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Erika (17788 KP) rated The Buried: An Archaeology of the Egyptian Revolution in Books
Feb 16, 2020
I wasn't sure what to expect of this book. Was it a memoir of the author? A history of the Arab Spring? A history of archaeology in Egypt?
Well, it was all of the above, and I'm not sure I dug it. I minored in archaeology, so that was the main reason I read it. I knew somewhat of the Geo-political situation in that area of the world, but I avoid a lot of current events.
Don't get me wrong, Hessler is a great writer. However, I didn't sign up for a memoir.
It was an interesting mesh of all three subjects, I'm not sure it strictly worked.
Well, it was all of the above, and I'm not sure I dug it. I minored in archaeology, so that was the main reason I read it. I knew somewhat of the Geo-political situation in that area of the world, but I avoid a lot of current events.
Don't get me wrong, Hessler is a great writer. However, I didn't sign up for a memoir.
It was an interesting mesh of all three subjects, I'm not sure it strictly worked.
ClareR (5589 KP) rated The Anomaly in Books
Jul 15, 2018 (Updated Aug 12, 2018)
A surprising debut!
Another book that I didn't expect to like, but the snappy dialogue drew me in much more than the action (to begin with!).
This has been described as Indiana Jones (if he didn't know anything about archaeology) crossed with Tomb Raider (except Nolan is NO Lara Croft!). This is hack archaeology on YouTube which no expert would touch with a barge pole, but the conspiracy theorists love.
The build up left me wanting to visit the Grand Canyon, the middle part made me think twice. The end made me glad there are photos!
It's a bit Sci-fi, adventure, mystery and really quite funny. I really enjoyed it and will look out for any follow-ups!
Thank you to the Pigeonhole for sharing this novel!
This has been described as Indiana Jones (if he didn't know anything about archaeology) crossed with Tomb Raider (except Nolan is NO Lara Croft!). This is hack archaeology on YouTube which no expert would touch with a barge pole, but the conspiracy theorists love.
The build up left me wanting to visit the Grand Canyon, the middle part made me think twice. The end made me glad there are photos!
It's a bit Sci-fi, adventure, mystery and really quite funny. I really enjoyed it and will look out for any follow-ups!
Thank you to the Pigeonhole for sharing this novel!
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2084 KP) rated Artifacts (Faye Longchamp, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Missing students and an unexpected skull at a dig sight kick off this archaeology themed mystery series. The characters are good, but there were too many plot threads early on and it felt like it took a while to really come together.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/02/book-review-artifacts-by-mary-anna-evans.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/02/book-review-artifacts-by-mary-anna-evans.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Erika (17788 KP) rated The Mummy (1999) in Movies
Mar 20, 2018
This version of The Mummy is one of my favorite films. I love period films with archaeology/adventure in them, so this movie was perfect for me. Brendan Fraser is so amusing and does a great job as O'Connell, and I love Rachel Weisz as Evie. Yes, this film was based off of the original 'The Mummy' with Boris Karloff, but it didn't bother me at all. Watching it now, some of the special effects look pretty lame. I wish they would remaster and fix the CGI in this film and the Mummy Returns, because it's somewhat cringe-worthy. I still watch this movie all the time, and I'll continue to re-watch it over and over again.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Atlantis (Jack Howard, #1) in Books
Nov 8, 2019
Books where Atlantis is assumed to have been fact are nothing new, and quite a few adventure thrillers use it as the springboard for their plots. This is hardly suprising as it is a widely known myth and a handy way of drawing the reader in.
This book takes a slightly different approach, at least initially. His archaologist hero Jack Howard finds out about an ancient text that sheds more light on the story of the sunken civilization. Gibbins then does a good job of deconstructing the myths using real evidence of Egyptian, Minoan and Greek archaeology and rebuilding into a hypothesis which leads Howard on a quest to discover the source of the myth. I really enjoyed this part of the book, the author's knowledge in this area shows in some deft explanations.
However once on the trail of Atlantis a villainous adversary appears and this is the point where the book struggles as it tries to marry an interesting and plausible story of historical investigation and a thriller. Unfortunately I didn't think this worked as the book couldn't work out what it was anymore and the change between styles was very uneaven. There is a particular segment where the heroes are being pursued into the inner sanctum of Atlantis with all haste - and then spend a long time investigating the wonders of the frescos and artefacts they find within.
