



PURE VISION: The Magdalene Revelation
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
An ancient artifact is stolen . . . A long-lost document is found . . . A mysterious and dangerous journey unfolds . . .
New York Times reporter Maggie Seline writes an explosive book that offers a controversial solution to the Middle East crisis. When she uncovers a radical energy scheme that threatens the oil industry, Maggie suddenly vanishes. Her disappearance ignites a worldwide women's march toward Jerusalem that rattles the status quo and parallels a frantic race to possess ancient talismans.
An upcoming peace conference hides the true motivation of Giovanni Mabus, outgoing president of the European Commission, who intends to exploit a powerful mythological connection between two legendary treasures. In league with the clandestine pseudo-Masonic group, Propaganda Due, he devises a plan aimed at furthering political and military chaos in the Middle East in order to accomplish his aims. Meanwhile, Maggie secretly teams up with Dead Sea Scrolls scholar Michael Sonada in a race to thwart the sinister plot — a race that takes them into the forbidden regions of Nepal to make an earth-shattering discovery.
PURE VISION brings together ancient myths and contemporary challenges in this provocative and thrilling epic adventure. At every turn, Perri Birney's intriguing scenario encourages a closer look at the spiritual forces that infuse the world's political battles.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Birney's overstuffed novel weaves together current global politics, neolithic energies, and religious artifacts to build a sprawling international conspiracy that ultimately strains credibility. When his mentor is poisoned, Michael Sonada, a cynical scholar of archaic texts, along with Maggie Seline, a strong-willed journalist, flee New York to embark on a journey spanning multiple countries in order to find the Spear of Longinus and the Holy Grail before an ancient order uses them to ignite worldwide turmoil. While the novel offers lush descriptions of Nepal and the Middle East, the writing borders on didactic, with far more attention paid to delivering clich moral ideologies, Nazi and Middle Eastern political history lessons, and religious discourses than to developing well-rounded, memorable characters or a clear, compelling plot. Dozens of minor characters are given involved backstories, and most of them are never heard from again. Meanwhile, key characters are introduced too late or, as with Michael's ex-girlfriend, who makes a pivotal discovery, are only discussed by others and never actually appear. The protagonists also have too few difficulties to overcome, as they know a helpful friend in every foreign city they visit or people with connections to the ever-widening mythology of the novel. Despite these shortcomings as a thriller, Birney's expansive novel does showcase female empowerment and solidarity and explore provocative connections between the world's most prominent religions. (BookLife)