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A review by tashasbooks
Ararat by Christopher Golden
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Ararat is a supernatural thriller that leans more horror with claustrophobic anticipation.
Myriam and Adam are an adventure loving couple that film and write about their exploits. When one of their old guides at Mount Ararat in Turkey tells them an earthquake led to an exposed cave on the mountain, they rushed to get there first. They discover that there is an ark inside the mountain and claim the site for archeological purposes. A team of scholars, archeologists, and filmmakers make camp inside the mountain to investigate the site. They find a coffin with a deformed human being that looks like a demon and it causes chaos and doubt to cede the group. Everyone is trapped on the mountain when a blizzard comes in, but then they start to be hunted.
The plot was extremely fast paced, but I really enjoyed the pace overall as it kept me very intrigued and invested. Overall, it was an interesting read where the first half of the book is them exploring the ark and trying to discover if it truly is Noah's Ark from the Bible. Because of religious backgrounds, the horned cadaver causes a lot of fear and distrust in a very claustrophobic space, leading to people turning on each other. It's very much a society that starts to break down and gets ruled by fear. The setting was also very unique and not mountaineering is something I have not read about before.
The POVs start with Myriam and Adam, but then they switch between a whole cast of characters. Therefore, you don't get as much connection with the characters other than those two and Walker. Walker was sent by the United States as a member of the National Science Foundation (an undercover for another organization) and we get a lot of time from his perspective. With how often the POV switches, it definitely threw me off a little and made it hard to understand which person's perspective you are reading from. Also, once people start actually getting killed, a lot of the emotional punch is lost due to the lack of character development.
Once things delve fully into chaos, I was captivated. This truly is far more horror than thriller (and I think it is marketed as a thriller?). There is a lot of gore, terror, and panic. Nobody is safe in this book, and my heart rate rises more than once. I liked the ending, but I also didn't at the same time? I saw there are sequels in this world, but it focuses on other phenomenon. It really is a horror book ending though.
Myriam and Adam are an adventure loving couple that film and write about their exploits. When one of their old guides at Mount Ararat in Turkey tells them an earthquake led to an exposed cave on the mountain, they rushed to get there first. They discover that there is an ark inside the mountain and claim the site for archeological purposes. A team of scholars, archeologists, and filmmakers make camp inside the mountain to investigate the site. They find a coffin with a deformed human being that looks like a demon and it causes chaos and doubt to cede the group. Everyone is trapped on the mountain when a blizzard comes in, but then they start to be hunted.
The plot was extremely fast paced, but I really enjoyed the pace overall as it kept me very intrigued and invested. Overall, it was an interesting read where the first half of the book is them exploring the ark and trying to discover if it truly is Noah's Ark from the Bible. Because of religious backgrounds, the horned cadaver causes a lot of fear and distrust in a very claustrophobic space, leading to people turning on each other. It's very much a society that starts to break down and gets ruled by fear. The setting was also very unique and not mountaineering is something I have not read about before.
The POVs start with Myriam and Adam, but then they switch between a whole cast of characters. Therefore, you don't get as much connection with the characters other than those two and Walker. Walker was sent by the United States as a member of the National Science Foundation (an undercover for another organization) and we get a lot of time from his perspective. With how often the POV switches, it definitely threw me off a little and made it hard to understand which person's perspective you are reading from. Also, once people start actually getting killed, a lot of the emotional punch is lost due to the lack of character development.
Once things delve fully into chaos, I was captivated. This truly is far more horror than thriller (and I think it is marketed as a thriller?). There is a lot of gore, terror, and panic. Nobody is safe in this book, and my heart rate rises more than once. I liked the ending, but I also didn't at the same time? I saw there are sequels in this world, but it focuses on other phenomenon. It really is a horror book ending though.