Review of Quest For The Emerald Crystal Book #1

Chinazo Anozie · Post by **Chinazo Anozie** » 20 Feb 2023, 03:35

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Quest For The Emerald Crystal Book #1" by Dan Ford.]

3 out of 5 stars

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Quest For The Emerald Crystal by Dan Ford is a mystery/thriller novel that follows the adventures of Adam and Buck as they get involved in a spiritual battle. Adam Taylor and Buck Carter are commercial airline pilots that were miraculously saved when their aircraft crashed, killing one of their colleagues. Both men find out that they had some form of near-death or spiritual experience that enabled them to survive the crash. After this, they decide to explore this possibility by being open-minded and meeting with a mysterious psychic and clairvoyant named Cleito. The latter opens their mind and introduces them to the spiritual dimension of their world, where they learn that Atlantis once existed, reincarnation actually happens, and the existence of an ongoing age-old battle between the forces of good and evil. Adam, Buck, and their other friends have to decide if they want to get involved in this spiritual battle that is unlike anything they have ever experienced.

This book was a different read. It requires you to keep an open mind on its plot because the book has its version of the origin of humans and the nature of God. According to it, humans (as we know ourselves now) were designed and put into place by ‘Zenithians’, who are beings that have a higher consciousness (kind of like angels). God is referred to as ‘Supreme Consciousness’, which is a level which all beings reach when their souls have attained perfection and not a particular being. I appreciated that the author took great lengths to explain these concepts in his book, both in the body of work and in a glossary at the end.

However, I had several issues with this book. Although I understood that the author was trying to lay the foundation of the origin of humans and how the Zenithians played a big part in it, it takes quite a while before the reader is introduced to any dialogue. When these dialogues eventually happen, they are stilted and very formal. After the riveting origin story, the book drags on while introducing characters such as Adam, Tanya, Buck, and Antonio. I felt that too much time was wasted on the mundane things about them. As a result, the interest and intrigue I had after reading about the origin story and the Zenithians wore off, and I got very bored and had to power through the book to figure out its direction.

Another issue I had was that most of the characters had perfect physical attributes and postures. They were all attractive, without an ounce of body fat. I always find this sort of characterisation very unrealistic. Also, the book had many errors, especially punctuation errors, that greatly interrupted my reading flow.

Despite these negatives, I think the storyline has great potential and would have made a wonderful read if properly executed. When I finally got to the thick of the plot, I couldn’t stop reading as I was eager to find out if the protagonists came out on top in the continuous battle with Diana, the antagonist. Considering my likes and dislikes, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. I took away one star for its many errors and another for the remaining negative aspects.

This book is not tailored to any religion and is more spiritual than religious. Regardless, some of its views, especially on the existence of Supreme Consciousness rather than God, may not sit well with readers belonging to religions that believe otherwise. Thus, readers who are generally open-minded and those that subscribe to non-religion may be best suited to enjoy this book. I’ll also recommend it to fans of mysteries and thrillers.

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Quest For The Emerald Crystal Book #1
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Favour Ugwu Chidinma · Post by **Favour Ugwu Chidinma** » 21 Feb 2023, 09:15

I'm a fan of thriller books. I might consider reading the book. Nice review.

Michael Valentine · Post by **Michael Valentine** » 22 Feb 2023, 01:52

This book has an interesting storyline from what I read in the review. I would love to read it. Thank you for this beautiful review.

Chinazo Anozie · Post by **Chinazo Anozie** » 27 Feb 2023, 13:10

Favyugwu wrote: ↑21 Feb 2023, 09:15 I'm a fan of thriller books. I might consider reading the book. Nice review.

Happy reading!

Chinazo Anozie · Post by **Chinazo Anozie** » 27 Feb 2023, 13:13

Michael Valentine wrote: ↑22 Feb 2023, 01:52 This book has an interesting storyline from what I read in the review. I would love to read it. Thank you for this beautiful review.

Happy reading!