2012: das Ende Aller Zeiten

Jed de Landa #1

by Brian D'Amato, Volker Lechtenbrink (Sprecher), Dietmar Schmidt (Übersetzer)

The Mayans anticipated the end of the world  in 2012. Can one of their descendants, a prodigious mathematician, save the planet from annihilation?

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Time Travel, Historical

Audio CD

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book on a friend's recommendation. I owe you, Jane.
I was captured by the first page my interest never flagged. Though it has a whopping 684 pages (including maps and a glossary), I would have gladly kept reading for another 600-plus pages. True, I was already fascinated with the ancient Mayan civilization, and that can’t hurt.
The story takes the reader between 2012 and 650 AD through an action/adventure that also reveals the author's scientific bent. It is a story of time travel, convincingly told, using game theory, genetic applications, and art.
The narrator, Joaquin Carlos Xul Mixoc DeLanda, is a terrific character, brilliant, philosophical, and intrepid. His Mayan heritage helps him make his way through both modern and ancient worlds. The narrator is given to colorful, playful and profane language, completely within context, and offers insights into ethnic biases and behaviors as well as a look at our culture from the outside.
Our (occasionally anti-) hero must apply his knowledge of a family game and the language to decipher an ancient Mayan codex for his employers. The reader encounters science and civilization, traumas, conniving, sexuality, affection and betrayals, as well as the threat of a major disaster taking place within the USA. Time is of the essence: All this is tied into the Mayan calendar’s pivotal date of December 21, 2012.
I had no trouble suspending disbelief, as the story perked along with plenty of challenges, life-changing events and personal relationships. The author’s descriptions are engaging. The appearance of an ancient Mayan city will remain as one of my all time favorite mental images. I loved this book so much I look forward to a sequel. The second book in the Sacrifice Game Trilogy is supposedly coming from Dutton in 2010. I can't wait.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I rarely drop books but I simply couldn't finish this one. I tried. For hours and hours and hours. But I gave up when I realized that I can no longer focus on what I'm reading. At first it was interesting. I thought "Oh, I'm going to like this!". Then the talking begun... And I'm not referring to dialogues but the narration. I felt as if I was listening to the most boring person in the world going on and on and on about the most boring subject imaginable. Mayan culture is not boring. But this book? It is. Impossibly boring. Perhaps it picks up later and maybe I'll give it another shot in future. Just not anytime soon.

[Laurie (Kwiltreader) · Rating 1 out of 5]

23 pages into the 649 page advance copy and I was done. It starts with a futuristic man’s mind transported back into the mind and body of a Mayan. It’s based on the premise that the Mayan calendar ends in 2012 and supposedly, so does life as we know it. After 23 pages of symbolism and rituals, I was so confused that I had no desire to continue. This was a free copy so will hold onto it and maybe try again at another time. But I only have til 2012. Again, so many books, so little time.

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just a superb book - gonzo narrator and outlandish atmosphere with some twists that cracked me up and a Maya world so well described, and so vividly weird that it equaled any fantasy secondary world or alien far future sf read recently in sense of wonder.

And the ending is just stunning - never saw it - though being part one of a trilogy I cannot wait for the rest.

[Ricky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars for the cliffhanger. Otherwise, two, for the longy long, longness and too much of too muchness.

[Livy (´ ω `♡) · Rating 1 out of 5]

speechless. literally the most boring fucking book I‘ve ever read. hated every page

[Ana Sofía · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tengo traumas y alguien debe pagar por ellos.

[Jim O. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laborious read, in bad need of editing, but when I got to the ending, it blew my mind! Major cliffhanger, I think I will need to read the second book when its due to come out next year. And the end has a profound philosophical twist that stirs the mind. I didn't see it coming at all. Makes up for the sheer length, especially the endless middle section that takes place in 664 AD. Not that those parts weren't fascinating and well written in themselves, just that they could have formed a whole separate book. A great book, slightly flawed in structure, but a rewarding read nonetheless.

