What do you think?
Rate this book
A Vial Upon the Sun
In 1487 the king of Spain, acting through Tomás de Torquemada, the First Inquisitor General of the Holy Office of the Spanish Inquisition, orders the first of the murders. For the next five centuries priests, cardinals, royal officials, nobles, and bankers are manipulated and killed by the Guardians of the Fourth Angel to protect a secret plot and a vast and relentlessly growing fortune.
In the twenty-first century Martín Ibarra Paz, a Cuban-American living in Miami, is famous for his work as the head of a team of architects designing and building a new capitol city in South America. Because his progenitors in Spain had been converted Jews, Martín becomes a target of the plot hatched by the reborn Spanish Inquisition.Takeshi Ishikawa, the Brazilian-Japanese president of the newly-formed and tenuous Latino Union, is desperate to keep the new union together and prevent South America from lapsing back into garrulous political divisions.
His daughter Gina Ishikawa is a reporter covering the ascendance of the young new pope. She digs into his genealogy and finds he is not the man he claims to be. A Vial Upon the Sun follows Gina as she teams with history professor Teodoro Lenin, television media technician Dennis Prinn, and revolutionary terrorist Nicolás Ibarra in a race across Latin America to save Martín and expose the New Inquisition to the world. Armed with nothing but their own knowledge, courage, and skills, they face paid assassins, a military coup, and a nuclear threat.
A Vial Upon the Sun is co-authored by father and son James Codlin and Craig Codlin.
In the twenty-first century Martín Ibarra Paz, a Cuban-American living in Miami, is famous for his work as the head of a team of architects designing and building a new capitol city in South America. Because his progenitors in Spain had been converted Jews, Martín becomes a target of the plot hatched by the reborn Spanish Inquisition.Takeshi Ishikawa, the Brazilian-Japanese president of the newly-formed and tenuous Latino Union, is desperate to keep the new union together and prevent South America from lapsing back into garrulous political divisions.
His daughter Gina Ishikawa is a reporter covering the ascendance of the young new pope. She digs into his genealogy and finds he is not the man he claims to be. A Vial Upon the Sun follows Gina as she teams with history professor Teodoro Lenin, television media technician Dennis Prinn, and revolutionary terrorist Nicolás Ibarra in a race across Latin America to save Martín and expose the New Inquisition to the world. Armed with nothing but their own knowledge, courage, and skills, they face paid assassins, a military coup, and a nuclear threat.
A Vial Upon the Sun is co-authored by father and son James Codlin and Craig Codlin.
- GenresFiction
350 pages, Paperback
First published April 21, 2019
34 people are currently reading
1554 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 6, 2019
It took me all of two days to devour this book. In fact, I stayed up WAY past my bedtime last night to finish it. And then I couldn't get to sleep because the adrenaline was still pumping.
I am a big fan of these kind of thrillers - Dan Brown, Steve Berry, etc. But I must say this is as good as - if not better - than the work of these well-known authors. The characters are engaging and complicated, the history is well-researched and the action is fast-paced. The biggest compliment I can pay is that, as I was reading the book, I was visualizing what a great movie it would make! Somebody, please option this book!!
I am a big fan of these kind of thrillers - Dan Brown, Steve Berry, etc. But I must say this is as good as - if not better - than the work of these well-known authors. The characters are engaging and complicated, the history is well-researched and the action is fast-paced. The biggest compliment I can pay is that, as I was reading the book, I was visualizing what a great movie it would make! Somebody, please option this book!!
March 12, 2022
Quite an incredible tale.
Having heard the author speak at a Reading at Pretty Good Books, an independent Bookstore in LaGrange, GA, I was intrigued by the complexity of the plot he had weaved. I had always been fascinated and horrified by stories of Torquemada and The Spanish Inquisition, so I thought an updated telling would be interesting.
What I got was a very good read wending its way all over Europe, Latin and South America, involving a whole slew of characters of many Nationalities. If there was one weakness, and while probably unavoidable, it was that there were so many Names criss-crossing the pages that the Reader often needed a glossary to figure out whose side they were on.And that became even more important as the plot unwound and the action picked up to a thrilling conclusion.
Part Historical Account, part Political Thriller filled with twists, turns, and well drawn characters, Vial Upon the Sun was in some ways reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code brought forward to the present day with its incorporation of 21st Events and Technology references.
All that and enough page-turning action sequences worthy of a Summer Blockbuster, I found this work to be a highly entertaining and maybe even frightening read worthy of at least Four Stars. ****
And Thanks to Josh Rigsby of Pretty Good Books for hosting Codlin’s Reading. His support of Local Georgia Writers is what makes enjoyable experiences like this possible.
Having heard the author speak at a Reading at Pretty Good Books, an independent Bookstore in LaGrange, GA, I was intrigued by the complexity of the plot he had weaved. I had always been fascinated and horrified by stories of Torquemada and The Spanish Inquisition, so I thought an updated telling would be interesting.
