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The Einstein Prophecy
As war rages in 1944, young army lieutenant Lucas Athan recovers a sarcophagus excavated from an Egyptian tomb. Shipped to Princeton University for study, the box contains mysteries that only Lucas, aided by brilliant archaeologist Simone Rashid, can unlock.
These mysteries may, in fact, defy—or fulfill—the dire prophecies of Albert Einstein himself.
Struggling to decipher the sarcophagus’s strange contents, Lucas and Simone unwittingly release forces for both good and unmitigated evil. The fate of the world hangs not only on Professor Einstein’s secret research but also on Lucas’s ability to defeat an unholy adversary more powerful than anything he ever imagined.
From the mind of bestselling author and award-winning journalist Robert Masello comes a thrilling, page-turning adventure where modern science and primordial supernatural powers collide.
338 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2015
8772 people are currently reading
11192 people want to read
About the author
Robert Masello
34 books614 followers Robert Masello is an award-winning journalist, TV writer, and the bestselling author of many novels and nonfiction books. In addition to his most recent book, THE HAUNTING OF H.G. WELLS, he has written the #1 Amazon Kindle bestseller, THE EINSTEIN PROPHECY, and many other popular thrillers, including THE JEKYLL REVELATION, THE NIGHT CROSSING, BLOOD AND ICE, THE MEDUSA AMULET, and THE ROMANOV CROSS.
He is also the author of two popular studies of the Occult -- FALLEN ANGELS AND SPIRITS OF THE DARK and RAISING HELL: A CONCISE HISTORY OF THE BLACK ARTS.
His books on writing include WRITER TELLS ALL, A FRIEND IN THE BUSINESS, and the classroom staple, ROBERT'S RULES OF WRITING.
His TV credits include such popular shows as "Charmed," "Sliders," Early Edition," and "Poltergeist: the Legacy."
A native of Evanston, Illinois, he studied writing at Princeton University under the noted authors Robert Stone and Geoffrey Wolff, and served for six years as the Visiting Lecturer in Literature at Claremont McKenna College.
He now lives and works in Santa Monica, CA.
He is also the author of two popular studies of the Occult -- FALLEN ANGELS AND SPIRITS OF THE DARK and RAISING HELL: A CONCISE HISTORY OF THE BLACK ARTS.
His books on writing include WRITER TELLS ALL, A FRIEND IN THE BUSINESS, and the classroom staple, ROBERT'S RULES OF WRITING.
His TV credits include such popular shows as "Charmed," "Sliders," Early Edition," and "Poltergeist: the Legacy."
A native of Evanston, Illinois, he studied writing at Princeton University under the noted authors Robert Stone and Geoffrey Wolff, and served for six years as the Visiting Lecturer in Literature at Claremont McKenna College.
He now lives and works in Santa Monica, CA.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,696 reviews
July 8, 2015
I picked this book as my Kindle First pick for July.
And I kinda regret it..
The Einstein Prophecy is a weird story. WW2, demons, romance, Einstein, and the race for the atomic bomb all come together in this strange tale of a group of researchers trying to uncover why a mysterious coffin was so important for the Third Reich to acquire. I think what threw me the most about this book was that it took a very realistic setting with well researched background and details about WW2, and then put supernatural stuff in it? The two clashing elements just never coalesced into a story that I could immerse myself in.
Instead, I kept saying "rlly" every time something would happen. Also, I became frustrated with the constant denial of the supernatural occurrences by some of the characters even after things would happen right under their noses. Why are we wasting dialogue making excuses for why a demon flew out of a coffin? Get to the action!
I can't believe this dude is a journalist. However, his having authored several books on the occult makes sense.
And I kinda regret it..
The Einstein Prophecy is a weird story. WW2, demons, romance, Einstein, and the race for the atomic bomb all come together in this strange tale of a group of researchers trying to uncover why a mysterious coffin was so important for the Third Reich to acquire. I think what threw me the most about this book was that it took a very realistic setting with well researched background and details about WW2, and then put supernatural stuff in it? The two clashing elements just never coalesced into a story that I could immerse myself in.
Instead, I kept saying "rlly" every time something would happen. Also, I became frustrated with the constant denial of the supernatural occurrences by some of the characters even after things would happen right under their noses. Why are we wasting dialogue making excuses for why a demon flew out of a coffin? Get to the action!
I can't believe this dude is a journalist. However, his having authored several books on the occult makes sense.
July 13, 2015
WWII Thriller A Pleasant Surprise!
Great read, reminiscent of Indiana Jones, an action/adventure with something for everyone - archaeology, science, horror, even romance.
I really like the protagonist, Lucas, love the WWII setting, and the inclusion of Einstein and Godel is a fun side-story.
I think what surprised me most is how well this book will appeal to both men and women. So often, in the thriller genre, female characters are limited to caricatures, but this novel has a believable female co-lead plus a couple more likeable female characters.
And the romance is actually romantic! Another thing usually lacking in these novels.
There are a few slow moments early on, when Einstein and Godel are first introduced, but the book picks up steam by the 40% mark or so, and from that point I didn't want to put it down.
