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The Ark: A Novel Hardcover – May 11, 2010

by Boyd Morrison (Author)

4.4 1,559 ratings

Book 1 of 4: Tyler Locke

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In national bestselling author Boyd Morrison’s debut, the unraveling of one of the greatest archeological mysteries from the bible—Noah’s Ark—could threaten civilization itself in this blockbuster hailed by James Rollins as “a stunning thriller.”

When brilliant archaeologist Dilara Kenner is contacted by Sam Watson, an old family friend who says that he has crucial information about her missing father, Dilara abandons her Peruvian dig and rushes to Los Angeles to meet him. But at the airport, Sam speaks instead of Noah’s Ark—the artifact her father had long been searching for—and the possible death of billions. Before Sam can explain, he collapses. With his dying breath, he urges Dilara to find Tyler Locke—a man she’s never heard of.

Two days later Dilara manages to track down former combat engineer Tyler Locke on an oil rig off Newfoundland. Her helicopter transport goes down well short of the oil rig’s landing pad and Dilara and those aboard nearly drown. No sooner is Dilara safely on the rig than she convinces Tyler the crash was no accident. Tyler agrees to help her uncover the secret behind Noah’s Ark and, more important, her father's disappearance. As the picture begins to come into focus, they realize they have just seven days to find the Ark before its secret is used to wipe out civilization once again.

With a chilling premise and a blistering pace, Boyd Morrison combines all the best elements of a blockbuster thriller with an intelligent and fascinating exploration of one of the Old Testament’s great mysteries.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Morrison's debut, a routine quest thriller that attracted attention through Amazon's self-publishing Kindle program, combat engineer Tyler Locke executes a daring rescue after the helicopter carrying archeologist Dilara Kenner crash-lands in the sea near the floating oil rig where Tyler is working 200 miles off the Newfoundland coast. Dilara has come to enlist Tyler's help in finding Noah's ark, previously discovered by her father, Hasad Arvadi, who was murdered before he could announce this momentous find. Arvadi's killer, Sebastian Ulric, the head of a religious cult, plans to use a prion disease found on the ark as a weapon. Tyler, Dilara, and Tyler's sidekick, Grant Westfield, are all that stands between Ulric and the death of virtually every human on earth. Morrison breaks the story into several main sections involving various battles before finally honing in on what impatient readers will have been awaiting, the actual discovery of the ark. 5-city author tour. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

An elderly archaeologist is murdered. Before he dies, he manages to speak a few cryptic words to a colleague, the beautiful Dilara Kenner, whose own father disappeared three years earlier while pursuing his life’s work, the search for Noah’s Ark. Now, it seems, the ark and the solution to her father’s disappearance are within Dilara’s grasp, as long as she and Tyler Locke, an adventurous engineer, can keep ahead of the shadowy people who want to use the ark for their own purposes. This is a solid, well-written thriller, full of action, villainy, and close calls. Fans of James Rollins, Matthew Reilly, and Douglas Preston: take note. --David Pitt

Review

"What is the recipe for an awesome artifact thriller?... If you have ever watched any show about Noah's Ark and for a moment wished the ark were really there to be found, then this work is for you." --Laura A.B. Cifelli, Library Journal (added by author)

"What do you get when you mix Indiana Jones with MacGyver? You get THE ARK, a non-stop action-adventure with an archaeological twist." --Amy Gwiazdowski, Bookreporter.com (added by author)

"This could easily be the most audacious and compelling novel and perhaps the most fascinating debut of the year."

--Romantic Times (added by author)

"Morrison has a great sense of timing and pacing and this book builds up speed while you read. A perfect thriller."
--Crimespree Magazine (added by author)

"This is a solid, well-written thriller, full of action, villainy, and close calls. Fans of James Rollins, Matthew Reilly, and Douglas Preston take note."

--Booklist (added by author)

"The Ark by Boyd Morrison skillfully entwines Biblical history, archaeology and religious fanaticism with high technology to create a riveting adventure of high-stakes terror and international intrigue. Wow. This is one fine heart-stopping thriller."

Douglas Preston, New York Times Bestselling Author

“Boyd Morrison's novel is a stunning thriller with a premise as ingenious as it is flawlessly executed. Lightning paced, chillingly real, here is a novel that will have you holding your breath until the last page is turned. One of the best debuts I've read this year." —James Rollins, New York Times Bestselling Author

“Mach-speed mayhem. THE ARK crackles with tension and imagination from the first page to the last. Just the right blend of menace and normality. Boyd Morrison is a writer to watch.”

