Details:
TITLE: Labyrinth
AUTHOR: Kate Mosse
GENRE: Fantasy-Adventure
PUBLISHER: Orion Books (2005)
ISBN: 0752860534
PAGES: 544
Synopsis:
Basically this book is so thick because two related stories are weaved into one. In 1209, in Carcassonne a seventeen-year-old Alais Pelletier was given a mysterious book by her father, which he claims contains within the secret of the True Grail. In 2005, Alice Tanner discovered two skeletons in a forgotten cave in the French Pyrennes. Puzzled by the labyrinth symbol carved into the rock, she began her adventure to find out what exactly happened 800 years ago in the cave.
The stories are related. Kate Mosse would put in a few chapters of stories of 13th century, then the scene will cut to the modern times. For example, at the ending of chapter 15, Alais from 1209 is going to bed. Then in chapter 16, the story will cut to Alice Tanner from 2005 waking up in the morning. Such closely knitted storyline is rather well-written, although sometimes one might get confused.
The main puzzle is, of course, the labyrinth symbol. Now this is not the labyrinth from the Greek mythology involving Deadalus and Theseus, instead this labyrinth refers to the puzzle of the true Holy Grail, which means it actually originated from 1AD.
Sorry for the long introduction. I shall now briefly talk about the plot.
Alais Pelletier is the daughter of this second in command man in Carcassone. Hence, she is sort of like a princess in her place. However, the enemy of the city would siege the city soon. Hence she is trusted with a ring and a mysterious book written in Hieroglyph and was forced to flee the city with Sajhe, her young friend and a commoner.
Little does she knows that her sister is actually the main villain, and together with Alais' own husband, they are plotting to get the book from Alais at all cost. Alais found a long time friend of her dad's, and was explained of the history of the book and the ring.
Years have passed living in the mountain hiding from her sister, finally came a night where she has to go to a cave and protect the book and the ring from her sister.
Back to the future. Alice Tanner found two skeletons in the cave. There was supposed to be a ring, however Alice failed to see it and the ring was brought by a young police officer whose mother is an ally of Audric Baillard. The identity of Audric Baillard is perhaps the key to solving the mystery of Holy Grail.
In the modern world. the villain is a group of secret society which is ran by a mother-and-son duo. They already possess two of the three books and is eager to get the final book, which whereabouts is still unknown since 1209.
In the end when the two stories converge, it became clear that what can the three books do, when combined. And how the rings played a role there.
What's exciting about this book is that the author doesn't just tell you what happens next. She told you 70% of what has happened, in a narrative way; then the story will move to the modern world, where the protagonist there discover some artifacts or ruins, and you the readers can complete imagining what happened to the other 30%.
Overall this is an OK book, the plot is fresh, the writing style is somewhat unprecedented. Just that the book is a little bit too long, over 500 pages. I heard the sequel is even longer, more than 700 pages. OMG.
★★☆☆☆
-KarWai-
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