The Romanov Prophecy

By Steve Berry

Book Overview

Ekaterinburg, Russia: July 16, 1918. Ten months have passed since Nicholas II's reign was cut short by revolutionaries. Tonight, the White Army advances on the town where the Tsar and his family are being held captive by the Bolsheviks. Nicholas dares to hope for salvation. Instead, the Romanovs are coldly and methodically executed.

Moscow: Present Day. Atlanta lawyer Miles Lord, fluent in Russian and well versed in the country's history, is thrilled to be in Moscow on the eve of such a momentous event. After the fall of Communism and a succession of weak governments, the Russian people have voted to bring back the monarchy. The new tsar will be chosen from the distant relatives of Nicholas II by a specially appointed commission, and Miles' job is to perform a background check on the Tsarist candidate favored by a powerful group of Western businessmen. But research quickly becomes the least of Miles' concerns when he is nearly killed by gunmen on a city plaza.

Suddenly Miles is racing across continents, shadowed by nefarious henchmen. At first, his only question is why people are pursuing him. But after a strange conversation with a mysterious Russian, who steers Miles toward the writings of Rasputin, he becomes desperate to know more-most important, what really happened to the family of Russia's last tsar?

His only companion is Akilina Petrov, a Russian circus performer sympathetic to his struggle, and his only guide is a cryptic message from Rasputin that implies that the bloody night of so long ago is not the last chapter in the Romanovs' story . . . and that someone might even have survived the massacre. The prophecy's implications are earth-shattering-not only for the future of the tsar and mother Russia, but also for Miles himself.

Steve Berry, national bestselling author of the phenomenal thriller The Amber Room, once again delves into rich historical fact to produce an explosive page-turner. In The Romanov Prophecy, the authentic and the speculative meld into a fascinating and exceptionally suspenseful work of fiction.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345504399
• ISBN13: 9780345504395
• Release Date: November 2007
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.3" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

Great histroical read!

Glad I didn't read some of the reviews before I got this book--loved the book and the idea of Tsarist Russia (so what if it may/may not happen, that is the point of a FICTIONAL book!). I do agree with other reviews in the sense that it was a John Grisham meets Dan Brown type novel. Fast paced and can't wait to pick up another Steve Berry book.

Interesting

I normally don't like mystery books, but this one was great. It helped that it was about one of my favorite subjects, the Romanovs, but I also thought it was well written and VERY suspenseful.

Excellent fiction based upon historical people

If enough people knew about this book to put it on the best seller list, I have no doubt it would become the phenomenon that is The DeVinci Code. That's how good this book is. The book is built upon that much debunked but won't die theory that one or more of the Romanov children escaped the basement in Ekateranberg where the rest of the Imperial family was murdered. Because the escape of at least one child, Anastasia, is a well known urban myth, the plot will feel familiar to those who don't know a whole lot about the former Imperial rulers of Russia. The plot is plausable once you get over the fact that the entire urban myth about any Romanov's surviving the murder scene is laughable and has no basis in reality. But getting over that isn't hard if all you want is a good read. It is, after all, a fiction book. The chase and escape scenes are at least as well done and believable as those in The DeVinci Code with the exception of one towards the end of the book. But because it is fiction, I'm inclined to give the author a pass on that scene. The premise of a Russian return to tsarism in the book, while far fetched, isn't out of the relm of eventual possibility as Russians search to rid themselves of the mafia style oligarchs that have hijacked their attempts at dimocracy and find a style of government that actually can deliver on its promises. The author has also provided an extremely well designed premise for how Anastasia and Alexi could have survived the murder of their family and stayed in hiding throughout Lenin and Stalin's regimes. He builds well upon the Russian hiding of so much in their archives and Stalin's well known paranoia. If anyone would have gone to great lengths to cover an escape up had he known about it, it would be Stalin. I also give the author credit for not claiming, unlike another well known author, save for some quotations from Rasputin and character sketches of some of the dead Romanovs and other people that appear in the book, that ANY of this fiction is real. If you're looking for a good read based upon real historical people, this book is it.

Excitement, History, and Imagination

This book caught my eye because of the historical backdrop and the reviews of authors whose work I enjoy. The book is wonderful. It combines historical fact, wonderful descriptions of past and present Russia, well-formed characters with motivation for their actions, excitement, and a believeable (if highly unlikely) outcome. The author writes in such a way that it is clear what is historical information and what is fiction. All story lines tie together nicely, and the book neither drags nor moves too quickly to its ending. I really do like Steve Berry's writing, and look forward reading more of his work.

Fascinating and fun reading

Those who are interested in Romanov Tsarist Russia and also enjoy suspense fiction will find a real treat in this book. And even if you do not have a background in Tsarist history, but love a good thriller, make a beeline for The Romanov Prophecy. You'll find lots of hair-rising twists and turns and riddles comparable to those found in the DaVinci Code. All the historical background you need to understand the context of the events is included in the ingenious plot of the book. I learned about this book by hearing an ad for it on the radio. I was so eager to read it that I had it in my hands the next day. I was not disappointed. It's a fun read that blends fascinating history with the author's imaginative development of predictions made by Rasputin. Steve Berry is to be commended for coming up with this ingenious plot. If he keeps it up, readers have a lot of fun and exciting reading to look forward to.