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A review by rowena_m_andrews
Tomb of Gods by Brian Moreland
4.0
As someone with a long-standing interest in archaeology, and who never really grew out of that ‘Ancient Egypt’ phase – the best topic we ever did in history, and we only touched it once – there was no way I could resist ‘Tomb of Gods’. Especially with fantasy and horror thrown into the ring at the same time, and this book did not disappoint.
This is not a factual book, and you have to have some suspension of belief – but then if you read the summary, hopefully, you would know that. However, saying that, the research was clearly there and woven throughout the book, giving it that necessary grounding before hooking us into the unknown. Between the research and the writing, I found myself being transported into the world that was being described, it was very vivid, authentic, and carried the same awe that you feel when watching anything exploring Ancient Egyptian ruins/sites.
Tomb of Gods was a thrilling and chilling read, cleverly weaving together history with mythology, with the creeping presence of horror underneath. It was very atmospheric horror, it seeped into every corner of the story without being overwhelming or overdone, and played very cleverly with the reader’s own imagination by focusing more on the aftermath, the evidence, offering us glimpses of what lay underneath and letting us fill in the rest. This combined with the fast pacing, and short chapters, keeps everything moving and leaves you on edge, holding your breath, and it was a brilliant sensation (if a little unnerving at times).
Imogen was a fantastic character, and I could have happily followed a story entirely focused on her, but I enjoyed the entire cast and liked that we were able to see from their points of view throughout the story too. I would like to have seen more from some of the characters, particularly the locals and the other archaeologists involved, and there was at times an almost lack of emotional consequence from the casualties being incurred. However, that is very much a minor complaint in light of the rest of the book.
I would highly recommend Tomb of Gods; it was a gripping read that I couldn’t put down from start to finish. Yes, it played with some common ideas, but it did it in a very fresh, unique way that makes this book stand out brilliantly, and has left me wanting to read more of the author’s work.
This is not a factual book, and you have to have some suspension of belief – but then if you read the summary, hopefully, you would know that. However, saying that, the research was clearly there and woven throughout the book, giving it that necessary grounding before hooking us into the unknown. Between the research and the writing, I found myself being transported into the world that was being described, it was very vivid, authentic, and carried the same awe that you feel when watching anything exploring Ancient Egyptian ruins/sites.
Tomb of Gods was a thrilling and chilling read, cleverly weaving together history with mythology, with the creeping presence of horror underneath. It was very atmospheric horror, it seeped into every corner of the story without being overwhelming or overdone, and played very cleverly with the reader’s own imagination by focusing more on the aftermath, the evidence, offering us glimpses of what lay underneath and letting us fill in the rest. This combined with the fast pacing, and short chapters, keeps everything moving and leaves you on edge, holding your breath, and it was a brilliant sensation (if a little unnerving at times).
Imogen was a fantastic character, and I could have happily followed a story entirely focused on her, but I enjoyed the entire cast and liked that we were able to see from their points of view throughout the story too. I would like to have seen more from some of the characters, particularly the locals and the other archaeologists involved, and there was at times an almost lack of emotional consequence from the casualties being incurred. However, that is very much a minor complaint in light of the rest of the book.
I would highly recommend Tomb of Gods; it was a gripping read that I couldn’t put down from start to finish. Yes, it played with some common ideas, but it did it in a very fresh, unique way that makes this book stand out brilliantly, and has left me wanting to read more of the author’s work.