The Idea Doesn't Live Up to the Reality: The Ark by Boyd Morrison

The Ark by Boyd Morrison

Thriller/Adventure

I've read Morrison before so I know not to expect a Pulitzer Prize winning performance.  Still, I am not a book snob and always up for a good read, not matter the genre, no matter the author, no matter the topic.  And, I've read Morrison before and really enjoyed the story.  He's an author I have no problem recommending to people who just want a fun vacation read.

But, this one just didn't meet my expectations, which weren't all that high to begin with. The premise of the story is fascinating and Morrison's plot idea is brilliant:  Noah's Ark of ancient lore wasn't actually a disaster by flood, but rather by plague.  An evil scientist (naturally, and my favorite villain) has discovered the plague and is out to destroy the world unless he can be stopped.  Doesn't that just sound amazing?  It's why I go the book.

Rather than a taut biological and adventure thriller, I got a book long on escapism and short on actual plot twists.  The book could have been halved, easily, and still been just as good.  I've never read as many narrow escapes as in this book.  Truly, it bordered on ridiculous and I eventually didn't really care if the main character escaped or not.  The characters are little more than cardboard cutouts. 
Sigh.  It's a great disappointment from Morrison's other stories and not at all what I wanted.  The only thing that saves it from being a complete wash was the fascinating premise.