Do You like book Decipher (2007)?
Decipher is a real treat; intelligent, well-researched, fast-paced, and thrilling. If this is Pavlou's first novel, I can't wait to see what he came up with for his second and third outings (Gene and Code Zero, apparently).Decipher ties together myth, linguistics, archeology, physics, and much more to spin a near-future tale of a race to save the planet from annihilation. Pavlou obviously spent a great deal of time researching this book, but only rarely does that get in the way of the story. As I haven't done the research myself, I can't claim to know which are facts and which are inventions of the author. Pavlou makes some very interesting points, however, and unless he's taken some great liberties with the facts, he raises some very interesting theories about why pyramids exist, and why the world's religions have essentially the same origin story.Decipher reminds me of some of Neal Stephenson's stories, while his writing style seems influenced by Heinlein and Asimov. What it all boils down to, though, is just one really fantastic book. I'll be adding this one to my permanent library!
—David
The original review, and many other reviews and features, can be found at www.thebookeaters.co.ukDear Readers, for you to get a sense of my excitement for my Monday review this week, I must first show you the blurb that led me to read this book.“TEN THOUSAND YEARS BEFORE CHRIST, THERE WAS THE FLOOD… Now, twelve thousand years later, a confluence of events affecting both the Sun and the Earth point towards a repeat performance. A small group of scientists must decipher an unknown language discovered in Antarctica to make sense of the sudden awakening of ancient sites if humanity- and its home- is to survive the ultimate catastrophe. THEY HAVE ONE WEEK LEFT…”If that blurb doesn’t call for a ‘Dun dun duh’ on the end, I don’t know what does!Stel Pavlou’s debut novel is speculative fiction- what would happen if the stories of the Great Flood were not only true but foreshadowed a cataclysmic disaster for Earth? (Although it’s set in 2012 so not so much speculative but 100% fiction now!). With the book containing such delights as ancient civilisations (lots of), astronomical wonders, theoretical physics, the meaning of religion, conspiracy theories, linguistics, and oodles and oodles of adventure and mystery, I was very excited to read this. And for the most part, I was vastly entertained. For the most part…Stel Pavlou has weaved together an epic tale. The four core characters are distinctive and bring something to the story- Richard Scott (linguistic anthropologist) made for a competent protagonist, carrying us along his journey quite nicely. The addition of Jon Hackett (complexity physicist) and Sarah Kelsey (Geologist) added layers of research and knowledge, and new viewpoint, to the story. November Dryden (graduate student) provided the opportunity for us all to say ‘erm… what?’ and allowed Pavlou to explain in great detail the scientific point that was troubling us.The action races between Antarctica, Egypt, Mexico, Geneva and beyond as the team of scientists, both assisted and hindered by the US Armed Forces, and the ominous Rolacorp (traditional shady oil company) work to decipher the hidden clues in discovered carved into vast blocks of a substance known as Carbon 60, the hardest diamond known to man. Coupled with the mysterious sunspot activity and the strange readings from archaeological sites across the globe, the team have their work cut out for them. The solution and climax of the story was a tad farfetched, if there is such a thing in the world of speculative fiction.I did enjoy this book, I really did but I couldn’t help feeling as if I had overindulged. This book was a positive smorgasbord of scientific theories, anthropological principles, language trees and concepts of religion. There are explanations in the fields of maths, geology, anthropology, physics, geometry, astronomy, astrology, linguistics and frankly it was all a bit overwhelming at times. Each theory and each explanation was interesting but all together it was too much… no one flavour came through enough to savour it.3 bites today- the book isn’t quite worth the excitement-inducing blurb!
—The Book Eaters
First off, let me say that while I absolutely adored this book enough to give it 5 stars, it has several parts where it turns into an info-dump where the characters spout off info necessary to move the plot along. While I didn't find this a problem the first time I read it, I found it a bit boring when I've reread it since then. Still, the book is overall worth the read. The plot centers around mysterious occurrences that start happening around the year 2012. A team of scientists are rounded up to figure out why everything is happening & why mysterious signals are coming from underneath Antartica. At the same time, a land mass is rising from underneath Antartica, a land believed to be Atlantis. Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes. All in all, I found this an immensely satisfying read. It really won't be for everyone, especially not people who aren't fans of books such as this. As far as re-readability goes, it's about a 3.5 stars rather than 5 since there's a lot of info-dumps to wade through until you get to the good stuff. Still, when the good stuff does happen it's pretty exciting & the first time reading, the info dumps aren't really a problem.
—Chibineko