If you liked Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons, try James Rollins’ The Eye of God
Angels and Demons: After a physicist is murdered, his body left with a painful-looking symbol branded on his chest, Robert Langdon is brought to Switzerland to decipher the symbol’s meaning. Langdon, the world’s most famous symbologist, recognizes the symbol. Its very presence means that the Illuminati, quite possibly the world’s most notorious and powerful secret society, have returned to prevalence in order to once again wage war against the Catholic church, their most-hated enemy. But when Langdon discovers that the secret society has somehow managed to smuggle a bomb into the Vatican, the action really gets going as he races to find the explosives before it’s too late. (Order Now!)
The Eye of God: When it comes to mixing science fiction with historical fiction, nobody does it better than James Rollins. A high-powered satellite used to study “dark energy” crashes back down to earth, revealing a startling revelation about our planet. Meanwhile, a huge comet is hurtling through space alongside earth, causing a flare of the mysterious dark energy, which creates a tunnel-like avenue for asteroids to pummel earth. This ain’t no NASA thriller or Armageddon (the movie) story. There will be no drilling in space or last-minute nuking of a meteorite to survive. Instead, Sigma sets out to find an ancient relic that might be connected to the comet. But to find it, they must first locate the tomb of Genghis Khan, find Attila the Hun’s resting place, and solve the mysteries surrounding the travels of St. Thomas, Jesus’ disciple who is known throughout history for being a doubter. Meanwhile, Sigma Force isn’t the only group of people trying to connect the dots. Also along for the ride are a duo from the Vatican and a powerful secret society who keeps getting in Sigma’s way. (Order Now!)
Summary: Both novels detail a ton of historical fiction, mixed with mysterious types of energy. The Vatican, obviously, is a common component in both novels, though their involvement differs between the two stories–at least to some extent.
If you liked Steve Berry’s The Templar Legacy, try Raymond Khoury’s The Last Templar
The Templar Legacy: Stephanie Melle is on a mission that has nothing to do with her day job, which is to help run a secret agency hidden inside the justice department called Magellan Billet. Instead of worrying about national security concerns, Stephanie is blazing a trail across Europe as she continues solving different clues and puzzles that could lead to a fortune. And not just any fortune, but the very treasure that once belonged to the Knights Templar. Little does she know, though, there’s someone else who’s also hunting for the Knights’ treasure. That person is willing to kill, if necessary, to get the goods. And when Stephanie starts to get in his way, she lands in a world of trouble. Needing help fast, she calls upon Cotton Malone, a retired Magellan operative, to help her out. (Order Now!)
The Last Templar: In current day Manhattan, four men wearing the uniforms of the old Templar Knights ride right down Fifth Avenue on horseback. They continue their journey up the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where a special event showing off Vatican treasures is taking place, and unleash their swords on anyone standing between them and the thing they came for. Taking an old device, the horsemen leave the museum and ride off into the night. Following the incident, the FBI investigates. Anti-terrorist specialist Sean Reilly teams up with Tess Chaykin, an archaeologist who was present when the attack occurred, to make sense of what took place. But neither of them could have known that they were about to be thrust into a deadly game between two groups of people who, contrary to popular belief, are still very much in existence–and still very much at war with one another. (Order Now!)
Summary: Both books are written in the vein of Dan Brown’s The Davinci Code, minus some of Brown’s controversial plot points. Berry’s novel is more informative, explaining in great detail who exactly the Templar Knights were, while Khoury’s novel reads like a movie. Both books are thrilling adventures, with plenty of action, historical fiction, and suspense to keep the pages turning. Also, both books were the first novels in their respective series. Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone franchise has grown to eleven full-length novels (and a handful of short stories), while Raymond Khoury just published his fifth Templar book (The End Game) earlier this year. If you’ve read one of these books and enjoyed it, you’re almost guaranteed to enjoy the other!