The Magic Circle

Katherine Neville

Jul 2015 · Open Road Media

About this ebook

A female scientist races to save the world using prophecies from before Christ’s time in this thriller by the New York Times–bestselling author of The Eight.
 
In the last week of Jesus’s life, the Emperor Augustus orders the purge of all prophecies that question his divine power. Thus, in the crater of a dormant volcano, the books of the Sibylline oracle are sealed—lost to the world until the nineteenth century when Clio, a brilliant archaeologist, discovers them. The Sibyl’s words remain as potent as ever, having the ability to change the destiny of mankind. But who will be bold enough to harness their power?
 
More than a century after their discovery, some of the secret prophecies fall into the hands of nuclear scientist Ariel Behn when her beloved cousin is assassinated. If Ariel can discover the mystery behind the prophecies, she will be able to prevent a potentially worldwide catastrophe—but in order to do so she must travel to Russia, Vienna, and Paris where too many people are desperate to protect the secrets of these ancient writings.
 
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Katherine Neville including rare images from her life and travels.

Ratings and reviews

Neville weaves some intriguing history with a great deal of, well, intrigue. I enjoyed how mythology and fact wound together to create a seamless whole. The plot was one of a kind and kept me on my toes throughout. I really enjoyed the fact that this was an intellectual story that really caused me to think. At the same time, there were some very disturbing aspects to the story that I felt weren’t absolutely necessary to the plot. The plot of the novel definitely had lots of potential and captured my imagination, but Neville lost me for a bit with her cast. It definitely took me quite a while to connect with the characters in novel. They were very well developed, yet didn’t always seem to fit quite fully into the story. All in all this was an enjoyable story, but the characters kind of fell short of the mark. It was definitely a thought provoking read. Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.

About the author

Katherine Neville is the New York Times–bestselling and #1 international bestselling author of spellbinding adventure novels. The Washington Post called her groundbreaking first novel The Eight “a feminist answer to Raiders of the Lost Ark.” In a national poll by the noted Spanish newspaper El País, it was voted one of the top ten books of all time. She has written three other novels: the New York Times Notable Book A Calculated Risk, The Magic Circle, and The Fire, the sequel to The Eight.
 
Neville’s novels, which have been published in more than eighty countries, have been enriched by her twenty-year career as an international computer executive and consultant, which took her to live in six countries on three continents and twenty-six of the United States. She has also worked as a portrait painter, a commercial photographer, and a model. To learn more, visit her at www.katherineneville.com.