The Quest

A while ago a friend gave me a copy of Nelson DeMille’s book THE QUEST to read.  The book was originally released in 1975, and was re-released in a larger re-written format last year.  The book almost doubled in size and I understand added more sex and adventure.

The book was given to me because of its “religious” themes and the person thought I would enjoy it.  The book was a fast read (despite its length of almost 500 pages) and well written.

It is the story of three journalists who find themselves in Ethiopia covering that countries bloody civil war.  Through, what they decide is divine intervention; they meet a priest who has been in solitary confinement for 40 years --- held there because he saw the Holy Grail and knows where it is hidden for safekeeping.  The Priest had been sent to Ethiopia by the Pope with the purpose of finding the Grail and sending it back to Rome.

When the journalists meet him, he is mortally wounded, but still manages to tell them of the Grail and its powers.  The rest of the story is, of course, an adventure to find the Grail and present it to Rome.  At times it borders on becoming another Arthurian tale of the quest for the Grail, at other times; it keeps you on the edge of your seat trying to guess what is coming next.

Of course, the story is filled with a love triangle between the three journalists.  That part of the story was probably the weakest, but I am sure that his editors wanted more sex and less religion.  The ending was not a big surprise, but even at the end, you were left wondering what made the journalist tick --- there was always something missing in their development.

It is not a great book, but also not a bad one either.  Overall it is a fun and fairly easy read.