Is it clean? I would say yes. There is one intimate scene, no detail, and there are no bad words, other than the Lord's name taken in vain once or twice.
Great read, reminiscent of Indiana Jones, an action/adventure with something for everyone - archaeology, science, horror, even romance.
I really like the protagonist, Lucas, love the WWII setting, and the inclusion of Einstein and Godel is a fun side-story.
I think what surprised me most is how well this book will appeal to both men and women. So often, in the thriller genre, female characters are limited to caricatures, but this novel has a believable female co-lead plus a couple more likeable female characters.
And the romance is actually romantic! Another thing usually lacking in these novels.
There are a few slow moments early on, when Einstein and Godel are first introduced, but the book picks up steam by the 40% mark or so, and from that point I didn't want to put it down.
Is it clean? I would say yes. There is one intimate scene, no detail, and there are no bad words, other than the Lord's name taken in vain once or twice.
August 9, 2016
Executive Summary: This book was alright, but nothing really special.
Audiobook: Christopher Lane was quite a good narrator. He spoke clearly and with good inflections. He also did some decent accents for the characters of the book. If you're going to read this book (something I'm a bit iffy on), audio is a good option.
Full Review
The description of this book was a bit misleading to me. I saw "young army lieutenant Lucas Athan recovers a sarcophagus excavated from an Egyptian tomb" and I'm thinking ancient Egypt, pyramids, mummies, etc.
There is none of that. Instead the sarcophagus is thought to belong to a Christian saint. Wait What? And if that's not strange enough, half this book follows Einstein around. Much of his parts felt completely unnecessary to the plot.
I'm not saying he's an unimportant figure in the story. His name's in the title after all. I just don't really get why so much time was spent on his daily life. If anything this book makes me want to pick up a biography on Einstein. It's the second fictionalized version of him I've read. The other was in Cryptonomicon, which I found far more enjoyable.
The plot and the characters apart from Einstein (and other fictionalized versions of historical characters) were largely unmemorable. The story was pretty standard thriller, but at a much slower pace than I generally find for good thrillers.
It's not a bad book, It's just not a great book either. I'm not that well read in thrillers these days, but there have to be better options out there over this one. If you picked it up cheap like I did though, it's entertaining enough.
Audiobook: Christopher Lane was quite a good narrator. He spoke clearly and with good inflections. He also did some decent accents for the characters of the book. If you're going to read this book (something I'm a bit iffy on), audio is a good option.
Full Review
The description of this book was a bit misleading to me. I saw "young army lieutenant Lucas Athan recovers a sarcophagus excavated from an Egyptian tomb" and I'm thinking ancient Egypt, pyramids, mummies, etc.
There is none of that. Instead the sarcophagus is thought to belong to a Christian saint. Wait What? And if that's not strange enough, half this book follows Einstein around. Much of his parts felt completely unnecessary to the plot.
I'm not saying he's an unimportant figure in the story. His name's in the title after all. I just don't really get why so much time was spent on his daily life. If anything this book makes me want to pick up a biography on Einstein. It's the second fictionalized version of him I've read. The other was in Cryptonomicon, which I found far more enjoyable.
The plot and the characters apart from Einstein (and other fictionalized versions of historical characters) were largely unmemorable. The story was pretty standard thriller, but at a much slower pace than I generally find for good thrillers.
It's not a bad book, It's just not a great book either. I'm not that well read in thrillers these days, but there have to be better options out there over this one. If you picked it up cheap like I did though, it's entertaining enough.
July 8, 2015
One Big Mistake
The author makes a hugh error in Chapter 36 when he has an FBI agent screw a silencer on his revolver. Two problems with that; that type of device cannot work on a revolver, and the agent would have called it a suppressor. A common error that has ruined many a movie, TV show, and book. I base this criticism on the fact that I've 40 years experience as a gunsmith and law enforcement armored.
Otherwise the story is pretty good.
The author makes a hugh error in Chapter 36 when he has an FBI agent screw a silencer on his revolver. Two problems with that; that type of device cannot work on a revolver, and the agent would have called it a suppressor. A common error that has ruined many a movie, TV show, and book. I base this criticism on the fact that I've 40 years experience as a gunsmith and law enforcement armored.
Otherwise the story is pretty good.
July 20, 2015
On the positive side, the book is very grammatical. It has been professionally edited, the story flows smoothly and, apart from being overly descriptive at times, the author makes his points and moves forward in an expeditious manner. The problem is the story feels like it was written in the 1950's. Stylistically, this could have been a black and white film with Packards and boarding houses and Boris Karloff dressed as the Bog Man. It was a pleasant read, but when one throws Einstein's name into the title, one expects perhaps something much more scientific, or philosophic. The greatest contribution to science and mathematics by Kurt Goedel? We learn that he is a very frightened man who utilizes his wife as a food tester so he won't be poisoned, although the Incompleteness Theorem was mentioned.
It took a few days to finish this novel. Primarily because I'd read a chapter and find nothing to induce me to read the next, so I set it down.
