Mundie Moms

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Book Review- The Ancillary's Mark, A Novel


By Daniel A. Cohen
Published by Black Rose Writing
Released on November 4th, 2010
Source- received book for review from the author
3 stars- It's a good read

The legend of the Ancillary flower has existed for centuries. Foretold to bring out the limitless potential of its bearer, the flower and the legend have been forgotten by many. Recently, strange events in a shrouded Tibetan town have sparked rumors among those who still believe.

Jacob Deer is a quirky young man, bound for college, with an eccentric old librarian for a best friend, an obsession with sitting down in elevators, and a strange birthmark on his hand that's shaped mysteriously like the markings on the Ancillary's petals. When Jacob's mentor Mr. Maddock reveals to him his connection with the legendary Ancillary, it sets in motion a series of events that sends Jacob and friends across the world. Alongside an alluring young woman, a marine-reject, and a Tibetan kid obsessed with comic books, Jacob must face off against a vengeful maniac for the fate of the flower, the legend, and all mankind (quoted from Goodreads).


The Ancillary's Mark is a story who's legend spans centuries, and includes a captivating fantasy adventure, and a sweet romance. Even with the story's fabulously told legend, some great characters and it's adventure I had a hard time staying connected to the story. I've been trying to figure out why I didn't like the story as much as I had wanted to.

What I liked was getting to meet Jacob, also known as Cob. He seems a little like an odd ball, but that's what made me like him. He seemed to have this self assurance about him that didn't come across as cocky, but humble. He's a happy go lucky guy who looks for the positive in all things. For example, he likes to sit down in elevators just because he can and to see the reaction he gets from others. It's a little hard not to find him endearing when he does stuff like. Character wise, he grew the most and I liked seeing him full his destiny, which is part of the legend. I also enjoyed the library he frequently visits and his mentor, Mr Maddock. Then there's Sophia, Mr Maddock's grand daughter who you might think stuck up when you first meet her, but she's a character I really enjoyed getting to know over the course of the story. I also found the legend of the Ancillary's flower a bit fascinating, and I loved all the research that centered around the story.

No matter how hard I tried to stay connected to the story, I just couldn't. The biggest thing that was missing for me was the connection to the setting. When the story first starts I got the sense and picture of Cob's small home town, the library, his home etc, but when the adventure leads him, Sophia and their team to Tibet, I felt that the setting was missing. With much of the story taking place in Tibet, I had excepted to have a vivid description of Tibet which sadly I didn't get. It's a beautiful country and I was looking forward to having it's landscape, the sites, sounds, and maybe even some of the culture talked about. The technology advanced village where their adventures begin seemed out of place to me. I had a very hard time with the antagonist, Marrow. This guy was pure evil and his tactics for obtaining the precious Ancillary's flower were ruthless, violent and a little too much for me. This ruthless killer didn't seem to care about how he killed his victims and showed no remorse for his actions.

I think this quick read is one older teens and adults would enjoy. It reminded me of a toned down India Jones type story. There is violence and some graphic descriptions on how Marrow kills people.

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