For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, two archaeologists discover mysterious artifacts belonging to an unknown civilization. A frightening and awe-inspiring story unravels as the archaeologists race against time to decipher the dangerous knowledge they hold…
I am finally catching up on writing my book reviews (which I do whenever I read something I love & find worth sharing), so here is one of my latest:
My review:
Deep Storm - 5-stars
Unputdownable thriller!
Deep Storm is one of the best thrillers I've ever read. It has flawless pacing, an incredibly interesting story, an excellent sense of place, non-stop action, and just the right amount of character development. It has a tantalizing touch of the paranormal, a mysterious historical event that keeps surprising and unfolding, along with a great setting. The setting of an offshore oil rig and deepsea lab offers an intimacy of place, exotic to the everyday person, that envelops the reader. It should come with a warning that says "Contents Under Pressure" - you feel the deadly pressure of the ocean you are taken deep into, along with ever-mounting action and the relentless unveiling of fascinating mystery after mystery. The story stays tight to the protagonist's point of view, so you feel you are walking the halls, seeing and experiencing everything right along with him. There were many times where I felt like I was looking characters in the eye and feeling the mounting tension all around. Action and reactions were always believable. You are never separated from the central action and purpose of the story. I was riveted.
I've read a lot of thrillers and after reading Deep Storm I came to better appreciate the solid pacing that keeps the reader turning pages, balanced with just the right amount of description of environment and action so that you can picture and imagine everything, but not get bogged down in endless showy descriptions that sometimes can seem like author showmanship and slow the story down. This never happens here, though it is superbly researched. Deep Storm is just excellent storytelling, with a perfect blend of action and intrigue. The only thing I could say might have been improved upon was that I wish the explanation at the end could have been developed a little further. There's so much build up to it, it's such a cool concept, that I would have liked to stay with it just a little longer and explore it a bit more. Having said that, it is sufficient and I can understand why it was done the way it was.
I honestly could not put this book down, the story grabs you from page one and never lets go. It's a 5-star read all the way. Every day I looked so forward to diving back into the story and eagerly did so. I think this is the fastest I've read any book. Lincoln Child has the gift for penning thrillers, no doubt. Highly recommended!
I wanted to share our latest happy news for our adventure novel, Secret of the Sands. Our publisher, Bristlecone Pine Press, has graciously agreed to lower the price of our Amazon kindle edition to $4.99 (from $6.99). It was very important to me to have our novel be affordable & accessible to all of our interested readers. If you have a kindle, or use the (free!!) kindle apps for PC & Mac, I hope you will consider adding our book to your virtual shelves :)
For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, a frightening, yet awe-inspiring story unravels as archaeologists race against time to decipher an ancient truth...
"A deep probing mystery riddled with prophecy and danger, Secret of the Sands uses Egypt and her mythology as a backdrop to delve into the meanings of life and religion." -McNally Robinson
"Rai Aren and Tavius E. have crafted a fast-paced, exciting novel overflowing with mystery and intrigue. The tension is constant. The characters fully developed. And the plot gripping. Ancient history and present day relevance are so expertly intertwined, that you might forget you are reading a work of fiction." -- Thomas Phillips, author of The Molech Prophecy
I do like to take note of books that I enjoy, so here is my latest book review. It's on the novel, Pyramid, by Tom Martin:
Ancient wonders are the draw
This book had me hooked by the plot - an ancient mystery with dire warnings for the present, the settings - Peru & Egypt, and the genre - archaeological adventure/thriller. I have always been fascinated by ancient Egypt, so it was irresistible! I found Pyramid to be an easy read, fairly engaging, and enjoyable. The settings and sense of place were well done. I especially liked the focus on ancient history and mythology - those aspects of the story were fascinating.
I would have liked more follow-through for the book's antagonists and their mission, which started off strong, more impetus for the main characters to do what they were doing and for them to have made a bigger impact on the story's ending. Though they chased around the world (spending a lot of money on flights without specific aims), they didn't actually accomplish or affect much and the ending wasn't as strong as it could have been. I did like the main characters however and the pacing of the book was good.