One pet peeve: revolvers do not use suppressors (silencers). Only the Russian 1895 Nagant has a satisfactory seal to make it an effective suppressed revolver system.
It took a few days to finish this novel. Primarily because I'd read a chapter and find nothing to induce me to read the next, so I set it down.
One pet peeve: revolvers do not use suppressors (silencers). Only the Russian 1895 Nagant has a satisfactory seal to make it an effective suppressed revolver system.
July 22, 2015
July 22, 2015
A Review by Anthony T. Riggio of "The Einstein Prophesy" by Robert Masello
I purchased this book in the Kindle format.
This was a fun book to read. it was something in the fashion Angels and Demons, Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Museum Men. It is a short read and fun to let one's imagination go free and just enjoy the moment. It had suspense, demons, and intrigue around and all framed around Princeton University, where Albert Einstein was an honored professor in 1944. There are some interesting characters including the FBI, Army Intelligence, the OSS and Egyptian Archaeology. There is romance and plenty of action but not enough to dull the rhythm of the story.
Some critics called the story line "silly"; me I suggest let your imagination be suspended and enjoy some of the research the author has accomplished vis a vie the times, namely World War II.
I recommend this book especially after reading a more heavy book of history or literature. it is just plain fun I gave it four stars because it was well written and filled a need for me at the moment.
A Review by Anthony T. Riggio of "The Einstein Prophesy" by Robert Masello
I purchased this book in the Kindle format.
This was a fun book to read. it was something in the fashion Angels and Demons, Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Museum Men. It is a short read and fun to let one's imagination go free and just enjoy the moment. It had suspense, demons, and intrigue around and all framed around Princeton University, where Albert Einstein was an honored professor in 1944. There are some interesting characters including the FBI, Army Intelligence, the OSS and Egyptian Archaeology. There is romance and plenty of action but not enough to dull the rhythm of the story.
Some critics called the story line "silly"; me I suggest let your imagination be suspended and enjoy some of the research the author has accomplished vis a vie the times, namely World War II.
I recommend this book especially after reading a more heavy book of history or literature. it is just plain fun I gave it four stars because it was well written and filled a need for me at the moment.
July 17, 2016
According to GoodReads, 2 stars = it was OK. That's all I can give this book. It didn't keep me awake reading past my bed time. It didn't even make me want to pick up my Kindle to read it. Took me forever to get through it.
July 30, 2015
This is a readable toilet/ plane/ travel book. It is not particularly good nor bad. The language is generic and plain. The author neither amazes nor bores with the adjectives, sentence structures, descriptions and narration. It is not really a mystery , it is more a thriller since one guesses- spoiler alert- that the fictional relation between Einstein and Oppenheimer on atomic bomb will be related to the mysterious ossuary that the main characters discover.
In terms of character development, nothing is very developed or thought upon: we have a wounded, Teutonic, ex--soldier art historian in sexual attraction with an exotic Egyptian /mixed race (because purely Arab would not work hence her mother is British )woman who is a very accomplished scholar to be undermined and saved by the one-eyed ex-soldier. Castration relations at their best.
Einstein is portrayed here as an eccentric character whose contribution to the plot is minimal at best.
Despite all these generic and -of course- patriarchal language and characters, the book is readable because it does not try to be something more than itself which is a an ok toilet or plane book. I would not like to pay for it but it is ok as a free book.
In terms of character development, nothing is very developed or thought upon: we have a wounded, Teutonic, ex--soldier art historian in sexual attraction with an exotic Egyptian /mixed race (because purely Arab would not work hence her mother is British )woman who is a very accomplished scholar to be undermined and saved by the one-eyed ex-soldier. Castration relations at their best.
Einstein is portrayed here as an eccentric character whose contribution to the plot is minimal at best.
Despite all these generic and -of course- patriarchal language and characters, the book is readable because it does not try to be something more than itself which is a an ok toilet or plane book. I would not like to pay for it but it is ok as a free book.
February 10, 2017
I was able to read this book before it came out on August 1 and I did not know what I was in store for. I see that there are mixed reviews but I really do not understand why. At first I was a little weary about the book because it was set in World War II. But all doubts quickly disappeared when you met Lucas. He is on a mission to recover precious art that was stolen by the Third Reich. He finds this sarcophagus excavated from an Egyptian tomb. That is when the story really pics up. It quickly goes back to the United States...Princeton in fact.
Here you get to meet a whole new cast of characters including the infamous and amazing Einstein. The book mixes science with the supernatural in a way that really just seems so seamless. You aren't beat over the head with science or the supernatural. There is no weird uncomfortable transition between the two...they just happen to coexist.
The character of Einstein was done beautifully. It was exactly how I would imagine that he was. I must admit he was one of my favorite parts of the book. I really recommend this book. Do not be put off by the time period or the mixture of science and the supernatural....It honestly blends together beautifully to create a wonderful story!
Here you get to meet a whole new cast of characters including the infamous and amazing Einstein. The book mixes science with the supernatural in a way that really just seems so seamless. You aren't beat over the head with science or the supernatural. There is no weird uncomfortable transition between the two...they just happen to coexist.
