Author Chat Between Steve Berry, James Rollins, and Brad Thor

Fun and interesting chat. Check it out!

Cibola Trailer

Here's the trailer for David Wood's forthcoming novel Cibola.

Dan Brown's Next Book Ready to Go?

Rumors are circulating that Dan Brown has completed the manuscript of the follow-up to The DaVinci Code, tentatively titled The Solomon Key. Yahoo News has the full story.

A New Author Joins the Cussler Book Factory

Check out this interesting article regarding the newest author to join the Cussler fold.

Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow by James Rollins

Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow

Review by Ed Homa

After the disappearance of Jake and Kady Ransom’s archaeologist parents, a mysterious envelope arrives and starts the siblings on a strange adventure in a strange new world. The world contains Lost Tribes from throughout time, dinosaurs, freakish new creatures, as well as the wonders of alchemy. Rollins combines adventure with fantasy and keeps the thrills coming throughout the book.

After Jake and Kady end up in the Land of the Lost, the fun begins. The Ransom children begin to learn about the strange new world that they have entered, meeting people from all cultures and times, and wondering if they will ever get home. Ancient Romans, Vikings, Mayans, American Indians, and Neanderthals... the list of people that live in this world is very interesting. Jake begins to learn the ways of Alchemy and Kady the way of the Viking Warrior Women. To make things interesting, Kalverum Rex, the Skull King, and the Master of Dark Alchemy invades the valley of the Lost Tribes. Can he be stopped?

Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow was written for young readers, age ten and above. I enjoyed the book and couldn’t put it down; this book is for adventure fans of all ages! The plots and subplots weren’t as complex as a regular Rollins book and the action isn’t as graphic but this is a very enjoyable read for an adult. The story carried me quickly through the book, always leaving me wanting more.

Rollins always presents interesting characters and situations, and this book is no different. Large doses of adventure and fantasy are present in Jake Ransom. Being more of an adventure fan that a fantasy fan I did worry as I read if the fantasy elements would hold me, the story took me along for the ride and I enjoyed all aspects of the book.

Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow is the first book in a new series; I will be in line waiting for book two when it arrives. Remembering back to age ten, this book had everything I wanted; it has everything I want in a book as an adult. James Rollins has another successful series for all to enjoy.

"Ancient" Syriac Bible Found

NICOSIA (Reuters Life!) – Authorities in northern Cyprus believe they have found an ancient version of the Bible written in Syriac, a dialect of the native language of Jesus.

The manuscript was found in a police raid on suspected antiquity smugglers. Turkish Cypriot police testified in a court hearing they believe the manuscript could be about 2,000 years old.

The manuscript carries excerpts of the Bible written in gold lettering on vellum and loosely
strung together, photos provided to Reuters showed. One page carries a drawing of a tree, and another eight lines of Syriac script.

Experts were however divided over the provenance of the manuscript, and whether it was an original, which would render it priceless, or a fake.

Check out the full story on Yahoo news

A Few Interesting Bits of Archaeology and Natural History News

Toxic Gases Caused World's Worst Extinction

Fossil of 2,500 Pound Snake!

Treasure Hunters and Shipwrecks Don't Mix

1,500 Year-Old Saxon Burial Remains Found

Latest Publishing News

Many of you have been googling for information on the next "Event Group" book. Here's the update from the author himself:

The latest news is that LEVIATHAN will be on the book shelves August 1st, and has been named one of the top ten most anticipated books of 2009 (probably due to the fact that I killed off *** spoiler redacted****** in ANCIENTS) The paperback version of Ancients will be out April 24th. The fifth book in the Event Group series is now officially in the works and is entitled PRIMEVIL and it will tackle the greatest of all North American legends. That's about all I have---the official synopsis of Leviathan can be viewed or downloaded at facebook---David Lynn Golemon


In other news, I just received an ARC of Cibola by David Wood. No publication date given, but at least we have proof that it's finally coming out.

House of Wolves by Matt Bronleewe

The central character in House of Wolves, August Adams, is a dealer in rare books who unexpectedly receives a package from his estranged father: an ancient illuminated manuscript of The Gospels of Henry the Lion. August is immediately plunged into a deadly mystery that runs him afoul of The Black Vehm, an ancient brotherhood which seeks to get its hands on the book at all costs.

Soon, August finds himself reunited with his father and ex-wife, and along with his son, must try to outwit the Black Vehm while solving a mystery that ties in a biblical relic with a Nazi plot.

Echoes of Dan Brown resonate throughout this story. The illuminated book must be paired with another document, and the resulting message must then be decoded. August is average in almost all ways, except for his extraordinary memory and an uncanny ability to decipher codes. The ancient brotherhood is filled with conspiracies, competing factions, and even a sympathetic back-story for one of its killers.

There are many things to like about this story. The action gets rolling right away and doesn’t slow down. Bronleewe throws in a few satisfying twists, and also casts doubt about the motivations of multiple characters, adding to the suspense. He also does justice to the mystery element of the story, so that the plot is more than a series of escapes and near-misses along the way to the final showdown.

On the negative side of the ledger is that August is not an engaging character. Toward the end of the book, I discovered that I was eager to reach the end of the story and learn how the mystery was solved, but I did not care if August and his annoying son survived. In terms of setting, Bronlewee short-changes the location of the story’s climax. I would have enjoyed more description and a greater sense of wonder surrounding the final showdown.

House of Wolves is nevertheless a solid thriller for those who enjoy biblical mysteries, and I look forward to Bronleewe’s next effort.