Emerald

by Brian January

Beneath the ruins of a time-lashed temple in the Egyptian desert, two ancient pillars—one made of solid gold, the other of emerald—reveal the existence of an unknown power source, an element so powerful that a single teaspoon could turn an entire city into molten slag.

27,000 miles above the Arctic Circle, a clandestine satellite-based laser weapon readies to boil the polar ice pack to slush, giving access to billions of barrels of oil buried beneath the ocean floor.

And inside a remote mountaintop fortress in Crimea, a cult of descendants of a vanished civilization plots to drown the Earth in a planet-wide deluge.

All these occurrences have one thing in common: the Emerald Tablet of Thoth, the fabled writings of the legendary priest-king of Atlantis.

Hunted by a psychotic assassin and fanatic followers of the cult, OSR agents Park Skarda and April Force and their brilliant linguist ally Flinders Carlson are plunged into a deadly race against time, a race they must survive at all costs if they are to find the Tablet and keep it out of their enemies’ hands.

From secret chambers beneath the Sphinx to a hidden vault in the bowels of the Vatican to a Nazi U-boat perfectly preserved in the oxygen-starved depths of the Black Sea, Skarda, April, and Flinders pursue a path of danger and death to save mankind from ultimate destruction.

Length: 106,000 words (approximately 425 printed pages).

Kindle Edition

First published October 17, 2011

Reviews

[Catherine Nobles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes it is true that the editing and proofreading in this book left a lot to be desired. Nonetheless, "Emerald" is a nail biter, with so many twists and turns that it was impossible to keep count. I don't know how many of the proverbial 9-lives were used by the protagonists, but they used plenty. I also liked that there wasn't just one villain, but several, all with their own motives for desiring the tablet. I'll probably read it again sometime in the future because it is impossible to remember the wealth of detail in this story. Next time I'll pick up things I missed in this reading.

Others have commented on the incredulity of many of the plot twists. They are, in fact, incredible. My liking this book had nothing to do with the quality of its technical accuracy or believabilty. I liked it simply because it is entertaining

[Nigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gem of a find, this s he first book I have read by Brian January and certainly won't be the last. Great story with lots of twists and turns well developed characters and goes at such a pace from the first page Wow bring on the next "Silver" I believe can't wait.

[Susan Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well what can I say re: these 2 characters Park & April. They go from crisis to crisis through beatings, bullets, blood and gore and recover almost immediately. Loved this book, the story and jam packed action from beginning to end. Look forward to the next book with these two in.