The character of Einstein was done beautifully. It was exactly how I would imagine that he was. I must admit he was one of my favorite parts of the book. I really recommend this book. Do not be put off by the time period or the mixture of science and the supernatural....It honestly blends together beautifully to create a wonderful story!
February 22, 2017
3.5
I give this a 3.5 rating. The story was great but some parts felt a little slow where other parts felt rushed. Overall, I really liked this book, along with this time period and particular war. Recommend!
I give this a 3.5 rating. The story was great but some parts felt a little slow where other parts felt rushed. Overall, I really liked this book, along with this time period and particular war. Recommend!
January 11, 2016
'The Einstein Prophecy' is not as good as it initially seems, gentle reader, but this is not apparent until the end of the book. I felt that the ending sputtered to a confusing splay-footed stop. After that disappointment, I felt the novel had been a waste of my time. Plus, the title is 'switch-and-bait'. The character of Albert Einstein is actually unimportant and secondary, written into the story and title so that a reader will stop and check it out. However, the entire marketing of this book is false to different degrees. It isn't really for adults, and it isn't fun like Dan Brown's hysterical occult series.
If you have seen the movie 'Hellboy', then some of this book will remind you a bit of that movie. It also has some bits similar to the action and a touch of the characters of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'. However, this book is not as fun or charismatic as either of those movies. The book is a mild paranormal story teens might enjoy, but the strongest areas of the book are the historical WWII background scenes and secondarily, a romance between two characters. The book smoothly incorporates its plot devices, but I found it to be an ordinary low-budget 1950's movie with many recycled story elements, with said elements thoroughly blanched of intensity and violence.
However, the ending went peculiar in order to serve up a message the author wanted to deliver to the reader. That resulted in a feeling of a big meh (loss of focus, actually, in my opinion) by the end.
The story takes place during WWII. It starts off following Lieutenant Lucas Athan, Ph.D., ex-Princeton college professor, working in the Cultural Recovery Commission, which is a fictional version of the real life Monument Men tasked with returning the art stolen by the Nazis. He is directed by a mysterious note to find an ark, which he does, inside a mine in Alsace-Lorraine. Later, we meet the people from whom the ark was originally stolen - a beautiful Egyptian, Simone Rashid, PhD, and her mentor, her father, Dr. Abdul Rashid, a world famous expert on Egyptian antiquities. They have learned that the ark was sent to Princeton University in the United States. By amazing coincidences, Albert Einstein is also working at Princeton, and Lucas has been offered his old job back as professor of Art.
Strange things happen once the ark is opened. Could it be possible the ancient story of an imprisoned demon are true? If so, why and how is the ark holding it imprisoned?
The characters, one of the best parts of the novel (although the author sort of wasted the points he gained in making me like some of them) have enough substance that I cared about them. They never appeared to grow beyond the way people were presented in black-and-white family movies made in the 1950's - very clean and spotless. We never really get to know the demon, either, which is unforgivable.
This book was not for me.
I got this as part of the Amazon rental book program. If not for that, I would have resented paying for it. However, it is well-written and I think medium-sensitive and certain young readers looking for an interesting but low-intensity thriller would enjoy this novel. It reminded me of some abridged classics made available to middle-school readers in the 1960's. While sex, violence, paranormal demon possession and murder occur occasionally during the action of the plot, and while the protagonists feel often they are in deadly danger, it was not at all lurid or hysterical in the manner of other, more popular books which cover the same territory. Today's middle-schoolers, though, are split into either the over-protected or 13-going-on-30, so maybe only medium-sensitive delicates are the audience for this book.
If you have seen the movie 'Hellboy', then some of this book will remind you a bit of that movie. It also has some bits similar to the action and a touch of the characters of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'. However, this book is not as fun or charismatic as either of those movies. The book is a mild paranormal story teens might enjoy, but the strongest areas of the book are the historical WWII background scenes and secondarily, a romance between two characters. The book smoothly incorporates its plot devices, but I found it to be an ordinary low-budget 1950's movie with many recycled story elements, with said elements thoroughly blanched of intensity and violence.
However, the ending went peculiar in order to serve up a message the author wanted to deliver to the reader. That resulted in a feeling of a big meh (loss of focus, actually, in my opinion) by the end.
The story takes place during WWII. It starts off following Lieutenant Lucas Athan, Ph.D., ex-Princeton college professor, working in the Cultural Recovery Commission, which is a fictional version of the real life Monument Men tasked with returning the art stolen by the Nazis. He is directed by a mysterious note to find an ark, which he does, inside a mine in Alsace-Lorraine. Later, we meet the people from whom the ark was originally stolen - a beautiful Egyptian, Simone Rashid, PhD, and her mentor, her father, Dr. Abdul Rashid, a world famous expert on Egyptian antiquities. They have learned that the ark was sent to Princeton University in the United States. By amazing coincidences, Albert Einstein is also working at Princeton, and Lucas has been offered his old job back as professor of Art.