[Jean-Michel Desire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another unique concept of time travel... The result: An epic journey with major twists and turns. Keep in mind though that this is a longer than usual novel and you'll need to devote time to grasp the amazing research that must have preceded the completion of this book.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much liked Gary Jennings' epic "Aztec", and "Courts" is like a syfy/mystery take, both authors truly imaginative.

[Gideon Rex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe there are so many low ratings for this book. For me, this was a thrilling adventure into history and game theory. It is a masterpiece.

[Jeromy · Rating 4 out of 5]

--some small spoilers--

I couldn't put this book down through most of it, although getting through the ending was an effort. There was so little information transfer between Jed2 and Jed1 that they seemed like two unconnected stories once we got back to Jed1. I couldn't tell what Jed1 learned from Jed2. It didn't seem to be enough to get him over the hump. I completely failed to visualize the game play that led to the identification of the doomster.

However, I enjoyed the rest of the book a lot more than I thought I would based on the dust jacket summary. It was rich with information and personality, like a more approachable Neal Stephenson. The concept was so original (to me) that I absolutely could not guess what was going to happen. D'Amato managed to keep the story from bogging down in the red tape and soap opera that often happens with a large cast of characters. It kept its integrity as an adventure and mystery, despite being so full of apparently very well researched historical/archaeological/anthropological facts. All the allusions to current events as of 2009, however, are bound to feel dated in a few years.

One big gripe: as in-depth as the research appeared to be on the Mayans, D'Amato's treatment of the Mormons (who were behind the Warren company, seemed to run the Stake, and figured prominently in Jed's past) was disappointingly bitter and kind of silly. I wouldn't have expected that in the book of this scope.

[Mari Mendoza · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, I didn’t actually finish this book. But as I read over 400 pages, I feel it is fair to add it to my read list.
This book started off really strong. The main character is in the body of an ancient maya as he is about to sacrifice himself from the top of a pyramid. The descriptions of the mayan land is incredible! I want to see it!
Buuut then we are launched into our world and a seriously flawed and not-overly adorable protagonist. Fine. We follow him around as he gets to the part where he travels in time to enter the ancient maya’s intelligence. It is painstakingly long to get there. Then he arrives. Some great scenes like when they paint him as a deer and the young men of the city hunt him down. Lots of gold nuggets of interesting facts about the maya civilization. Buuuuut this novel could have easily been half as long. It was just so long winded. There were so many boring chapters back to back. I skimmed and skipped whole chunks and didn’t lose anything. Overall, a disappointment.

[Edward · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am just logging on because I was telling my Wife how much I enjoyed this books so she 'read' it (IE: got the audio book) and then gave it two stars. The Outrage!

I Massively enjoyed this book, and the ones that came after it. Yeah, at a few points the author rambled (Particular over the scientific time travel details. We can't all be Michael Crichton where we shrink people until they end up in the middle ages) however otherwise I thoroughly enjoy it, particularly when he was in Mayan times.

Honestly, the only thing that annoyed me was I am pretty sure that UCF does not have a basement.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had potential to be good. It was an interesting storyline (occasionally a bit too Timeline for my liking), but the author is one of those annoying hipsters who can't just tell a story. Oh no, he's got to add in all the pop culture references and anti-social epithets that modern kids who think they're Philip K. Dick use to mask their literary insecurities.
Also,at 679 pages, you'd think it would be more of a compelling story.
So, if you read quickly, are incredibly interested in the Maya culture, or are a masochist, sure give this book a whirl.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

According to the Mayan calendar, the world is going to end on December 12, 2012. The Warren Group is trying to use technology to figure out a way to stop the world from ending. In the end, will their work pay off or is hope beyond reach?

This is an exciting book that truthfully scared me out of my wits. I can handle horror novels and scary movies but this book shook me to my core. Not because of monsters or serial killers but because this is a true prediction, it struck a nerve. The writing is superb and I'm going to have to add Brian to my list of favorite authors.

