথ গড’ শুরুর আগেই জানতাম আরেকটি মাস্টার ক্লাস পড়তে চলেছি। লেখকের ‘মেদ হীন, গতিময়’ লেখা ভালো লেগেছিল আগেই, ‘কন্ট্রাক্ট’ নতুন করে পরিচয় করিয়ে দিল ‘রহস্য, কোড, হিটালের নাৎসি বাহিনী আর অতীতের’ নানা অলি গলির সাথে। বইটিতে ক্যারেক্টার ডেভলপমেন্ট সুন্দর, সংলাপ স্পস্ট-যতটুকু দরকার ততোটুকুই। প্লট গোছানো-বেশ গবেষণা করে লেখা বোঝা যায়। অল্প কিছু জায়গা ছাড়া ইচ্ছে করে কাহিনীকে টেনে বড় করা হয়নি। গল্পের প্রয়োজনে যতটুকু এ্যাকশন এসেছে তা যথেষ্ঠ চতুরতার সাথে লেখা হয়েছে, অযথা বর্ণনার বালাই নেই। মরুভূমির বর্ণনা পুংখানুপুংখ; যা ভালো লেগেছে। টান টান উত্তেজনার কারনেই গল্পে কোথাও পাঠকের মনযোগ ছিন্ন হবার ভয় নেই।
তবে, ট্রেজার হান্টিং নভেলের প্রতিষ্ঠিত ছক ভেঙ্গে ‘কন্ট্রাক্ট উইথ গড’ বেড়িয়ে আসতে পারেনি। হারিয়ে যাওয়া একটি সিক্রেট, সর্বজ্ঞানী একজন রহস্যভেদী, সুপার পাওয়ার ভিলেন, ধর্ম আর বিজ্ঞানের রেস, সব মিলে পৃথিবী বদলে দেয়া একটা আবিস্কার - এসবই আছে এখানে। সাতন্ত্র যা, তা গল্প বলার ধরনে আর এটাই আপনাকে বইটি পড়তে বাধ্য করবে। তাছাড়া, যে রহস্য নিয়ে গল্প শুরু হয়েছিল শেষে তার ভালো একটা ডিটেইলিং আশা করেছিলাম। লেখক বিষয়টা স্কিপ করে গিয়েছেন যা ভালো লাগেনি। সাথে শেষের দৃশ্যগুলো আরেকটু পার্ফেকশনের দাবি রাখে বলে মনে হয়েছে।
সুলেখক ও অনুবাদক শরীফুল হাসানের সাথে পরিচয় তাঁর লিজেন্ডারি সৃস্টি ‘সাম্ভালা ট্রিলজি’র মধ্য দিয়ে। তারপর মন্ত্রমুগ্ধের মতো একে একে পড়েছি ঋভু, রাত্রি শেষের গান, আঁধারের যাত্রী থেকে হালের জনারন্যে একা কয়েকজন সহ সবক’টি মৌলিক উপন্যাস। অনুবাদের মধ্যে ‘মেইজ অব বোনস্’ আর ‘ডার্কলি ড্রিমিং ডেক্সটার’ আগে পড়লেও এই বইটি পড়তে দেরি হয়ে গেল। বিশ্বাস করুন পাঠক, এটা এমন একটি বই যা দেরিতে শুরু করার জন্য আপনার শুধু কষ্টই বাড়বে।
অনুবাদ ভালো লেগেছে। পুরো গল্প জুড়ে ভাষার সাবলীল ব্যবহার বেশ প্রাণঞ্জল ছিল। বাংলা প্রতিশব্দের সঠিক প্রয়োগ, গোছানো বাক্য গঠন আর সামঞ্জস্যপূর্ণ সংলাপ, অনুবাদে শরীফুল হাসানের মুন্সিয়ানাই প্রমাণ করে।
মৌলিকের সাথে আবারও অনুবাদ চালিয়ে যাবার জন্যে আমি অনুবাদক’কে বিনীত অনুরোধ করবো।
বাতিঘরের বইয়ের বাঁধাই নিয়ে বলার বিশেষ কিছু নেই। বাঁধাই বরাবরের মতোই উন্নত। বইটা একটু আগের জন্যই স্কয়ার বাইন্ডিং মিসিং। কাগজ আর কম্পোজ মানসম্পন্ন, পরিচ্ছন্ন। মূল বইয়ের অনুকরণে ‘ডিলান’এর প্রচ্ছদ বেশ চমৎকার, সুন্দর ভাবে বাংলায় মানিয়ে গিয়েছে।
কয়েকটি জায়গায় প্যারা আর কম্পোজে কিছুটা খাপছাড়া লেগেছে বিশেষ করে ২৭ নং অধ্যায়ে। তাছাড়া, যতিচিহ্নের ব্যবহার বুঝে করা হয়েছে। কিছু শব্দের পরস্পর জুড়ে যাওয়া সহ কয়েকটি জায়গায় ‘ঘন্টা’ ‘ঘন্টায়’ হয়ে যাওয়া ছাড়া তেমন কোন ভুল বানান চোখে পড়েনি।
যারা ড্যান ব্রাউন আর জেমস রোলিনস’এর বাহিরে গিয়ে কোড ব্রেকিং আর ট্রেজার হান্টিং গল্পের সাথে অতীতের হারিয়ে যাওয়া রহস্যের মিশেল খুঁজছেন, তাদের জন্য পার্ফেক্ট চয়েজ ‘কন্ট্রাক্ট উইথ গড।’ সত্যি বলছি, দি দ্য ভিঞ্চি কোড’এরপর এই জনরার কোন উপন্যাস পড়ে এতোটা ভালো লাগেনি। আমি ব্যক্তিগত ভাবে লেখকের ‘ফাদার অ্যান্থনি ফাওলার সিরিজ’এর ২য় বই ‘দ্য মোজেস এক্সপেডিশন’ পড়ার ইচ্ছা রাখি, সাথে যদি শরীফুল হাসানের অনুবাদ হয়, তাহলে তো কথাই নেই ...।
ছাপানো কপিগুলো বিক্রী হয়ে যাওয়ায় বর্তমানে আউট অফ প্রিন্ট ‘কন্ট্রাক্ট উইথ গড।’ ৩২০ পৃষ্ঠার বইটি প্রথম প্রকাশীত হয়েছিল ২০১৩ সালের বইমেলায়। দাম ছিল ২৫০ টাকা মাত্র। অনুবাদক আর প্রকাশক ফ্রেন্ড লিস্টে থাকায় দু’জনের কাছেই বইটি পুনমুদ্রনের অনুরোধ জানিয়ে শেষ করছি।
ধন্যবাদ সবাইকে। খুব ভালো থাকুন সবাই। শুভ রাত্রি।
🌀ডাঃ তানভীর, রংপুর-কুড়িগ্রাম হাইওয়ে, রংপুর।
August 30, 2010