Strange things happen once the ark is opened. Could it be possible the ancient story of an imprisoned demon are true? If so, why and how is the ark holding it imprisoned?
The characters, one of the best parts of the novel (although the author sort of wasted the points he gained in making me like some of them) have enough substance that I cared about them. They never appeared to grow beyond the way people were presented in black-and-white family movies made in the 1950's - very clean and spotless. We never really get to know the demon, either, which is unforgivable.
This book was not for me.
I got this as part of the Amazon rental book program. If not for that, I would have resented paying for it. However, it is well-written and I think medium-sensitive and certain young readers looking for an interesting but low-intensity thriller would enjoy this novel. It reminded me of some abridged classics made available to middle-school readers in the 1960's. While sex, violence, paranormal demon possession and murder occur occasionally during the action of the plot, and while the protagonists feel often they are in deadly danger, it was not at all lurid or hysterical in the manner of other, more popular books which cover the same territory. Today's middle-schoolers, though, are split into either the over-protected or 13-going-on-30, so maybe only medium-sensitive delicates are the audience for this book.
April 3, 2020
Another great read by Robert Masello
April 20, 2019
This book tells the tale of Albert Einstein, his youth in Germany when he first prophesied some of his more radical theories, and his life in the states with his wife and daughter. It also speaks of his life and his role in the development and launching of the A-bomb in WWII against Japan. An interesting journey especially from a psychological viewpoint.
March 22, 2018
I was disappointed. I really liked "The Jekyll Revelation" but in many ways this one really jumped the shark. I'm being generous giving this 3 stars. Masello was reaching for Dan Brown's audience in this but missed the mark by overdoing it. In Jekyll the supernatural element could be attributed to the character's perception after taking the equivalent of an hallucinogenic drug. In this one it was up front with all the flaws inherent. I like a good supernatural story but so few are. Most have all these very evident flaws. A supernatural power that is seemingly all powerful but somehow can't kill the hero. The superfluous characters introduced just to die. Things like that. They defy logic. This gets annoying after a life time of reading. I can suspend disbelief but the logic has to be coherent. This wasn't. This just missed being a total cookie cutter. As usual a familiar locale and historical figures thrown in draws me in and this largely takes place in Princeton, a college town about an hour or a little more away, and there are some NYC scenes, and I enjoyed the historical research that went into this. But the bottom line is...don't bother.
June 2, 2023
לסקירה מפורטת בעברית, קישור לבלוג שלי -
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June 30, 2016
Less than two hours left on the Audiobook. I can't be bothered.
June 2, 2021
3.33 stars (not being smartass that's my honest rating😋)
January 21, 2016
Review of The Einstein Prophecy
The Einstein Prophecy is a mystery book that never lags. Filled with prophecies of an apocalyptic world it takes place during one of the darkest times in history, World War II.
Exploring early Patristic (theological) literature an Egyptian archeologist, Dr. Rashid, spends his life in pursuit of St. Anthony of Egypt’s tomb. Legends abound about St. Anthony’s fight to the death with a demon that threatened mankind. Doctor Rashid’s beautiful, brilliant, daughter, Simone, also a doctor of archeology, and he discover the ossuary (sarcophagus) in a desert cave. The ossuary is supposed to contain St. Anthony’s remains. Before they ever get the chance to open the ossuary, it is confiscated in 1941 by General Rommel, Hitler’s general, who took over the Desert War. Rommel sends the ossuary to Germany at Hitler’s request. When the tide begins to turn on Germany in 1943 the stolen treasures of art and archeology that were destined for German museums and private collections end up being stashed in mining tunnels and caves. The US Government, famously created the Monument Men, a group of art professors to find and repatriate the stolen treasures of Europe, Egypt, etc., which were to be returned after the war.
The ossuary and its contents for some reason held special interest to Hitler and because of that special interest, it becomes the focus of the OSS. So starts an adventure that bears a similarity to the Legend of the Lost Ark. Remember how the Nazis desperately chased after the Ark which they believed held the power to rule the world. In this instance, the power of the contents of the ossuary is malignant and evil and could destroy the world. Untimely deaths and strange occurrences surround the ancient relic, beginning with the young Egyptian guide who assisted Professor Rashid and his daughter Simone in finding the sarcophagus. He was overwhelmed and killed by bats in the hidden cave in the White Sand desert, a horrifying death.
Professor Lucas Athan, serving as a Lieutenant in the army, assigned to the Cultural Recovery Commission (Monument Men) is commissioned by the OSS (forerunner to the CIA) to find the ossuary. In a salt mine in Alsace he and his aide, Private Toussaint, nearly lose their lives when a bomb explodes just as they discover the ancient sarcophagus. Lucas loses his eye, Toussaint, his leg, and a child is blown up. Lucas, wounded and decorated for his service returns to his former position at Princeton University. Meanwhile, the ossuary now in the possession of the OSS journeys to America on a Red Cross ship carrying wounded to America.
Simone Rashid and her father, hot on the trail, are determined to return the ossuary to its rightful home in Egypt. They risk life and limb on a dangerous ocean crossing where the Red Cross ship containing the ossuary is hit and nearly sunk by German U-boats. Miraculously, or more likely because of its evil contents, the ship containing the ossuary makes it to New York.