[John Haverkamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my most prized possessions is a book entitled 'the origin of board games in magic and divination'. D'Amoto's creation takes that thesis and runs with it, in romp through history and the near future. This is Umberto Eco not Dan Brown, or better yet - Frank Herbert not Michael Crichton. In short Courts of the Sun is thinking person's science fiction thriller of the highest caliber.

looking forward to the sequel in June? I've been bugging the author on twitter for confirmation of sequel since I read 'Courts'. Radio silence. Finish that book Brian - you are a god.

[Ana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this book was pretty awful. he used a lot of Spanish --- I found much of it was incorrect; he used wrong tenses or gender & it therefore distracted from the read. He had an interesting idea but I think he blew it when he threw in Dick Cheney---it was so ridiculous. I'd advise against reading it!

[Shawn Deal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a little hard to get into at first and a little hard to follow at times, and yet I was fascinated about this unique time travel combined with math, and intersex game theory. A very weird combination of elements and yet it worked really well.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,2 Sterne oder so für ein Buch, von dem ich mir etwas ganz anderes erwartet hatte. Ich kann mir zwar vorstellen, dass einige es mögen werden, aber für mich war es aus verschiedenen Gründen nichts.

Zuerst einmal: Angesichts des Titels und des recht bekannten Films nahm ich an, es würde ein Endzeit/ Katastrophen-Roman, der actionreich und voller Spannung und Wendungen daher kommt, vielleicht nicht mit John Cusack, aber doch irgendwie so in die Richtung. Dem ist nicht so. Der Roman hat nichts mit dem Film gemeinsam, sie basieren auch nicht aufeinander, sondern spielen nur beide mit diesem Mythos, dass der Maya-Kalender für den 21.12.2012 das Ende der Welt vorhergesagt hat. Tja, jetzt im Jahre 2020 wissen wir, dass gar nichts passiert ist und ein bisschen ist das auch im Roman so ...

Hauptthema des Romans ist das Opferspiel der Maya. Jed, der Protagonist, stammt von ihnen ab und hat noch eine Variante des Opferspiels gelernt, mit dem man zukünftige Ereignisse vorhersagen kann, allerdings sind viele Spielzüge verloren gegangen. Als also das Ende der Welt näherrückt, wie man es in einem überlieferten Codex findet, und das vorletzte Ereignis, das dort niedergeschrieben ist, als grauenhafter Anschlag in Florida eintritt, gibt es nur eine Hoffnung: Jed muss in die Vergangenheit reisen, um von den Maya das ursprüngliche Opferspiel zu erlernen und das Ende der Welt zu verhindern ...

Klingt immer noch gut? Ja, so zusammengefasst schon.

Leider gibt es ein paar Schwachpunkte, die den Roman nicht so spannend und interessant sein lassen, wie die Prämisse glauben macht. Zum ersten ist Jed, der Protagonist, ein unglaublich ätzender Protagonist und seine Schildung manchmal recht schwer zu ertragen, vor allem als Leserin. Empathie ist ihm fremd, außerdem ist er weinerlich, selbstgerecht, fühlt sich intellektuell allem überlegen und in Stellen recht soziopathisch.
Leider ist es nicht nur Jeds Charakter, sondern auch andere Stellen des Buches sind recht geprägt von einer männlichen Sichtweise ... um es mal vorsichtig auszudrücken. Da erzählt irgendwann eine weibliche Figur, sie hätte angesichts des drohenden Weltendes gemerkt, wie übermächtig ihr Mutterinstinkt ist und dass es nun mal in ihrer Natur liege, sich einen langweiligen Kerl zu suchen, der mit ihr ein Nest baut ... ähm ja.

