The Ark: A Novel (Tyler Locke series Book 1)

You can usually find a great number of novels about any given subject, especially a lost treasure. But sometimes a story comes along that emerges as the definitive work on a particular topic. A few examples off the top of my head would be Raiders of the Lost Ark (it would take a dramatically new and skillful interpretation to top Indiana Jones, likely never happen, this was about the Ark of the Covenant NOT Noah's Ark) and The Loch by Steve Alten (a great story and theory about the Loch Ness Monster). After reading and seeing these stories, the chapter seemed to be closed for me on these topics. I now feel the same about Noah's Ark. Boyd Morrison's interpretation is so good that there's little hope of topping it. I could throw out some zippy one-liner comments here like "it's a thrill-a-minute rollercoaster ride that grabs you from the first page and never lets go," but we hear that about every new thriller. The best way for me to describe The Ark is that it's one of the best books I've read in a long time and possibly ever. It's a magical blend of action, adventure, interesting new insights, and fun. And it contains a quality that I feel is hard to come by: a true sense of adventure. A couple of examples as a point of reference: Raiders of the Lost Ark=true sense of adventure, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull=lacking that sense - Orginal Star Wars Trilogy=adventure, Star Wars Prequels=lacking...I'm sure you get the idea. Another great thing about The Ark is that, from a Christian perspective, it manages to provide a new interpretation of a famous and established biblical event without demeaning or degrading the foundations of the Christian (and Jewish, for that matter) faiths. It simply provides a slightly different interpretation that if found to be true could actually have the opposite effect. The easiest illustration is that if The Da Vinci Code or The Templar Legacy were found to be true, it would rock the religious world and make individuals the world over question their faith and their belief in God altogether. If The Ark were found to be an accurate story, I think it would actually give credence to the faith of many and make many others give greater consideration to the Bible. Although I'm a Christian, I can still enjoy a good story that contradicts something in which I believe. My beliefs aren't shaky enough that a fictional thriller is going to offend me, but it's nice to find a story that can provide a new interpretation without diminishing the original. And no matter how good the book, a story that claims that Moses was a transvestite is never going to be a favorite among the 2-3 billion Christians in the world. This isn't the case with Boyd Morrison's The Ark. Another interesting tidbit is that the author's bio reads like a work of fiction. If a novelist created a character in a story that had done everything that Boyd Morrison has, readers would find that character's back story far too unbelievable. I won't go into detail here, but check out his website for more information. Also, you can find a great story about Boyd's road to publication on Joe Konrath's blog. The Ark is a great book that I highly recommend to any action adventure fan, and Boyd Morrison is well on his way to being one of the top thriller writer's in the world. My only concern: how is the sequel going to live up to the original?

Fun book. Fairly fast paced, so you never get bored. Globe trotting adventure. Great characters, and good storytelling. I definitely recommend it.

