Merry Christmas! Santa is on his way so I hope you’ve all been good and you get everything you want! This will be the last post of 2012, but never fear, I’ll be back with more reviews in January and more authors interviews. If there is any other content that you would like to see or have comments, I would love to hear from you.
Today’s review is Masks of the Lost Kings by Tom Bane. The author comes from a scientific background and that is apparent from his description which appears to be very well researched.
This is an action/adventure which has been compared to Indiana Jones and the Da Vinci Code. The main character, Suzy da Silva is an archaeologist working on a thesis that compares the ancient Egyptian history to Christianity. Unable to be funded by Oxford University, her professor Dr. Logan arranges for her to speak to the mysterious Horus Corporation. She is soon traveling to Egypt. She manages to get inside the Great Pyramid where she witnesses a murder and flees in fear for her life. She travels to the Valley of Kings to see the tomb of the boy king, Tutankhamen. She is convinced that she will find the proof she seeks there. She is joined by Tom Brooking, a talented astrophysicist. Together they discover secrets that some would kill to acquire. They are chased by assassins and others that are either trying to protect them or kill them as well.
This is a thriller, adventure and mystery all rolled into one. I admire those authors that have a gift for description, and this story’s strength is the description. The story is a great premise and although I would have liked to see a little more characterization, I really didn’t have an issue with the characters. The distraction to me was the pacing. It started well with a jungle scene, but when it gets to Suzy and the lead-in to her Egypt adventure, the action drops while through lectures and narration, the reader is given a lot of scientific information. While I found it interesting it felt too technical to me. I found myself glossing over all the technical information to get to the action, which it took many pages to get to. Once it did however, the action was riveting. I think that anyone interested in Egyptology or adventure/thriller would very much enjoy this book. I would recommend it as it is a very good story once the action starts happening.
I purchased this book on my own and received no compensation for my review.
Becky's Book Notes 
Great review, Rebecca! Good characterization is essential for me–I need to feel emotionally invested in the characters to care enough about the book.
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I agree! No matter what the plot is, if the characters fall flat, the story fails. Thank you for writing. Merry Christmas! š
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Thank you for a great review. I enjoyed your insights.
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Thanks for the insightful review!
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Thank you for stopping by! Merry Christmas! š
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I’m fascinated by Egyptian things, but probably wouldn’t understand much of the technical stuff. Using that information in a fictional book is tricky. Long lectures tend to do just what it did for you, become boring and skipped over. Sounds like an interesting book though. I’d give it a second look on that review. You should add a cover photo to the review with maybe a link to where it can be found if there is one. That’s what I do for reviews I give, few that there are. Maybe this review will give me my next post. I post about writing more than book reviews.
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Hi Anna! Thank you for writing. That is a great idea about the link. I did add his cover on the review. I did have problems in the past with adding pictures, but WordPress has updated their “add media” option in the posts, so I have started doing it now. I do like the idea of adding the contact information and I am happy to include it.
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A goo insightful review Rebecca. Pleants of warning of what to expect without putting us off the book and the storyline. THANK YOU.
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Thank you so much for your kind words. I try to always be honest but encouraging. Reviews are subjective and only one person’s viewpoint, but it is so important to be honest. It is not lost on the readers.
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I enjoyed your review and commend you for pointing out the weakness as well as the strengths of the novel. As an author, I love five stars but a true review gives the potential reader a glimpse into what’s inside the pretty cover.
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Thank you Jean. Like I said below, I believe it is so important to be honest. Credibility is so important. If you get the reader’s trust, that says a lot I think. Although it is just my opinion, both the reader and the writer are aware that I am being as honest as I can be and that I have given it thought. When I get published, this is what I hope for as an author. I wouldn’t want anyone just telling me it was great if it wasn’t. I always want to submit my best work, if the readers don’t like it, it is important to know why to improve.
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