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bookfever's review against another edition
4.0
I think most of us had to have at least once had the thought of how cool it would be to be an archaeologist digging up Roman artifacts, finding Egyptian treasures or discovering lost Mayan cities. I'll admit I've had that thought once or twice in my life. At least until this book scared the shit out of me. But to be fair, I loved every page of it. My only "complaint" is that the story wasn't longer so I could've kept on reading. Because I would've done that with pleasure.
When Norman Haas' wife dies from cancer her last wish is to find the last resting place of Kiya, one of the wives of the infamous heretic pharaoh Akhenaten. Still grieving for his wives when he finally does find the tomb and planning on exploring it, something locals had warned him to not do, with his team of brilliant explorers he didn't expect to find himself trapped inside along it with his colleagues with no apparant way out. When the omnious whispers surround them and people start to die, they begin to realize that something dark and ancient is stalking them.
I was impressed with how such a short book (around 150 pages) could leave such an impact. I'm by no means an expert in the genre but it definitely didn't feel like a typical supernatural thriller. There was a lot of relevant themes involved like grief, loss, death. And that gave the book an edge that some other books might not have per se, in my opinion.
Of course there were also a lot of scary and macabre moments that made me think archaeologists should just leave tombs alone. There was also this intense claustrophobic feeling the moment Norman and the other characters started entering the tomb that almost had me gasping for breath myself. Which only gives more credit to the author for being able to write such a dark atmosphere. I would highly recommend this book!
When Norman Haas' wife dies from cancer her last wish is to find the last resting place of Kiya, one of the wives of the infamous heretic pharaoh Akhenaten. Still grieving for his wives when he finally does find the tomb and planning on exploring it, something locals had warned him to not do, with his team of brilliant explorers he didn't expect to find himself trapped inside along it with his colleagues with no apparant way out. When the omnious whispers surround them and people start to die, they begin to realize that something dark and ancient is stalking them.
I was impressed with how such a short book (around 150 pages) could leave such an impact. I'm by no means an expert in the genre but it definitely didn't feel like a typical supernatural thriller. There was a lot of relevant themes involved like grief, loss, death. And that gave the book an edge that some other books might not have per se, in my opinion.
Of course there were also a lot of scary and macabre moments that made me think archaeologists should just leave tombs alone. There was also this intense claustrophobic feeling the moment Norman and the other characters started entering the tomb that almost had me gasping for breath myself. Which only gives more credit to the author for being able to write such a dark atmosphere. I would highly recommend this book!
bankotsedo's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.5
This surprised me with how good it was. I ordered it on a whim because I had extra gift card money and he blurb sounded cool enough. This was fucked up violent and really creepy. A perfect short tale. I picked it up and didn't put it down until I was done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Vomit, Murder, Child death, and Death
aejackson's review against another edition
3.0
Eater of Gods by Dan Franklin is rated three out of five ravens for just one reason. Readers will be left wanting more…
The story is so enjoyable, and the writing so good, that readers will want to read more when the last page turns. They will want to spend more time with the characters, and even more time down in the deadly ancient labyrinth tomb. It’s that good!
Nothing really dies if it's remembered, Norman’s wife had told him.
In the dying village of Al Tarfuk, lost among the war-stained dunes of eastern Libya, Professor Norman Haas learns the location of the tomb that had been his wife’s life pursuit. The final resting place of Kiya, the lost queen of Akhenaten, whose story had been scraped off of the stone analogues of history for her heresies against the long absent pantheon of Egyptian gods.
Norman never expected to discover that the tomb was the final resting place to more than the dead. And as his team of researchers find themselves trapped inside the ancient tomb, Norman realizes all too soon that his wife was right— Nothing really dies if it's remembered… but some things are best forgotten.
Eater of Gods is Dan Franklin’s debut supernatural thriller. The tale is one of grief, loneliness, and an ageless, hungry fury that waits with tooth and claw beneath the hot desert sands.
Franklin must have written his one million words before penning this tight thriller. It is said that before a great piece is composed, the writer has put in years of practice writing and editing to learn the craft. Whether true or not, Franklin exhibits great mastery of his skills as a writer.
Every page of the novel contains rich thematic elements. The opening is strong and propels readers into the adventure with Norman and his research party. There is no time for backstory, Franklin cuts right to the chase, filling readers in as they go - deeper into the tomb. Readers will see, sense, and smell the Egyptian desert and its people. Not an element of disbelief is permitted.
The novel also opens with more than enough powerful questions that demand answers to compel the reader forward on a mission to find answers. This book may remind some readers of a Clive Cussler adventure, or even a Preston & Child ‘Gideon Crew’ treasure hunt.
Norman meets an assortment of diverse characters who all wear their costumes well. The supporting character sketches are great. Everything is seen through the eyes of the well-developed, deep point-of-view, main character.
The heartache over his wife’s death is palpable and felt by the reader. Franklin stirs up empathy which goes a long way to forming the reason why Norman is on this quest in the first place.