What I got was a very good read wending its way all over Europe, Latin and South America, involving a whole slew of characters of many Nationalities. If there was one weakness, and while probably unavoidable, it was that there were so many Names criss-crossing the pages that the Reader often needed a glossary to figure out whose side they were on.And that became even more important as the plot unwound and the action picked up to a thrilling conclusion.
Part Historical Account, part Political Thriller filled with twists, turns, and well drawn characters, Vial Upon the Sun was in some ways reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code brought forward to the present day with its incorporation of 21st Events and Technology references.
All that and enough page-turning action sequences worthy of a Summer Blockbuster, I found this work to be a highly entertaining and maybe even frightening read worthy of at least Four Stars. ****
And Thanks to Josh Rigsby of Pretty Good Books for hosting Codlin’s Reading. His support of Local Georgia Writers is what makes enjoyable experiences like this possible.
November 16, 2019
Wow! Fast-paced, complex and spanning centuries, this is one of those sagas you can't put down until you know who won. I had to take notes while reading in order to keep the people and times straight- something I actually enjoy from time to time, a book that makes me concentrate.
Involving the Catholic Church, money (lots of money), murder and manipulation, be prepared to run and run fast. Those you thought were safe, aren't. Those you assumed were the Good Guy, wasn't.
I loved this book. Congratulations to James Codlin, what a feat for your debut novel!
Involving the Catholic Church, money (lots of money), murder and manipulation, be prepared to run and run fast. Those you thought were safe, aren't. Those you assumed were the Good Guy, wasn't.
I loved this book. Congratulations to James Codlin, what a feat for your debut novel!
November 19, 2019
Received this book thru the Goodsreads.com Giveaways and really enjoyed it. It was fast paced and kept your interest. Characters were well developed. Scenes and events were well described and the plot was good.
The premise of the book is the resurgence of the Spanish Inquisition and Spanish rule. A secret group has kept alive the idea for 500 years and have now come to the point of enacting their plan to have Spain take control of its former colonies and rule plus restart the Inquisition. The head of a Japanese corporation is in league with these people but he also has his own plans. In South America they are forming a new Latino Union to unite all the countries and the president is a Japanese born Brazilian whose daughter is a journalist that gets caught up in the conspiracy. She has been looking into the newly elected pope and all is not what it seems which triggers the bad guys to come after her. Her previous boyfriend who helped design the new capital for the Latino Union has been targeted by the new Inquisition and his radical brother has been duped to help them out. Another TV journalist is also enlisted into helping bring down the conspirators and they battle against some huge odds especially since the Japanese corporations seems to control all forms of communications.
It is quite the involved story with lots of little twists in it.
The premise of the book is the resurgence of the Spanish Inquisition and Spanish rule. A secret group has kept alive the idea for 500 years and have now come to the point of enacting their plan to have Spain take control of its former colonies and rule plus restart the Inquisition. The head of a Japanese corporation is in league with these people but he also has his own plans. In South America they are forming a new Latino Union to unite all the countries and the president is a Japanese born Brazilian whose daughter is a journalist that gets caught up in the conspiracy. She has been looking into the newly elected pope and all is not what it seems which triggers the bad guys to come after her. Her previous boyfriend who helped design the new capital for the Latino Union has been targeted by the new Inquisition and his radical brother has been duped to help them out. Another TV journalist is also enlisted into helping bring down the conspirators and they battle against some huge odds especially since the Japanese corporations seems to control all forms of communications.
It is quite the involved story with lots of little twists in it.
April 30, 2019
This genre-defying debut novel combines historical fiction with modern-day technology and international intrigue, providing an adrenaline rush from start to finish. Unlike many plot-driven books, the writing here is smart, the premise is well-researched, and the characters are vividly constructed, which gives the reader an emotional stake in the non-stop action. This is the kind of book that unspools in your mind as a film -- it's one of the most screen-ready thrillers I've read in a while. For anyone who loves Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum, A Vial Upon the Sun should be next on your list.
October 15, 2019
We are proud to announce that A VIAL UPON THE SUN by James Codlin is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells readers that this book is well worth their time and money!
May 8, 2019
From the gripping emotion of the opening sentence throughout this fast-paced book, I was enthralled. There are so many aspects of this book that make it so compelling. The fact that we live in times of turbulant globally political upheaval, the obviously well-researched historical aspects and the incredibly descriptive passages drew me into the intrigue immediately!! It was so enjoyable, as well as a bit unsettling. All of the other reviewers have mentioned the same thing that I felt…the whole book unrolled as a movie in my mind. Kudos to this father and son team!
October 20, 2019
Worldwide conspiracy spanning centuries involving the Catholic church. The writing is confident and competent. The characters are clear archetypes. It moves at a good pace. Perfect for fans of Dan Brown.
June 27, 2020
Great Book
Conspiracy, a little action, family loyalty, and just a little of the L word makes for a great story. Worth the read.
Conspiracy, a little action, family loyalty, and just a little of the L word makes for a great story. Worth the read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews