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A review by brimelick
The Koh Ker Conspiracy: An Archaeological Thriller by Caleb Andrew
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
4.0
If you love Indiana Jones or The Mummy, this book is perfect! I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, so I greatly thank them for allowing me to read it early. I finished this late last night and thought about my review all day. There is action, adventure, thrills, and a bit of attraction between two characters, and it's all you love in an archaeological thriller. This was the first time I had read a book about Cambodia, and the author has an excellent grasp of the politics and social issues regarding the looting of precious ancient treasures. As a museum professional living in the time of countries advocating for the return of their stolen artifacts, I find the timing of this book critical to museum professionals.
This book's downsides are its characters in the beginning, pacing, and dialogue. I found the characters relatively flat until the book's middle and end; the introductions were also confusing. The book's pacing also felt rushed in some places and too slow in others. The dialogue, I felt, was a bit choppy at times, and some characters felt like the dialogue did not match what we know their character to be in my opinion, and I'm very interested to see what other readers have to say. However, reading the extras at the end details the author's experience living in Cambodia, which helps me know that the author has a personal stake in his book. He is familiar with the setting of Koh Ker and is very well versed in the stripping of artifacts that Cambodia had gone through after the wars. I was happy to hear that Koh Ker was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and as someone who works at a UNESCO site here in the States, I know how much mine means to the people of this country, and I can only assume Koh Ker means the same to the people of Cambodia.
Overall, it was an enjoyable ride. I find Emma a tremendous, spunky character, and I'd love to see more of her from the author. Boran is just the right amount of intelligence and resourcefulness you need to be the brains of the operation. Jan is the perfect smuggler villain. I see Thomas in many of the archaeologists I have worked with. This book introduced me to a brand new genre of books that I am very excited to dive into. (I need Emma and Boran to have brilliant children together).
Happy Reading!!
This book's downsides are its characters in the beginning, pacing, and dialogue. I found the characters relatively flat until the book's middle and end; the introductions were also confusing. The book's pacing also felt rushed in some places and too slow in others. The dialogue, I felt, was a bit choppy at times, and some characters felt like the dialogue did not match what we know their character to be in my opinion, and I'm very interested to see what other readers have to say. However, reading the extras at the end details the author's experience living in Cambodia, which helps me know that the author has a personal stake in his book. He is familiar with the setting of Koh Ker and is very well versed in the stripping of artifacts that Cambodia had gone through after the wars. I was happy to hear that Koh Ker was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and as someone who works at a UNESCO site here in the States, I know how much mine means to the people of this country, and I can only assume Koh Ker means the same to the people of Cambodia.
Overall, it was an enjoyable ride. I find Emma a tremendous, spunky character, and I'd love to see more of her from the author. Boran is just the right amount of intelligence and resourcefulness you need to be the brains of the operation. Jan is the perfect smuggler villain. I see Thomas in many of the archaeologists I have worked with. This book introduced me to a brand new genre of books that I am very excited to dive into. (I need Emma and Boran to have brilliant children together).
Happy Reading!!