BOOK REVIEW: ANCIENT ILLUSIONS BY JOANNE PENCE

 
‘“Ancient Illusions: Ancient Secrets”
Fantasy? Horror? Adventure? Thriller?
Whichever, it failed to convince as any of the above’
 
I was a number of pages into Joanne Pence’s “Ancient Illusions” before it dawned on me this novel was book three in her “Ancient Secrets” sequence. Although it is written as a stand-alone novel there were many cross references to the previous books, probably too many.  At certain points I felt I was missing a trick, as events from previous books were eluded to, but never truly spelt out which I found frustrating. Ultimately I would probably have enjoyed “Ancient Illusions” more if I had read book one and two first. As a reader, I would never jump straight into the third book of a series.
 
Michael Rempart connects the three books, an archaeologist who has a reputation as a modern Indiana Jones type, who makes what many people see as a dusty old subject sexy and cool. He has appeared on television, solves mysteries, and more importantly has an acute sense of the supernatural. Although there are other characters who also feature in the earlier books, Michael is the driving force. He was also one of the major weaknesses of the book, as he came across as incredibly dull, one-dimensional, boring and as central characters go he almost sent me to sleep. Sadly, the whip of Indiana Jones had more charisma than this snoozer of a main character. I have seen more charm in a plank of wood, so I doubt Stephen Spielberg will be looking for a new action hero archaeologist anytime soon.
 
“Ancient Illusions” starts off well enough, Michael is returning home to visit his father after sixteen years away, and there is undiagnosed bad-blood between the pair.  His father is reclusive, secretive, and obsessed with alchemy and the knowledge and secrets he knows Michael possesses. This is one of many connections to the other books. Sixteen years earlier Michael walked away from the family home as he did not want to pursue his father’s research into alchemy and his life-long obsession with discovering eternal life, one of the themes of book three. Through these early exchanges we learn that Michael has unexplained supernatural gifts and if he wished could be a very powerful alchemist. His father cannot understand why he turned to archaeology instead of his family destiny.
 
In “Ancient Illusions” there are just too many references to what went on in book one “Ancient Echoes” in which seven anthropology students and their professor vanish in an isolated part of Idaho with Michael co-opted into finding them, entering supernatural realms, with alchemy and immortality also involved. At a certain point in “Ancient Illusions” we return to Idaho and some of the plot is strongly connected to the previous book and the area of the disappearance is revisited.
 
Perhaps the Ginger Nuts of Horror is not the most ideal site to review this book? Although the supernatural is involved, there are demons and other weird stuff going on it did not particularly read as a horror novel and there is nothing remotely scary or unsettling in the book. If you’re a horror fan, and the supernatural does not convince in what you are reading, then you’ve got problems. If anything, “Ancient Illusions” was more of a cross between adventure and mystery and would sit more comfortably on the shelf beside Dan Brown than say Adam Nevill. Actually, Nevill fans would probably be less than impressed. If you’re looking for a good horror novel then this will probably disappoint you, but if you’re after an easy to read thriller, with a supernatural edge, you might enjoy it and it may well pick up more favourable reviews from non-horror sites.
 
As I said previously the books are strongly interconnected. The second instalment sounds like another dollop of Dan Brown conspiracy with a smattering of the supernatural, this is important though as in this novel Michael discovers a rare pearl known as the ‘Philosopher's Stone’, which is a prime agent in alchemy and ultimately key in the search for immortality. This pops up again in “Ancient Illusions” and is part of the underlying tension between Michael and his father. If you do choose to pick up this series, it goes without saying, start with book one.
 
Thankfully Michael does not dominate book three, and in actual fact there are many other characters who have more spark than him, including an undercover reporter who ends up as his girlfriend.  The plot takes in several different locations including Japan with many of these characters, including Michael, being tormented by nightmares that seem very real and play an important part of the novel as it develops.
 
Joanne Pence she written around thirty other novels, mainly romance and thrillers, and if “Ancient Illusions” is anything to go by she should perhaps stick to those areas. This series should definitely be targeted at the thriller market as it fails to hit the mark as a horror novel through a combination of unconvincing supernatural sequences and a lead character who was as exciting as watching a bicycle tire slowly deflate.
 
Tony Jones