Overall, I found Pyramid to be an entertaining read with a lot of interesting information presented. That for me was the book's strongest feature, so if you're like me and enjoy being entertained by ancient mysteries in an adventure setting, it's a good read. I liked it enough that I look forward to reading Tom Martin's next book, Kingdom:
Hey all you libraries, bookstores, other retailers & wholesalers out there - as part of the upgrade/revision process to our award-winning mystery novel, Secret of the Sands, we have registered the novel with the Library of Congress. The new version should be ready & on the market in a couple of weeks. This registration will make it easier for all of you to add us to your esteemed shelves and choose where to categorize the novel :)
Here is our info:
ISBN-10: 1-4196-7552-4 EAN-13: 978-1419675522
Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN): 2010904965
Book Industry Subject and Category (BISAC) codes for Secret of the Sands:
Those categories sum up very well some of the various genres and characteristics of this adventure story, which is suitable for ages 12 to 112, and is a little like mixing Indiana Jones with The Mummy with National Treasure. There are even shades of The Golden Compass and The Chronicles of Narnia in it...
For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, a frightening, yet awe-inspiring story unravels as archaeologists race against time to decipher an ancient truth...
I will let you all know as soon the new version of our ancient Egypt book, Secret of the Sands is available!
Happy reading always!
Rai Aren, co-author of the award-winning mystery novel SECRET OF THE SANDS
"A deep probing mystery riddled with prophecy and danger, Secret of the Sands uses Egypt and her mythology as a backdrop to delve into the meanings of life and religion." -McNally Robinson
"Rai Aren and Tavius E. have crafted a fast-paced, exciting novel overflowing with mystery and intrigue. The tension is constant. The characters fully developed. And the plot gripping. Ancient history and present day relevance are so expertly intertwined, that you might forget you are reading a work of fiction." -Thomas Phillips, author of The Molech Prophecy
I am very pleased and proud to announce that Canadian distributor, Red Tuque Books, has struck a deal to carry our award-winning mystery novel Secret of the Sands. This will more easily allow all of those super-cool Canadian bookstores & libraries to stock the book on their shelves.
Our ISBN for ordering is: 9781419675522
Here is our ad, which appears in their 2010 Spring catalogue:
Here is the link to the Red Tuque website where you can learn more about them:
They have been invited to present at the 2010 BC Library Conference on April 22nd, 23rd and 24th, where there will be representatives from about 350 BC libraries. If you are attending the conference, be sure to say hello to Red Tuque and ask about adding our Indiana-Jones style adventure novel to your shelves. Help support indie efforts & fellow Canadians by ordering from Red Tuque! :)
Don't forget, Secret of the Sands has undergone an upgrade, so it is even more polished & awesome than ever! The new version should be on the market in two weeks or less (I'll let you know as soon as it's there!).
Who would love it? Anyone from ages 12-112, people who love National Treasure, The Mummy movies, and Indiana Jones, readers who love suspense, adventure, alternate historical fiction, speculative sci-fi, unique mystery tales, and those who are fascinated by ancient Egypt and the enigmatic Great Sphinx of Giza…covers a lot of people, doesn't it?! That was the idea ;)
Happy reading always, my friends!
Rai Aren, co-author of the award-winning mystery novel SECRET OF THE SANDS
I am extremely pleased to announce that we have won two medals in the category of “Fiction-Mystery” in the Readers Favorite 2009 book contest: a silver medal for our mystery novel Secret of the Sands and a bronze medal for its upcoming sequel, Destiny of the Sands (coming in 2010!). How cool is that?!?! This is truly an honor for us and I am thrilled to say that we are now award-winning authors! Here is the link to the announcement:
It is immensely gratifying to receive this praise and to know that our stories resonate with readers and reviewers alike. It really is a dream come true… ☺
I just had to show off our super cool Certificates of Award:
I would also like to share the judge’s comments we received on each book:
Authors Rai Aren and Travius E. bring the ancient past to life. Secret of The Sands is a fast paced adventure reminding me of The Indiana Jones Series. The authors successfully weave the past and present together playing out two stories at once. In the past, we watch the story of King Traeus and Queen Axiana unfolds. There is strife in Traeus’’ kingdom. He builds a secret chamber under the Sphinx to hide a powerful machine that he hopes will help his people. In the present Archeology students, Mitch and Alex discover a box hidden in a secret chamber under the Sphinx. The box contains two scrolls and a metal unknown to humankind but predating the iron age. They more they learn the more they question. This is my kind of book. Please, please make a continuing series and a movie! The authors are extremely talented. I cannot praise this book enough. Fast paced, page turner, character development, fascinating plot…….what more could I ask for. – ReadersFavorite.com