Steve Berry, New York Times Bestselling Author

“Taut and endlessly exciting, THE ARK is a thrill-a-minute ride across time and continents in search of one of the world's most fascinating mysteries?From memorable characters to insider information, you'll love this adventure of a lifetime.”

Gayle Lynds, New York TimesBestselling Author

“Boyd Morrison is a rising star in the thriller world.”

Chris Kuzneski, New York Times bestselling author

About the Author

Boyd Morrison has a Ph.D. in industrial engineering and has worked for NASA, Microsoft’s Xbox Games Group, and Thomson-RCA. In 2003, he fulfilled a lifelong dream and became a Jeopardy! champion. He is also a professional actor who has appeared in commercials, stage plays, and films. He lives with his wife in Seattle.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

PROLOGUE

Three Years Ago

Hasad Arvadi’s legs wouldn’t cooperate. He strained to pull himself to the wall so he could spend his final moments propped upright, but without the use of his legs, it was a hopeless task. The stone floor was too slick, and his arm strength was sapped. His head dropped to the floor. Breaths came in ragged gasps. He remained on his back, the life draining from him.

He was going to die. Nothing would change that now. This inky black chamber, a room hidden from the world for millennia, would become his tomb.

Fear over his own fate was long past. Instead, Arvadi wept in frustration. He had been so close to his life’s goal—seeing Noah’s Ark with his own eyes—but that opportunity had been snatched from him with three pulls of a trigger. The bullet in each knee made it impossible to move. The one in his belly ensured that he wouldn’t last another five minutes. Although the wounds were excruciating, they weren’t as painful as falling short of reaching the Ark when it was within his grasp.

He couldn’t bear the awful irony of the situation. He finally had proof that the Ark existed. Not only existed, still exists. Waiting to be found where it had lain for six thousand years. He had unearthed the last piece of the puzzle, revealed to him in ancient text written before Christ was born.

We’ve been wrong all this time, he had thought as he read. Wrong for thousands of years. Wrong because the people who concealed the Ark wanted us to be wrong.

The revelation had been such a triumphant event that Arvadi hadn’t noticed the pistol aimed at his legs until it was too late. Then it had all happened so fast. The crack of gunshots. Shouted demands for information. His own pathetic pleas for mercy. Fading voices and dimming light as his killers stole away with their prize. Darkness.

Lying there awaiting his own death, thinking about what had been taken from him, Arvadi seethed with fury. He couldn’t let them get away with it. Eventually someone would find his body. He had to record what had happened here, that the location of Noah’s Ark wasn’t the only secret this chamber held.

Arvadi wiped his bloody hand on his sleeve and pulled a notebook from his vest pocket. His hands were shaking so violently that he dropped the notebook twice. With tremendous effort, he opened it to what he hoped was an empty page. The darkness was so total that he had to do everything by touch. He removed a pen from another pocket and flipped the cap off with his thumb. The silence in the chamber was broken by the sound of the plastic cap skittering across the floor.

With the notebook resting on his chest, Arvadi began to write.

The first line came easily, but he was rapidly becoming light-headed with shock. He didn’t have much time. The second line was exponentially more difficult. The pen grew heavier as he wrote, as if it were being filled with lead. By the time he got to the third line, he couldn’t remember what he’d already written. He got two more words out onto the paper, and then the pen dropped from his fingers. His arms would no longer move.

Tears streamed down his temples. As Arvadi felt oblivion closing in on him, three terrible thoughts echoed in his mind.

He would never again see his beloved daughter.

His killers were now walking the earth with a relic of unimaginable power.

And he would go to his grave without gazing on the greatest archaeological discovery in history.

© 2010 Boyd Morrison

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gallery Books; First Edition (May 11, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1439181799
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1439181799
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.3 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1.5 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,239,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,795 in Technothrillers (Books)
- #5,276 in Military Thrillers (Books)
- #11,313 in Supernatural Thrillers (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.4 1,559 ratings

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Boyd Morrison

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Boyd Morrison is a #1 NY Times bestselling author, actor, engineer, and Jeopardy! champion. He started his career working on NASA's space station project at Johnson Space Center, where he got the opportunity to fly on the Vomit Comet, the same plane used to train astronauts for zero gravity. After earning a PhD in engineering from Virginia Tech, he used his training to develop sixteen US patents at Thomson/RCA. Boyd then managed a video game testing group in Microsoft's Xbox division before becoming a full-time writer. For non-fiction thrills, he enjoys white water rafting, skiing, scuba diving, and bungee jumping. Boyd is also a professional actor, appearing in films, commercials, and stage plays. In 2003 he fulfilled a lifelong dream and became a Jeopardy! champion. He currently lives in Seattle with his wife.

