The Ark

A Novel

By: Boyd Morrison

Narrated by: Boyd Gaines

Length: 14 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

When brilliant archaeologist Dilara Kenner is contacted by Sam Watson, an old family friend who says that he has crucial information about her missing father, Dilara abandons her Peruvian dig and rushes to Los Angeles to meet him. But at the airport, Sam speaks instead of Noah’s Ark—the artifact her father had long been searching for—and the possible death of billions. Before Sam can explain, he collapses. With his dying breath, he urges Dilara to find Tyler Locke—a man she’s never heard of.

Two days later Dilara manages to track down former combat engineer Tyler Locke on an oil rig off Newfoundland. Her helicopter transport goes down well short of the oil rig’s landing pad and Dilara and those aboard nearly drown. No sooner is Dilara safely on the rig than she convinces Tyler the crash was no accident. Tyler agrees to help her uncover the secret behind Noah's Ark and, more important, her father's disappearance. As the picture begins to come into focus, they realize they have just seven days to find the Ark before its secret is used to wipe out civilization once again.

With a chilling premise and a blistering pace, Boyd Morrison combines all the best elements of a blockbuster thriller with an intelligent and fascinating exploration of one of the Old Testament’s great mysteries.

©2010 Boyd Morrison (P)2010 Simon & Schuster

Pretty Good For What It Is...

I have to preface this by saying I very rarely listen to or read fiction. So this was a change for me to begin with and I was hesitant for that reason. But I needed a break from my usual serious non-fiction topics. I guess I would describe this as "ear-candy". By that I mean it's an enjoyable listen but I didn't expect it to be very deep, and it wasn't. I'm a little surprised at some reviews that seem shocked and disappointed at how unrealistic aspects of this are; just read the description, are we really expecting realism in a "thriller novel" about a Bible story? I would think anyone wanting realism might try the non-fiction section. But again, I admit that I don't typically read fiction, so maybe there IS realistic fiction out there, although I'd be slightly surprised if it exists on this sort of topic.

I suppose my lack of disappointment is in part due to the lack of high expectations I had regarding the realism in the story. Having said that, it certainly is unrealistic! Much of it had me thinking "yeah right" or "as if" in my head, but the storytelling was good and the story was still fun, so I enjoyed it nonetheless. The narrator was very good, he had a lot of voices and accents to juggle and I didn't find anything in that regard lacking. I do feel the author got too far off-track from the "Ark" storyline, but it would have been a very short, pointless story otherwise. The main idea of the storyline I think was the "mystery" of the ark claim, and so the characters really had to do a bunch of running around to solve it, otherwise it wouldn't really be a story, would it? The "twist" wasn't much of a twist, I saw most of it coming save a few details, but not to the extent that it ruined the listen for me.

One thing I disliked was the inevitable romance factor; that just annoys me and it ultimately served no real purpose to the story.

One important note; I probably would be annoyed had I paid the full price amount for this book. I got it for MUCH less on sale so I felt it was worthwhile, especially given the length of it. Overall I think it was a fun listen as long as you aren't expecting a literary masterpiece. "Ear-Candy", I maintain.

Action Packed!

This book was full of action from start to finish. I enjoyed listening to the narrator.

Great story; not so great narrator.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Ark to be better than the print version?

Love the story; lots of action, interesting characters, exotic places. However, I was not thrilled with the narrator. Had to increase the speed of narration just to get it to a normal listening mode. He spoke every word as if it were the most important word of the book. That gets old fast.

Worth buying.

Fast paced storyline that keeps your interest. No slow parts of the story, but not no stop action either. Likable characters that feel real and are well developed. Satisfying ending, none of "leave you hanging to interpret on ypur own".

Really cool!!!

Any additional comments?

Really cool. Right up there with Clive Cussler, James Rollins and Matthew Reilly. Love the twist on the Noah's Ark story. Tyler Locke is a great protag and I'm looking forward to his next adventure

Gaines does a fine job narrating. I really enjoyed this book. Next please.

Such a great story - well done!

I can’t heap enough praise on this book. From start to finish the story kept me constantly wondering what was next. Every time I thought I knew what might happen next I was pleasantly surprised by another twist that blew me away. Great book, well written and narrated masterfully!

Started out strong but...

It started out strong. Then I feel like it fell flat. I don’t intend to read the sequels.

Fun action book

Lots of action keeps this book going from start to finish. Good characters and plot. Wish there was more romance but this isn’t that kind of book.

What if greed came to the Ark.

Tyler Locke is a hard worker. He is a very helpful person. But seems to be in the wrong places a few times in this story. And the Ark is an awesome book and riveting story. At the end, i wondered if the Ark was truly there. Around the world this story goes where the bad guy seems to hold all the important cards and money. Also, crazy enough...well I don't want to give plot away. Enjoy your listen or read !!!

Recommended!

Great story, suspenseful. Mild technical weakness in plausibility. I enjoyed this book.You will not be disappointed.