DESTINY OF THE SANDS:
Destiny of the Sands is the second book in this series. The first book was Secret of The Sands. The story continues in 1941. The war continues and the mysterious box resurfaces. Mitch and Alex must return to once more study the strange alloy. The past and the future intertwine to create an adventure that the reader will not want to end. Danger lurks around every corner as the Nazis fight for world dominance. (The authors) allow reader to observe life in ancient Egypt and during WWI. There descriptions are fascinating. The characters are realistic. I was very partial to the ancient Egypt scenes. While the stories are parallel for me the past was almost hypnotic. I wanted to experience more. I hope there is another book in this series. – ReadersFavorite.com
I just joined LibraryThing this week, a very cool site for avid readers and writers. If you are also a member, do look me up & connect with me there. Here's the link to my profile:
I have, of course, added our adventure novel, Secret of the Sands to my profile. If you haven't already read it, I'd be honored if you would check it out :)
In the shadow of the Great Sphinx of Giza, two young archaeologists unearth extremely unusual artifacts over 12,000 years old, but the find is wrong - very wrong. The artifacts shouldn’t be there…they shouldn’t exist at all. The greatest discovery in human history may turn out to be the deadliest…
I wanted to pass the word along about a great initiative – Operation eBook Drop. It provides donated eBooks to soldiers serving overseas. I am always inspired to hear about how books can help bring some light into someone’s life. I signed up to donate copies of Secret of the Sands – our title, published by Bristlecone Pine Press, was recently listed in the OmniLit catalogue, which made this possible. Here’s the link to our book there:
Here is an article about it by Holly Christine in the Pittsburgh Book Examiner. You can find Holly on Twitter: Holly's Twitter page and here is the link to the article, which I have copied in below:
"Operation eBook Drop is the recent development of Edward C. Patterson, author of eight novels (The Jade Owl, most recently). In the Kindle forums, Patterson came across a US soldier stationed in Iraq. The soldier expressed an interest in downloading Patterson’s work, but couldn’t because Amazon’s Whispernet (the service Amazon uses to send eBook purchases to it’s Kindle counterpart) does not function in Iraq. The issue sparked an idea in Patterson, a frequent poster and respected member of the Kindle forums. After discovering that Kindle authors expressed an interest in making their work available for free to overseas soldiers, he concocted a plan to use Smashwords, utilizing the site’s coupon feature for free eBooks to soldiers.
Since the conception of Operation eBook Drop only a few days ago, over thirty-five independent authors have offered their work(s) for free to overseas U.S. soldiers. Smashwords quickly responded with Patterson in further developing the project, notifying nearly 1300 authors.
For now, authors interested in participating in the program are encouraged to email Patterson. Works must available through Smashwords with a 100% off coupon code. Soldiers interested in particular works will express their interest through Patterson. Patterson then notifies the author, who will then email the soldier links and coupon codes. Smashwords is currently working on an automated system to further the project development.
For more information or to get involved with the program, visit Smashwords for complete program details."
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If you are an author, I hope you will join us in this very worthy effort!
Happy reading, always, wherever you may be…
Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands
For 12,000 years a dark and deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, a frightening, yet awe-inspiring story unravels as archaeologists race against time to decipher an ancient truth... "A deep probing mystery riddled with prophecy and danger, Secret of the Sands uses Egypt and her mythology as a backdrop to delve into the meanings of life and religion." -McNally Robinson
"Rai Aren and Tavius E. have crafted a fast-paced, exciting novel overflowing with mystery and intrigue. The tension is constant. The characters fully developed. And the plot gripping. Ancient history and present day relevance are so expertly intertwined, that you might forget you are reading a work of fiction." -- Thomas Phillips, author of The Molech Prophecy
P.S. I thought I would share our video trailer with you:
Created by Rai Aren, co-author of Secret of the Sands, with help from her friend Tommy Taylor, author of The Second Virgin Birth.
Rai Aren's the co-author of the archaeology adventure novels The Secret of the Sands Trilogy, which explore the mysterious origins of the Great Sphinx of Giza:
For 12,000 years a dark & deadly secret has been hidden deep below the Great Sphinx of Giza. In present day Egypt, a frightening, yet awe-inspiring story unravels as archaeologists race against time to decipher an ancient truth...
Rai’s Ancient Quest Mystery series includes the novella Lost City of Gold & you can get it FREE by signing up to her mailing list: raiaren.com Her latest release is The Lost Metal Library.