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BookFanatic36

Spectacular Action Adventure!

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2010

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You can usually find a great number of novels about any given subject, especially a lost treasure. But sometimes a story comes along that emerges as the definitive work on a particular topic. A few examples off the top of my head would be Raiders of the Lost Ark (it would take a dramatically new and skillful interpretation to top Indiana Jones, likely never happen, this was about the Ark of the Covenant NOT Noah's Ark) and The Loch by Steve Alten (a great story and theory about the Loch Ness Monster). After reading and seeing these stories, the chapter seemed to be closed for me on these topics. I now feel the same about Noah's Ark. Boyd Morrison's interpretation is so good that there's little hope of topping it.

I could throw out some zippy one-liner comments here like "it's a thrill-a-minute rollercoaster ride that grabs you from the first page and never lets go," but we hear that about every new thriller. The best way for me to describe The Ark is that it's one of the best books I've read in a long time and possibly ever. It's a magical blend of action, adventure, interesting new insights, and fun. And it contains a quality that I feel is hard to come by: a true sense of adventure. A couple of examples as a point of reference: Raiders of the Lost Ark=true sense of adventure, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull=lacking that sense - Orginal Star Wars Trilogy=adventure, Star Wars Prequels=lacking...I'm sure you get the idea.

Another great thing about The Ark is that, from a Christian perspective, it manages to provide a new interpretation of a famous and established biblical event without demeaning or degrading the foundations of the Christian (and Jewish, for that matter) faiths. It simply provides a slightly different interpretation that if found to be true could actually have the opposite effect. The easiest illustration is that if The Da Vinci Code or The Templar Legacy were found to be true, it would rock the religious world and make individuals the world over question their faith and their belief in God altogether. If The Ark were found to be an accurate story, I think it would actually give credence to the faith of many and make many others give greater consideration to the Bible. Although I'm a Christian, I can still enjoy a good story that contradicts something in which I believe. My beliefs aren't shaky enough that a fictional thriller is going to offend me, but it's nice to find a story that can provide a new interpretation without diminishing the original. And no matter how good the book, a story that claims that Moses was a transvestite is never going to be a favorite among the 2-3 billion Christians in the world. This isn't the case with Boyd Morrison's The Ark.

Another interesting tidbit is that the author's bio reads like a work of fiction. If a novelist created a character in a story that had done everything that Boyd Morrison has, readers would find that character's back story far too unbelievable. I won't go into detail here, but check out his website for more information. Also, you can find a great story about Boyd's road to publication on Joe Konrath's blog.

The Ark is a great book that I highly recommend to any action adventure fan, and Boyd Morrison is well on his way to being one of the top thriller writer's in the world. My only concern: how is the sequel going to live up to the original?

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Ruth K.

You will have a hard time putting this one down!

Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2009

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I was surprised at how this book swept me along. The plot was fantastically swift; I classify it as Indiana Jones meets Dirk Pitt. I appreciated how the characters were real throughout the book, making jokes and being concerned for each others' safety in a realistic way, more so than other books I've read with a crazed, going-to-wipe-out-humanity antagonist. I also enjoyed how things weren't too easy for the good guys. They didn't get any breaks or just happen to 'get lucky.' They had to strategize to get out of sticky situations.

The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because I would have hoped for more character development of the leading lady. However, the suspense and the excitement of the plot and the novel situations the characters find themselves in make this an easy 4 star review. I look forward to reading more of Boyd Morrison's work!

3 people found this helpful

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Susan Tunis

It's hip to be square

Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2010

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Archeologist Dilara Kenner has rushed back to the States at the behest of Sam Watson, an old family friend. Sam meets her flight at LAX and explains, "Three days ago, I made a startling discovery at work. It has to do with Hasad." Hasad, Dilara's father, has been missing for three years. Just as Sam begins to tie Hasad's disappearance to a plot to "kill millions, maybe billions" that will culminate eight days hence, the old man collapses, the apparent victim of a very suspiciously-timed heart attack. His final words "Listen! Tyler Locke. Gordian Engineering. Get... his help. He knows... Coleman. Your father's research... started everything. You must... find the Ark."

