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Le Secret ottoman
Une uchronie redoutablement efficace, par l'auteur duDernier Templier.Istanbul, 1682 : Mehmed IV, sultan de l'Empire ottoman, s'apprête à lancer le second siège de Vienne, alors capitale du Saint-Empire romain, quand un mystérieux visiteur s'introduit dans sa chambre. L'homme, couvert d'étranges tatouages, déclare au souverain pouvoir l'aider à mener à bien ses rêves de conquête...Paris, 2017 : Un drapeau rouge et blanc flotte sur la ville depuis qu'elle est tombée sous le joug des Ottomans pendant le règne de Louis XIV. Le vendredi est un jour de repos et la langue officielle, le turc. La dynastie au pouvoir, qui a régné avec sérénité pendant des siècles, vit cependant des moments difficiles. L'islamisme radical est devenu une menace.Kamal en sait quelque chose, lui qui traque les dissidents au sein de la police du sultan. Nisrine, sa belle-soeur, dont il est amoureux dans l'ombre, est quant à elle une avocate opposée au régime. Sa mission met bientôt Kamal sur la piste d'un patient soigné par son frère et qui prétend venir du passé. Mais lorsque les autorités veulent l'interroger, les choses tournent mal. S'ensuit une course-poursuite effrénée dont l'enjeu est un secret enfoui dans la nuit des temps. Un secret qui pourrait, une fois de plus, modifier le cours de l'Histoire...
640 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 12, 2020
13 people want to read
About the author
Raymond Khoury
54 books1,258 followersRaymond Khoury is the author of five consecutive New York Times and #1 international bestsellers, starting with his debut novel, THE LAST TEMPLAR. His books have been translated into 38 languages, with over 10 million copies in print.
Raymond came to writing thrillers from a career in screenwriting, which including the BAFTA award winning BBC series SPOOKS (aka MI:5 in the US) and Waking The Dead. It partly explains why his novels are often described as cinematic and very visual. As fellow bestselling author Steve Berry puts it: "his expertly chosen verbs cause the scenes to leap from the page. You can literally feel the blows as they're landed; wince as the bullets find their marks. He has an intense brand of storytelling all his own."
THE LAST TEMPLAR began its journey to print as Raymond's third original screenplay, written for film in 1996. At the time, a book agent suggested turning it into a novel, and a major NY publisher, the first to read it, offered Raymond a huge advance for the as-yet-unwritten novel, with one condition: "Lose the religion. It's boring. Change the Templars' secret to gold, diamonds, a physical treasure." After much tortured consideration, Raymond turned the offer down, his first potential check from writing. Almost exactly ten years later, his novel, based on that screenplay--religion included--became a global bestseller, hitting #1 in multiple countries and getting adapted into an NBC miniseries.
Raymond's thrillers are based on big themes that interest him such as international politics and conspiracies, fact vs faith, why we age and die, what do we really know about reincarnation, about mind control. He explores these themes in depth, with heavy emphasis on research, and often combines a historical angle to his stories. As such, some of his novels (THE LAST TEMPLAR, THE SANCTUARY, THE TEMPLAR SALVATION, RASPUTIN'S SHADOW) feature dual timelines: the bulk of the stories are set in the present day, interspersed with chapters that take place in the distant past. As Booklist puts it, "Khoury's thrillers engage the reader's mind, even as they move at a breakneck pace. Readers who like their thrillers to have a solid intellectual component will enjoy Khoury's books very much. Given the high quality of each of his novels, it seems fair to say that he may be around for a while."
Raymond's 8th novel is an epic alternate history and time travel story that Publishers Weekly called "ingeniously inventive" and "a classic of the genre": It is already out in the UK as THE OTTOMAN SECRET, and is out on Oct 1 in the US under a different title, EMPIRE OF LIES.
To find out more about him and his work, visit his website at raymondkhoury.com or connect with him on his Facebook page or on Instagram (@author.raymond.khoury).
Raymond came to writing thrillers from a career in screenwriting, which including the BAFTA award winning BBC series SPOOKS (aka MI:5 in the US) and Waking The Dead. It partly explains why his novels are often described as cinematic and very visual. As fellow bestselling author Steve Berry puts it: "his expertly chosen verbs cause the scenes to leap from the page. You can literally feel the blows as they're landed; wince as the bullets find their marks. He has an intense brand of storytelling all his own."
THE LAST TEMPLAR began its journey to print as Raymond's third original screenplay, written for film in 1996. At the time, a book agent suggested turning it into a novel, and a major NY publisher, the first to read it, offered Raymond a huge advance for the as-yet-unwritten novel, with one condition: "Lose the religion. It's boring. Change the Templars' secret to gold, diamonds, a physical treasure." After much tortured consideration, Raymond turned the offer down, his first potential check from writing. Almost exactly ten years later, his novel, based on that screenplay--religion included--became a global bestseller, hitting #1 in multiple countries and getting adapted into an NBC miniseries.
Raymond's thrillers are based on big themes that interest him such as international politics and conspiracies, fact vs faith, why we age and die, what do we really know about reincarnation, about mind control. He explores these themes in depth, with heavy emphasis on research, and often combines a historical angle to his stories. As such, some of his novels (THE LAST TEMPLAR, THE SANCTUARY, THE TEMPLAR SALVATION, RASPUTIN'S SHADOW) feature dual timelines: the bulk of the stories are set in the present day, interspersed with chapters that take place in the distant past. As Booklist puts it, "Khoury's thrillers engage the reader's mind, even as they move at a breakneck pace. Readers who like their thrillers to have a solid intellectual component will enjoy Khoury's books very much. Given the high quality of each of his novels, it seems fair to say that he may be around for a while."
Raymond's 8th novel is an epic alternate history and time travel story that Publishers Weekly called "ingeniously inventive" and "a classic of the genre": It is already out in the UK as THE OTTOMAN SECRET, and is out on Oct 1 in the US under a different title, EMPIRE OF LIES.
To find out more about him and his work, visit his website at raymondkhoury.com or connect with him on his Facebook page or on Instagram (@author.raymond.khoury).
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 4, 2022
Pour commencer, je n'ai jamais aimé les livres qui prennent des libertés avec l'Histoire. Elle est déjà tellement riche en péripéties que je ne comprends pas l'intérêt d'imaginer ce qui serait advenu si l'événement untel n'était pas arrivé. Mais quand en plus cette Histoire alternative est mal racontée, et que le monde imaginé suite à ces événements est un échec, le livre perd tout son intérêt. C'est un gros flop pour moi
March 8, 2025
Objectif de ce début d’année finir mes romans physiques. Ce roman est dans ma bibliothèque depuis peut être 4 ans.
Je m’attendais à rien du tout et je suis agréablement surprise. J’ai passé un excellent moment, le thème dystopique et avec quelques aspects fantastiques est très bien amené. Je ne connaissais pas du tout l’histoire de l’empire ottoman et j’ai appris beaucoup de choses.
Des actions sont à mes yeux bcp trop rapide et inattendues qui font qu’on est pas sure de ce qu’il s’est passé. Et j’ai trouvé la fin trop abrupte et pas très bien amené. Mais de manière globale j’ai passé un excellent moment.
Je m’attendais à rien du tout et je suis agréablement surprise. J’ai passé un excellent moment, le thème dystopique et avec quelques aspects fantastiques est très bien amené. Je ne connaissais pas du tout l’histoire de l’empire ottoman et j’ai appris beaucoup de choses.
Des actions sont à mes yeux bcp trop rapide et inattendues qui font qu’on est pas sure de ce qu’il s’est passé. Et j’ai trouvé la fin trop abrupte et pas très bien amené. Mais de manière globale j’ai passé un excellent moment.
September 1, 2022
Un livre passionnant avec un support historique, une vraie réflexion sur l’évolution des sociétés soumises à différents régimes.Bien sûr les personnages sont fictifs mais les références historiques sont bien documentées et les questions posées sur l’évolution comparée des démocraties et des régimes totalitaires interpellent. Peut-on changer le cours de l’histoire ?
April 12, 2021
Trois étoiles pour l'histoire. personnages horribles, clichés et déception.
February 18, 2023
Un livre que j’ai littéralement bu. Je suis une grande fan d’histoire, et plus précisément de l’empire ottoman. C’est une période qui m’intéresse énormément. J’ai beaucoup aimé les descriptions de cette époque qui étaient vraiment très détaillées. On peut voir que l’auteur a fais pas mal de recherches et heureusement. J’ai également beaucoup apprécié le mélange des temps moderne et de cette époque. Un récit assez poignant, et merci également pour le petit bonus de romance.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews