C.S. Graham
See also C.S. Harris
The Archangel Project (2008)
I love the Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries by C.S. Harris. So when I realized the husband and wife team also wrote under the name C.S. Graham, I immediately ordered the books.
Now the books written as C.S. Harris are set in Victorian/Regency England. These books are modern thrillers.
October Guinness is a Navy Vet who got a psych discharge after an incident in Iraqwhere she somehow knew that an attack was going to target innocent civilians, and she got herself shot in the process. Back in the states she’s going to college, and to pay her bills, has gotten herself involved in something called “remote viewing.” Little does she realize this seemingly innocent project is going to turn deadly.
First things first, there is a lot of politics in this book. The president is a very thinly veiled GW Bush, and let’s just say that the authors have a more negative view of him that I do, if that’s even possible.
Now we’ve gotten that out of the way, I sat down yesterday evening to read a couple chapters and see what I thought.
At 10:30. I forced myself to put the book down, even though I was more than 3/4 finished, because I really needed to go to get ready for bed. The story took off, and never slowed down.
The author’s note(s) point out that the remote viewing projects such as were described in the book were in fact used at one time by the military, and the author’s recommend the book “Men Who Stare at Goats” which you may remember came out as a movie last year. They also point out that several other of the perhaps more unbelievable points in the book are also based upon fact.
Which makes the book both more entertaining and also infinitely more disturbing.
Aside from the story, the characters were also very well done. We learn a fair amount about Toby’s past, and dribs and drabs of Jax’s past, but far more is left unsaid than is explained, especially regarding many of the secondary characters.
If you’re looking for action and mystery, then I highly recommend The Archangel Project.
Just don’t start reading it on a work night.
Rating: 8/10
Published by Harper
The Babylonian Codex (2010)
I found this book quite frightening, not because it was particularly suspenseful, but because the political scenario described so very well could come true.
Toby is asked to do a remote viewing to see if she can discover where some of the artifacts stolen during the looting at the start of the Iraq war were taken. Unfortunately, not only is she discovering where these artifacts may be, she accidentally stumbles upon an owner with a great deal of power–and a nasty plot.
There is a new president, a reformer, but the old guard, the conservatives, and most especially the religious right wingers can’t stand him, and have all but declared him Satan incarnate.
Because these reactions are so close to what current conservatives are having, and because so much of this story is based upon history and fact and existing groups (there’s a quick resource guide in the back), I find it quite frightening. Especially the Dominionist Movement.
If you enjoyed the first two books in this series, I recommend this book. If you didn’t read the first two books, you might want to become familiar with remote viewing before starting this book, as well as the history of the US Remote Viewing program.
Then you can read this and spend your time being freaked out by the story.
Rating: 7/10
Published by Harper Collins
The Archangel Project (2008), The Babylonian Codex (2010)
