Cipher

by Leigh MacCallum

Anthropology professor Brian Avery, his assistant, Travis Dillman and the professor's estranged daughter, Sarah Gallagher have found a series of 5,000-year-old petroglyphs near Chicxulub, Mexico that speak of the beginning of the fifth world - the one that is to be ushered in after December 21, 2012. Their efforts at deciphering the code are disrupted by a category 5 hurricane, a vengeful ex-wife and the interference of more than one Maya god. Even with the help of an aged nagual (shaman), his son and granddaughter, the group is hard-pressed to overcome these disruptions in time to fulfill an earth-changing destiny.

With a bevy of malevolent and benevolent gods, spirit guides, history, and just a bit of grisly murder and mayhem, Cipher places our heroes in jeopardy and mind- and body-taxing situations again and again, all leading up to a catastrophic climax that gives new meaning to the literal translation of Chicxulub as "Tail of the Devil."

442 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2010

Reviews

[TJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I want to say I was really impressed at how well Mr. MacCallum writes. His sentences flow well, his thoughts are cohesive and his words paint wonderful pictures. I was most impressed with the character development. The characters are painted so well that the reader actually feels they know that person. That ability is such an important part of tying the reader to the story! But, alas, one that is all too often overlooked (and one that, for me, separates the average author from the really talented author.)

As with all things, however, I believe one's greatest talent may also be their greatest fault. In Cipher, there are so many characters and so much time spent on every single background that the reader loses track of the actual story. I became so bogged down with chapters of characters and other assorted information that I lost interest and kept having to drag myself back. In doing so, the thread of what should be the main story was repeatedly lost. For instance, the extensive time spent on the ancient Mayan beliefs, folklore etc. etc., while interesting, ultimately took away from the plot. Learning about the history, the folklore, the mysticism, the prophesies then adding the dreams, the magical aspect in modern day characters was just too much to keep straight and still follow the original storyline.

Overall, this was a valiant try at a first novel. With some tweaking MacCallum may just be an author to watch!

[John Dietzler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book...reminded me of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt adventures. Liked the way the book was broke down chapter wise. Had a hard time putting it down...definitly a 5-Star read!