Griffiths, W. G. Methuselah's Pillar. Headline Books, 2012
Samantha Conway, a real-life Indiana Jones, searches in the
Valley of the Kings for jewels hidden by Senenmut for his alleged lover, the
Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut. Her search, based
on directions she found in hieroglyphs found many years ago by other archaeologists,
sent her well-diving in the desert sands of Egypt. She
continues deeper chasing the Metropolitan Museum’s expensive camera. Sam finds a
man-made opening and begins to follow shafts running parallel to the well. She moves
from one opening to the next until she is above the water level of the well.
She finds herself in a chamber, surrounded by skeletons, and Senenmut’s
treasure.
"She
is the real deal alright, not just some beautiful Hollywood impersonation
designed for big ratings on the History or Discovery Channel. She is a modern day Lewis and Clark embodied
in a raw scientist.”
Hakeem Salim, a twenty-two-year-old Afghani sheep-herder
hiding from missiles, bombs, and trucks climbs into empty darkness. He discovers
a secret chamber that appears to be a place of worship. In the chamber, Salim
finds a flat smooth stone and a tall stone pillar covered with ancient writing.
As the pillar falls and the chamber begins to crumble, he escapes with two
broken pieces of the pillar. Hakeem finds himself pinned up to armpits in
falling earth. He struggles trying to get free. Suddenly the Lions of Justice
move into his ravine. They try to release him but when they discover the pieces
of the pillar they shoot him and leave with the treasure.
Ramses al Tarik, hiding in an Afghani cave, worshiping at
the altar of Anubis, is the current leader of the Lions of Justice, Asad al
Adala. He is also the current leader on both the DIA and CIA’s list of most
wanted terrorists on the planet. The pieces of the pillar led to a legend.
Methuselah who, in this way, might have given his grandson Moses the Knowledge
of Good and Evil that allowed him to crush a nation to its knees and lead a nation
out of bondage.
Agent John Decker, an American James Bond, traced Tarik to his
hideout. Little did he expect to encounter first-hand biblical plagues. And the
chase begins. Somewhere among legend, myth, Bible story, and reality, lies a
world in peril and a pillar to be found. Decker and Conway become an unlikely
team searching for answers and a wanted man.
This is a story rich in descriptions and filled with suspense.
Every move from changes of location or point of view leaves the well-fleshed
characters in cliff-hanger situations. The story is well-conceived and
well-told. The twists and turns of the plot will keep the reader on the edge of
their seat. W. G. Griffiths has created larger-than-life characters the reader
will love or love to hate. The book ends with
the reader waiting impatiently for the next one to start.
One can only hope this first-place winner of the Hollywood
Book Festival will be followed by more than another book in a series. Michelle
Rapkin, whom Griffiths acknowledges, told him to drop what he was doing and
write this novel. His readers will hope Griffiths will once again discard all
the projects he is working on, and write the screenplay, and the sequel that is
waiting to be told.
