Format: ebook (paperback has 252 pages)
Publisher: NWE Signatures LLC, 2011
Source: Review copy provided by the author
My rating: 4 stars
Just months before the famous Bible that bears his name was finished, Johannes Gutenberg was sued by his business partner for misappropriating funds for a private enterprise. When Gutenberg refused to share the secret project, the court awarded the entire Bible-printing operation to Johan Fust, leaving Gutenberg with nothing but his secret. Was it an alchemical formula? A heretical treatise? A new technology? Or something far more dangerous? Why would Gutenberg risk everything? Brilliant, eccentric professor Keith Drucker and rare books librarian Madeline Zayne are reluctant heroes in a centuries-old search for Gutenberg’s secret. Crossing continents to follow clues from an encoded rubric and stolen manuscript, the couple face injury and encounter arcane rituals and biblio-terrorism as they race to find the fabled treasure. But once they find it, will they survive to tell the world?
(synopsis from the author’s website)
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the way that the author combined a history of books and printing, alchemy and suspense into a very entertaining novel. I found the historical information fascinating and I really felt like I learned something from the book. The author has clearly done his research and I think that’s so important when you’re writing about a specific subject. It’s blatantly obvious when an author hasn’t researched thoroughly enough the subject they’re writing about but this wasn’t the case with Everett. On top of this, there is nothing I love more than a book about books and this one didn’t disappoint.
I really liked the main characters, Keith and Maddie, and enjoyed the chemistry between them. There was something about them that made them instantly likeable and it was interesting to watch their relationship develop throughout the book. The plot was well paced and I liked the way that the chapters were alternated between their story and the story of the people that were plotting against them. I also liked the twists in the story and wasn’t expecting them. This was a fun read that flowed well and kept me interested throughout. I’m looking forward to reading his other books, which I haven’t yet managed to get around to reading, but will be trying to do so soon!