I won a copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway. And not just the usual preview but the real version. The book itself is beautiful. Of the beauty that you cannot get with a digital copy as it simply isn't possible to get the touch, feel, the same cover or maps in digital form.
A harmless looking old man is traced down by a priest, and his past of being a notorious doctor-monster in an Austrian hospital during the WWII is uncovered. The men strike a deal, exchanging an odd candle to the discriminating proof the priest had.
The candle provides a missing piece to make an ancient map to an ungodly treasure that dates thousands of years back. A mysterious, agoraphobic millionaire, Raymond Kayn, collects and sends an odd crew to an isolated expedition in Jordan to find this treasure. The main two characters, a shopping obsessed and poor in self-control (money or behavior) Spanish now jobless journalist, a woman with the name of Andrea Otero, has an odd connection in the past to a CIA- and Vatican's secret services connected priest, Anthony Fowler. Fowler can't say no to the expedition so off they go, in a ship headed to the ancient lands with a mixed crew of 20+ others; an Israeli doctor with no first name and others of which most have a Jewish last name.
While on the ship to the destination, the things start to roll less smooth when someone tries to kill Otero. Who are trying to kill them and can they make it on time to get the treasure?
Structurally the story works well. Short chapters make (especially thrillers) the reading more addictive. Moving forward, mostly linearly in time, in different parts of the world in the same time keeps the pace too.
I could - and can - see this story be easily made as a movie. More than a thriller I'd see it as an adventure - I want my thrillers to be outrageous and insanely action packed and with conspiracies the way Ludlum does them. So a bit of Indiana Jones, a bit of Dan Brown, and a bit of Harlan Coben as the style. If you like Jones, Brown (any of his characters), or Coben, I imagine you'll love this.
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/8...
A harmless looking old man is traced down by a priest, and his past of being a notorious doctor-monster in an Austrian hospital during the WWII is uncovered. The men strike a deal, exchanging an odd candle to the discriminating proof the priest had.
The candle provides a missing piece to make an ancient map to an ungodly treasure that dates thousands of years back. A mysterious, agoraphobic millionaire, Raymond Kayn, collects and sends an odd crew to an isolated expedition in Jordan to find this treasure. The main two characters, a shopping obsessed and poor in self-control (money or behavior) Spanish now jobless journalist, a woman with the name of Andrea Otero, has an odd connection in the past to a CIA- and Vatican's secret services connected priest, Anthony Fowler. Fowler can't say no to the expedition so off they go, in a ship headed to the ancient lands with a mixed crew of 20+ others; an Israeli doctor with no first name and others of which most have a Jewish last name.
While on the ship to the destination, the things start to roll less smooth when someone tries to kill Otero. Who are trying to kill them and can they make it on time to get the treasure?
