The Charlemagne Pursuit

Steve Berry does it all right in The Charlemagne Pursuit. He starts right, in the pulse-pounding submarine accident that triggers the action in the book; he ends right, with late-night antics about to begin; he keeps his story moving at a fast clip in between, with love, murder, betrayal, revenge, more betrayal, hate, then love again.

It's a pleasure to give yourself over to a plot-drive thrill ride of a book at least four or five times a year. I couldn't make a diet of them myself, because they take so much out of me. At least the good ones do, and this is very much a good one. Cotton Malone, our main character, is a man with a bitter past: A lost father, a failed marriage, a career he sacrificed what he now knows is too much to keep. show more His emotional landscape is a frozen tundra, or so he wants to believe, and he works hard to sustain that fantasy for more than half this book. Why, then, is it such a pleasure to read his adventures? Because Cotton Malone's chill is real, ladies and gents; because we're clued in to his brokenness and not required to experience it with him as it happens, but asked to believe it happened as it's told, most current readers and reviewers seem to be dismissive of the character's reality.

This is puzzling. Cotton Malone develops as a rounded and complex character during the course of this novel. The knock on thrillers is that the characters are simply cut-outs that move through the paces the author has designed for your entertainment, and I have certainly read my share of thrillers that fit this description. The Charlemagne Pursuit is not one of them, and neither was The Venetian Betrayal. Steve Berry writes a whacking good story, and he tells it through the actions of well-drawn characters. His villains are motivated by things that make sense in their world, his heroes are likewise people whose reasons to do what they're doing are consistent with the story we're told about them; if readers are not satisfied by the author's technique, I suggest that the fault could easily be said to reside in them, not in Mr. Berry's writing.

This is a very satisfying read, and Cotton Malone makes my list of people I'm glad I met in 2008. show less

The Charlemagne Pursuit
by Steve Berry
Ballantine Books
Advance Reader's Edition

I've read other books by Berry and found them well written, fleshed out with intriguing characters, and definitely suspenseful. The Charlemagne Pursuit is no exception. Berry's dexterous plot twists and interwoven characters (with a touch of history, geography, and archaeology thrown in) are similar to Clive Cussler's writings. Cussler has been my favorite fiction author for years, but I think Steve Berry is rapidly ascending that ladder.

Cotton Malone is Berry's protagonist in more than one book. There is a continuum of sorts, but it is not necessary to have read the others to enjoy this one. The author skillfully teases readers with little comments about the show more earlier books without making the plot dependent on them. You miss nothing if this is your first Berry book. You may, however, want to go and read the others. I was hooked after I read my first one.

Berry takes us from Europe in the present day to a much older time, and bounces us around the world in a suspenseful, frequently bullet-ridden, mad dash to find the truth about his father's decades-old disappearance, a "secret" U.S. submarine, many of its passengers, and its eventual destination. We have warring sisters and their malevolently manipulating mother, sinister government officials, an ancient people and their undecipherable language, and so much more.

I particularly liked the architectural descriptions of Charlemagne's chapel and tomb and the city in the caverns beneath Antarctica. They are so beautifully detailed that you feel as though you were there.

I stayed up way too late reading this one. I simply couldn't put it down!

The Charlemagne Pursuit is one heck of a read! Keep 'em coming, please, Mr. Berry! show less

I have never read Steve Berry before, but after reading The Charlemagne Pursuit, I am certainly going to pursue more of his books. The main protagonist, Cotton Malone, is one of the most believable action / adventure heroes I’ve encountered in quite a while. Apparently he is a reoccurring character in Berry’s works and this book gives a look into his deep past. That I came into the story this late in Malone’s personal story and do not feel I needed a previous introduction is a credit to the author’s ability to convey the full story very succinctly.

More of an action / adventure novel than a spy thriller, The Charlemagne Pursuit nonetheless involves covert US government agencies, government cover-ups and Cold War and WWII era Nazi show more secrets. Rather than the focus of the story, these details provide the background for a story involving the discovery of the First Civilization, those elusive “old ones” referred to by many cultures as the source of all knowledge and the quest for knowledge of personal truths. It is this pursuit of hidden truth that elevates this novel from the mundane to a truly great read.

Steve Berry is to be praised for his ability to insert historical artifacts, scenes and myths of his own creation into truly historic scenes and traditional stories from other cultures in such a way the entire work is seamless. If you are in doubt as to what is pure fantasy, be sure to read the Writer’s Note at the conclusion. This also documents some of the research Berry did for the background of this work. I was surprised, for instance, to find out that the mysterious script used for some of the documents Malone uncovers actually exists, as do the documents themselves.

While the characterizations are very well done, there is some heavy handedness with the bad guys: they are obviously bad, nothing subtle about them at all. We are told enough about the disposable characters for this novel that we get a feeling for them and develop something of a rapport with the more essential ones as well. Truly minor characters are two dimensional; they do their job and disappear. Malone is more fully developed than the others, as befitting a continuing character, yet at times, he too was a little flat. One midlevel character that I really enjoyed was something of a send up of academic types that present themselves as experts in the lost knowledge of ancient civilizations and go on to exploit people obsessed with the idea of gaining that knowledge.

I would have to rank Steve Berry and The Charlemagne Pursuit as the best contemporary action / adventure I’ve read. I would also have to rank this right in there with Tom Clancy’s works in terms of believable Washington based intrigue. The thinking reader, not a truly passive reader, will find themselves quickly engrossed in the story. For the first time in a long time, I regretted having to go to work each day as that limited the amount of time I could sit down and read this story. Truly a great four star read. show less

I read Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code when it came out and enjoyed it. But then I discovered Steve Berry and haven't looked back. As far as I'm concerned he's the master of this genre, combining historical fact with suspense, intrigue and non stop action.

