Review of The Eater of Gods by Dan Franklin
A.E. Jackson Review Score: 3 / 5 Ravens
How was this review scored?
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.
Read more from Dan Franklin at https://www.danfranklinauthor.com and find him on social media at Facebook(@DanFranklinAuthor).