The Key: A Novel (The Sanctus Trilogy, 2)

Several months ago, I reviewed my book purchases over the last 5 or 6 years, to find authors I had enjoyed previously and wanted to see what they had been up to. One of the books I found in doing this was Sanctus by Simon Toyne. I did not know he had made Sanctus into the first book in a trilogy. So, since I had enjoyed Sanctus, I ordered the two remaining books in the trilogy - the Key is the second book, and I am now reading The Tower - the final book.Having some time pass between reading Sanctus and The Key, is not the optimum way to read these books, as it took me a bit of time to get back into the spirit of the series - for example I had forgotten that Liv was the key and carried the sacrament within her.Still, this is an enjoyable book and leads directly into the third book.For a new reader, obviously it would be better not to have the time lapse between books, and one must read these in order.

Enjoyable read with fast moving action. Keep me turning the pages.Will read another of the authors books.Would recommend.

The second installment of this thrilling trilogy does NOT suffer from the usual failings of the middle book. In many trilogies, they are often a weak link between an exciting start and climactic conclusion. But The Key is a strong novel, and essentially a long chase, from America to Turkey and back and into the desert. Liv Adamsen, a crime reporter from New Jersey, is investigating the apparent suicide of her brother, who had been a monk in a reclusive, sinister and all-but-unknown religious order in Turkey. Gabriel Mann, descendant of an ancient tribe (think 7,000 years ago or more) is doing his best to keep her alive while the monks and the Catholic Church are out to see her dead. All around them, the world is beginning to collapse; weather patterns are running amok, people and animals are migrating, and a horrific disease is taking hold. Is it the End of Days? There's a host of secondary characters, many of them quite well-drawn, considering the rapid pacing of the story. There are heart-rending scenes, enigmatic puzzles rooted in ancient times, and I loved this book as much as I loved Sanctus, the first one.

It had all the elements I look for and I just loved this trilogy.

The Key is the compelling continuation of Simon Toyne's amazing Sancti trilogy. This volume has more twists and surprises than a garden maze fitted with trapdoors. I literally cannot wait to read the conclusion of the series.

"The Key" is the second act of the Sanctus trilogy. While I don't think it was a strong or mystical as "Sanctus," this was still a good read.Liv Adamson can't exactly remember what happened in the Citadel (the events at the end of the previous book), but she slowly begins to realize what she carries...or rather, who she's become. And it's because of this that the monks in the Citadel want her back inside the mountain.At the same time, a dig in Iraq is occurring with the secret consent of a high-ranking member of the Vatican. This person knows Liv cannot be allowed near the site as all of his plans will crumble. Yet Liv, with the help of Gabriel Mann, is being drawn to this place. In fact, her very life depends on their discovery of the site although they're not exactly sure why.Again, "The Key" isn't quite as clever as "Sanctus," but it's well worth continuing the story.

I have to admit that I liked Sanctus a bit more than this, but it was a nice follow up to the first book. It closed a lot of the loose ends and opened the door for the last book. The books has enough action and mystery to keep the pages turning. I find that I really like the main characters. I do feel that the book glosses over some of the details. Things are just a little too easy for the main characters at times. The relationship between Gabriel and Liv has moved really quickly without being explain. Overall it is a fun, quick read if you don't get too caught up with the missing details.

The intrigue of the church has a fascination of its own; it has throughout the centuries. Simon Toyne's Sanctus was shocking to most people who think they have the world of the faithful pegged. The Key continues that story with a "can't put it down but don't want it to end" drive. Toyne's characters are full and complete, yet drawn in the manner of fine Chinese painting: a few clean brush strokes create their form. The action, the intensity of motion carries the book. This book breaks open not only the eternal struggle between good and evil, but also the struggle between good and good. Both malevolent and benevolent characters believe what they are doing is what God desires. Rather than simply a scavenger hunt through history, this book takes the time to be good story as well. It is a worthy read, and a thinking person's book.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one. It’s 3.25-.5 stars.It does really well at continuing the world building and the deepening (to an extent) of the lore established in Santus. Add to that a rather good job of bringing that into the real world and marry the two together. The pacing, as would be expected of this genre, it extremely fast.The bad part is that for all the fast-paced running around, not that much of note actually happens in most of the book. We sort of dance around in a holding pattern for a while and even find that a couple of characters and the roles they played along with events were really not needed at all. At best, they’re just filler explained away or disposed of quickly.That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy The Key, I did, it’s very much a vacation read

The Key is the second book in the Sancti trilogy and it continues at the same fast pace as the first book, Sanctus. The first book focused on the secret within the Citadel held for many millennia and after it was revealed and released it brought disease and infection to the garden and the monks. Liv returns in this book along with Gabriel to continue on a race against time in their quest to find the mythical Garden of Eden. The task is riddled with conspiracy plots and determined factions that will stop and nothing to prevent them succeeding. Guess who the Key is?Take a deep breath before you start because the pace is so intense you’ll not get to breathe for some time. The plot is really good if we accept the fundamental premise who the sacrament is, and then we understand how crucial it is for the truth to come out. Of equal importance is to prevent the wrong faction getting there first and it has the power to destroy many of the institutions in the world. It is a real page-turner that keeps you guessing who the trustworthy characters are. Sometimes you’re fooled by the new characters that are introduced but they all add to the intrigue and adventure. You never know if policemen, priests, workers are genuine or lying in wait to illuminate them. There will be casualties but that all adds to the suspense.

