- Hardcover: 624 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd; First edition (8 May 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0743208579
- ISBN-13: 978-0743208574
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16.3 x 5.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (97 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 405,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Decipher
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
From its opening disaster in the oilfields of Antarctica through its escalating scenes of destruction and discovery, Stel Pavlou's novel Decipher keeps the tension mounting. Inevitably, readers care quite a lot about thrillers involving the entire destruction of the world in which we live, but Pavlou also makes us care for his characters, living through gravity waves and solar flares and trying to do something about them. Many of the ideas in his plot will be familiar to those of us who have read the alternative archaeology of writers such as Graham Hancock--the lost civilisation before the dawn of history, the uncannily accurate archaic maps, the secret chambers below famous religious monuments. However, there is considerably more to Pavlou than just wide reading effectively recycled--his evocation of the chillingly cold or the deeply strange, for example, and his understanding of both the human drive to greedy evil and the human capacity for self-sacrifice. Scott, passionate student of ancient languages, and Sarah, brilliant young geologist, are uncomplicatedly virtuous characters and rather refreshingly so; Pavlou's sense of the dangerousness of a universe with which humans greedily tinker without understanding it is balanced by a sense of the other things of which humans are capable. --Roz Kaveney
Product Description
There is a signal emanating from deep within the ice of Antarctica. Atlantis has awoken. Ancient monuments all over the world from the Pyramids of Giza, to Mexico to the ancient sites of China are all awakening too. Reacting to a brewing crisis not of this earth. Connecting to each other in some kind of ancient global network. A small group of scientists have the fate of the earth in their hands. And they have merely days in which to save it. Imagine that 12,000 years ago it really did rain for 40 days and 40 nights. That storms reigned supreme. Imagine that survivors of human civilization really were forced to take to boats or hide out in caves on mountaintops. Then consider that these same myths from around the world predict this kind of devastation will occur time and again. What occurs in nature with such frightening and predictable regularity? What could cause such a catastrophe? God? A pulsar. But not just any pulsar. Not the ordinary type that pulses once a second, or a minute, or even a week. This pulsar pulses once every 12,000 years and sends out a gravity wave of such ferocity it beggars belief. Not only that, it's closer than anybody ever imagined. For it lives in our own backyard. It is the Sun. It is the year 2012. The secrets of Atlantis are encoded in crystal shards retrieved from the sunken city. Humanity has had 12,000 years to decipher their messages - now, there is one week left. In the greatest tradition of Jules Verne, and with the breath taking depth and pace of Michael Crichton, Stel Pavlou's Decipher is a roller-coaster ride through an epic of an adventure.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Decipher is a great little thrill ride through physics, linguistics, religion, big business, archeology, mythology, and the end of the world. Stel Pavlou has pulled many diverse fields together, wrapped them in a tight, fast paced plot which takes the reader around the globe, added some great characters (and humor!), and produced a fine novel which keeps the reader gripped til the last page. Its also nice to see scientists portrayed as real, if sometimes quirky, people as opposed to the stereotypical characters seen so often in the media. Hope to see his second book soon!
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The story's fantastic, have no doubt, and really keeps you hooked until the end. However, there are glaring (and I mean REALLY bad) errors in the science, and the proof-reading was obviously done in a hurry.
However, if you're prepared to forget some of the basic science you learned in school, the story moves well, and the historical and linguistic side of things is fascinating. Halfway through the book, you'll be wondering how on earth the story can possibly continue for much longer, but by the end you'll swear that the beginning was a totally seperate book, it's so far removed.
Good stuff.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm not one to start criticising other contributors who feel that they must write something about a book on these web pages - I know that I wouldn't like it done to me. However, this well-researched and throrughly entertaining book exposes itself to self-professing 'experts' who have chosen to slate the book due to 'wild-inaccuracies', and/or scientific plausability. I believe that it is unfair to judge 'Decipher' in this way, and remind others, that it is a sci-fi novel who's function is to allow the reader to suspend belief and be entertained.
In this respect, 'Decipher' succeeds brilliantly. Attempting to offer believable possibilities about many of the world's greatest mysteries, such as the Pyramids, Atlantis, Ley lines etc. and marry them all together in the form of an apocalyptic race for time is quite a task, particularly if you consider that this is Pavlou's first novel.
I must admit that from time to time, I di find that the flow of storyline stopped while the author explained a theory in great depth, that sometimes would have only little relevance to the story's proceedings. Also, apart from the central three of four characters, most of the other participants to the story were stereotypical at best. However, they did not overly distract from the book's main focus...to describe a dramatic race to not only solve an ancient conundrum, but to overcome political adversary in the name of preventing a global catastrophe. Think 'Armageddon' coupled with Athur C.Clarke and throw in a touch of Tom Clancy for good measure.
Decipher is a great book for those who like intelligent answers to ancient riddles. Just don't get picky with the scientific explanations, OK?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Too much, too fast, too cliched, too derivative, too amateur
I thought I was going to love this book - it promised to have all the things I look for in a good sci-fi yarn: secrets of ancient civilisations, astronomical wonders, theoretical... Read more
Published 14 months ago by P. R. Rustage
Disappointing
I really wanted to like this book. The blurb made it sound exciting. Lots of research had obviously gone into it but the story lacked a certain something. Read more
Published on 27 Dec 2009 by M. H. Matlay
Nearly very good !
This book has the makings of an exciting and topical read, with all the current silly hoohah over 2012. Read more
Published on 20 Nov 2009 by Demonica
Sheer brilliance
This is possibly one of my favorite books of all time, brilliantly researched and expertly delivered. Read more
Published on 7 Dec 2008 by JB
Not quite sure whatit wants to be
I'm no expert so I have to believe the author knows his stuff and is an expert in a wide variety of areas, as there are large sections of the book spouting scientific, historical... Read more
Published on 4 Sep 2008 by Mark Mcclelland
Loved it
This is one of my favourite books and I re-read it a lot. The premise is intruiging and well thought out, it is backed up with good charcters who have a history that is developed... Read more
Published on 5 Mar 2008 by C. Parry
Great idea - well worth a read for dawkins/crighton/brown fans.
Great plot line following theological, scientific, archaeological, mystery, conspiracy lines.
Nit pickers will say their characters are flat and the science is flawed. Read more
Nit pickers will say their characters are flat and the science is flawed. Read more
Published on 28 Feb 2008 by Fox M.
Like Dan Brown, but BETTER
This is one of my favourite books, mainly because it ticks so many boxes - a race against time, the unravelling of puzzles and conundra, comparitive theology and the super fun of... Read more
Published on 21 Nov 2007 by The Big Onion
GOOD IDEAS. AUFUL WRITING - A STRUGGLE TO FINISH IT
I truly wanted to like this book. I am a sucker for pseudo-science/action adventures. Michael Crichton had the craft down pat (though his last books were unfortunately phoned... Read more
Published on 27 Sep 2007 by NeuroSplicer
Too fanciful
This book has everything - Atlantis myths, pyramids, cryptology, science fiction, vulcanology, oil exploration, natural hazards, war etc etc. Read more
Published on 8 Jun 2007 by HappilyRetired
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