The ossuary, Lucas, Simone and her father all end up at Princeton, where the OSS has conscripted Lucas into a top-secret commission of studying and opening the ossuary. The OSS is determined to find out why this artifact is so important to Hitler.
Coincidentally, across the street from Lucas’s boarding house lives Professor Albert Einstein, who is secretly engaged by Robert Oppenheimer to help in the development of the Atomic bomb. Oppenheimer is busy working on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, New Mexico and turns to his friend Einstein to help expedite, and iron out the wrinkles that are hindering the bomb’s development. The race is on to beat the Nazi’s in their quest to build the bomb and to end the war with Japan.
Now the book really gets interesting. The forces of evil are unleashed when the ossuary is opened, which is highly symbolic of not only The Third Reich and their evil deeds, but the philosophical fine line that is presented by the creation of a weapon that could literally fulfill biblical prophecy and bring on the apocalypse.
Einstein is plagued by his fears of developing a weapon of mass destruction. Einstein was a pacifist and an atheist, however, it was WWII and the evil of Nazism that soon persuaded him to entertain, if not embrace the Allied quest to win the war, and the spiritual imperative that the forces of good must overcome and eradicate the forces of evil. WWII brought Einstein back to the fold, so to speak, he found his spirituality and belief in, if not God, then at least a universal power of creation that is divine. This book addresses all of these questions in an exciting thriller, that is well written, positively entertaining, historically informed, and impossible to put down.
The building of a romance between Simone and Lucas is like the icing on a cake and provides the happy ever after ending that we as readers look forward to receiving.
The Einstein Prophecy is a mystery book that never lags. Filled with prophecies of an apocalyptic world it takes place during one of the darkest times in history, World War II.
Exploring early Patristic (theological) literature an Egyptian archeologist, Dr. Rashid, spends his life in pursuit of St. Anthony of Egypt’s tomb. Legends abound about St. Anthony’s fight to the death with a demon that threatened mankind. Doctor Rashid’s beautiful, brilliant, daughter, Simone, also a doctor of archeology, and he discover the ossuary (sarcophagus) in a desert cave. The ossuary is supposed to contain St. Anthony’s remains. Before they ever get the chance to open the ossuary, it is confiscated in 1941 by General Rommel, Hitler’s general, who took over the Desert War. Rommel sends the ossuary to Germany at Hitler’s request. When the tide begins to turn on Germany in 1943 the stolen treasures of art and archeology that were destined for German museums and private collections end up being stashed in mining tunnels and caves. The US Government, famously created the Monument Men, a group of art professors to find and repatriate the stolen treasures of Europe, Egypt, etc., which were to be returned after the war.
The ossuary and its contents for some reason held special interest to Hitler and because of that special interest, it becomes the focus of the OSS. So starts an adventure that bears a similarity to the Legend of the Lost Ark. Remember how the Nazis desperately chased after the Ark which they believed held the power to rule the world. In this instance, the power of the contents of the ossuary is malignant and evil and could destroy the world. Untimely deaths and strange occurrences surround the ancient relic, beginning with the young Egyptian guide who assisted Professor Rashid and his daughter Simone in finding the sarcophagus. He was overwhelmed and killed by bats in the hidden cave in the White Sand desert, a horrifying death.
Professor Lucas Athan, serving as a Lieutenant in the army, assigned to the Cultural Recovery Commission (Monument Men) is commissioned by the OSS (forerunner to the CIA) to find the ossuary. In a salt mine in Alsace he and his aide, Private Toussaint, nearly lose their lives when a bomb explodes just as they discover the ancient sarcophagus. Lucas loses his eye, Toussaint, his leg, and a child is blown up. Lucas, wounded and decorated for his service returns to his former position at Princeton University. Meanwhile, the ossuary now in the possession of the OSS journeys to America on a Red Cross ship carrying wounded to America.
Simone Rashid and her father, hot on the trail, are determined to return the ossuary to its rightful home in Egypt. They risk life and limb on a dangerous ocean crossing where the Red Cross ship containing the ossuary is hit and nearly sunk by German U-boats. Miraculously, or more likely because of its evil contents, the ship containing the ossuary makes it to New York.
The ossuary, Lucas, Simone and her father all end up at Princeton, where the OSS has conscripted Lucas into a top-secret commission of studying and opening the ossuary. The OSS is determined to find out why this artifact is so important to Hitler.
Coincidentally, across the street from Lucas’s boarding house lives Professor Albert Einstein, who is secretly engaged by Robert Oppenheimer to help in the development of the Atomic bomb. Oppenheimer is busy working on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, New Mexico and turns to his friend Einstein to help expedite, and iron out the wrinkles that are hindering the bomb’s development. The race is on to beat the Nazi’s in their quest to build the bomb and to end the war with Japan.
