I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Library of Gold
by
Alex Archer
It is part of the Rogue Angel #37 series and is a magical realism in Paperback edition that was published by Gold Eagle Books on July 3, 2012 and has 320 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books in this series include [books_series]
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include The Soul Stealer, Gabriel's Horn, The Golden Elephant, Swordsman's Legacy, Polar Quest, Eternal Journey, Sacrifice, Seeker's Curse, Footprints, Paradox, The Spirit Banner, Sacred Ground, The Bone Conjurer, Phantom Prospect, Restless Soul, False Horizon, The Other Crowd, Tear of the Gods, The Oracle's Message, Cradle of Solitude, Labyrinth, Fury's Goddess, Magic Lantern, Matador's Crown, City of Swords, The Third Caliph, The Babel Codex, Sunken Pyramid, Staff of Judea
Thirty-seventh in the Rogue Angel urban fantasy series about an archeologist/TV show host who “inherits” a metaphysical sword that urges her to avenge wrongs and protect the innocent.
My Take
There’s a bit of the Clive Cussler in this with its historic prologue setting us up. The action is definitely worthy of Dirk! As well as Indiana Jones!
I don’t get why Annja didn’t wait. For all her vaunted experience, she didn’t anticipate the guns? Waiting would have created a completely different ending. For that matter, why didn’t the bad guys wait until the library was actually found???
There was a sense of Archer needing to crank this out, a little too much hurry-hurry in this. Still, it’s a great Saturday-afternoon-at-the-movies action adventure even if it’s a B-class series.
Be warned, it does have a very sad ending…and, yes, I cried.
I also suspect this is the start of an interesting relationship. Hmmm, I wonder what other treasures Sir Charles is interested in.
The Story
Sir Charles Davies has insisted on Annja joining him for dinner. It seems he has a little project in mind for her and Roux has been telling tales. A possible lead to the lost library of Ivan the Terrible has come to Sir Charles’ attention and he wants Annja to hunt it down.
It’s a scavenger hunt, a mad scramble through the sewers, a descent into Cold War hell, and a nuclear-powered train through earthquakes and bullets.
The Characters
Annja Creed is an unaffiliated archeologist who accepts the necessity of co-hosting Chasing History’s Monsters, a syndicated TV series that prefers to hype the impossibilities of the past. Annja sees it as a chance to keep the show at least partially anchored in the real world. Doug Morrell is her attention-seeking producer.
Sir Charles Davies is one of the richest men in the world. He also owns the channel that pays for Chasing History’s Monsters. Vladimir Vikofsky is the leader of the Urban Underground who sees its mission as one of “mapping the historical, ecological, and social aspects of Moscow’s underground”. He cares for his old mother.
Ridolfo di Fioravanti is the chief foreman who designed the library and its protections only to be betrayed. Giuseppe is Ridolfo’s nephew charged with a message. Czar Ivan wants a secret library to hold a rare and valuable collection of ancient books of Byzantium. Gianni Travino claims to be a descendent of Ridolfo’s and he has a journal that could be the key to the library’s location.
Yuri Basilovich is a supervisor in immigration in Moscow who has flagged Annja’s passport.
Colonel Viktor Goshenko is officially Federal Security Service, but he’s not above making his own retirement plans. Sergeant Arkady Danislov will do whatever it takes to accomplish his mission. Subotin is the point man assigned to take down a that little slip of a thing.
Semyon Pyotr is actually Dr. Semyon Petrescu, who is in charge at the Cathedral of the Assumption, and he’s working with Goshenko.
The Cover and Title
The cover’s background is a collage of the colorful onion turrets from St. Basil’s Cathedral while the base of the cover sees a flitter of code and scraps of paper, while in between, a new model for Annja in jeans and a tight-fitting, short-waisted black leather jacket prepares to swing the sword of Joan of Arc.
The title is definitely about a Library, but the of Gold refers to the Gospel of Gold.