Structurally the story works well. Short chapters make (especially thrillers) the reading more addictive. Moving forward, mostly linearly in time, in different parts of the world in the same time keeps the pace too.
I could - and can - see this story be easily made as a movie. More than a thriller I'd see it as an adventure - I want my thrillers to be outrageous and insanely action packed and with conspiracies the way Ludlum does them. So a bit of Indiana Jones, a bit of Dan Brown, and a bit of Harlan Coben as the style. If you like Jones, Brown (any of his characters), or Coben, I imagine you'll love this.
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/8...
September 14, 2010
This book grabs you from page one and doesn't let go! The author's fast-paced, engaging style reminded me of Dan Brown's works. The subject matter of terrorists manipulating the political climate of the Middle East is chillingly relevant, and the specific concept of a search for the Ark of the Covenant and the religious significance such a find would have makes this novel come alive. Gomez-Jurado did his research, going to the Jordanian desert personally, and describes the challenges of undertaking an exhibition in this area accurately and realistically. I found it somewhat confusing to keep the characters straight in the beginning, so the author's list at the end of the book was very helpful! I won this book through a Goodreads.com giveaway, and was thrilled with my introduction to this author, enjoying the book immensely.
September 14, 2010
I thought the book was well researched, authentic, exciting, and not as far-fetched as some thrillers can be. The quick pace and plot twists and turns kept the pages turning.
The character of Father Anthony Fowler was intriguing and I am interested to read more about him in Gomez-Jurado’s previous book God’s Spy.
Anyone who is even remotely aware of current world events would understand the implications of such a discovery as the Ark of the Covenant and how this quest motivated the various members in the group. The descriptions of the Jordanian desert and climate were vivid and terrific.
The character of Father Anthony Fowler was intriguing and I am interested to read more about him in Gomez-Jurado’s previous book God’s Spy.
Anyone who is even remotely aware of current world events would understand the implications of such a discovery as the Ark of the Covenant and how this quest motivated the various members in the group. The descriptions of the Jordanian desert and climate were vivid and terrific.
June 28, 2019
Con este autor empecé por Reina Roja, así que el listón está muy alto. Es una temática totalmente diferente donde se mezcla historia, religión, misterio, intrigas, terrorismo y hasta algo de romance. Me ha tenido enganchada desde las primeras páginas y parecía estar viendo una película. Gracias a la persona a la que se lo robé.
4 estrellas
4 estrellas
October 26, 2010
Interesting book, will read sequels if any are developed.
Read
June 12, 2015Vrlo loše napisana knjiga, karakterizacija likova doslovno ne postoji, neke situacij su besmislene a najgore od svega što je sam zaplet tako traljav i dosadan. Jedva sam završila čitanje.
January 7, 2016
Una vez más este autor me tiene atrapada de principio a fin! Muy recomendable!
December 21, 2025
Lagano štivo koje se brzo čita. Tematski se bavi pitanjima vere, sudbine i lične odgovornosti, ali bez dubljeg filozofskog ili književnog zahvata. Ideja je zanimljiva, ali razrada ostaje prilično jednostavna i predvidiva, pa ne ostavlja snažniji utisak.
Stil je korektan i čitljiv, bez većih oscilacija, ali i bez posebne originalnosti. Knjiga ne zahteva veliku koncentraciju i upravo zbog toga dobro funkcioniše kao „predah“ između ozbiljnije i zahtevnije literature. Više za opuštanje nego za duboko razmišljanje.
Stil je korektan i čitljiv, bez većih oscilacija, ali i bez posebne originalnosti. Knjiga ne zahteva veliku koncentraciju i upravo zbog toga dobro funkcioniše kao „predah“ između ozbiljnije i zahtevnije literature. Više za opuštanje nego za duboko razmišljanje.
December 13, 2020
No ha sido lo que esperaba. El nivel, para mi gusto, ha bajado, pero claro, me he hecho al nivel del Paciente, Cicatriz y Reina Roja y el nivel de ésos libros es tremendo.
March 5, 2011
This book starts in Vienna in 1943, two parents are attempting to find out if their eldest son is still alive after he was taken to a hospital by the Nazis. To try and get information from the doctor they offer him a gold filigree covered candle, the doctor claims that the boy is already dead and then when the parents leave the hospital he informs the SS. The parents leave behind another young son.
The story then shifts to the present day, the doctor has been hunted down as a suspected war criminal and the candle has been recovered because of course this is no ordinary candle it contains a piece of the Copper Scroll which gives the supposed location of The Ark of The Covenant. With the backing of a multi-billionaire and the Vatican a group of archeologists,mercenaries,a couple of cooks, a doctor, a reporter and a priest head off to the Jordanian desert to find it. Nobody in this group is to be trusted, as well as operatives from the CIA and Mossad they have been infiltrated by a terrorist and the mutli-billionaire is hiding something as well. The identity of the CIA operative is given fairly early on in the story but while Jurado may be trying to keep you guessing as to the identity of both the Mossad operative and the terrorist plus the multi-billionaires secret all are far to obvious.
