Revelations of the Ruby Crystal

An American doctoral student in Rome in 2012 stumbles across the origins of evil in this stilted theo-political thriller from first-time novelist Clow. Staunchly Catholic, Sarah Adamson faces a crisis of faith as she delves into the hierarchical patriarchy of a religion that has facilitated centuries of sexual abuse and repression. Aided in her search by journalist Simon Appel and a mystical ruby ring, Sarah awaits the Mayan calendar’s prophesied end of days, not knowing whether it will bring forth a global apocalypse or a divine deliverance. Clow’s narrative plods along quite a bit before picking up steam, and even then it fails to elicit a sense of peril, in spite of a laundry list of horrors including demonic possession, ritualistic sex, and murky parallel dimensions. The ability to suspend disbelief is sorely tested as many of the main characters are revealed to have psychic powers or past lives. Even diehard conspiracy theory enthusiasts will find this one a hard sell. (Aug.)