The Romanov Prophecy

Rating:
Summary: Great book, but only for the well researched
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It is one of those what if mysteries that I can't get enough of. The book is action packed and keeps you guessing until the very end. As I read through the book I could easily get a sense of what was going on, it was displayed before me almost like a movie. In a nut shell the book is about an American lawyer named Miles Lord who is responsible for legitimizing the heir to the Romanov throne after Russia decides to bring the monarchy back. The current heir hardly has a drop of Romanov blood. Miles soon stumbles across evidence that suggests that some of the Tsar's children could have escaped execution. If that is true then it would mean that there is an heir out there that is closer to the last Tsar in his blood line. From the moment Miles finds out about the Tsar's missing children, a team of murderous men who would benefit more if the truth about the last Imperial family was never discovered, are determined to get rid of him. Miles along with Akalina Petrovna (a trusted friend) must work together to solve one of the centuries greatest mysteries.
The book was great but I only suggest reading if and only if you have a solid understanding of the Romanov Mystery. The people who have reviewed this book before me didn't like it because they were not educated enough in what the Romanovs were all about. I have been interested in the Romanovs for many years and know pretty much everything about them. You need to know about them and their history to fully enjoy this book.


Rating:
Summary: Prophet for profit
Review: A new Tsar placed in power by American businessmen, and a cadence of Russias top power brokers is to be voted into power in a numer of days. The only problem; a young ambitious lawyer hired to discover the intended Tsar's claim to the throne finds evidence that two of the Romanov children actually survived the attempted assassination on them, and their entire family, Tsar Nicholas 2, and Tsarina Alexandra. This leads the young Attorney on a wild goose chase to find the heirs of the dinesty, while on the run from those who hired him to find the link, in the first place. Please, give me a break! Why hire someone to investigate the existence of someone you don't believe to exist to begin with? And then try to knock him off when he finds a mere hint that a closer heir to the throne than the person you are backing?
The plot, as well as the characters are stereotypical, and weak in this convoluted, contrived story.
There is absolutely no proof that any of the Romanovs survived that fateful night in July of 1918, that brought on the Russian Revolution, and ushered in 72 years of Communism in Russia.
Anyone comming forward claiming to be an heir to the Tsar, and therefore the throne, would have been killed by the government, or locked up in Siberia where they'd never be heard from again.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting premise with a mediocre execution
Review: Any Romanov collector or follower of Russian history would perhaps say they have had thoughts of the restoration of the Russian Imperial house and even toyed with the idea of the survival of the last of the Romanovs. Mr. Berry begins The Romanov Prophecy with an interesting premise. However, right from the start you can tell that the book has the hallmarks of an amateur. Miles Lord? Why must writers always come up with such "dramatic" names for their characters? The book lacks texture and depth. Page after page careens from one chase or gun battle to the next. As a reader I longed for things to settle down for just a chapter. Never have I seen a main character luckier in escaping the villians or dim-witted figuring out who they were. In addition, the actual plot is rather predictable and the ending comes as no surprise. I think Mr. Berry has great potential and only hope in his future books that he will spend more time building his characters and plot and dropping some of the furious action that hides how thin The Romanov Prophecy actual is.

Rating:
Summary: The Gang that couldn't shoot straight
Review: As a fan of Russian history the title "Romanov Prophecy" caught my eye. That plus positive blurbs from authors whose works I have enjoyed. No more blurb reading for me.
The Russian people vote to restore the czar (when's the last time any people opted for a return to monarchy?). The rightful successor turns out to be a country lawyer born and raised in rural North Carolina--and it takes a black lawyer and a Russian acrobat to find him. While being chased all over Russia and the US by the most inept band of hitmen this side of Jimmy Breslin. The action/escape sequences are beyond belief.
The sole redeeming value of this novel is in its flashbacks to the 1917 abdication and subsequent murder of the Romanov family. Not the best "What if" history, but some food for thought, though not enough to justify adding this to your bookshelf.
Lastly, Berry's writing is way below top notch; more like amateurish. Don't think you're getting Dan Brown here; more like Tom Clancy at his worst (which is pretty bad).

Rating:
Summary: Escapist Fiction, Nothing More
Review: Historical thrillers are hard to pull off. Accuracy, intrigue, interesting characters...These are a few of the components necessary to make such an endeavor soar. Jack Higgins, Daniel Silva, and Len Deighton are authors who have made this work.