(I know, I know, we've all seen exactly this sort of opening to any number of thrillers. There are always some adventurers off in search of some holy grail or other, and who also have to save the world along the way. Yes, we've seen these types of stories before, but the thing is, when they're well done, they're entertaining as hell. And folks, this one is REALLY well done. No plot description or talk of well-developed characters will ever give you a sense of why this book stands out so well against the pack of clichéd thrillers. At some point the reader must take a leap of faith and give a new novelist a try. I'm telling you right now, THIS is the one to give a try.)

The eponymous Ark is Noah's, of course. Dilara's father has been hunting it for decades and she's been as dismissive of his work as the rest of the world--but apparently someone was paying attention. First, however, Dilara needs to stay alive long enough to find out who Tyler Locke is. From the moment she leaves LAX, the attempts on her life come fast and furious. She quickly discovers that Locke is an engineer, currently working on a remote oil rig, and figures that may well be the safest place for her. She's wrong. At least Dilara and Tyler have connected, but he's as mystified by Sam's final words as she is. Still, there's no denying that something very suspect is going on, and Tyler is quickly sucked into Dilara's drama.

It is Tyler Locke that debut novelist Boyd Morrison is setting up to be the recurring hero of a series. And if this first adventure is any indication, Locke is up to the task. While he owes a debt to action heroes like Dirk Pitt and Philip Mercer, there's something a bit softer about Tyler. He comes by his "kick-ass" side quite believably, having served as a combat engineer in Desert Storm, but he's as likely to pull a Leatherman tool on you as a gun. Now in his 30's, he's a young widower trying to come to terms with loss. And he has a bit of an egghead side, too--approaching each challenge as an engineering problem. It's more interesting than you might, at first glance, think. Here, for instance, are some thoughts on the conundrum of Noah's Ark:

"From an engineering standpoint, a purely wooden ship bigger than that is untenable. Without the iron frames and internal bracketing that 19th century ships had, a ship the size of Noah's Ark would flex like a rubber band. It would have sprung leaks in a thousand places. Not to mention that in a raging storm like the Flood, wave oscillations would have snapped the frame like a twig. The Ark would have sunk in minutes. Good-bye human race." From there, Tyler analyzes the lifespan of wooden artifacts, the storage capacity of the Ark, and the amount of water it would have taken to cover the earth. This is a man whom likes to throw logic at a problem.

Once Tyler and Dilara have teamed up, however, there is little time for academic discussions. Sam's cryptic words take on horrifying meaning as unfolding events capture the entire world's attention. The events described thus far happen within the novel's first few chapters. Throw in some monster trucks, mysteriously melting movie stars, and megalomaniacs and you've barely brushed the surface of what lies ahead. Boyd Morrison has plotted a wild ride that is guaranteed to keep readers turning pages deep into the night. The Ark is not only intricately plotted, it's smart. Morrison gives his readers credit that they'll be able to follow along, and it's a pleasure to read an author not catering to the lowest common denominator.

I can't claim that this release is my introduction to Morrison's work. The truly cognoscenti have been fans since long before Simon & Schuster came into the picture. But, it's exciting to finally let the rest of you in on this find. I can't wait for the sequel!

53 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Fast paced

Reviewed in Canada on September 9, 2021

Verified Purchase

Action packed. Highly entertaining story that grabs you from the first page.
I first discovered the writer as a co-author on some Clive cussler novels and decided to try one of his own books. I was not disappointed!

Marcos Luz

Good

Reviewed in Brazil on July 29, 2017

Verified Purchase

A well written story, good plot and excellent pace. You will not find here any scientific background. It is only a story written by someone with huge imagination. The characters are well set. This book will not change your life but it worths the time and the money. Five stars.

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Peter Blue

a stunning read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 8, 2018

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a truly great read,by a very good author this book was a very enjoyable read,and a fantastic buy also from amazon,cheers guys ur the best.

Drew

Great story, fast moving and interesting

Reviewed in Canada on March 17, 2019

Verified Purchase

Kind of like a Dan Brown novel but with even more action. Good character development and a well though out plot.

One person found this helpful

Conroy

the arc, unabridged audiobook

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 2, 2012

Verified Purchase

Well read passable story though seemed to me more like a short adventure story, aimed at teens, with padded extension added to the begining of the book. Vastly overpriced at £30.88 RRP.

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