Readers will discover a fast-paced, action-filled story, which is layered with Norman’s reflections about his dying wife. Those poignant moments are juxtaposed against Kiyas’ own story which is revealed the deeper this expedition ventures into her tomb.
The story wraps up with an exquisite ending to this tomb-raiding ancient Egyptian cosmic horror!
Dan Franklin wrote his first attempt at a horror novel when he was seven. It was terrible. He has, since, improved. The winner of several local awards for short stories and an occasional poem, Dan Franklin lives in Maryland with his extremely understanding wife, his cosmically radiant daughter, and a socially crippling obsession with things that creep. The Eater of Gods is his first published novel.
The story is so enjoyable, and the writing so good, that readers will want to read more when the last page turns. They will want to spend more time with the characters, and even more time down in the deadly ancient labyrinth tomb. It’s that good!
Nothing really dies if it's remembered, Norman’s wife had told him.
In the dying village of Al Tarfuk, lost among the war-stained dunes of eastern Libya, Professor Norman Haas learns the location of the tomb that had been his wife’s life pursuit. The final resting place of Kiya, the lost queen of Akhenaten, whose story had been scraped off of the stone analogues of history for her heresies against the long absent pantheon of Egyptian gods.
Norman never expected to discover that the tomb was the final resting place to more than the dead. And as his team of researchers find themselves trapped inside the ancient tomb, Norman realizes all too soon that his wife was right— Nothing really dies if it's remembered… but some things are best forgotten.
Eater of Gods is Dan Franklin’s debut supernatural thriller. The tale is one of grief, loneliness, and an ageless, hungry fury that waits with tooth and claw beneath the hot desert sands.
Franklin must have written his one million words before penning this tight thriller. It is said that before a great piece is composed, the writer has put in years of practice writing and editing to learn the craft. Whether true or not, Franklin exhibits great mastery of his skills as a writer.
Every page of the novel contains rich thematic elements. The opening is strong and propels readers into the adventure with Norman and his research party. There is no time for backstory, Franklin cuts right to the chase, filling readers in as they go - deeper into the tomb. Readers will see, sense, and smell the Egyptian desert and its people. Not an element of disbelief is permitted.
The novel also opens with more than enough powerful questions that demand answers to compel the reader forward on a mission to find answers. This book may remind some readers of a Clive Cussler adventure, or even a Preston & Child ‘Gideon Crew’ treasure hunt.
Norman meets an assortment of diverse characters who all wear their costumes well. The supporting character sketches are great. Everything is seen through the eyes of the well-developed, deep point-of-view, main character.
The heartache over his wife’s death is palpable and felt by the reader. Franklin stirs up empathy which goes a long way to forming the reason why Norman is on this quest in the first place.
Readers will discover a fast-paced, action-filled story, which is layered with Norman’s reflections about his dying wife. Those poignant moments are juxtaposed against Kiyas’ own story which is revealed the deeper this expedition ventures into her tomb.
The story wraps up with an exquisite ending to this tomb-raiding ancient Egyptian cosmic horror!
Dan Franklin wrote his first attempt at a horror novel when he was seven. It was terrible. He has, since, improved. The winner of several local awards for short stories and an occasional poem, Dan Franklin lives in Maryland with his extremely understanding wife, his cosmically radiant daughter, and a socially crippling obsession with things that creep. The Eater of Gods is his first published novel.
roadtripreader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.5
"This place is cursed, that place is cursed - you're not happy without a good curse"- The Mummy (1999)
I couldn't help it, this book made me go binge-watch my favorites: Brandon Frasier and Rachel Weiszin The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. What a good book to be able to do that. Yes yes it's horror but cmon; not-so-intrepid adventurers forming a little band off tomb raiders of to find ancient livery. I mean talk about nostalgia.
The Egyptology department is dead - well in this book it is and that's as much a tragedy as the death of a character who is only mentioned and recalled in memory; Clara. She is the reason for this archeological expedition - to honor her memory. What ensues is classic Curse of the Antiquities story. Marvelous.
In keeping with the overaching themes of faith, religion and unanswered prayers. I so love finding hidden gems and then "preaching the word" of great storytelling to anyone who'll listen. If I were going door to door - this would be one of the gems.
"Excuse me ma'am, do you have time to talk about the good word of The Eater of Gods, and a few more in my briefcase?" - Me in an alternate reality pushing books like a Jehovah's witness on a neighborhood crawl.
Plot/Storyline: taking place in the exotic hellscape of Libya (post Gaddafi, current civil war, migrant slavery, hopelessness) these characters navigate a ravaged area filled with the tail end of what moral degradation in a society looks like at the end. Bullet holes everywhere. Only money talks, but in riddles and full of lies.
Hazred says of the God-Eater: As for some curse… let it come. If this thing is real, I hope she starts with Allah.”
Characters: in the words of Norman: Fucking Cal but also, I pity everyone, let me mourn you all.
Favorite scenes: Too many.
●“Growers and showers,” Charlie said around a second yawn. “Egyptian culture was all about the visible size because it’s an open desert, but not Libya. This place wasn’t always so arid. People out this way built down, not up.” (Charlie on the anticlimactic visage of The House of Kiya-ten.)