Does Berry's novel succeed at the same level? Frankly, no. While he comes up with an interesting premise--an heir to the Tsars brought forward as a new Russian leader, based upon Rasputin prophecies--he doesn't always keep the action as interesting. Some reviewers have criticized the credibility of the Tsar idea, but, having traveled in Russia, I think it has much more substance than one might suppose. What makes it seem less so are the numerous scenes in which we, the readers, must stretch our incredulity to the limits. I was willing to go along with the creative scenario at a zoo in San Francisco--I even admired Berry's daring. Unfortunately, the saving efforts of a borzoi hound (three times, no less!), and the misplaced and unsubstantiated trust between our guileless hero and his traitorous boss, made it hard for me to buy into the story.

If you're looking for escapist fiction with some tidbits of historical interest, "The Romanov Prophecy" might satisfy you. I did enjoy the story overall. But don't come expecting the authenticity of Len Deighton's "SS-GB" or the hard-edged action of Jack Higgins "The Eagle Has Landed."


Rating:
Summary: worse than I thought possible
Review: I didn't have very high expectations for this book, but thought the premise was interesting enough to warrant an impulse buy at the bookstore.
I really wanted to like this book because the concept was intriguing, but the writing was so amatuer and the plot so contrived that I had to stop myself from laughing aloud at the ridiculous storyline and characters and force myself to finish reading the book.
One example: the protagonist is a Southern African-American whose father was a preacher. Puuu-lease. Will we ever get over such stereotypes? I have several caucasian friends whose fathers were preachers/ministers, not ANY African-American friends with preacher fathers.
Another example: The Protagonist hooks up with a Russian Gymnast/Acrobat working in the Moscow circus, whose special talent as a gymnast allows her the ability to gracefully catapult herself into a tree to escape from a menacing gorilla at the zoo as the Russian bad guys are after her. Of course, later in the book the gymnast and Protaganost end up in a romantic embrace. Need I say more? Could this book get more ridiculous? The answer is yes.
Don't waste your time on this.

Rating:
Summary: A Disappointment
Review: I had high hopes for The Romanov Propecy, based on the online reviews and description. I have been a fan of Dan Brown's thrillers, and had long been fascinated by the Russian royal family and the lingering question of whether any members had survived the Revolution.
But this fictional exploration disappointed me. The plot is simply not rich enough. You know very early on what the conspiracy is, have a pretty good idea who will come out on top, and can easily guess how it will all end.
The writing fails to build suspense -- Berry is no Dan Brown -- and so the book, while painless, is far from memorable.

Rating:
Summary: Knock-off!!
Review: I just finished a few Dan Brown books and this seemed similar so i bought it. The basic plot is really good. What would happen if Russia reinstated the monarchy? While working to bring back the tsar, the main character Miles Lord seems to be the only honest person in all of Russia. He and an acrobat seem to be the only people who can or will try to get the true tsar back and the trail they follow is very simple and could use work. Then the true tsareveich is found in North Carolina and Russia gets its true tsar back.

The storyline is fascinating but the enemy Mr. Hayes is a little one dimensional and the whole adventure seems to short and way to short of detail. Not a book worht forking over the hardback price for but a good read for the paperback edition.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Try But Not Quite
Review: Miles Lord is an interesting character. Minnesotans know the name because Lord is a byword to environmentalists for taking on Reserve Mining for dropping taconite tailings into Lake Superior. The Miles Lord in the Romanov Prophecy is just as dedicated, but to a different cause. He wants to make sure the right Romanov takes over a restored Russian throne.

For someone unfamiliar with Russian history, The Romanov Prophecy may be difficult to understand. Unlike Raymond John, whose superb novel The Cellini Masterpiece gives you a concise history of the island of Malta to set up the action, Berry does not provide enough context about Imperial Russia to make you understand the present situation. Many Russians feel that democracy is a failure, but cannot abide a return to Communism. For them, a return to monarchy seems to be the most logical alternative. Unfortunately the massacre of the entire Romanov Royal family in 1917 left them without a clear heir. Lord must contend with a variety of enemies, including the remnants of the Kremlin oligarchy, the Russian Mafia, and contenders within the Romanov family itself. The action is believable and interesting if you know enough history, but the plot is too dense for many readers. A good try.

Rating:
Summary: Excitement, History, and Imagination
Review: This book caught my eye because of the historical backdrop and the reviews of authors whose work I enjoy.

The book is wonderful. It combines historical fact, wonderful descriptions of past and present Russia, well-formed characters with motivation for their actions, excitement, and a believeable (if highly unlikely) outcome.

The author writes in such a way that it is clear what is historical information and what is fiction. All story lines tie together nicely, and the book neither drags nor moves too quickly to its ending.

I really do like Steve Berry's writing, and look forward reading more of his work.