The reporter is the lead female character and while I think that the author was trying to create a strong character what he actually created was an unlikeable bitch. I don't think it's a good sign if you keep hoping for the lea character to be killed. I might be being unfair, maybe he did create a strong character and something got lost in translation.
Overall a quick read but far too predictable.
The story then shifts to the present day, the doctor has been hunted down as a suspected war criminal and the candle has been recovered because of course this is no ordinary candle it contains a piece of the Copper Scroll which gives the supposed location of The Ark of The Covenant. With the backing of a multi-billionaire and the Vatican a group of archeologists,mercenaries,a couple of cooks, a doctor, a reporter and a priest head off to the Jordanian desert to find it. Nobody in this group is to be trusted, as well as operatives from the CIA and Mossad they have been infiltrated by a terrorist and the mutli-billionaire is hiding something as well. The identity of the CIA operative is given fairly early on in the story but while Jurado may be trying to keep you guessing as to the identity of both the Mossad operative and the terrorist plus the multi-billionaires secret all are far to obvious.
The reporter is the lead female character and while I think that the author was trying to create a strong character what he actually created was an unlikeable bitch. I don't think it's a good sign if you keep hoping for the lea character to be killed. I might be being unfair, maybe he did create a strong character and something got lost in translation.
Overall a quick read but far too predictable.
October 2, 2010
The Moses Expedition by Juan Gomez-Jurado is the follow-up to God's Spy featuring Father Anthony Fowler who works for both the CIA and the Vatican's secret service. Reclusive billionaire Raymond Kayn has put together an expedition to find the legendary Ark of the Covenant. Each person selected is traveling for their own reasons: Spanish reporter Andrea Otero needs to prove herself after the loss of her job at a high-profile newspaper and painful break-up from lover Eva, Fowler to serve the interests of the agencies for whom he works, plus several security guards, and some crew. Sparks fly between the different groups immediately, and only their quest keeps them from murdering each other at the outset. The story is told through what's happening with the excavation team, some events back in the US organized by Father Fowler, and documents discovered "after the Moses Expedition Disaster", as well as flashbacks to events from WWII that set the expedition on its path. There's lots of political and religious machinations that make nearly everyone untrustworthy with hidden agendas. The chapters are a bit too disjointed on occasion, and when the big reveal comes, it feels almost anticlimactic with all of the other events surrounding it. The author ratchets up the tension and has included a wide variety of fascinating characters, some of whom survive for a potential sequel.
February 22, 2011
If you like Steve Berry, James Rollins, and Matthew Reilly, you will not be disappointed in "The Moses Expedition".
Father Anthony Fowler, a Catholic Priest, is an agent for the CIA and Holy Alliance. He is being asked to joun a very secret expedition to the Al-Mudawwara Desert in Jordan. The expedition is financed and headed by Raymond Kayn, a multimillion dollar Jewish industrialist. The expedition includes both achaeologists and security forces. Kayn Industries has received permission to explore the desert location for phosphates. However, the real mission is to uncover "The Ark of the Covenant".
The action is fast and furious with plenty of getting in and out of danger. When members of the expedition start dying it becomes apparent that there may be a traitor among them, and there are plenty of possibilities.
As the plot unfolds the reader becomes aware of an Islamic terrorist called "Hugan" (the syringe) that may be part of the group, and wait till you find out how he got this name.
A highly entertaining read that contains short chapters that are hard hitting and full of action.
If you enjoy this book you may want to go back and read his first book, "God's Spy", that is very similar in style and includes some of the characters in "The Moses Expedition".
Father Anthony Fowler, a Catholic Priest, is an agent for the CIA and Holy Alliance. He is being asked to joun a very secret expedition to the Al-Mudawwara Desert in Jordan. The expedition is financed and headed by Raymond Kayn, a multimillion dollar Jewish industrialist. The expedition includes both achaeologists and security forces. Kayn Industries has received permission to explore the desert location for phosphates. However, the real mission is to uncover "The Ark of the Covenant".
The action is fast and furious with plenty of getting in and out of danger. When members of the expedition start dying it becomes apparent that there may be a traitor among them, and there are plenty of possibilities.
As the plot unfolds the reader becomes aware of an Islamic terrorist called "Hugan" (the syringe) that may be part of the group, and wait till you find out how he got this name.
A highly entertaining read that contains short chapters that are hard hitting and full of action.
If you enjoy this book you may want to go back and read his first book, "God's Spy", that is very similar in style and includes some of the characters in "The Moses Expedition".
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