 | Author: | Steve Berry |
| Genre: | Suspense, Action & Adventure | |
| Publisher: | Ballantine Books | |
| Year Published: | Aug. 31, 2004 |
Taking the cue from Dan Brown, Steve Berry writes novels using themes that have been circulating in urban legends or among conspiracy theorists.
In The Romanov Prophecy, Steve Berry decided to tackle the question of whether some royal Romanov had survived the massacre in Yekaterinburg on July 1918, especially when several women began claiming to be Anastasia. This question has taken the fancy of many, and has even given birth to movies.
The premise that Berry uses in order to start the action is that Russia has finally decided to return to monarchy, and anyone who can claim blood ties to the late Nicholas II is a candidate. The closer the relationship to the murdered tsar, the better the chances of getting the throne.
As I have mentioned in an earlier blog, given that people in other countries with existing monarchies consider their royals as mere figureheads and interesting topics in gossip or lifestyle magazines rather than people who actually run their governments, I doubt if Russians would really want their tsars back - Romanovs or not.
The first 2/3 of the novel was a very slow read. There was action, but they were scattered here and there. If you'd graph it, the action would rise a little then go down ... no momentum building that would have spurred me to keep turning the pages.
Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons may have lamer premises, but those books definitely had the kind of action that made them page turners.
The difference may lie in the fact that Berry is a lawyer whereas Brown is an English professor. Berry spent too much time building his "case" that I feel little for his characters.
To Berry's credit, the last 1/3 was good.
Thanks to this book, I learned that Rasputin supposedly left some prophecies about Romanovs and Russia in general. Take note though that in August of last year, some scientists found the remains of two bodies which they believe could be Alexei and one of his sisters. Tests to identify the bodies are not yet finished:
Read the International Herald Tribune article: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/23/europe/EU-GEN-Russia-Czars-Son.php
Read the Interfax article: http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=4136
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