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What a mess...
“Ah I really wanted to like this book but it was terrible. So bad in fact that I only made it half way through, it's a mess. The characters don't even begin to make sense...what is up with Zavastina...a really annoying character. I fear it's his idea of the strong female, she's just ridiculous. There's plagues (never clear if it's AIDS or AIDS & another plague), intricately carved discs, lesbian lover, chases all over the place, etc. Absolutely no cohesion whatsoever. By the middle of the book I started feeling angry that I spent money on it, the characters, the mash of huge themes. I cannot ever remember leaving one in the middle and being so utterly annoyed with it. I read Mr. Berry's Amber Room which was ok but that's it for me and Mr. Berry, I won't bother with any more of his books.”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-10-01. -
Predictable but Gooey Fun
“At the public library, I had a pile of books and audio books haphazardly balancing in my arms, when I came across Steve Berry's The Venetian Betrayal. I never read Steve Berry's works, but it looked interesting, so I picked it up. I'm glad I did! Undercover agents, secret plots, archaeology, biological warfare, Greek fire . . . I'm surprised it isn't a movie, yet.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-05-14.
The novel starts during the time of Alexander the Great, who just experienced the loss of his friend and lover Hephaestion to a strange disease and which Alexander contracted and succumbed to the same disease soon after. Jump forward to current day Europe, and we find our heroes in a quest to find Alexander's tomb and a possible cure for one of the deadliest modern-day plights - HIV/AIDS - before a despotic leader and a money-hungry, self serving fat man use the tomb and cure to their political and economic advantage.
The language can be a bit cheesy and the plot predictable but The Venetian Betrayal is pure, gooey adventure entertainment - don't pass it up!
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Underwhelming
“This is a book that promises more than it delivers. By the time you are done, you might well be asking yourself, what exactly WAS the betrayal? Because as the plot develops, with double crosses here and there, it's hard to keep an angle on the action, to know who knows what and is where with whom at any time.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-04-06.
Cotton Malone, the hero, is often conspicuous by his absence from the story, and when he is around, he doesn't do a whole lot of interesting things. There is a puzzle to the whereabouts of Alexander's tomb, but Da Vinci Code fans will be disappointed that the puzzle is relatively simple, and any hope of a Dan Brown-esque series of mysteries for the heroes to plow through fizzles like a damp squid.
Berry's writing here is not clear nor sharp, his characters are fairly one-dimensional, with very little in the way of development. Phrases are often repeated. However, Berry does seem to have a talent for making the words move fast on the page. Reading his prose is virtually effortless, but sadly there is little meat on the bones.” -
Very disappointing - Berry's worst book
“This book is by far Steve Berry's worst effort. The plot is convoluted and confusing. The characters are thinly developed and it was hard to keep track of exactly who was on what side because allegiances seemed to shift more times than a typist sitting at his computer. There's one main villain. Oh wait, there's actually two. No, maybe three! But he's actually undercover, so now we're back to two. Wait, he's undercover undercover, so he's back to being a villain. And who exactly is the U.S. supporting? Why is the Vatican helping the big baddie?
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-03-05.
My head spun when I read this book and I was so glad to finish it and be rid of it.
I fear that Steve Berry has turned into John Grisham. Both started out as very good writers. Their early books were fantastic. Then they just turned into these machines that churned out poor work just to meet a deadline. I was very disappointed with this book. I hope "The Charlemagne Pursuit" is a lot better or I will have to give up on Steve Berry.” -
Derivative junk - a James Rollins wannabe
“I used to be a big Steve Berry fan. His early works are good, solid entertainment with working plots, deep historical research, and more twists and turns than the average country fair maze. But Mr. Berry jumped the shark with "The Venetian Betrayal". The characters are flawed, the story is meandering, and the dialog is dreadful. He appears so in love with Cotton Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt that he exhausts his best work describing their non-relationship. This is a swift and sudden decline from his early work like Templar legacy, The third secret, and even the Alexandria link. Once known for his good research and historical plots, this book is a rehash of the worst Rollins and lesser known Dan Brown fiction. Save the 10 bucks.”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-01-02.
