Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication date: April 2017
When a newly engaged couple climbs Mount Ararat in Turkey, an avalanche forces them to seek shelter inside a massive cave uncovered by the snow fall. The cave is actually an ancient, buried ship that many quickly come to believe is really Noah’s Ark. When a team of scholars, archaeologists, and filmmakers make it inside the ark for the first time, they discover an elaborate coffin in its recesses. The artifact tempts their professional curiosity; so they break it open. Inside, they find an ugly, misshapen cadaver—not the holy man that they expected, a hideous creature with horns. A massive blizzard blows in, trapping them in that cave thousands of meters up the side of a remote mountain…but they are not alone.
It's October and I have been in the mood for horror. I had high hopes for this book. While it fell a little short of my expectations, I did enjoy it. Ararat is the first book to feature Ben Walker. He is a secret agent for DARPA who is sent out to investigate odd discoveries to assess their usefulness as a weapon for or as a threat to the US government. When there is an earthquake in Turkey, he is sent to investigate a cave the might contain the elusive Noah's Ark.
The one thing that I did enjoy about this book was the way the author set the atmosphere. I could almost feel the cold snow and biting wind. I was immediately immersed in the tension and suspense that permeated the cave. There were a lot of characters and aside from our main character, Ben Walker, no one person was safe from anything or anyone. In a way it reminded me of the movie The Thing where you never know who to trust. I love books like that.
I did like Ben Walker as a main character. I felt like I got to know him and his motivations fairly well. I cared about whether he would be left alive in the end. I am looking forward to reading the next book that features him, The Pandora Room. As far as the horror aspect, it was a bit gory. If you don't like "blood and guts" murder, you won't like this one. That all being said, I did find it a little predictable, especially the little twist ending. It was exactly what I predicted would happen. In all, it was a good start to get me in a spooky mindset for the month.
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