Außerdem ist das Buch mit fast 900 Seiten unglaublich langatmig. Man könnte meinen, die Geschichte wäre aber damit wenigstens zu Ende, doch weit gefehlt. Das Ende ist offen, es gibt mittlerweile eine Fortsetzung (nein danke!) und anscheinend soll sogar ein dritter Band kommen? Uff. Es geht passagenweise um die Spieltheorie und theoretisches Gefasel. Kommt es mal zu einer spannenden Stelle, etwa einer Verfolgungsjagd im Flugzeug, wo es wirklich brenzlig aussieht, endet diese MITTEN DRIN und wird zwei Wochen abgekürzt, weil wir uns ja alle denken können, dass Jed das schon überstanden hat und es ja wirklich wichtiger ist, sich jetzt wieder dem Opferspiel zu widmen.

Interessant fand ich vor allem den Teil, der in der Vergangenheit bei den Maya spielt, weil ich nicht viele Romane kenne, die sich dieser Zeit widmen. Für mich klang es gut gestaltet aber auch sehr, sehr fremdartig. Das Buch verwendet immer wieder spanische Ausdrücke oder auch eine Maya-Sprache und nicht immer wird übersetzt und erklärt, vor allem im Spanischen nicht. Vielleicht ist das für ein US-Publikum besser machbar, weil man dort mehr an spanische Wendungen gewöhnt ist, ich fand es trotz meiner Kenntnisse romanischer Sprachen (allerdings kein Spanisch) sehr anstrengend.

Irgendwas Positives zum Schluss? Hm ... eigentlich nicht. Ich werde sicher nicht Band 2 lesen und mich noch mehr Jed aussetzen, egal ob er wieder in die Maya-Zeit zurückreist und man erfährt, wie es dort eigentlich zu Ende ging in der Vergangenheit. Außerdem werde ich das Buch brav einem Bücherschrank spenden, weil ich es sicherlich nie wieder lesen werde. Das einzige, was mir im Kopf verhaften bleibt, ist die Idee, die zugegebenermaßen wirklich spannend ist, in der Zeit zurückzureisen, indem das Bewusstsein allein transferiert wird und die Erinnerungen der Zielperson überschreibt bzw. so dessen Persönlichkeit verdrängt. Aber wirklich einzigartig ist die bestimmt auch nicht und ich werde mich anderweitig nach Zeitreise/ und oder Entzeitromanen umsehen, die nicht von Brian D'Amato geschrieben worden sind.