Now the book really gets interesting. The forces of evil are unleashed when the ossuary is opened, which is highly symbolic of not only The Third Reich and their evil deeds, but the philosophical fine line that is presented by the creation of a weapon that could literally fulfill biblical prophecy and bring on the apocalypse.
Einstein is plagued by his fears of developing a weapon of mass destruction. Einstein was a pacifist and an atheist, however, it was WWII and the evil of Nazism that soon persuaded him to entertain, if not embrace the Allied quest to win the war, and the spiritual imperative that the forces of good must overcome and eradicate the forces of evil. WWII brought Einstein back to the fold, so to speak, he found his spirituality and belief in, if not God, then at least a universal power of creation that is divine. This book addresses all of these questions in an exciting thriller, that is well written, positively entertaining, historically informed, and impossible to put down.
The building of a romance between Simone and Lucas is like the icing on a cake and provides the happy ever after ending that we as readers look forward to receiving.
May 28, 2017
Pretty decent, although the ending felt really drawn out and unnecessary. Would have liked a little more depth ... and the stakes honestly didn't seem that high (even though they were). Would give it a 3.5 if I could.
December 18, 2015
I'm glad I didn't pay for this book because wow...this book is not worth it. The only reason I finished this book was because I hate NOT finishing a book.
I read The Einstein's Prophecy on my downtime at work. It was readable, yet barely entertaining. The only thing I enjoyed were Einstein's narratives. It was a ballsy move on the author's part to write from his perspective and not royally screw things up. Also, the writing style, while extremely stiff and dry, was very grammatically pleasant.
There were times throughout the book where I would roll my eyes due to absurdity or lack of immersion. And talk about PREDICTABLE as hell! Only children new to the idea of plot twists would have not seen some of the foreshadowing used.
Other reviewers have described the pacing of the story as feeling unnecessarily rushed in some places and dragged out in other places. I agree with this.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this for $16 or whatever it may be priced. Use your Amazon Prime to receive it.
I read The Einstein's Prophecy on my downtime at work. It was readable, yet barely entertaining. The only thing I enjoyed were Einstein's narratives. It was a ballsy move on the author's part to write from his perspective and not royally screw things up. Also, the writing style, while extremely stiff and dry, was very grammatically pleasant.
There were times throughout the book where I would roll my eyes due to absurdity or lack of immersion. And talk about PREDICTABLE as hell! Only children new to the idea of plot twists would have not seen some of the foreshadowing used.
Other reviewers have described the pacing of the story as feeling unnecessarily rushed in some places and dragged out in other places. I agree with this.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this for $16 or whatever it may be priced. Use your Amazon Prime to receive it.
February 27, 2019
“...so far he had see nothing that resembled the ossuary he had been dispatched to find.”
“They’d been impressed enough when he first got the job at Princeton—what would they do when they found out that Einstein, one of the most celebrated people in the whole world, was his neighbor?”
Combine Raiders of the Lost Ark with The Mummy, add Einstein, then you will have a notion of what The Einstein Prophecy is like.
While some of the plot is “been there, read or saw that before” still this is an enjoyable read for adventure readers.
Mystery. Adventure.
This review can be found at: Le Coeur de l'Artiste http://www.djadamson.com/le-coeur-de-...
“They’d been impressed enough when he first got the job at Princeton—what would they do when they found out that Einstein, one of the most celebrated people in the whole world, was his neighbor?”
Combine Raiders of the Lost Ark with The Mummy, add Einstein, then you will have a notion of what The Einstein Prophecy is like.
While some of the plot is “been there, read or saw that before” still this is an enjoyable read for adventure readers.
Mystery. Adventure.
This review can be found at: Le Coeur de l'Artiste http://www.djadamson.com/le-coeur-de-...
January 5, 2016
This book just wasn't for me. I had hoped it would be like James Rollins or Steve Berry, but I was disappointed. This was the first book that I can ever remember not fully finishing--I just couldn't get through the last 25 pages.
November 27, 2022
The Einstein Prophecy
This was a hard book to get into, it doesn't grab you right away. For me it was a hard read because I kept reading it still didn't grab me.
This was a hard book to get into, it doesn't grab you right away. For me it was a hard read because I kept reading it still didn't grab me.
September 1, 2015
"I do not know how the Third World War will be fought, but I can tell you what they will use in the Fourth - Rocks" ~ Einstein. When you start off with a quote like that you have high hopes. I would recommend this for people who like thrillers with a hint of supernatural. I do love when stories incorporate real people. Persons we all know existed. I hate when they make them totally unbelievable. This book didn't do that. There wasn't a point where I read something about Einstein and went "seriously?!?!" I don't know much personal history about the famed man but I felt like the representation of him in this story was believable.
There were some parts of this story that were rushed. There were some parts that were a bit long winded but all in all it was quite interesting. It is a different take on the hows and whys of the end of WWII. We all know what history teaches us but what if there were other forces at work; molding the outcome and using persons like Einstein to do their dirty work...
There were some parts of this story that were rushed. There were some parts that were a bit long winded but all in all it was quite interesting. It is a different take on the hows and whys of the end of WWII. We all know what history teaches us but what if there were other forces at work; molding the outcome and using persons like Einstein to do their dirty work...