To my mind Gibbins is a good writer when what he is writing about is the archaeology and historical references. This novel didn't need the added threat of the villain and it just cheapened the deal. It's not exactly a bad book, just a bit confused about its identity. Howard himself is also a confused character, being essentially a charismatic history buff he has no problem being a hard-nosed killer and also seems to shrug off potential danger to his friends and colleagues without a thought.
I read The Tiger Warrior a little while ago and enjoyed that more simply because that book concentrated on the history and the archaeology with the threats being realistic and relevant to the plot.
The unevenness in this work can perhaps be forgiven as a first novel. As the Tiger Warrior showed Gibbins does have the potential for a good book if the ingredients are right. Unfortunately this isn't it.
This book takes a slightly different approach, at least initially. His archaologist hero Jack Howard finds out about an ancient text that sheds more light on the story of the sunken civilization. Gibbins then does a good job of deconstructing the myths using real evidence of Egyptian, Minoan and Greek archaeology and rebuilding into a hypothesis which leads Howard on a quest to discover the source of the myth. I really enjoyed this part of the book, the author's knowledge in this area shows in some deft explanations.
However once on the trail of Atlantis a villainous adversary appears and this is the point where the book struggles as it tries to marry an interesting and plausible story of historical investigation and a thriller. Unfortunately I didn't think this worked as the book couldn't work out what it was anymore and the change between styles was very uneaven. There is a particular segment where the heroes are being pursued into the inner sanctum of Atlantis with all haste - and then spend a long time investigating the wonders of the frescos and artefacts they find within.
To my mind Gibbins is a good writer when what he is writing about is the archaeology and historical references. This novel didn't need the added threat of the villain and it just cheapened the deal. It's not exactly a bad book, just a bit confused about its identity. Howard himself is also a confused character, being essentially a charismatic history buff he has no problem being a hard-nosed killer and also seems to shrug off potential danger to his friends and colleagues without a thought.
I read The Tiger Warrior a little while ago and enjoyed that more simply because that book concentrated on the history and the archaeology with the threats being realistic and relevant to the plot.
The unevenness in this work can perhaps be forgiven as a first novel. As the Tiger Warrior showed Gibbins does have the potential for a good book if the ingredients are right. Unfortunately this isn't it.
Erika (17788 KP) rated The Murder of King Tut in Books
Jan 21, 2019 (Updated Jan 21, 2019)
To start off with, this book made me realize I absolutely hate the way James Patterson writes, and this is the last book I touched with him listed as an author.
This is, without a doubt, one of the worst books I've every read on King Tut. I've studied Egyptian History, due to being an archaeology minor, and this is the biggest load of bologna next to 'slaves built the pyramids' theories, well, or the ancient astronaut theory. Possible? Sure, maybe, but Tut was a sickly dude, and they didn't happen to have advanced medicine at the time.
Please, for the love of god, do not trust a fiction writer, paired with whomever the other dude is, for history.
By the way, I read this book right when it came out, and it still pisses me off nearly 10 years later.
This is, without a doubt, one of the worst books I've every read on King Tut. I've studied Egyptian History, due to being an archaeology minor, and this is the biggest load of bologna next to 'slaves built the pyramids' theories, well, or the ancient astronaut theory. Possible? Sure, maybe, but Tut was a sickly dude, and they didn't happen to have advanced medicine at the time.
Please, for the love of god, do not trust a fiction writer, paired with whomever the other dude is, for history.
By the way, I read this book right when it came out, and it still pisses me off nearly 10 years later.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Mr. Impossible (Carsington Brothers, #2) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
I hate to say it but I just could not get into this at all. I tried numerous times (for many months) and finally had to call it quits on page 120. I really don't know what the problem is. This book had all the elements I enjoy: I really liked Loretta Chase's previous Carsington novel, Miss Wonderful, I loved the Mummy (and the Mummy Returns), not to mention anything that has to do with Egypt, archaeology, history, etc., I like strong female characters, but for some reason this book just fell flat. There's just something missing, maybe it was the two the leads; I didn't love 'em and I didn't hate 'em, they just weren't well-developed. I read the epilogue, which I was glad I did, because it gave a little info of the next book (although there's not much, but it was cute nonetheless). I'm sure there will be many people who will enjoy this even if it didn't mesh with me.