[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Już latem 2012 roku natrafiłem na tą książkę kiedy kolega z pracy czytał ją. Wtedy usłyszałem że z wielkim prawdopodobieństwem nie dożyjemy końca roku 2012. Wzruszyłem ramionami, dość sceptycznie podszedłem do tego stwierdzenia. Oczywiście nie było końca świata, mamy rok 2019. Jednak okładka oraz tytuł tej książki utkwiła mi w pamięci i teraz kiedy w lokalnej bibliotece natrafiłem na tego audiobooka postanowiłem w końcu wypożyczyć i wysłuchać.
Książka została wydana w roku 2009, trzy lata przed upływem końca świata tak jak to przed ponad tysiącem lat przewidzieli Majowie. Autor, Brian d’Amato wypożyczył wykorzystał tą przepowiednię jako główny motyw książki. Podszedł do sprawy dość rozsądnie i fachowo, na napisanie ksiazki zeszło mu ppnad 15 lat. Niniejsza książka to pierwsza cześć trylogii. Do dziś ukazały się tylko dwa tomy, ma nadzieje że jeszcze ukarze się trzecia cześć trylogii. Zobaczymy.
Zanim napisze więcej o treści samej książki muszę przyznać że cześć książki weszła jednym uchem i zaraz wyszła drugim. Niestety nie była to łatwa lektura. Muszę przyznać że miałem problem czasem nadąrzać za narracją.
Sam początek od razu jest skomplikowany. Główny bohater książki imieniem Jed de Landa, rocznik 1974, Amerykanin urodzony w Gwatemali nagle zostaje przeniesiony w czasie wstecz o ponad tysiąc lat do roku 660 naszej ery w same centrum cywilizacji Majów. Tyle że przenosiny materii w czasie są niemożliwe. Taki stan wiedzy mamy już dzisiaj i autor wydaje się być w zgodzie z nauką. Jednak nas żeglowny bohater przenosi się w czasie… hm… trochę to dziwne, uchylę rąmbka tajemnicy — owszem fizycznie nie przenosi się w czasie lecz jego świadomość zostaje przeniesiona w czasie i zostaje umiejscowiona w świadomości ważnej osobistości w kulturze Majów. Przenosiny świadomości Jeda w czasie mają cel. Pomóc rozwiązać zagadkę końca świata które ma nastąpić 21 grudnia 2012 roku i przedłużenie trwania świata poza tą magiczną datę która z góry ustalona jest jako koniec świata przez Majów. Jed a raczej jego świadomość zostaje wysłana w przeszłość bo stopniowo przepowiednie Majów oraz wszystkie znaki na niebie i Ziemii wskazują na to iż faktycznie 21 grudnia nastąpi koniec świata. Majowie nie tylko przewidzieli sam koniec świata lecz kilka innych poprzedzających kataklizmów które naprawdę miały miejsce. Stąd pewność iż koniec świata nastąpi tak jak Majowie to przewidzieli. Jednym z wydarzeń katastroficznych ktore nastąpiły to wybuch wielkiego akceleratora małych cząsteczek który spowodował smierc kilku tysiącu ludzi. Kolejna katastrofa przepowiedziana przez Majów to tajemnicza smierc setek ludzi w Disneylandzie na Florydzie.
Kluczem do rozwiązania zagadki zapobiegnięcia końca świata wydaje się być tajemnicza gra wynaleziona przez Majów. Jednak kompleksowość gry jest tak wielka iż nawet najbardziej złożone algorytmy komputerowe są w wstanie pomoc współczesnym ludziom dojść do trzeciego, czwartego poziomu gry, która w sumie ma 12 poziomów. Cofnięcie się w czasie świadomości Jeda ma na celu pomóc ludziom współczesnym dojścia do wyższych poziomów gry co uumożliwi przedłużenie istnienia świata ponad rok 2012.
Czy uda się Jedowi wykonanie misji? Jakie przygody spotkają go podczas wykonywania tej misji? Oprócz odpowiedzi na te pytania z książki można sporo się dowiedzieć o kulturze Majów, historii Gwatemali. Autor serwuje nam również trochę wiedzy z dziedziny fizyki. Dość bogata jest ta książka w wiedzę. Łaczy w sobie różne gatunki, mamy trochę science-fiction, powieści historycznej, thrillera katastroficznego. Ciekawa książka. Dość wyjątkowa, na swój sposób jedyna w swoim rodzaju, dość oryginalna. Nie trafi do każdego odbiorcy, ale myśle że jeśli kogoś zainteresuje ta opinia to i pewnie skusi się sięgnąć po tą książkę. Sam jeszcze nie podjąłem decyzji czy sięgnę po drugi tom trylogii ale końcówka skłania mnie ku temu. Część spraw oraz zagadek nie została do końca rozwiązanych. Na razie czekam aż pojawi się audiobook drugiej części.

[Huong Le · Rating 3 out of 5]

Với nội dung giàu có về văn hoá, khoa học, lịch sử và cả nghệ thuật của cuốn sách, lẽ ra sách phải được rate cao hơn. Nhưng cần thời gian > 10 năm mới có thể hoàn thành cuốn này với rất nhiều nỗ lực đủ để hiểu rằng cái gì quá cũng k tốt, vì nó khiến mình khó đọc khi k đủ hứng thú. Nhiều lúc đọc hoài 1 trang mà chả hiểu gì. Ơn giời, đã đọc xong rồi và cũng có nhiều đoạn thú vị cứu vớt lại.

