The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown

Brown’s latest book in the Langdon series proves that the author has not yet found the same pace as he did in The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons. The story is (as usual) fast-paced, but it lacks originality and focuses too much on meaningless hunts across the city of Prague. Some interesting concepts arise from the field of noetics, but the storyline feels unconnected and the scientific – or rather metaphysical – bylines are there only to add a flavor of mysticism. It doensät drive the plot, nor does it add any depth to the characters or narrative. Brown can be a brilliant writer, but he has lost his way, much like the characters in his novels have yet to realize what clues they are supposed to solve. I am disappointed.

About

Accompanying celebrated academic, Katherine Solomon, to a lecture she’s been invited to give in Prague, Robert Langdon’s world spirals out of control when she disappears withouta trace from their hotel room. Far from home and well out of his comfort zone, Langdon must pit his wits against forces unknown to recover the woman he loves.

However, Prague is an ancient and treacherous city, steeped in folklore and mystery. For over two thousand years, the tides of history have washed back and forth over it, leaving behind echoes of everything that has gone before. Little can Langdon know that he is being stalked by a spectre from that dark past. He must use all of his arcane knowledge to decipher the world around him before he, too, is consumed by the rings of treachery and deception that have swallowed Katherine.

Against a backdrop of vast castles, towering churches, graveyards buried twelve deep, and labyrinthine underground passages, Langdon must navigate a shadow city hiding in plain sight, a city that has successfully kept its secrets for centuries and will not readily deliver them.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc by Jacques Tardi

A Dazzling Dive Into Art, Intrigue & Absurdity

Jacques Tardi’s The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec isn’t just a comic—it’s a stylistic masterclass wrapped in a whirlwind of mystery, sarcasm, and vintage Parisian splendor. From the first panel, readers are hurled into a pre-WWI France where pterodactyls soar over the Eiffel Tower, mummies saunter through museums, and our heroine, Adèle, matches wit with oddball scientists, bumbling bureaucrats, and deadly conspirators.

Adèle Is a Force of Nature

Forget your average adventurer—Adèle Blanc-Sec is sharp-tongued, gloriously cynical, and constantly two steps ahead. She’s the kind of protagonist who lights a cigarette while dodging bullets, rolls her eyes at mayhem, and treats supernatural chaos like a minor inconvenience. Her refusal to play by anyone’s rules is the comic’s beating heart. And, yes, she sleeps and takes showers just like any other person.

A Visual Feast

Tardi’s artwork is intricate and atmospheric. Paris feels grimy, decadent, alive. Every alley, newspaper clipping, and expression is laced with meticulous detail, all soaked in the noir-meets-surreal mood that makes each volume feel like a fever dream captured in ink.

Wit as Sharp as a Guillotine

The comic is deliciously dry in its humor. Bureaucracy is lampooned. Authority is ridiculed. The absurdity of the plot is intentional—and irresistible. It’s like Kafka, Hitchcock, and Tintin got drunk together and decided to rewrite history with tentacles and prehistoric beasts.

Verdict: Must-Read for the Bold and the Curious

If you crave the elegance of historical fiction but with a dash of anarchy and the bite of a sarcastic genius, Adèle Blanc-Sec delivers. It’s an unapologetically eccentric ride that respects its readers enough to challenge them while making them laugh along the way.

The Annals of the World by James Ussher

This is an essential work for those who would like to understand the chronology of the Bible and the Christian worldview.

Your ancient history questions can be answered with unmatched precision. James Ussher’s Annals of the World offers a comprehensive chronological examination of history from the beginning to 70 A.D. His meticulous research of over 12,000 historical documents (many no longer available) and 2000 quotes from the Bible or the Apocrypha has been compiled into the most exciting history of the world you are ever likely to read.

Could an investigation of ancient civilisations and their historical records prove the accuracy of the Holy Bible? Originally published in Latin in 1650, Annals of the World is an unparalleled academic chronology of sacred and secular history. Ussher’s highly regarded historical timeline has been the foundation of many translations of the Bible and was included in the margins of many King James Bibles throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Answers to your age of the earth questions and Bible contradiction theories can be found in your exploration of human history within these 960 pages.

One of history’s most famous and well-respected historians. James Ussher devoted himself wholly to the defence of the Christian faith. This highly educated and well-travelled historian dedicated several years to writing this monumental ancient world history.

Armstrong: The Adventurous Journey of a Mouse to the Moon by Torben Kuhlmann

An excellent book. The pictures are just mesmerising.

A long time ago, a mouse learned to fly . . . and crossed the Atlantic. But what happened next? Torben Kuhlmann’s stunning new book transports readers to the moon and beyond. On the heels of Lindbergh: The Tale of a Flying Mouse comes Armstrong: A Mouse on the Moon where dreams are determined only by the size of your imagination and the most prominent innovators are the smallest of all. The book ends with a brief non-fiction history of human space travel – from Galileo’s observations concerning the nature of the universe to man’s first steps on the moon.

The Inventor’s Son by S.B. James

The first book in a series set in a world that could have been. A steampunk setting with a paranormal twist where vampires, witches, and other characters roam the streets of London and Paris.

The story revolves around a teenage boy named Ethan, whose father is a reclusive inventor. When Ethan’s father goes missing, he finds out that his father has kept a few secrets from him. On a quest to find his missing father, he also discovers that he has paranormal powers.

The narrative is pretty good, but the language comes through as rather blunt.   

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