ClareR (5589 KP) rated Ghost Wall in Books
Feb 11, 2019
A disturbing look at family dynamics.
This novella really packs a punch. Its uncomfortable subject matter is presented in an uncomfortable setting. Slivie, her checkout assistant mum and bus driver dad, spend their summer holidays recreating life in Iron Age Britain, along with an archaeology professor and some of his students. Silvie's dad is a very keen, knowledgable amateur archaeologist, and is well respected by the professor. However, he is an unhappy man. He seems to hate the way he lives, and takes his frustrations (physically) out on his wife and daughter. I actually thought Silvie was far younger than it transpired that she was, purely because of the way her father spoke to and treated her.
The book becomes darker as it goes on, as we see more of Silvie's dads' outdated ideas of masculinity and a woman's station in life, and the conclusion is simply stunning.
This is well worth a read in my opinion.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book to read and fairly review.
The book becomes darker as it goes on, as we see more of Silvie's dads' outdated ideas of masculinity and a woman's station in life, and the conclusion is simply stunning.
This is well worth a read in my opinion.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book to read and fairly review.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Dig (2021) in Movies
Feb 6, 2021 (Updated Feb 6, 2021)
True-life Anglo-Saxon chronicle is brought to the screen as another wartime hats-and-fags tale of class and repression. Posh woman hires blunt-but-brilliant working-class bloke to examine her mounds (don't snipe, the film does the same gag, more or less); what ensues reminded me, for a while at least, of a big-budget version of Ted and Ralph with Carey Mulligan playing Charlie Higson's part.
Really a film of two halves: the first part, which is very quiet and still and all about figures in a landscape with Vaughan Williams-esque music playing, I found was much engaging than the second, which is not particularly focused and turns into a bit of a soap opera (there's a forbidden romance, terminal illness, political squabbling over who gets to run the dig and keep the treasure, etc, etc). Decent performances from a strong cast and it looks good in a fairly cinematic way, but by the end it seemed to me that archaeology in general and Sutton Hoo in particular had rather been forgotten about, which seemed like a shame.
Really a film of two halves: the first part, which is very quiet and still and all about figures in a landscape with Vaughan Williams-esque music playing, I found was much engaging than the second, which is not particularly focused and turns into a bit of a soap opera (there's a forbidden romance, terminal illness, political squabbling over who gets to run the dig and keep the treasure, etc, etc). Decent performances from a strong cast and it looks good in a fairly cinematic way, but by the end it seemed to me that archaeology in general and Sutton Hoo in particular had rather been forgotten about, which seemed like a shame.
Becs (244 KP) rated I Do Not Trust You in Books
Oct 2, 2019
I Do Not Trust You caught my attention right away. I was drawn in by the whole history and archaeology aspect. Which is weird cause history is usually boring to me. I did find some parts to be a bore, but a majority of the novel made up for it.
It would have been nice to have a chart with the correct pronunciation of all the different character/ city names, as I stumbled over them a lot and that causes the reading to become slow and honestly a bit of a bore. The nice thing to see within the story was all of the character and story background/ development.
Throughout the novel, I did find a few grammatical/ sentence structure errors. But overall, I really enjoyed the storyline and the sassiness between Ash and M.
Reasons why I rated it 4 stars:
1. The story was captivating.
2. There were a few sentence structure/ grammatical errors.
3. There was a ton of background on not only the story but also the characters.
4. There’s magic!
5. Sassiness between MC’s was top notch.
6. It was fast-paced.
“He who hesitates is lost.”
It would have been nice to have a chart with the correct pronunciation of all the different character/ city names, as I stumbled over them a lot and that causes the reading to become slow and honestly a bit of a bore. The nice thing to see within the story was all of the character and story background/ development.
Throughout the novel, I did find a few grammatical/ sentence structure errors. But overall, I really enjoyed the storyline and the sassiness between Ash and M.
Reasons why I rated it 4 stars:
1. The story was captivating.
2. There were a few sentence structure/ grammatical errors.
3. There was a ton of background on not only the story but also the characters.
4. There’s magic!
5. Sassiness between MC’s was top notch.
6. It was fast-paced.
“He who hesitates is lost.”