The Sanctuary

I enjoyed Khoury's first novel, "The Last Templar." Khoury's considerable screenwriting talents drove the plot, making the story play like a movie inside my head as I read it. As he has mentioned in numerous interviews, Khoury originally created "The Last Templar" as a screenplay, and the book was accordingly cinematic from beginning to end.

Good as "Templar" is, Khoury's second novel, "The Sanctuary," is far richer. In "Sanctuary" we find Khoury maturing as a true novelist, rather than a screenwriter. The characters in "Sanctuary" are not created for the screen, but for the page. They are deeper, more nuanced, and most interestingly, more flawed than the ones in "Templar." The "Sanctuary" characters are as multifaceted, and at times as show more unpredictable, as Beirut, the fascinating city in which much of the story occurs. Beirut itself, a city where what one feels is often incongruent with what one sees, is as much a character as the people Khoury propels through the enthralling action in "Sanctuary." The city mirrors the characters' individual struggles to balance hope and despair, joy and terror, survival and destruction.

The most compelling aspect of the novel is its theme, urging us to assess not only the benefits, but the consequences and responsibilities of living lives much longer than those afforded us by current actuarial tables. The novel wisely suggests our instinctive desire for materially extended lifespans be contemplated with as much focus on the qualitative as on the quantitative. It may not be so axiomatic whoever breathes longest, breathes best.

"The Sanctuary" is a very entertaining novel, by a very astute novelist. It's the best novel I've read this year. I recommend it highly. show less

A rattling good read for the most, though ultimately a disappointment.
For four fifths of the book, I was captured, but the final sections did seem to let the previous chapters' side down.
Maybe I shouldn't be surprised, as it took a while for the book to let on - or was it that I was just slow on the up-take? - as to what it all turned on. Once I knew this, then it all enters the realms of fantasy.
With others of this genre, where they're looking for treasure or secrets buried, or lost, in ancient times, usually with a religious connection; you can think 'well, that could happen.' 'Maybe it did happen like that?' 'Wouldn't it be interesting if that was the case?' 'Maybe there is a secret sect that know the answer.' With that kind of book, show more the author has done his/her research, come up with a theory and the book is in some way or other, a speculation of what might have happened, clothed in historical 'facts', that support such speculation. With 'The Sanctuary', once the object of their searching was obvious, I was 'yeah, right'. Then, when the search was over, the aim reached, the 'thing' found, it failed to carry me with it and I found it a bit of a let-down. I could see them all walking and fading away into a golden sunset, bright clouds around them, up-lifting classical music playing in the background. Personally, I think it might have made more sense if whatever they were searching for, had stayed out of reach, stayed lost - but still tantalisingly findable. A bit like life.
There were however, some interesting ideas broached underway, some interesting speculation and question about our lives, our humanity what it is and perhaps what it could be. The action sequences were good, convincing and tense and that's pretty much what I'll remember this one for, rather than the final -for me - unsatisfactory ending. show less

A well-crafted tale about an ancient secret and those who protect it. The twists and turns were great and the action solid. I was a little disappointed with the ending, but this otherwise was a great read.

This was a decent action-packed thriller. I liked the back and forth narration between history and modern day. Usually it distracts me, but this time, I felt like it filled in holes for the modern-day story. The story didn't really slow down much, the action was constant. It was really hard to keep track of who was the good guy" and who was the "bad guy". No one could seem to decide who they wanted to be. I like twists and turns in my stories, but you kind of needed a score card for this one. It was worth reading, though."

Mia Bishop, an American geneticist, takes an assignment in Lebanon to be close to her archaeologist mother, Evelyn. Soon after Mia's arrival, her mother is kidnapped and she finds herself thrown into an unfamiliar life of danger. Local authorities quickly accuse her mother of antiquities smuggling, specifically a book featuring a strange symbol called the ouroboros. In a short time span, Evelyn's kidnapping garners the attention of not only U.S. Embassy officials but also several men with a very keen interest in her work and the book.

Enter Jim Corben and Bill Kirkwood, two men who make Mia very uneasy in terms of their motives, but without any other options and lack of both police and government help, she trusts both to keep her safe show more and assist in finding her mother. Corben, an “economics counselor” from the U.S. Embassy with an unusual proclivity for handling guns and defensive driving, drags her in and out of several precarious situations. Bill Kirkwood, a frequent funder of Evelyn's work, has a particular interest in finding both Evelyn and the book but is very elusive in his explanations for wanting both.

From start to finish, Khoury keeps the action coming, throwing in new characters and events throughout. His mythology surrounding the mysterious book, the ouroboros, is well thought out and provides an engaging storyline on its own. There are a few flashbacks throughout which introduce the reader to new characters and add back story which helps to round out the history of the book and why it's of so much interest. There are a few moments where it feels as if the main story is put on hold to offer more information through these flashbacks but Khoury puts the story back on track very quickly.

In terms of action scenes involving Mia and Corben, while intriguing and do a fine job of moving the story along, one is hard pressed to believe a mere citizen would be dragged into a shootout on the street. However, it is not a deterring factor as the scenes do fit within the context of the story.

There are plenty of plot twists and character revelations that keep reader interest high. However, near the end, each scene involves an ever growing cast of characters which are written in and out very quickly, making some of the action scenes a bit hard to follow as the reader is forced to remember who is entangled with the sought after book at this point.

While readers may not buy the very tidy ending, the ride itself seems to be what the author is after and in that regard he does not disappoint. “The Sanctuary” is a fast read with potent action scenes and entertaining twists that keep the reader guessing until the very end. show less

It seems that Raymond Khoury s novels all have same basic scheme dame in distress (usually expert in this or that scientific field), mysterious man-of-action and shadowy organizations (both good and bad) lurking at the edge of the story only to enter the stage at the very end.[return][return]Don t get me wrong, author manages to put all this in one great story. Interesting topic, but maybe slightly too many twists and turns.[return][return]Recommended.

An archaeologist, a rouge CIA agent, and a mad scientist walk into a bar... only one walks out, but by the end of the story you wont care. Only recommended if you love the Lost Templar subgenre, all others should sit this one out.