Archeologist Dilara Kenner has rushed back to the States at the behest of Sam Watson, an old family friend. Sam meets her flight at LAX and explains, "Three days ago, I made a startling discovery at work. It has to do with Hasad." Hasad, Dilara's father, has been missing for three years. Just as Sam begins to tie Hasad's disappearance to a plot to "kill millions, maybe billions" that will culminate eight days hence, the old man collapses, the apparent victim of a very suspiciously-timed heart attack. His final words "Listen! Tyler Locke. Gordian Engineering. Get... his help. He knows... Coleman. Your father's research... started everything. You must... find the Ark." (I know, I know, we've all seen exactly this sort of opening to any number of thrillers. There are always some adventurers off in search of some holy grail or other, and who also have to save the world along the way. Yes, we've seen these types of stories before, but the thing is, when they're well done, they're entertaining as hell. And folks, this one is REALLY well done. No plot description or talk of well-developed characters will ever give you a sense of why this book stands out so well against the pack of clichéd thrillers. At some point the reader must take a leap of faith and give a new novelist a try. I'm telling you right now, THIS is the one to give a try.) The eponymous Ark is Noah's, of course. Dilara's father has been hunting it for decades and she's been as dismissive of his work as the rest of the world--but apparently someone was paying attention. First, however, Dilara needs to stay alive long enough to find out who Tyler Locke is. From the moment she leaves LAX, the attempts on her life come fast and furious. She quickly discovers that Locke is an engineer, currently working on a remote oil rig, and figures that may well be the safest place for her. She's wrong. At least Dilara and Tyler have connected, but he's as mystified by Sam's final words as she is. Still, there's no denying that something very suspect is going on, and Tyler is quickly sucked into Dilara's drama. It is Tyler Locke that debut novelist Boyd Morrison is setting up to be the recurring hero of a series. And if this first adventure is any indication, Locke is up to the task. While he owes a debt to action heroes like Dirk Pitt and Philip Mercer, there's something a bit softer about Tyler. He comes by his "kick-ass" side quite believably, having served as a combat engineer in Desert Storm, but he's as likely to pull a Leatherman tool on you as a gun. Now in his 30's, he's a young widower trying to come to terms with loss. And he has a bit of an egghead side, too--approaching each challenge as an engineering problem. It's more interesting than you might, at first glance, think. Here, for instance, are some thoughts on the conundrum of Noah's Ark: "From an engineering standpoint, a purely wooden ship bigger than that is untenable. Without the iron frames and internal bracketing that 19th century ships had, a ship the size of Noah's Ark would flex like a rubber band. It would have sprung leaks in a thousand places. Not to mention that in a raging storm like the Flood, wave oscillations would have snapped the frame like a twig. The Ark would have sunk in minutes. Good-bye human race." From there, Tyler analyzes the lifespan of wooden artifacts, the storage capacity of the Ark, and the amount of water it would have taken to cover the earth. This is a man whom likes to throw logic at a problem. Once Tyler and Dilara have teamed up, however, there is little time for academic discussions. Sam's cryptic words take on horrifying meaning as unfolding events capture the entire world's attention. The events described thus far happen within the novel's first few chapters. Throw in some monster trucks, mysteriously melting movie stars, and megalomaniacs and you've barely brushed the surface of what lies ahead. Boyd Morrison has plotted a wild ride that is guaranteed to keep readers turning pages deep into the night. The Ark is not only intricately plotted, it's smart. Morrison gives his readers credit that they'll be able to follow along, and it's a pleasure to read an author not catering to the lowest common denominator. I can't claim that this release is my introduction to Morrison's work. The truly cognoscenti have been fans since long before Simon & Schuster came into the picture. But, it's exciting to finally let the rest of you in on this find. I can't wait for the sequel!

When you are buying anything on the internet what's the first thing you do, look at the reviews. Especially you read the negative reviews to see if they make enough sense to you to outweigh your decision to buy the item. For books, this is even more important because you don't want to waste your money OR your precious free time reading a piece of junk. So I read all the negative reviews. Wow, I wonder if any of these reviewers ever published a book. Do they expect perfection in everything they read? Here is part of a review of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, a book I think we all can agree was a huge success: "That a book this badly written, characterised and plotted can be a runaway best seller is bad enough. That the ludicrous conspiracy theory it peddles, in between all the cliches, terrible dialogue and hackneyed chase scenes, is actually being given creedence by some readers is much, much worse. This is an astonishingly stupid, stupid, stupid book." So not even the best of authors is going to gain 100% positive reviews. No, this book isn't perfect. But it's a great and unique story with a fun plot and exciting characters. Do I think it will win book of the year? No. But then again, do we only go to movies that win academy awards? If you do, you miss many opportunities to be entertained and taken away from reality for a while. This is a book by a first time author whose writing you can see develop throughout the book. It has an intriguing plot that keeps you entertained throughout the book. It's characters personify what we come to expect in our heroes and heroines. Their intelligent, brave and yes, attractive. Would you want it any other way? The Ark takes a different look at "the flood" and makes a completely believable interpretation that will challenge your view of our historical understanding of the event. While there is no biblical basis for the interpretation I think we can all agree that there is a lot in the Bible that our human minds will never fully comprehend on this side of eternity. This interpretation becomes the basis for an action packed, intelligent novel that is hard to put down. You will find yourself getting to know each of the characters and at the end will want to see them in their next mystery. So, in short, if you want a fun and entertaining read, I recommend this book. It follows the likes of James Patterson and Clive Cussler. If you like those authors you won't be disappointed.

THE ARK is a race-against-time quest thriller whose premise hinges on a clever biblical reinterpretation (one that I happen to think is plausible). Overall, I found it to be a fun action-thriller. The author, an engineer, does an admirable job of weaving just the right amount of technical and scientific detail into the story without sacrificing readability. I particularly enjoyed the climactic battle scene, which was very well executed with great sensory details to really put the reader into the moment, if not entirely unpredictable. So if you're looking for a straightforward good-guys-against-bad-guys, world-at-stake thriller with lighter elements of puzzle solving, then this is for you. Also, fans of Clive Cussler will recognize the adventure team format, with the hero, Tyler Locke, having an ass-kicking, wisecracking sidekick along with a behind-the-scenes cast of support personnel. Locke teams up with a foxy archaeologist, and the rest, shall we say, is (unearthed) history.

