Happy hokum

....just about describes Exodus Quest. It's not a book you're going to read to look intellectual, but at the same time it is a fun read, with great page turnability. And although in some respects not unlike The Da Vinci code (which I hated) and others of its ilk, it doesn't set itself up to be something it's not.

Part adventure story, part Biblical truth quest, part Indiana Jones, it sets up theories and rapidly knocks them down. It has its full compliment of cartoon baddies, and action sequences taken straight from the frames of Looney Tunes, but the history at the core of the narrative is interesting of itself - it has certainly encouraged me to read more about Akenhaten and Amarna, and the Flood narratives of the Middle East - perhaps I'll finally get around to reading the epic of Gilgamesh, which has been sitting on my shelves for years.

And, yes, in spite of being completely daft, I would read another Will Adams', he does have a certain charm as a writer, for frothy light escapism he's definitely your man.