Berry's recurring character is Cotton Malone, a 'retired' government agent. His father Forrest died in a submarine accident in 1971. For years he has tried to find out details, but has been stymied by the Navy. He pulls in a favour and gains access to highly classified documents - his father's sub was on a secret mission to the Antarctic. When he is contacted by the German family members of another of the doomed submariners, he agrees to embark on a search for the truth. And that truth is a show more shocker. The other family holds documents that show the submarine was out to prove the existance of a 'First Civilization' - a culture that evolved long before history as we know it. There seems to be evidence that Charlemagne had knowledge gained from this advanced culture. The Nazis looked for it in 1938 and the Americans went back in 1971.

The Charlemagne Pursuit is a thrilling read. The plot is intricate and involved, with many seemingly disparate stories converging at the end in a gripping climax. Berry's research is intriguing. I found myself stopping and actually looking up some of the events and history he refers to. One example is the Piri Reis Map. Much of it is true and thought provoking. There is a writer's note at the end indicating what is fact and what he has taken fictional liberty with.

Cotton Malone is an engaging character, one I've enjoyed following the previous six novels. The supporting characters are also well written, but I did find the German sisters a bit over the top at times.

Any of his books can be read alone. Read one and I guarantee you'll be looking for others in the series! show less

Steve Berry's book THE CHARLEMAGNE PURSUIT once again features Cotton Malone, the intrepid American Magellan Billet (US covert operations) member, who is on a personal mission to discover the truth about his father's fatal mission on the submarine USS Blazak. It seems, however, that Cotton is not alone in his search for answers about the missing sub.
Suddenly, many people share his quest including the competitive, dangerous, twin daughters of a German national who vanished along with Cotton's father and a US admiral with lofty political ambitions and a nasty temper who wants the secrets of the mission to remain buried in Antarctica. With Cotton Malone there is the thrill of the chase, shootings, mass mayhem, and of course the historical show more links that provide such a fascinating aspect to every Berry novel.

Charlemagne's secrets lead to information that can help Cotton with his search but there are many obstacles along the way and the clues must be followed exactly (which isn't easy if you have killers chasing you and your supposed allies are plotting your demise). The book also touches on Nazi fascination with the Aryan race, and the Reich’s exploration of Antarctica in the late 1930's, another little footnote in time courtesy of Berry's research.
Journey with Cotton through Germany, France and Antarctica as he searches both the past and present to find the truth amidst government cover-up, unforgiving weather and not so trustworthy partners.
One fun and quirky item is that fans of Brad Thor will note the mention of Thor's character Scott Harvath in Berry's book. Seems to be an insider’s joke... I'm almost certain Cotton Malone was mentioned in the last Thor book I read.

The Charlemagne Pursuit hits bookshelves in early December. Pick it up and enjoy - it's another great read from the master of this genre . show less

The Charlemagne Pursuit is the sixth of Steve Berry's novels that I've read, and I believe it's my least favorite. Cotton Malone, retired secret agent, returns to discover what happened to his father 38 years before. Forrest Malone was a submarine commander whose sub went down in Antarctica in 1971. The mission was classified, the sub never found, and Cotton wants to know why. Stephanie Nelle, his former boss, sends him a briefing that begins to tell him what happened. He follows its clues to Germany, where he meets the Oberhausers, including twin sisters Chrystl and Dorothea. The twins, along with their mother, also want to discover what happened to the submarine, as its possible their grandfather and father had followed writings about show more Charlemagne to discover another civilization that lived before any we had known before. At the same time, Stephanie Nelle is trying to discover why the sub's sinking had been kept secret all this time, and she is discovering that some very powerful people want to continue keeping everything secret - at any cost.

Needless to say, there's a lot going on in this novel. Too much, perhaps. The focus the lost civilization is downplayed, while the cat and mouse games between just about all the characters make up most of the action of the book. What I've enjoyed about Berry's past novels is the addition of lots of history (or what some may call speculative history). In this book, it almost seems superfluous. Plus, the structure of The Charlemagne Pursuit was really starting to get annoying by the end. Berry continually cuts between the two stories, and always leaves one at a cliffhanger. The back and forth became a bit tiresome after awhile. There was a lot to recommend this book, but either Berry tried to shove too much into the novel, or he could have used a better editor to help cut away some of the excess. Hopefully, book number 7 will be better. show less

Cotton Malone is back for more globe-crossing, historical-puzzle-solving action in Steve Berry's latest book The Charlemagne Pursuit. After uncovering top secret information regarding his father's death, Cotton learns of a secret mission that the navy took to Antarctica in search of a lost civilization. The trail leading to these ancient people involves a series of clues from the time of Charlemagne. Cotton is once again searching the past to solve problems in the present and this time his search is intertwined with a dangerous pair of twin sisters whose father was on assignment with Cotton's.

Meanwhile, Langford Ramsey, an ambitious Naval officer, wants to keep the information Cotton seeks covered up. He is in the process of killing show more his way to a high level promotion and it seems that Stephanie Nelle, Cotton's former boss, might be the only one who can stop Ramsey. Stephanie teams up with Edwin Davis, one of the President's security advisers, but she soon finds out that Davis has more than just a professional interest in stopping Ramsey.

As with most of Berry's work, this book was engaging and entertaining. Better written than Dan Brown and with more depth than Clive Cussler, Berry expertly draws together the multiple characters and story lines into a complexly twisting mystery. Fact and fiction are seamlessly woven together to create this intricate thriller and Berry's "Writer's Note" at the end of the book provides an interesting separation of the two and details the inspirations for some of the concocted portions of history. The Charlemagne Pursuit delivers everything Steve Berry fans will be wanting and as always, will still leave them wanting even more! show less