The Tomb of Hercules by Andy McDermott

The Tomb of Hercules by Andy McDermott
Review by Ed Homa

Andy McDermott follows up his first release, The Hunt for Atlantis, with The Tomb of Hercules. Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase return for another go-round, and Andy picks up where he left off. Nina and Eddie are enjoyable and interesting characters whom I really like! Although the second of McDermott‘s series is just being released in the U.S., he has four books in this series published throughout the world. Books three and four in the series, The Secret of Excalibur and The Covenant of Genesis will be published in the U.S. in the spring.

The Tomb of Hercules, like Atlantis, weighs in at over 500 pages and it takes you on an epic journey of action and adventure. Over the course of the book there is action, more action, and then again a little more action thrown in just in case you missed out on some of the earlier action. Then, as the book nears its end, the search for the tomb begins. Fast-paced books, even those in which the action is a bit over the top, are favorites of mine, but I thought that this time McDermott was a little too heavy on the action and a little light on the story. It is much like Indiana Jones on steroids, not that that is entirely a bad thing. The only writer that comes close to this kind of all-out pacing is Matthew Reilly. Like Atlantis ,this book is like reading a combination of Matthew Reilly and James Rollins. You get an enjoyable history lesson and a fun ride.

Fans of Matthew Reilly, James Rollins and Clive Cussler will enjoy this book. I enjoyed it but not quite as much as I liked The Hunt for Atlantis. Andy McDermott has slipped a little with this book. That being said, I can not wait for The Secret of Excalibur and The Covenant of Genesis to be published in the U.S.

If you are looking for a book to be a “getaway” to help you escape from work or the world for a while, this book will more than fit the bill.

Free Book from Sean Ellis

Sean Ellis, author of The Shroud of Heaven, is giving away his novella The Devil May Care for free in e-book form. Visit his website for more details.

Hunt for Atlantis Winners!

The winners of the Hunt For Atlantis book giveaway are:

Michael Armbruster
Mihir Wanchoo

Thanks to everyone who entered!

James Rollins Doomsday Key Videos

James Rollins has posted videos relating to important places from his latest novel, The Doomsday Key. Click here to visit.

Book Giveaway- The Hunt for Atlantis

The next in our series of giveaways are two copies of The Hunt for Atlantis by Andy McDermott.

We would like to thank the fine people at Bantam Books for making these copies available to Megalith: Books that Rock!

To enter, send your name and snail mail address to megalithbooks [at] gmail.com. Be sure to replace the [at] with @ and to put "Contest" in the header. Time is short, so enter right away!

The Hunt for Atlantis by Andy McDermott

Review by Ed Homa

Archaeologist Nina Wilde is sure that she has found the location of Atlantis, but no one else believes her or will back an expedition for her to find Atlantis. That is, until billionaire Kristian Frost and his daughter Kari finance the exploration. Ex-SAS Eddie Chase comes along to join the fun, acting as bodyguard, and the action begins.

There have been many lost explorers of Atlantis; Nina's own parents lost their lives in search of the lost continent. Nina and Eddie's search take them on a chase around the world, with a secret and powerful organization on their heels that will stop at nothing to keep Nina from succeeding.

How many times have we seen a novel about Atlantis? There are dozens of thrillers on the market dealing with Atlantis in one way or another. Who needs one more book on the subject? I would think that Atlantis in the title would turn away as many readers and publishers as it attracts, but first time author Andy McDermott hits a home run!

The book has been called "epic", and coming in at 514 pages, epic is a good way to describe it. With its travels around the globe and its length it is epic but when the end of the book came I wasn't ready for it to be over. I found the characters to be believable and very likeable.

Two of my favorite writers are James Rollins and Matthew Reilly. The Hunt for Atlantis was somewhere between those two writers. It didn't have as much science and history as Rollins and it didn't have as much all-out action as Reilly, it fit somewhere in the middle. When I read an action/adventure thriller like this, action and adventure take precedence over character development, as in a Hollywood action movie, but McDermott has done a decent job with his characters. Let's not fool ourselves, though; roller coaster action is what is expected from this book, and roller coaster action is what is in the forefront and is delivered.

The Hunt for Atlantis was published in England in 2007 and was quickly followed by three more novel featuring Nina and Eddie. The fifth novel, The Cult of Osiris will be published in England in 2010. The Hunt for Atlantis was finally published in the US on September 29 and the second novel in the series, The Tomb of Hercules will be published here in the US on October 27 of this year. I don't know how the publishing world works and how decisions and deals are made on how and when books are published but run, do not walk to the bookstore to pick up The Hunt for Atlantis by Andy McDermott!

The Hunt for Atlantis, The Tomb of Hercules, The Secret of Excalibur, The Covenant of Genesis, and the Cult of Osiris (2010) are the books in the series by Andy McDermott. The first two are scheduled to be released in the US and if after reading them you can't wait until the others re released here in North America you can find them online at Amazon UK.

Leviathan by David Lynn Golemon

The Event Group returns in another pulse-pounding adventure! An undersea vessel, The Leviathan, is wreaking havoc on the seas, and the Event Group is called in. Golemon begins by paying homage to the works of Alexandre Dumas and Jules Verne. The opening of the prologue is very much like the Count of Monte Cristo, which is a bit jarring, but also intriguing,and lays the foundation for a novel which gives a new treatment to elements of a classic story.

As with Golemon's previous novels, the story progresses at a rapid pace, blending historical mystery with elements of adventure and military thriller. What makes this book stand out are the twists. The crew of The Leviathan, though perpetrating evil acts, do have an understandable motivation- defense of the seas, which the world has been abusing for years. Also ratcheting up the tension is a traitor in the midst of the Event Group. Other strengths include a memorable villain, and a marked improvement in Golemon's writing.

Leviathan is Golemon's finest work t0-date, and is one of the top thrillers of the year. Don't miss it!