The Alexandria Scrolls
by Lukman Clark
Genre: Fantasy / Action & Adventure
ISBN: 9780978875237
Print Length: 216 pages
Reviewed by Lauren Hayataka
Embark on an intellectual odyssey where academia, mythology, and the inevitable dance with death converge in a mesmerizing narrative.
Lukman Clark’s fantasy adventure novel, The Alexandria Scrolls, takes readers on a whimsical journey through the life of Brandon Blake, an academic vagabond at the University of California Los Angeles, with a passion for women, ancient history, and a knack for languages. After a chance encounter with Sim, a man who once worked with his father finding lost items, Brandon finds himself at the doorstep of Dr. Clara d’Uccelli, a world-famous hypnotist. Drawn into a past life regression session, Brandon reveals clues to finding the lost scrolls of Hypatia of Alexandria—a discovery that would mean everything to him, as well as Clara.
Soon, the narrative unfolds from the crowded streets of Los Angeles to the exotic landscapes of Libya, the vast Outback in Australia and the sandy beaches of Bali, providing a rich backdrop for the bold exploration of themes like of Life-Between Lives, multi-dimensionality, advanced beings, and telepathic communication. The number of complex themes are expertly handled by Clark, who blends fact and fiction into a mind-bending journey that many readers will find easy to follow.
This is strongly due to the bold and brash character that is Brandon Blake, who for all of his academic knowledge has yet to find himself; something that many can relate to, including myself. As his Aunt Grace warns him of the lies and illusions that populate his path, readers witness Brandon navigating a world that transcends time.
But human nature remains the same even among highly evolved characters that seem straight out of Star Trek. They love and they hate, and they are far from perfect—making mistakes that make them seem all the more real for it, including Brandon’s immediate connection with Clara, despite the affection and history that he shares with his partner Julia.
Another preoccupation that Brandon and other characters share is a preoccupation with death, a focal point in the novel. There are many questions that are left unanswered in Brandon’s life, ones that he learns death is not an escape from. Instead, death is a cycle; one that carries our sins and our secrets, repeating until each and every one is addressed. And the author, Clark, does so without fail, leaving no loose ends in his fast-paced narrative.
The dialogue does detract from the overall sophistication of the narrative at times. While the characters are distinct, their interactions occasionally lack the nuance expected from a story with such profound themes. The juxtaposition of whimsy and profundity in the dialogue could leave some readers seeking a more consistent tone. Also, the erotic scenes can feel misaligned with the broader narrative and can feel distracting or uncomfortable to some readers.
The Alexandria Scrolls offers an intriguing and memorable adventure worth embarking on. Lukman Clark is clearly no stranger to creating a seamless narrative as well as a complex world that embraces complex philosophical and spiritual themes, without losing reader comprehension along the way.
The journey of Brandon Blake reflects our quest for self-discovery and understanding in a world where the boundaries between reality and illusion are constantly blurred.
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