The Romanov Prophecy

By: Steve Berry

Narrated by: Paul Michael

Ekaterinburg, Russia: July 16, 1918. Ten months have passed since Nicholas II’s reign was cut short by revolutionaries. Tonight, the White Army advances on the town where the Tsar and his family are being held captive by the Bolsheviks. Nicholas dares to hope for salvation. Instead, the Romanovs are coldly and methodically executed.

Moscow: Present Day. Atlanta lawyer Miles Lord, fluent in Russian and well versed in the country’s history, is thrilled to be in Moscow on the eve of such a momentous event. After the fall of Communism and a succession of weak governments, the Russian people have voted to bring back the monarchy. The new tsar will be chosen from the distant relatives of Nicholas II by a specially appointed commission, and Miles’ job is to perform a background check on the Tsarist candidate favored by a powerful group of Western businessmen. But research quickly becomes the least of Miles’ concerns when he is nearly killed by gunmen on a city plaza.

Suddenly Miles is racing across continents, shadowed by nefarious henchmen. At first, his only question is why people are pursuing him. But after a strange conversation with a mysterious Russian, who steers Miles toward the writings of Rasputin, he becomes desperate to know more–most important, what really happened to the family of Russia’s last tsar?

His only companion is Akilina Petrov, a Russian circus performer sympathetic to his struggle, and his only guide is a cryptic message from Rasputin that implies that the bloody night of so long ago is not the last chapter in the Romanovs’ story . . . and that someone might even have survived the massacre. The prophecy’s implications are earth-shattering–not only for the future of the tsar and mother Russia, but also for Miles himself.

Steve Berry, national bestselling author of the phenomenal thriller The Amber Room, once again delves into rich historical fact to produce an explosive page-turner. In The Romanov Prophecy, the authentic and the speculative meld into a fascinating and exceptionally suspenseful work of fiction.©2004 Steve Berry; (P)2004 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

Praise for Steve Berry

The Romanov Prophecy
“READERS WHO ENJOY THE BOOKS OF DAN BROWN AND DANIEL SILVA WILL ENJOY THE ROMANOV PROPHECY, TOO. This is a wild roller-coaster ride, with explosive action and compelling suspense, delving into one of the great mysteries of our time.”
–SHARON KAY PENMAN, author of Time and Chance

The Amber Room
“SEXY, ILLUMINATING, AND CONFIDENT . . . a globe-trotting treasure hunt packed with exotic locales, sumptuous art, and ruthless villains.
Steve Berry writes with the self-assured style of a veteran.”
–DAN BROWN, author of The Da Vinci Code

“COMPELLING . . . ADVENTURE-FILLED . . . a fast-moving, globe-hopping tale of long-lost treasure and shadowy bad guys.”
–San Francisco Chronicle

“MAGNIFICENTLY ENGROSSING, with wonderful characters and a plot that speeds, twists, and turns. Pure intrigue, pure fun.”
–CLIVE CUSSLER

good adventure story if you can suspend belief

the narration is very good. the story is fun and easy to follow. the downside to this book is that one has to believe that a)russia was better off under a tsar [check with, among others, the jewish community regarding this!], 2) russia could return to rule under a tsar in this modern age, and, 3) a brilliant lawyer wouldn't be able to see a corrupt conspiracy going on right under his nose. and that is just in the first couple of chapters. there are other parts of the narrative that are weak but i'd have to give away the story to go into them. i enjoyed listening to this on the way in to work, but didn't think it completely riveting nor really well written; it was too predictable to be either. and there were a number of parts and comments that i had to not examine too closely or else just ignore in order not to get annoyed with the sloppiness of the writing and stereotyping.

Great historic novel

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The description of the murder of the royal family was like being in the room.

Interesting plot based on mysterious history.

Where does The Romanov Prophecy rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top third. Like the linkage of history and fiction even if there are some fantastic leaps of logic, but that is what makes fiction enjoyable.

What did you like best about this story?

Details about the actual deaths of the Romanovs.

Political Acrobatics

The beginning of this book (and sample) were fascinating. I couldn't wait to hear more about the intriguing Rasputin and his antics. But that ended right there, and jumped into the modern era, with murder and mayhem.

There's plenty of suspense and action in this historical thriller, combined with political corruption and assassination which goes on and on, from one scenario to the next.
But the hero, a highly intelligent lawyer, is unable to figure out who is betraying him. He makes assumptions, but never seems to engage his brain and think about it. It requires much suspension of disbelief, as he miraculously escapes each murderous attempt on his life. Nobody in this world would've stayed alive, considering who was trying to kill him. It was totally unrealistic, and therefore frustrating for the listener.

Some redeeming factors are the interesting historical background, and good narration.

Fascinating

Steve Berry did it again. This is a "cant put down" book and its truly worth your time if you are interested in history. Though it is fictional, the the way the characters were portrayed are almost factual. You could feel the agony and defeat of the Romanovs, you can almost feel the coldness of earth, the stickiness of blood, and the smell of the mortally wounded, detest the callousness of the people in power and rally for the Last Romanov for the betterment of mother Russia.

So far, Steve Berry's vivid imagination intertwined with historical flavor elevates him among the distinguished writers of our time. I read/listened to all his previous books and am eagerly awaiting for the next one.