Silver by Steven Savile

Title: Silver
Author: Steven Savile
Publisher: Variance
Genre: Thriller

Summary: Two thousand years ago, thirty silver Tyrian shekels were paid to secure the most infamous betrayal of all time. Melted down by the grandsons of Judas Iscariot, in the dark heart of the Sicarii fortress, Masada, the silver was re-forged as a dagger. When the Sicarii zealots committed mass suicide in AD73 the dagger of Iscariot and the truth of his sacrifice were lost. Until now.

A religious cult calling itself the Disciples of Judas has risen in the Middle East. Its influence is pernicious, its reach long. In thirteen cities across Europe thirteen people martyr themselves in the name of Judas, promising forty days and forty nights of terror. They twist the words of ancient prophecies to drive home the fear. Everything you believe in will be proved wrong. Everything you hold true will fail.

Day by day the West wakes to increasingly harrowing acts of terror. As fear cripples the capitals of Europe, who will be the next to fall? London? Rome? Berlin?

In a race against time – and prophecy – believing the terrorists intend to assassinate the Pope as part of their plan to bring down the Catholic Church, Sir Charles Wyndham’s team of combat specialists, codename Ogmios, tracks a labyrinthine course through truth, shades of truth and outright lies that takes them from the backstreets of London to the shadow of Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin and all the way into the heart of the Holy See itself.

Forty days and forty nights of fear. And today is day one.

Review: 4 1/2 stars ****

Several years ago I stumbled on a novella entitled Houdini’s Last Illusion by a writer named Steven Savile.  I’d never heard of him before, but the sample looked pretty good and I decided to take a chance on it.  I’d never been all that interested in novellas before but that book made my a believer.  Tight writing, great characters, and the perfect atmosphere for the tale.  Steven Savile had just joined my list of writers to follow regularly.  (Houdini’s Last Illusion might still be available from the publisher, Telos Publishing.  If so, I urge you to grab a copy while you can.)

Fast forward to the present.  Savile, who by this time has become a number one bestseller for his Primeval tie-in novel in the UK, puts out, Silver, the first of a trio of connected thrillers in the Ogmios Team series.  The plot takes a very unique approach to the relationship between Jesus Christ and his betrayer, Judas Iscariot, and then brings the implications of that thundering into the modern era.

The Ogmios Team is a group of highly efficient by dangerously flawed group of special agents working behind the scenes and on the edge of the black on behalf of the British Intelligence Service.  The team is highly deniable and therefore able to accomplish much more than the official units operating in the same space.  When thirteen ordinary people martyr themselves in public view simultaneously in 13 cities, each bearing a cryptic message promising the world forty days and nights of terror.

Savile starts the story off with a bang and keeps the tension running throughout without letting it becoming overbearing, which to me is the hallmark of a skilled thriller writer.  His characterization is strong; the Ogmios Team is not a bunch of super men and women, but skilled agents who also have their own share of flaws, which makes them far more interesting than the normal fare in my view.  Savile is also good with visual imagery – he was able to bring the European cities of Berlin, London, and Rome alive on the page for me, despite my lack of travel to two of the three.

With relentless action and a fantastically clever plot, Silver is sure to satisfy.  Highly recommended.

Tagged as: Berlin, Judas Iscariot, London, Ogmios Team, Rome, Silver, Steven Savile, thriller, Vatican