Never to Die

Excerpt 1

PREPARATION FOR ARARAT

“And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and waters asswaged; The fountains also of the deep and the windows of the heaven were stopped, and the rain from heavens was restrained; And the waters receded from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated; And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.”

Genesis 8: 1-4

Jean Claude Charboneau must have read the passage over a hundred times, but he was always searching for some hidden meaning. Was there a secret in the biblical lines? Was there a clue that would give him a deeper understanding as to the whereabouts of Noah’s Ark?

Jean Claude was running into problems. The Frenchman wanted desperately to head an expedition to Mount Ararat this coming spring. For two years since 1966 he had been working with the French National Society of Archaeologists, and it was just recently they accepted the sponsorship of the trip. Still the Turkish government had reservations about allowing the journey. Officially, the French government would not interfere, but Charboneau was making every attempt to persuade the French Foreign Ministry to influence Turkish approval. The Turks to date had not yet approved the trip. Still, they had not disapproved the expedition either. Charboneau was well aware that the Turkish government had already refused several American requests. He was confident that his Frenchman heritage coupled together French sponsorship could only help in the matter. Turkey and France have been on friendly relations for years, with both countries having had many successful cooperative ventures. Charboneau considered this fact a substantial asset, but why were the Turks procrastinating?

Charboneau was well aware that the Soviets were fearful of spying, and border reconnaissances may be true in some cases. He was sure the accusations were probably ridiculous, but nevertheless that did not help in getting his approval.

Excerpt 2

Never To Die is a novel about the quest to find Noah’s Ark on Mt. Ararat and also about the historical account of Armenia.  Alternating chapters revert back and forth starting from a young Armenian/American engineer joining a French archaeological team seeking to find the ark.  Succeeding chapters take the reader from the initial signs of civilization in the Ararat region, to the founding of the Armenian nation, to Armenia’s status in the Soviet Union.  The text includes fictional characters who contract real life great chronicled personalities.  Historical events are accurately conveyed by the characters as the narrations progress from chapter to chapter.  The volume also relates on the burden of the young Armenian/American who feels he has the deep responsibility of maintaining the memories of those who have been martyred.  In essence, the book covers the trials and tribulation of both the ark exploration team and Armenia’s growth in her 10,000-year history.