Henri Loevenbruck is best known for his fantasy novels filled with wolves and many other things. With the Century Testament he tries a radically different genre: the thriller occult, very fashionable since the publication of a book referring to Leonardo ... The story brings together two characters who will meet on the occasion of the murder of the father of one of them, and who will not be leaving until the denouement, leading the binomial investigation. Damien is a writer, a natural bearing the letters to the side and an artist not devoid of charm, as the author likes the bike, rock and has a history of khâgneux. Sophie is a journalist, active, provocative and is presented as a double Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction (author's fantasy?). Together with them they will wander Paris, London and the South of France and navigate plots, Freemasonry, etc. Joconde Brief a concentrate of all that makes the perfect occult investigation. All this to try to solve a mystery dating back to the origins of Christianity, but then: shhh, I shall say no more. Immediately comparison with the Da Vinci Code is necessary, because the story has many similarities, recycles the same elements and navigates around the same themes, although the Testament of the Centuries has a much broader perspective on religion. Back to the present novel. The style is nice, very simple, it is absolutely clear and never encumbered formulations or heavy turnings or gamy, the novel can be read at breakneck speed. Then the Testament of the Centuries is anything but a "dry" thriller: here the author makes much effort to establish his main character, expose their questions, desires, in short, it exposes us a man's life, rather finely it must be said. The emotional journey of Damien continues throughout the book, he found an ideal partner in Sophie to indulge in his questioning. But where the rub is that all these passages violently maim police plot that does not exceed a treasure hunt club of five. Certainly there cryptography, history of art and geometry, but it does not for a thriller, poor history it does not forgive. The author does not find the right tone for the occult, the incredible revelations as we are dealt out on the set of Price Is Right, it really lacks this hushed and mystical atmosphere. Blame the many dialogues perhaps, or "culture" pages where the author bombards us with historical information in the bend of a conversation between the two main characters. Finally it is important to mention the role of religion: the author expresses quite clearly his views on Christianity, Opus Dei or sects. I have nothing against the authors thesis but like the trilogy of Moira H. Loevenbruck is quite direct in expressing his opinions. And falling on religious bias, black and white, in the middle of a fiction, it is not very happy with a narrative point of view. Despite these weaknesses, the authors see that still dare to treat religious, and of sincere and whole way, is pretty heady in these times when it is accused of blasphemy simply by recalling certain historical truths established. Definitely, after each book of Henri Loevenbruck, I have less and less desire to read the next but increasingly want to know the man.
