Vivid Intertwining of Bleeding Edge Technology & Multiple Worlds

It is a very imaginative premise - how would the God's leave information on life, the universe and everything for mankind ? What form would it take? That is the question Scarab sets out to answer, and the answer is mind boggling. From the sands of Giza, underneath the Sphinx, to the waters of the Mediterranean off of Greece, to the South African bush country, to the heart of London, the story travels across the globe as we follow not only the people involved in finding this lost cache of information from the Egyptian God's, but also, the other people who want to expose them. Along with all of these people is an assassin who is hired to kill the second set of people before any exposures can be done.

This book grips you in the first few pages, and sets a blistering pace until the very surprise twist at the end. I read it in a single sitting with no breaks because I just had to keep reading that next page. It would make a fabulous movie. The imagery is very visceral and easy to see in your mind's eye. The only reason why it's not five stars is the characterization. There were no real character arcs in the book, outside of our intrepid journalist, who falls in love. Our heroine does not change at all over the course of the story. Most characters are completely static and some are caricatures, the billionaire Greek for example. If the backstory of the protagonists had been richer, if we knew more about the assassin or the chip maker, or Jimmy, the story would have been much more of a give and take between flawed individuals instead of just direct interactions.

As it is, I still highly recommend the novel to science fiction and multiverse fans, as well as those who like a taste of Egypt in their novels, though a lot of the novel takes place elsewhere, it does directly relate to Egyptian history. 4.5 stars ( )