The Sign by Raymond Khoury
I started this book assuming that it was going to be another in the ‘Indiana Jones’ genre. A bunch of archaeologists are running around the world looking for the definitive proof of the power of God before the bad guys get there and acquire the proof to use for their own devious plans. I was wrong. This is actually a thought-provoking book about the manipulation of society using technology.
A small CNN reporting team are on board an Antarctic exploration vessel watching one of the great ice sheets crumble. The view is spectacular, but not as spectacular as the mysterious light that suddenly appears in the sky, changing shape and colour as it hangs in place. Immediately the news media springs into action, looking for an explanation. But the next day, the same sign is seen again over a melting glacier in Greenland. Is this God sending a message to his people? The CNN team are looking for explanations, and the clues seem to indicate that a Koptic monastery in Egypt may hold a clue. They arrive to discover that one of the monks has been drawing this sign on the walls of a cave for weeks while he has been in retreat. When the team show their discovery to the world, the same mysterious light appears over the head of Father Jerome, and all hell breaks loose.
This is the point where the real story begins. Yes this is a real shoot-em-up adventure. Guns, fistfights and violence is involved on every page. But there is also a hidden theme about religious fanaticism, unthinking news journalism and secrecy in science. These themes are far more interesting than the car thief who can out fight and out shoot a special operations officer. But I suppose that the action fans must have their explosions or they won’t buy the book. Personally, I would much prefer to leave all the silliness involving Matt and Jabba out and let Gracie work out the answers for herself. Sorry, but I was really annoyed by Matt before the final chapters.
This book comes with a Publisher’s Promise, Love it our your money back. I might go as far as like, but love it??
