Sanctus by Simon Toyne [TSS]

I received a copy of Sanctus by Simon Toyne as a birthday present and I confess that I took one look at the cover and though – ugh another Da Vinci Code rip off. I stuck it on the bookshelf and thought I might get around to reading it one day…

Strangely enough that day came about sooner than I had expected; I was running out the door to a doctor’s appointment when I realised my Kindle was out of juice – I glanced desperately at the bookshelf and the nearest book was Sanctus. When faced with the dilemma of staring at blank walls while waiting for a doctor’s appointment that are notoriously delayed, or reading this book I opted for the latter.

And do you know what?

I was shocked to discover that by the end of the first page I was hooked in and from that point on I pretty much had my nose stuck in this book every chance I got!

The reality is that it does fit in the same genre as the Da Vinci Code; you know the drill: man discovers religious secret that could change the world forever, story proceeds to battle between the good guys and the bad guys as the former seek to reveal it while the latter try their damnedest to keep it hidden. Oh and usually you can throw in a bit of a love interest.

Sure it’s formulaic, but is that such a bad thing. The same can be said for pretty much every romance novel ever written but it doesn’t stop you reading another.

The key really is not in the formula, but the way it’s implemented, and in that respect Toyne does a fantastic job, which is pretty impressive since this is his debut novel.

If you’ve not read Sanctus already and you don’t like spoilers then you might just want to skip out here and head over to Amazon and stick a copy in your basket or download it to your Kindle.

If you have already been introduced to the order of monks that protect the Sacrament, or you don’t mind a spoiler or two then stay with me…

—SPOILER ALERT—

I think it’s pretty standard stuff for books of this kind to end with a death of the secret keeper, and usually the more gruesome or mysterious that death the better. Toyne introduces us to Brother Samuel, a monk who has been ordained as a Sanctus and shown the age old secret of the Sacrament. Despite many months of careful preparation the sight rocks his beliefs and leads him to attempt to escape the ancient Citadel and reveal the truth to the world. I had hoped he would complete the escape, but then that wouldn’t make for a very good story so of course it had to end with him leaping from the top of the walls of the Citadel and coming to a gruesome end in front of a shocked group of tourists. The way he died, as well as his final acts before he jumped are the clues that both the other characters and indeed the reader needs to solve the mystery and discover the secret of the Sacrament.

Toyne keeps the novel moving at an immense pace, incredibly short chapters, sometimes of no more than a page or two, maintain the intensity as well as allowing Toyne to switch viewpoints between the goodies and the baddies (as my grandma used to say). I admit to being a little confused at times as I kept confusing the names of the characters, and then I couldn’t work out whether Liv (Brother Samuel’s estranged sister) was being kidnapped by good or evil!

There were a few events that weren’t fully explained that added to my confused state, including Liv’s meeting with Dr Anata. The meeting itself was all well and good but how on earth did Gabriel know she was there in order to rescue her? I assume Anata is a member of the Mala but it was never really made clear.

I found myself really invested in the characters as time went by, and I think this adds to the intensity of the story line, when you desperately want someone to succeed in their quest you can’t stop turning the pages to ensure that they come out in one piece! I admit to a sharp intake of breath when I realised that Liv had unwittingly put Bonnie’s life in danger, and then breathed a sigh of relief when the new mother came out of that encounter alive and well, though sadly not with her family intact.

Toyne builds the pace bit by bit as the novel races towards it’s explosive conclusion when the secret of the sacrament is finally revealed.

And didn’t that make me stop and think.

To imagine that Eve was a God and not a mere mortal. And that rather than Adam and Eve being a couple and the start of the human race that Adam was a jealous man who lied about Eve and turned other men against her so that eventually they captured her deep in the depths of a mountain and imprisoned her there for thousands of years until the day came that the sacrament would be unlocked and destroyed.

Sometimes I read a book and when I’ve closed the last page I head straight for Google to see whether there is any truth in the basis of the story, or just to learn more about the subjects touched on my the author. And this was one of those books, I was trying to learn more about the Heretic Bible, was it real or just a figment of Toyne’s imagination? Did he start from something and develop it into this Sacrament? I have to admit that I didn’t get very far so if anyone knows the answers I’d love to hear them.

The book ends, not in the Citadel, but in the local hospital where we discover the fate of Arkadian and Liv and the other brothers of the Sacrament. I do like such lose ends to be tied up, but as I read throughout he last page I was quite disappointed with the ending – although it became more clear when the facing page stated that Coming in Spring 2012 is the exciting sequel called The Key (it’s due out in April and is available for pre-order from Amazon). So it would seem that the ending of Sanctus is not really an ending as such, more a cliffhanger of what is to come next. While slightly annoyed at not having everything resolved here and now I am also pleased at the thought of continuing on this adventure with Liv, and I assume Gabriel, and discovering the rest of the secrets that Toyne is yet to reveal.