The Key is Simon Toyne's second instalment in the Sancti Trilogy and this book definitely does not disappoint. It's fast paced, thrilling and suspense builds with every page.The book picks up after Liv and Gabriel broke into the Citadel and releases the Sacrament and concludes two weeks after that event. With the Sacrament gone, the Sanctus members are suffering from a haemorrhagic disease, the orchard and trees in the Citadel garden are dying and Bother Gardner and the monks tending to the flora are struck by a "lamenting" disease that results in boils erupting all over their bodies. Away from the Citadel, Gabriel and Liv try to trace and find the historic site of the Garden of Eden to fulfil a historic prophecy, thereby effectively preventing the end of the world. However, the last surviving Sanctus member, Bother Dragan, is looking to imprison Liv and the Sacrament and hopefully restore the Citadel to its former glory. Once again Liv and Gabriel find themselves on the run from hired assassins and kidnappers. The book concludes with Liv and Gabriel reaching the Syrian dessert and the reader is left wondering whether their mission was successful. Does the overpowering smell of oranges mean its the end if the world? Hopefully, the final book in the trilogy, The Tower, will enlighten us. This has been a fantastic series so far, and hopefully the final instalment is as good, if not better, than the first two books.

Like most of the readers of Sanctus (I would guess) I finished that book wondering how on Earth Simon was going to follow it up. The ending of the first was pretty world-shaking, after all.It took me a long time to getting round to reading The Key, largely because of a heavy reading list requirement and not having the free moments, but I have always had it floating in my MUST GET TO pile. I finally discovered that I had free moments and leapt on the books with a sense of urgent excitement.It took me maybe the first 50-60 pages to make my mind up about it. It seemed to be a little jarring after the end of the first in some ways, despite flowing almost seamlessly in others. In retrospect, I put this down to having spent too long away and not being caught up properly. Certainly as soon as I was familiar once more with the characters and settings, I was racing away, turning pages at a rate of knots.The story seems to be wide and in parts unconnected for a while, but if you've read Sanctus, you'll be prepared for the ingenious ways that the apparently baffling disparate tie in to the story's heart. As with Sanctus, I got the end marvelling at it and smiling at the perfect neatness of it and yet kicking myself because I should have been able to piece it together.Where the first book focused entirely on Gabriel and Liv and their allies and the mysterious citadel of Ruin and the dark secret it has housed since the earliest days (no spoilers in my reviews, gov), the second in the series focuses on the source of the Sacrament: the garden of Eden and a hunt set against the clock with the prize being a nebulous good but the cost of failure being deadly to those characters we follow and appalling for the world in general.As characters we liked from book 1 become all the more fabulous, we are introduced to a succession of new villains of the most vile and odious kinds (and often the merely misguided or stupid) and new locations (the Vatican was clearly going to become involved at some point). The addition of a few twists that made me raise my eyebrows made it a masterpiece for me.Where I started unsure and a little out of my depth, it took only a few breaths before I was being dragged headlong through the tale by Toyne's action narrative and by the end I was grumbling that it was over and trying to rearrange my pile to shuffled The Tower to the top. I certainly won't leave it any longer than I have to.Bravo on a superb follow up.Loved it.

Set a book in Ruin add a little Mystery through in some darkness and passion I'm hooked, well I'ved been hooked lined and sinkered in the first book. It is not easy to review a sequel without giving away elements of the first novel which should remain perfectly unknown, lying in wait for their unsuspecting reader, and so I shall be careful and brief. I would urge you to read Sanctus, if you haven't already. Despite the complexity of the plot, Toyne expertly manages all aspects of the story through his streamlined prose. The novel picks up right where Sanctus left off, allowing the urgency of the story to permeate the entire novel and the characters to continue to develop believable relationships and reactions to their situations. Toyne never lets the enormity of his concept drown out the subtle motivations of his characters. He seamlessly weaves actions, history, romance, and suspense into a nonstop thriller that pulses forward to a shocking and extremely satisfying conclusion. The Key successfully continues the precedent set by Sanctus, and leaves the reader anxiously awaiting the conclusion to this gripping trilogy.