Tóm tắt:
nhân vật chính xưng tôi, là Jed Delanda, có 1 bộ óc thiên tài, 1 bộ gene của người Maya, được mẹ dạy trò chơi Hiến tế của người Maya, mà trong 1 ghi chép cổ về trò chơi này có nói rằng ngày 21/12/2012 sẽ là ngày tận thế. Jed đã tham gia vào 1 nghiên cứu du hành vượt thời gian. Và 1 phần bộ não của Jed đã trở về quá khứ, thời có công nương Koh (tác giả cuốn sách cổ), nhằm tìm cách học đầy đủ lý thuyết trò chơi hiến tế để chơi ván cờ 9 sọ, để tìm ra và hoá giải được nguyên nhân gây ra tận thế. Thí nghiệm thành công 1 phần, và hơi lệch vẹo, truyền nhầm ý thức vào sai người, lại còn truyền vào tận 2 người. Từ đây Jed 2 đã gặp bao thăng trầm, khổ ải, dần từng bước tháo gỡ và ứng đối để có thể “nhắn nhủ” tới tương lai (tức là hiện tại 2012) những gì Jed 2 nắm được.

Kết thúc truyện có vẻ Jed 1 chính là ng hội đủ tiêu chí để là kẻ huỷ diệt thế giới: 1 bộ óc thiên tài, chán ghét xã hội, có động lực huỷ diệt (vì đã chơi đến cuối ván cờ 9 sọ, đã thấy tương lai ngập tràn đau khổ, đã thấy những hậu duệ loài người chưa ra đời van vỉ để không “bị” sinh ra đời, đã thấy rằng kết thúc thế giới là 1 việc tốt), có phương tiện (1 virus tên là Con Dê có thể gây ra dịch bệnh hàng loạt). Truyện ghi còn phần 2 nhưng search mãi k thấy. Có lẽ tác giả drop luôn rồi.
P/s: đã tìm ra phần 2 với tên “The sacrifice Game”, published 2012, chưa có bản dịch sang tV.

[Emma Gilles · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF!! I was so excited to read this book. I wanted so badly to love it. I was intrigued by the concept and wanted to learn more about Mayan culture. I was hooked for maybe the fist 200 pages and then the book just ground to a halt. After the main group move to Central America I really stopped caring. I was slightly interested once Jed went back in time I was interested again for a few chapters and really pushed myself to keep reading. I stopped the book and won’t finish for two reasons. 1- the dialogue to description ratio is awful. Think like 3/4 or more just solid blocks of descriptive text. It’s difficult to follow and fails at it’s one job of painting the surrounding for the reader. The lack of dialogue also means that any major character development just stops dead in the water. 2 - I will credit the author that the description of Mayan culture and practice is likely very accurate. However, this accuracy leads to at least 100 pages of description of how Jed is beaten, sacrificed, tied up, tortured, and hunted for sport. Throughout this section Jed is completely powerless and mostly seems to accept the torture he is experiencing as just part of the culture. That is the lens of this whole section “yea, it kind of sucks but that’s the culture”🤷🏻‍♀️. Frankly it’s dehumanizing and degrading. It goes on for far too long and takes a toll on the reader. I will not be finishing the book because it is dry, long, misses significant dialogue and regularly tortures (in detail) the protagonist with an acceptance of immorality for the sake of culture.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Para mi fue un libro bastante aburrido, no llevaba ni 50 páginas y ya quería abandonarlo, compré el libro con la idea de que era sobre la película de 2012 y se me hacia bastante interesante el pensar como era narrado en un libro y ahora me di cuenta de que el libro ni siquiera se llama 2012, se llama "In the Courts of the Son" (eso me pasa por no poner atención). No tiene que ver con la idea que tenia y la verdad fue casi una tortura terminarlo, a cada momento estaba pensando en dejarlo pero decidí continuar.

