Synopses & Reviews
As a child, former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone was told that his father died in a submarine disaster in the North Atlantic. But what he now learns stuns him: His fathers sub was a secret nuclear vessel lost on a highly classified mission beneath the ice shelves of Antarctica.
Twin sisters Dorothea Lindauer and Christl Falk are also determined to find out what became of their father, who died on the same submarine–and they know something Malone doesnt: Inspired by strange clues discovered in Charlemagnes tomb, the Nazis explored Antarctica before the Americans. Now Malone discovers that cryptic journals penned in “the language of heaven,” conundrums posed by an ancient historian, and his fathers ill-fated voyage are all tied to a revelation of immense consequence for humankind. As Malone embarks on a dangerous quest with the sisters, he will finally confront the shocking truth of his fathers death and the distinct possibility of his own.
Synopsis
As a child, former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone was told that his father died in a submarine disaster in the North Atlantic. But what he now learns stuns him: His fathers sub was a secret nuclear vessel lost on a highly classified mission beneath the ice shelves of Antarctica.
Twin sisters Dorothea Lindauer and Christl Falk are also determined to find out what became of their father, who died on the same submarine-and they know something Malone doesnt: Inspired by strange clues discovered in Charlemagnes tomb, the Nazis explored Antarctica before the Americans. Now Malone discovers that cryptic journals penned in “the language of heaven,” conundrums posed by an ancient historian, and his fathers ill-fated voyage are all tied to a revelation of immense consequence for humankind. As Malone embarks on a dangerous quest with the sisters, he will finally confront the shocking truth of his fathers death and the distinct possibility of his own.
Synopsis
NEW YORK TIMES BESETSELLER -
"Those who relish suspense in the Da Vinci Code vein will snap this one up, the best yet in the series."--Publishers Weekly (starred review) As a child, former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone was told that his father died in a submarine disaster in the North Atlantic. But what he now learns stuns him: His father's sub was a secret nuclear vessel lost on a highly classified mission beneath the ice shelves of Antarctica.
Twin sisters Dorothea Lindauer and Christl Falk are also determined to find out what became of their father, who died on the same submarine-and they know something Malone doesn't: Inspired by strange clues discovered in Charlemagne's tomb, the Nazis explored Antarctica before the Americans. Now Malone discovers that cryptic journals penned in "the language of heaven," conundrums posed by an ancient historian, and his father's ill-fated voyage are all tied to a revelation of immense consequence for humankind. As Malone embarks on a dangerous quest with the sisters, he will finally confront the shocking truth of his father' s death and the distinct possibility of his own.
Synopsis
From the "New York Times"-bestselling author of "The Alexandria Link" comes a stunning thriller that takes Cotton Malone on a dangerous international quest, set in motion by a mysterious manuscript unearthed from the tomb of Charlemagne. Now available in a tall Premium Edition.
About the Author
Steve Berry is the
New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of
The Lincoln Myth, The King’s Deception, The Columbus Affair, The Jefferson Key, The Emperor’s Tomb, The Paris Vendetta, The Charlemagne Pursuit, The Venetian Betrayal, The Alexandria Link, The Templar Legacy, The Third Secret, The Romanov Prophecy, and
The Amber Room. His books have been translated into 40 languages with more than 18,000,000 copies in 51 countries.
History lies at the heart of every Steve Berry novel. It’s this passion, one he shares with his wife, Elizabeth, that led them to create History Matters, a foundation dedicated to historic preservation. Since 2009 Steve and Elizabeth have traveled across the country to save endangered historic treasures, raising money via lectures, receptions, galas, luncheons, dinners, and their popular writers’ workshops. To date, nearly 2,500 students have attended those workshops. In 2012 their work was recognized by the American Library Association, which named Steve the first spokesman for National Preservation Week. He was also appointed by the Smithsonian Board of Regents to serve on the Smithsonian Libraries Advisory Board to help promote and support the libraries in their mission to provide information in all forms to scientists, curators, scholars, students, and the public at large. He has received the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award and the 2013 Writers for Writers Award from Poets & Writers. His novel The Columbus Affair earned him the Anne Frank Human Writes Award, and his historic preservation work merited the 2013 Silver Bullet from International Thriller Writers.