Solid, well written book. Loads of action, bad guys, and Lock, Westfield and Dilara Kenner landing in the middle of it. Kenner is a bio-archeologist who was supervising and excavation in Peru. She got a call from Sam Watson, and old frend who is also a surrogate Uncle to her. He sounds scared and begs her to come home. He will meet her at LAX. He also requests she tell no one she's leaving Peru. Kenner heads home. When she get there Watson is waiting for her at the agreed upon spot. The second level food court. Watson is a bio-chemist and he tells Kenner that he discovered something at work. Something he needs her council on. He tells her it has to do with her Father. A man who was hot on the trail of Noah's Arc. A man who has been missing for three years and presumed dead. Before he can tell her a woman sitting next to them gets up, trips and dumps salad dressing on Watsons arm. No one is hurt and the lady apoligizes all over the place. Something innocuous?? Not hardly. Watson then tells her what he discoved will kill million, possibly billions of people. He also tells her that her Father had found the Arc. Watson then suffers what appears to be a heart attack. He tells Kenner to go. Get away. The substance dropped on his arm is a contact poison. Kenner doesn't know what to believe. Watson tells her to contact Tyler Locke, Gordian Engineering, He knew Coleman and can help her. Kenner doesn't know either Locke or coleman but Watson then tells her that those who killed him also killed her Father. Her Fathers research stared the whole thing. Watson also tells her Hayden, project Oasis, Genesis, Dawn. Watson then dies. Kenner doesn't know what to think. Sam thinks he's been poisoned?? It looks like a heart attack to her but she gets the hell out. She knows she has to find Tyler Locke. So begins one great read. This one has loads of bad guys, Noahs Arc, a disease and a madman that Locke, Westfield and Kenner have to stop. One great read and well worth those five stars

I really wanted to like this book. I love ancient mysteries and the story of Noah's Ark has always fascinated me. That's why I was drawn to this book and the prologue really hooks you. I was ready to be taken on an exciting journey. It started out fine, first few chapters moved along in a fast paced, interesting manner. Unfortunately the book eventually starts to drag and doesn't get rolling again until the last 100 pages. It took me a LONG time to read this book because I wasn't that interested in the story so I just found other things to read and do instead of finishing the book. Over the Christmas holiday I decided it was time to finish it so I could move it from my nightstand. I liked the characters, Tyler, Dilara and Ulric are very well done. I never got used to the name Dilara, doesn't quite roll off the tongue, but it is what it is. As has been stated, Tyler is your modern day Indiana Jones and Ulric is a great villain. No problem with the characters. I just thought it took too long to get to the most interesting part of the story, discovering Noah's Ark, and when they finally got there it was a HUGE letdown. I wanted to SEE the Arc through their description. I wanted to be amazed by the wonder of this magnificent discovery. Instead, I was left totally disappointed. I did NOT see it. The description did NOT provide me the imagery I craved. It was so bland and basic that I was left totally longing for more. Unfortunately it just didn't happen for me. The new twist on Noah's Ark was VERY clever, and from a pure logical point of view it makes a lot of sense. That was a very interesting twist on an ancient story. I think the world disease was a stretch but the Ark itself was very well done. Again, I just wish I SAW the Arc in my mind so I could enjoy the rest of it more. I would not recommend this book because I believe there are so many better books such as Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, Angels and Deamons, The Lost Symbol, etc. I would also recommend The Seventh Son and Book of Souls by Glenn Cooper. Both were very good. The Moses Stone was also a good read that I would recommend before this one. Give a try if you like. It is a good read, just not great. Add more imagery and more ancient mystery and it would be a very good book. Unfortunately it read more like a police/detective story. Not what I was looking for. I hope that helps.

I really did enjoy this book. I think it a really cool story.. author a good storyteller.. I will recommend reading and can't wait to read next in series.

a truly great read,by a very good author this book was a very enjoyable read,and a fantastic buy also from amazon,cheers guys ur the best.

A well written story, good plot and excellent pace. You will not find here any scientific background. It is only a story written by someone with huge imagination. The characters are well set. This book will not change your life but it worths the time and the money. Five stars.

I thought I was reading a Clive Cussler. Thank you Boyd - I’m heading to your number 2 book and am sure it will be just as great ! Congratulations on an amazing book !!!!

Well read passable story though seemed to me more like a short adventure story, aimed at teens, with padded extension added to the begining of the book. Vastly overpriced at £30.88 RRP.

Kind of like a Dan Brown novel but with even more action. Good character development and a well though out plot.