Puedo decir que algunos capítulos me parecieron "entretenidos" de cierta forma pero en general tenia una sensación de molestia y aburrimiento leyendo el libro y sentía que muchas cosas solo estaban ahí para hacerlo más largo, creo que definitivamente pudo haber estado más resumido y más aún porque no es auto conclusivo (cuando leí eso me quedé de piedra). Además de todo ni siquiera me gustó el protagonista, había momentos en los que de verdad no podía soportarlo.

Se que apenas inició el año pero creo que esta va a ser mi peor lectura del año. Creo que termine más decepcionada porque le tenia muchas expectativas.

[Denise Motzke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Anstrengend! Erstmal das Positive vorweg: den Sprecher fand ich super. Ohne ihn hätte es nicht mal einen halben Stern gegeben.
So jetzt zu dem was mir nicht gefallen hat.
Ich hatte bereits vor 15 Jahren schon begonnen das Buch zu lesen und es nach 5 aufgegeben und mir gedacht dann zieh ich das als Hörbuch durch. Immerhin hab ich den Film bis heute noch nicht dazu gesehen.
Ich bin davon überzeugt das der Film 1000 mal besser ist als das Buch selbst.
Die Sätze kamen einem ewig vor. Die Wörter die darin vor kamen waren unlesbar und unverständlich beim hören zu folgen. Die Geschichte an sich wäre bestimmt nicht schlecht gewesen wenn man aufgrund der vielen unterschiedlichen Begriffen und Anekdoten hätte auch folgen können.
Für mich war es der absolute Reinfall und ich bin froh das ich es hinter mir habe.
Ich kann leider ganz schlecht etwas nicht abschließen, wenn es mich davon abhält einen Film zu sehen 🙈

[Matt · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book contained several sexual scenes which are pornographic in their level of detail, for which reason I got sick of the book and quit reading part way through. To clarify my stance, let me say that sexuality in literature is not bad in and of itself. But I think literature should at the very least (1) not glorify false and harmful notions of what sexuality is, and (2) not be pornographic in its descriptions of sexual content. This book fails at least the second criterion, though it's been too long for me to remember whether it fails the first. It's really too bad, since the premise of the book was actually really interesting. It was like finding dog poop in an otherwise delicious bowl of ice cream.

[Jeff Willis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't often bail on a book partway through, and I almost never bail on a book without giving at least 50 to 100 pages to make a case for why I should keep reading. This was one of the rare exceptions where I knew I wasn't going to finish it, or even continue on, after the first chapter. I just personally found the writing style to be a bit grating and tedious to read and, regardless of how interested I am in the premise, I wasn't going to spend hours reading something that I had to slog through. From the other reviews it seemed to not be a problem for some readers, but it didn't work at all for me.

[Naomi Carlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost didn’t continue with this book. The terminology was so confusing and so all encompassing that it was hard to follow the plot. I got so bogged down at one point in the beginning that I considered not reading on. Even though the cliff-hanger was designed to lead readers on into the next book, I don’t think I am going to. Too laborious. The idea was intriguing but it took me so long to get through the book that it became a chore instead of a pleasure. Kind of like “I’m going to get to the end if it takes me a month!”

[Jami Fairleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first time I tried to read this book, I didn't make it beyond 50 pages. The premise sounded good, but the writing and voice are dense and chewy. This time, I was able to get past the narration into the story and enjoyed the adventure. It is not an easy read, but it's a fun (plausible) peek into the Mayan culture and the sci-fi aspects of tech and time travel ideas were intriguing. Despite plot holes and an anticlimactic climax, I enjoyed the book. It does have a wicked twist at the end, but I wasn't sufficiently invested in the character to continue the series.

[Garth Slater · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn’t decide how to rate this. I’ve never read a book anything like this and I loved the amazing, refreshing approach. Be ready to have your mind blown. I actually googled a few things in the novel to see if anything was based on fact. That’s what I call a great fictional novel. Where you can’t tell fact from fiction.
The only downer to this is why the author hates Mormons so much. I KINDA feel sorry for the beating they took in this novel.