Hannibal Fogg and The Supreme Secret of Man

Shah's novel at over 600 pages may seem intimidatingly large, but in fact the font is pleasantly large, and very readable. Still on the physical side, the book is attractively designed and well bound - the spine didn't crack when I opened the book. All the pages of the main text have a monogram at the side near the edge of the book. This may be an anti-piracy device as well as a decoration.The story is complex and packed with interesting details, but still well-paced and hard to put down. It has shades of Indiana Jones, Robert Langdon and even Mission Impossible, but unlike adventures bound mainly to one or two countries, the action takes place in all the major regions of the world.There is a lot of emphasis on remarkable coincidences, the ability of a genius to foretell the future to an unbelievably accurate degree, and intuitions and hunches abound. Conflict, sometimes including violence is an important theme.The story mentions a major character's knowledge of Esperanto and even acquaintance with its creator Zamenhof. This would mean that the fictional linguist in question might for example have attended the first few World Congresses, though there's no mention of this.In the map on page 396, Cambodia is mislabelled Thailand, Thailand "Burma", and Myanmar Bangladesh. Perhaps the mistakes might be corrected in future editions.More explanations would have been helpful sometimes, such as why the baddies are called Magi and a mystifying reason involving bones and a mendicant on page 469 for a certain action - unless, perhaps this is intended to be provided in the future.Speaking of the future, the ending seems to point to a sequel, which should be very interesting since the story itself seems to hint at a dramatic, even apocalyptic ending.Highly recommended as an entertaining adventure story, but not for younger children.

Hannibal Fogg and the Supreme Secret of Man is a wonder-full book! Especially so, for those who imagine that they have read it all, seen it all, and cannot be surprised. Adventure, intrigue, and pure magic await between the covers and keep the reader riveted until the last page. That the author, Tahir Shah, is a world traveler, whose astonishing real-life adventures rival those of his hero, only contributes to the spell-binding quality of the work. If you have not as yet obtained a copy, do so without delay. You are in for a rare treat.

The author has achieved a rare feat in 'Hannibal Fogg and the Supreme Secret of Man', he has created a history book of alternative futures directly alongside a narrative of historical fact. While this is the aim of any good historical fiction, the author has done so creatively and across not just a single time period but an entire timeline from ancient times to present. Using the AntiKythera Mechanism (found in the wreckage of a Trireme off the coast of the island Antikythera in 1902) - an ancient Grecian steampunk computer (perhaps) as a plot device to tie the protagonist's great-great-grandson (William Fogg) to a journey from one present/historical destination to the next to find pieces of an ancient machine that will break modern society with the truths it unveils. I can imagine in my mind's eye the partially transparent map overlay in the Indiana Jones movies where Indiana travels from New York to Cairo in a plane travelling the the red line between exotic locales - as William and his team jet set from Marrakesh to China to the Rub al Khali (Empty Quarter of Saudi Arabia) as well as many other exciting destinations. Each location is slowly revealed through a series of intricate riddles and clues hidden in time and space.With each new discovery the reader can share in the adventure as William uncovers each layer of the mystery. Written in rich descriptive text, the author plays easily between magical realism and historical fiction with ease, to the multi-storied benefit of the reader time and time again. Amply drenched in National Treasure-esque conspiracy theories, secret organizations, and shadowy government agencies the roller-coaster ride of a novel is boisterous and fun.Given the backdrop of this adventure, the 600+ page book was a speed read for me. This is the first of three books (I believe). I am eagerly awaiting the next installment!

I found this book because I've been a fan of Tahir Shah's work, notably The Caliph's House. If you haven't read it yet, go read the Caliph's House at once, it paints a wonderful picture of a family uprooting their life in England to dive in head first and move to Morocco, it's wonderful, inspiring, and a love letter to Morocco.Hannibal Fogg is tons of fun, but a very different writing style, it's a novel (not a memoir like Caliph's House). It pulls you in from the first few pages with scuba divers in search of ancient secrets. Without spoiling how the story unfolds, it keeps you guessing and wanting to find out what happens next.I liked it so much I bought an copy for my teenage cousin, he doesn't read much of anything (never looks up from his phone), but he actually read and loved this book. Having a teenager engaged and enjoying a book is an accomplishment! If you're looking for a birthday gift or Christmas present look no further, they'll love this book.

And it looks like the best T Shah has written yet. Multi-layered.Looking forward to savouring it slowly, like a connoisseur, then posting properly.Till then, be adventuresome; it's a book for adventurers... and see if you can resist devouring it.