A review by markyon
Bone Chase by Weston Ochse
3.0
I’ve mentioned before, more than once, how I like a story that mixes ancient history and folklore with its fiction. Bone Chase is one of those, written from an American perspective but on an epic global scale.
From the publisher: “When out-of-work math teacher Ethan McCloud is sent a mysterious box, he and his ex-girlfriend begin to unravel a mystery 10,000 years in the making--and he is the last hope to discovering the world's greatest conspiracy. Chased by both the Six-Fingered Man and the Council of David, Ethan must survive the chase--and find the truth.”
I wasn’t sure whether I’d like this one at first. True, it ticks a lot of boxes. Each chapter begins with a historical or religious reference that shows impeccable research – I wasn’t sure if they were real, but it seems like they actually are – relating to prophecies, politics and historical events.
Ochse (pronounced “Oaks”, I understand) skillfully manages to weave these into a best-seller plot in such a way that it (unlike many) sounds almost plausible. It certainly raises questions that every conspiracy theorist would love – for example, What if humans as a race were uplifted thousands of years ago by giant beings we would consider today as god-like? What if any mention of these giants were being subtly erased from history in order to maintain their anonymity? And in order to do this, what if there were secret societies, which have existed for hundreds of years, dedicated to removing any evidence of such beings, finding their remains from around the world and either hiding them or destroying them? What if all of this was connected to a secret group who covertly ran the world? And what if the return of these giants could signal the end of the world?
There are some pretty big ideas there, and Weston must be congratulated on the way that he has stitched these together, even if putting these plot revelations here in a manner as stark as this might make the book sound unrealistic. I’m not accepting that the idea is real, but I like the way that it has been used here. And whilst I must admit that some of the characterisation is straight off the blockbuster cookie template, the relentless pace keeps the momentum going without giving you time to think about things much. There’s enough background detail here to make it sound convincing, which the characters clearly pick up on. It’s part Indiana Jones, part X-Files, part James Bond wrapped up in Biblical conspiracy theory in a way that I think Dan Brown would be pleased with.
Being of the blockbuster-adventure type story, there are obvious sacrifices the author has to make in order to maintain the pace. There are elements of the personalities I liked, but if I had stopped to think about it the idea of a gun-toting ex-Maths teacher stretches the credulity a little. It also doesn’t help that there’s a few too many conveniences along the way for the sake of plot, an unrealistic premise of a love interest who is a 28-year-old virgin*, and far too many characters who handily do nice things at the drop of a hat, but it is written is such a way that I was happy to forgive such matters. I was surprised to blow through this in a couple of days.
Summing up then, Bone Chase is a great adventure yarn, set within an intriguing premise and set at a rapid pace that is very entertaining. Whilst you pretty much know what you’re going to get here, Weston doesn’t disappoint.
*Yes, I know these things happen and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. But considering the character’s backstory, I wasn’t convinced.
From the publisher: “When out-of-work math teacher Ethan McCloud is sent a mysterious box, he and his ex-girlfriend begin to unravel a mystery 10,000 years in the making--and he is the last hope to discovering the world's greatest conspiracy. Chased by both the Six-Fingered Man and the Council of David, Ethan must survive the chase--and find the truth.”
I wasn’t sure whether I’d like this one at first. True, it ticks a lot of boxes. Each chapter begins with a historical or religious reference that shows impeccable research – I wasn’t sure if they were real, but it seems like they actually are – relating to prophecies, politics and historical events.
Ochse (pronounced “Oaks”, I understand) skillfully manages to weave these into a best-seller plot in such a way that it (unlike many) sounds almost plausible. It certainly raises questions that every conspiracy theorist would love – for example, What if humans as a race were uplifted thousands of years ago by giant beings we would consider today as god-like? What if any mention of these giants were being subtly erased from history in order to maintain their anonymity? And in order to do this, what if there were secret societies, which have existed for hundreds of years, dedicated to removing any evidence of such beings, finding their remains from around the world and either hiding them or destroying them? What if all of this was connected to a secret group who covertly ran the world? And what if the return of these giants could signal the end of the world?
There are some pretty big ideas there, and Weston must be congratulated on the way that he has stitched these together, even if putting these plot revelations here in a manner as stark as this might make the book sound unrealistic. I’m not accepting that the idea is real, but I like the way that it has been used here. And whilst I must admit that some of the characterisation is straight off the blockbuster cookie template, the relentless pace keeps the momentum going without giving you time to think about things much. There’s enough background detail here to make it sound convincing, which the characters clearly pick up on. It’s part Indiana Jones, part X-Files, part James Bond wrapped up in Biblical conspiracy theory in a way that I think Dan Brown would be pleased with.
Being of the blockbuster-adventure type story, there are obvious sacrifices the author has to make in order to maintain the pace. There are elements of the personalities I liked, but if I had stopped to think about it the idea of a gun-toting ex-Maths teacher stretches the credulity a little. It also doesn’t help that there’s a few too many conveniences along the way for the sake of plot, an unrealistic premise of a love interest who is a 28-year-old virgin*, and far too many characters who handily do nice things at the drop of a hat, but it is written is such a way that I was happy to forgive such matters. I was surprised to blow through this in a couple of days.
Summing up then, Bone Chase is a great adventure yarn, set within an intriguing premise and set at a rapid pace that is very entertaining. Whilst you pretty much know what you’re going to get here, Weston doesn’t disappoint.
*Yes, I know these things happen and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. But considering the character’s backstory, I wasn’t convinced.