Steve Berry was born and raised in Georgia, graduating from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. He was a trial lawyer for 30 years and held elective office for 14 of those years. He is a founding member of International Thriller Writers—a group of more than 2,600 thriller writers from around the world—and served three years as its co-president.
For more information, visit www.steveberry.org.
From the Hardcover edition.
Author Q&A
Charlemagne is not an historical subject or character you see in a lot of thrillers, what drew you to him?The fact that he hasn’t appeared in many thrillers was the main draw. Katherine Neville is the only writer I can recall who’s made good use of him. Charlemagne is fascinating. He ruled for 47 years and lived to be 74 at a time when kings rarely reigned more than 5 years and people died long before age 40. He unified a continent and laid the groundwork for the formation, centuries later, of a modern Europe. Many of his policies and practices became proven models for western law and government. He was a visionary who surrounded himself with smart people and, for the first time, placed the needs of his subjects before royal ambition. He was so progressive that it begs the question–did he have help? Was he privy to special knowledge? Both are interesting questions that spurred my imagination.
The strange writings and the manuscript quoted throughout the book, where did they come from?
I utilized an actual artifact known as the Voynich Manuscript. It’s preserved in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. Supposedly created sometime in the 15th or 16th centuries, its folios are penned in a language that no one has ever been able to decipher. In addition, there are a multitude of colorful, odd drawings filling its pages. By general consensus the Voynich Manuscript is probably an elaborate medieval hoax, designed to fleece a royal patron out of a hefty payment. But no one knows for sure. As is made clear in The Charlemagne Pursuit, writing may well have been the single most important creation of human kind. Once we learned to memorialize our thoughts, in languages that could be understood by others many millennia later, human civilization rose to new levels. The Charlemagne Pursuit explores this phenomena.
Is the concept of a ‘first civilization’ something mainstream 21st century science has embraced?
Not yet, but it’s only a matter of time. The idea that we may not have been the first humans to achieve a level of intellectual sophistication makes sense. Cultures, like plants and animals, and earth itself, all develop, evolve, flourish, then fade into extinction. Our current civilization may only be one link in a long and complicated social chain. Evidence of heretofore unknown neolithic sites are being discovered around the world with startling regularity. Most are underwater, in areas that were dry land before the last Ice Age. And what lies beneath those two miles of Antarctic ice? Unfortunately, we’ll probably never know, but the possibilities are endless.
This is an intensely personal journey for Cotton Malone, was that intentional?
No question. I knew that Cotton confronting what happened to his father would be an emotional experience. For 38 years he’s pondered that situation. Then I came across the book Ice, by Marianna Gosnell, which described the amazing affects of the Antarctic cold. Once I realized what was possible, I increased the intensity of Malone’s journey. As a writer, I struggle with character development. It’s something I work hard to expand. This book, my seventh novel, allowed me an opportunity to expand my craft. This story is much character-driven than the others. I can only hope that reader’s regard my effort as a positive one.
You have some great locales in the story. How many did you actually visit while writing?
I visited the Zugspitze in Bavaria and rode the same cable car 10,000 feet up that Malone finds himself trapped on. I also loitered around the cathedral in Aachen for four days, trying to conjure up the Charlemagne pursuit. Biltmore Estate in Asheville is one of my favorite places. I’ve visited several times, especially at Christmas. As for Antarctica, unfortunately I didn’t make it there (thank goodness the good Lord created National Geographic). My goal is to walk upon all seven continents. I have two to go, one being Antarctica, which is at the top of my must-see list.
Speaking of Antarctica, what about the great secrecy that surrounds the Nazi expedition there in 1938 and the two American missions there in the 1940s?
The Nazis went to scout strategic locations and search for untapped mineral wealth. But they found a continent tough to tame. Great mineral deposits exist, but they are difficult to extract, especially with the state of technology at that time. World War II eventually interfered with Germany returning, though conspiratorialists believe that they did return and established a secret base. Our Operations Highjump and Windmill, which came a decade after, were pure military jaunts. We went to explore, test men and equipment, and learn. Some say we went to find that Nazi base. Much about both of these extensive, cold-weather military operations remain classified to this day, which only encourages speculation as to what might have been encountered.
What’s next for Cotton?
At least two more adventures. One in 2009–another in 2010. I’m writing the 2009 story right now, tentatively called The Paris Club. Hopefully, Cotton Malone will continue to live on for many years after that.
From the Hardcover edition.