● -1 If we're being pedantic about explorers wearing biohazard protective masks to enter an ancient ruin, consistency demands that they wear the whole kit and kaboodle. Not just the masks. Spores enter the skin through every pore - face and elsewhere.
Favorite Quotes/Concepts:
●These things were ancient to ancient people. (Anita on the mystery of Kiya-ten)
●Grave robbing is like prostitution, it’s only illegal if you don’t film it and distribute it. Then it’s academic. Or pornography.” (Charlie on the essence of Excavative Archaeology)
●Ma’am isn’t an answer. A bomb is expanding gas in a sealed box. Gases expand until the pressure rips the box apart. This is a stone box. We are in the bomb. And get your hand off your gun when I’m talking to you or I’ll take it from you and have you sit in the corner. Do you understand?” (Anita on being a sensible badass.)
StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Horror Books by 2025
I couldn't help it, this book made me go binge-watch my favorites: Brandon Frasier and Rachel Weiszin The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. What a good book to be able to do that. Yes yes it's horror but cmon; not-so-intrepid adventurers forming a little band off tomb raiders of to find ancient livery. I mean talk about nostalgia.
The Egyptology department is dead - well in this book it is and that's as much a tragedy as the death of a character who is only mentioned and recalled in memory; Clara. She is the reason for this archeological expedition - to honor her memory. What ensues is classic Curse of the Antiquities story. Marvelous.
In keeping with the overaching themes of faith, religion and unanswered prayers. I so love finding hidden gems and then "preaching the word" of great storytelling to anyone who'll listen. If I were going door to door - this would be one of the gems.
"Excuse me ma'am, do you have time to talk about the good word of The Eater of Gods, and a few more in my briefcase?" - Me in an alternate reality pushing books like a Jehovah's witness on a neighborhood crawl.
Plot/Storyline: taking place in the exotic hellscape of Libya (post Gaddafi, current civil war, migrant slavery, hopelessness) these characters navigate a ravaged area filled with the tail end of what moral degradation in a society looks like at the end. Bullet holes everywhere. Only money talks, but in riddles and full of lies.
Hazred says of the God-Eater: As for some curse… let it come. If this thing is real, I hope she starts with Allah.”
Characters: in the words of Norman: Fucking Cal but also, I pity everyone, let me mourn you all.
Favorite scenes: Too many.
●“Growers and showers,” Charlie said around a second yawn. “Egyptian culture was all about the visible size because it’s an open desert, but not Libya. This place wasn’t always so arid. People out this way built down, not up.” (Charlie on the anticlimactic visage of The House of Kiya-ten.)
● -1 If we're being pedantic about explorers wearing biohazard protective masks to enter an ancient ruin, consistency demands that they wear the whole kit and kaboodle. Not just the masks. Spores enter the skin through every pore - face and elsewhere.
Favorite Quotes/Concepts:
●These things were ancient to ancient people. (Anita on the mystery of Kiya-ten)
●Grave robbing is like prostitution, it’s only illegal if you don’t film it and distribute it. Then it’s academic. Or pornography.” (Charlie on the essence of Excavative Archaeology)
●Ma’am isn’t an answer. A bomb is expanding gas in a sealed box. Gases expand until the pressure rips the box apart. This is a stone box. We are in the bomb. And get your hand off your gun when I’m talking to you or I’ll take it from you and have you sit in the corner. Do you understand?” (Anita on being a sensible badass.)
StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Horror Books by 2025
pandasbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
An archeological horror novel filled with adventure, chills and thrills. I heard about this upcoming book in a Facebook group and immediately grabbed a review copy when one became available. This book reminded me how much I adore Egypt and archeology and when you mix in supernatural horror what more could you ask for. This is a quick read, I finished it in one sitting, it was that unputdownable. Do yourself a favor and checkout this author, you won’t be disappointed. I am keen to see what else he has written and brings out next. I will read more for sure.
missbritt08's review against another edition
3.0
This book had a lot of promise. I enjoyed the style of writing and I loved the premise. However, there were a few issues I had. At the beginning I felt like there should have been more back story on the characters. It felt as though we should have known the history already, as though information was missing. Next: the book flip flopped between the MC’s thoughts to dialogue. The dialogue didn’t reference what the MC had just thought but was instead about the previous dialogue. I found it confusing and interrupted the flow. Lastly, the ending I found a bit confusing and a little disappointing.
Despite the issues I had I did enjoy the book and now realize I like Egyptian horror.
Despite the issues I had I did enjoy the book and now realize I like Egyptian horror.
ginniebusick's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I truly believe that some crazy shit like this would happen if you disrupted a tomb in Egypt or Libya.
I liked this book and I was a fan of this author’s writing style. I hope he writes more books on this subject (Egypt, tombs, mysteries, etc.). It’s like a horror filled Tomb Raider and I’m here for it.
I liked this book and I was a fan of this author’s writing style. I hope he writes more books on this subject (Egypt, tombs, mysteries, etc.). It’s like a horror filled Tomb Raider and I’m here for it.