Reviews

"Relentless pace"
- The Sun

"A cool, confident debut ... with a keen eye for cinematic effect"
- Daily Telegraph

"Conspiracy thrillers don't come with higher expectations than this ... the beginning of a massive new adventure"
- Mirror

Sanctus by Simon Toyne (4 out of 5)
The Sun, 15.04.2011

RELIGION has a lot to answer for - bigotry, cruelty, war, the Spanish Inquisition and Dan Brown.

Since Brown's appallingly-written The Da Vinci Code became such a massive phenomenon, authors have clearly had a searing revelation previously reserved for those running organised religions.

There's serious money to be made in the God franchise. The latest entry in the canon will no doubt reinforce that belief.

And let's face it, these types do prattle on about faith.

Cynicism aside I am sure Toyne's debut will be a success - and it deserves to be.

In this thriller he creates an intriguing and engaging centrepiece - The Citadel, a secretive base for an ancient sect set in the brilliantly-named Turkish city of Ruin.

Nought out of ten for subtlety so far but, unlike Brown, Toyne does understand how to string a sentence together and he does seem to understand how to develop a character, though final judgment on that issue will need to be reserved for later episodes of this trilogy.

Maybe the author's TV background contributed to the relentless pace. Because there is lots going on, including murder, torture and spectacular suicide. The character list features newspaper reporters with understanding bosses (very unrealistic), monks mad, sad, grotesque, good and bad, policemen good and bad, a decent coroner and a philanthropic family foundation with ethical save-the-planet types, historians and a super-soldier.

There's also an anachronistic library with attitude hewn out of the rock of the Citadel. I hate to think what the fine would be if you borrowed a book from there and forgot to take it back on time.

The big secret we are being led towards - and which the merry monks of The Citadel will kill without compunction to protect - is, of course, a load of rubbish. So too is the concept of a secret labyrinth beneath Rio De Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue which serves as the HQ for those opposed to what The Citadel stands for.

But getting there is a good ride and there is sufficient promise in the various characters to make this an exciting and interesting read.

I look forward to a return to Ruin, where there are plenty of stories waiting to be told.

Sanctus by Simon Toyne (3 stars out of 5)
The Mirror, 15.04.2011

High concept, debut conspiracy thrillers don't come with higher expectations than this. Hard to think of it as a debut, better to think of it as the beginning of a massive new adventure, and a so-long to Dan Brown.

The ancient (fictional) Turkish city of Ruin hosts a very secretive citadel. When a man throws himself to death in front of the world's hi-tech media, some low-tech fanaticism begins to make itself felt. On hand to decipher the codes, and with plenty of personal identity issues, is sassy New York crime reporter Liv Adamsen.

A fresh new take on an old conundrum.

Sanctus by Simon Toyne (4 stars out of 5)
Daily Telegraph, 30.04.2011

It might be a sects-and-violence thriller, but this cool, confident debut gains nothing by association with Dan Brown. Simon Toyne serves up an ancient citadel, a mystical secret and a nicely bonkers climax - but also a reassuring sense that any whiff of hokum is really only a calling card for a talented new writer who instinctively grasps the broad rules of superior action thrillers and adapts them with pace, grace, humour and a keen eye for cinematic effect.

Sanctus by Simon Toyne
Sunday Times, 24.04.2011

Billed as "the biggest thriller launch of the year", Simon Toyne's debut, Sanctus, begins with a monk called Samuel quitting his mountainside monastery above the Turkish city of Ruin and falling to his death. Liv, his American journalist sister, flies in to find out why he died; she soon joins forces with Kathryn and Gabriel, a charity organiser and her ex-soldier son, as it becomes clear the senior monks and their goons are prepared to kill and kidnap to prevent their secrets (not only the motive for Samuel's death, but a potentially apocalyptic "sacrament" squirrelled away in the monastery) being discovered. The first part of a trilogy, Sanctus reads as if The Name of the Rose, The Da Vinci Code and Labyrinth had been fed into a novel writing program and blended.

An extremely atmospheric novel... we find ourselves in the heart of a vividly-realised fictional ancient city, Ruin, which tastes and smells real. It is an extraordinary creation by Toyne - alive with tourists, locals, fanatics, modern traffic forced down ancient roads... The twists and turns with the characters are always surprising ... Sanctus was such a breath of fresh air to read. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for something very different from the other thrillers that are available to read right now, something that goes beyond the Dan Brown formula and is clever to boot.

Moviebrit
http://moviebrit.com

I was blown away by the content and thought that has gone into Sanctus. The story is set in the fictional city of Ruin, bringing ancient beliefs and mysticism and mingling it with modern life. .. Sanctus kept me hooked all the way through.  I was appalled at some of the feats selected monks went to to keep their secrets, and intrigued by the puzzle left behind by the monk who jumps to his death. The ending is unusual, and I was left with a sense of satisfaction knowing all was not lost.

Clover Hill Book reviews
http://cloverhillbookreviews.blogspot.com/

I have seriously fallen in love with this book! I don't really read many books of this genre either so I wasn't expecting my reaction to it to be so enthusiastic about how great it really is! ... This book is the definition of a page-turner. I couldn't stop! I only wished life wouldn't get in the way of me finishing it sooner! Having to put the book down to eat, study and sleep was torture... The plot was brilliant. It got you guessing in all sorts of ways only to surprise you when you end up completely wrong. There were all sorts of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat... Sanctus was truly a glorious book. An exciting, gripping read that will get your heart racing. Definitely a must read!

Books Glorious Books
http://cloverhillbookreviews.blogspot.com/

Simon Toyne
The Author

In December 2007 Simon Toyne quit his job and sailed for France with his wife and two children on the midnight ferry. After a stormy, sleepless crossing they arrived exhausted and immediately abandoned all plans to drive eight hours south to their new home. Instead they headed inland to Rouen, where in the pre-dawn light Toyne was mesmerised by the twisted spires of Rouen Cathedral rising up into the lightening sky. This image, seared on his imagination that cold morning, would become the fictional Citadel of Sanctus, relocated to the far eastern fringes of Europe, among the oldest continually inhabited places of the world.

Sanctus is Simon Toyne's first novel. It has to date been translated into 17 languages and is published in 27 countries.

SANCTUS ENHANCED E-BOOK

Complete with a bespoke soundtrack created by film score composers Cutting Edge, as well as a unique custom gestures functionality, the Sanctus enhanced ebook is an industry first.

All of the features are mapped closely against the story, with the soundtrack setting the mood for each distinctive section of the novel. The custom gestures feature can be unlocked by zigzagging the screen with three fingers - solve the puzzle along the way and you can even win a prize!

HC Director of Innovation, Eric Winbolt, comments:

"The richness of the Sanctus story inspired us to try a very different approach in the development of our enhanced ePub. We applied equal effort to developing the technical and creative solutions, aiming to both better weave additional media into the narrative and also greatly increase the sophistication of the interactive experience. This crystallized into two strands; an integrated bespoke soundtrack and a puzzle mechanic which using levels of interactivity more typically associated with apps. We hope the additional level of atmosphere and engagement consequently created will compliment the themes of the book and enhance the readers enjoyment. It also serves to signpost the breadth of creative opportunity that awaits unlocking within ePub, something we're very excited about exploring further.'"

Watch a demonstration of the enhanced ebook's capabilities here.

Buy here.