September 14, 2020
I was torn whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars as it really is a good. book! I’m a huge lover of scientific non fictions and anything to do with physics and quantum mechanics so this book was a brilliant fusion of fiction paired with scientific elements.
The characters were great, portrayed well, I loved the plot and story and the historical accuracy of some of the scientific reportings. However I just couldn’t get into it! I have no idea why. It’s literally everything I love in a book so it should have been a sure fire win read for me but I struggled to get hooked however I think that’s more of an issue with me than this book! Sometimes your brain goes through a troublesome sticking stage which is what I must have been going through because I literally can’t find much wrong with this book to poke at!
A mix of the supernatural and science made for a brilliant story. I’ll probably re read this in the future and try it again in a physical format and hope I have more success the second time round. I listened to this as an audiobook which was narrated amazingly. The voice actor did a killer Einstein voice! Many elements to be enjoyed within this book and I’d definitely recommend to science fiction lovers and fans of the supernatural.
The characters were great, portrayed well, I loved the plot and story and the historical accuracy of some of the scientific reportings. However I just couldn’t get into it! I have no idea why. It’s literally everything I love in a book so it should have been a sure fire win read for me but I struggled to get hooked however I think that’s more of an issue with me than this book! Sometimes your brain goes through a troublesome sticking stage which is what I must have been going through because I literally can’t find much wrong with this book to poke at!
A mix of the supernatural and science made for a brilliant story. I’ll probably re read this in the future and try it again in a physical format and hope I have more success the second time round. I listened to this as an audiobook which was narrated amazingly. The voice actor did a killer Einstein voice! Many elements to be enjoyed within this book and I’d definitely recommend to science fiction lovers and fans of the supernatural.
July 19, 2015
Sort of reminded me of Indiana Jones, the one with the Ark of the Covenant. A GI on special assignment to find works of art and other items stolen by Germany during WWII. In particular he has been directed to search for a sarcophagus stolen from Egypt. It's located and shipped back to the US to Princeton where the GI, who is a professor at Princeton, is assigned to study it and open it. It is believed to contain the remains of St Anthony who battled demons. He and the demon are believed to be inside the sarcophagus. Of course, once it's opened, the evil is released and all kinds of horrible things occur. To keep the story balanced there is also a love story in progress. And none other than Einstein is also there at Princeton living across the street from the professor. I like Einstein's quote: "I do not know how the Third World War will be fought, but I can tell you what they will use in the Fourth -- rocks."
July 30, 2015
This was a Kindle First book for me. I really expected it to be one of those books that are so popular now that had a modern protagonist trying to solve a mystery in the past where the action switches between the two settings. Fortunately this was set entirely during WWII, a plus. Einstein plays a major role in the action, which seems to want to explain the evil of the nuclear bomb. I really liked Lucas, the main character. Did not find it at all believable that an Egyptian woman could talk her way onto a top secret US project. Nazis being interested in the supernatural has become a somewhat familiar trope. In this case it appears their interest was warranted as the demons are real. Over all a well plotted action adventure with a side of the supernatural.
November 8, 2017
While I enjoyed reading it more than the two stars would suggest, I can see where others may have resisted suspending disbelief on some points and just following to see where the story was trying to go. (You will enjoy it more if you don't question whether the military, law enforcement agency, etc., would really choose to do something in a certain way, just allow the plot device to move you forward.)
It was well written and a quick read. Frequently, however, I found myself more curious than anything about where the author was gonna go with the story, and where the rules of the story's world would settle. I found the dialogues between most of the academics some of the most enjoyable parts, if at times seemingly unnecessary.
It was well written and a quick read. Frequently, however, I found myself more curious than anything about where the author was gonna go with the story, and where the rules of the story's world would settle. I found the dialogues between most of the academics some of the most enjoyable parts, if at times seemingly unnecessary.
July 18, 2015
A SIMPLE MAN'S REVIEW:
You'd think this book would have some sort of prophecy concerning Einstein, right? I mean it's right in the title! But in actuality, Einstein is more of a side character with a tenuous connection to the plot near the end. So if you forget the Einstein angle, it is a pretty standard "ancient relic" novel: action, love, mystery, etc. Ironically, the one thing it was missing was the detailed backstory of the relic. There was a bit here and there, but it would have been a lot better with a deeper backstory.
If you need a quick read, give it a go. You won't feel like your time was wasted and it is fun imagining the type of person Einstein might have been.
You'd think this book would have some sort of prophecy concerning Einstein, right? I mean it's right in the title! But in actuality, Einstein is more of a side character with a tenuous connection to the plot near the end. So if you forget the Einstein angle, it is a pretty standard "ancient relic" novel: action, love, mystery, etc. Ironically, the one thing it was missing was the detailed backstory of the relic. There was a bit here and there, but it would have been a lot better with a deeper backstory.
If you need a quick read, give it a go. You won't feel like your time was wasted and it is fun imagining the type of person Einstein might have been.
September 24, 2020
Fun and enjoyable book.
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