A power kept secret for 2000 years. A woman who stands to lose everything.
From New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author J.F.Penn
India. When a nun is burned alive on the sacred ghats of Varanasi, and the stone she carried is stolen, an international hunt is triggered for the relics of the early church.
Forged in the fire and blood of martyrs, the Pentecost stones have been handed down … blood of martyrs, the Pentecost stones have been handed down through generations of Keepers who kept their power and locations secret.
Until now.
The Keepers are being murdered, the stones stolen by those who would use them for evil in a world transformed by religious fundamentalism.
Oxford University psychologist Morgan Sierra is forced into the search when her sister and niece are held hostage. She is helped by Jake Timber from the mysterious ARKANE, a British government agency specializing in paranormal and religious experience. Morgan must risk her own life to save her family, but will she ultimately be betrayed?
From ancient Christian sites in Spain, Italy and Israel to the far reaches of Iran and Tunisia, Morgan and Jake must track down the stones through the myths of the early church in a race against time before a new Pentecost is summoned, this time powered by the fires of evil.
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So refreshing to find a strong female protagonist in Morgan Sierra. A nice blend of action, adventure, religion, history and intrigue. Very fast-paced. And I’m excited to see there are 9 more in the series.
Riveting, action-packed read.
Very well written and incredibly researched which gives it an added layer of verisimilitude.
Tense, good twists and a globe hopping adventure that kept me glued to its pages.
Intelligent butt-kicking character in the person of Dr. Morgan Sierra. Indiana Jones crossed with Xena, Warrior Princes – well, an …
The first in this series and definitely convinced me to continue with the rest of them. Great if you’re looking for something fast-paced and entertaining to read. Can’t wait to read the rest!
1st in series, this is an excellent start. The story is crisp, concise and travels far, which the author has researched to give authenticity. It is an excellent book, thoroughly recommended.
This is the first book in J.F. Penn’s ARKANE series and I found it really hard to put down. It’s definitely a page turner. The amount of research the author has done, as well as the excellent character development and non-stop suspense make this a compelling read. If you’re a fan of Dan Brown or just looking for an exciting read you’re bound to …
This thriller kept me glued to my headphones! Loved the Jungian and biblical tie-ins.
What happens you read a novel that combines an Indiana Jones style of adventure with a well-detailed and chronicled history of early Christianity and mixed with a female protagonist that is a combination of Lara Croft from Tomb Raider and Black Widow from the Avengers?
You get Stone of Fire by J.F. Penn!
J.F. Penn is a well-known public speaker …
I loved this book and the entire ARKANE series! It is spellbinding and filled with enough plot twist to keep you up reading all night.
The opening chapter immediately grabbed me and pulled me into the nun Aruna Maria’s plight, setting up the troubles to come.
Morgan is a complex character and I immediately bonded with her – perhaps because we’re both suspicious about coincidences and on guard for danger lurking around every corner. She’s a kick-ass heroine (she used to be in the …
Can’t put my finger on why this was easy for me to put down, but still worth the read.
J F Penn gets it right every time with just the right amount of scary for me.
The Arkane series is an awesome blend of Indiana Jones meets Sigma Force! The adventures are laced with biblical facts in a non-biblical fashion. I just love these books! They all read as stand-alone, but I highly suggest starting with the first & it’s FREE!
The opening chapter immediately grabbed me and pulled me into the nun Aruna Maria’s plight, setting up the troubles to come.
Morgan is a complex character and I immediately bonded with her – perhaps because we’re both suspicious about coincidences and on guard for danger lurking around every corner. She’s a kick-ass heroine (she used to be in the Israeli military and she’s an Oxford psychologist).
The way the different locations were described made me feel like I’m there – it’s the small details that enrich the world the author created. I like how much research went into finding the essence of each locale.
You never know who the good guys are and who the bad guys are – and even if you guess, there’s something to humanise the supposed bad guy and cast suspicion on the supposed good guy. Just another reason for Morgan not to trust anyone.
There’s a bit too much head-hopping for my taste, but it does move the plot forward.
I liked Jake. His backstory had the ring of truth to it that a lot of stories dealing with South Africans in other countries didn’t. “He had made his peace with death a long time ago, when he had identified the bodies of his butchered family in Walkerville, near Johannesburg. South Africa was a mess of politics and religion wasn’t the only thing that could spark attempted genocide… His mother’s British passport enabled him to join the British military…” Usually a character like Jake would be a South African mercenary who was forced into the SA military at a young age – the authors not taking the time to note that things like that haven’t been the way for almost three decades. Kudos to this author for actually doing research and not writing based on assumptions.
“…ARKANE worked above the law of the land they operated in, hidden by the shadows between what could be proved and that which no one would admit to. In a modern world where ancient faith was now beginning to play an increasingly political role, they were often behind the scenes at the crux of international flash-points. ARKANE were also called in whenever there was a situation that could be called supernatural. The people who worked in the small teams across the globe understood that there are other entities loose in this world, not human, not alien. There is an evil that humans conjure and use against each other even as it stalks their souls. There are words of power that can be used as weapons and a host of unseen things that were better off being denied.”
Brilliant, right? I enjoyed the thriller aspect of this novel, but it is this part – the myths, legends, unseen things – that truly drew me into the story. I like the mix of modern technology and ancient artefacts that come together to create chaos and solve problems. There’s loads to learn about the early Church, feuding sects and secret societies.
I don’t usually read thrillers, but I thought to expand my reading realm by reading this book by Joanna Penn (I love her non-fiction books and website) and I wasn’t disappointed. It is as action-packed and full of thrills as any of my favourite TV series in the same genre. Now I can use the best graphic chip in existence to bring the stories to life: imagination.
This is a book that entertains as well as educates. It has a few exciting twists and turns. It’s also a clean-read. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series – and a new book is coming out next month too!