The Third Gate

Starred review from April 9, 2012
Bestseller Child (Terminal Freeze) more than succeeds in making a mummy’s curse terrifying in this superb supernatural thriller. Yale medieval history professor Jeremy Logan has such a reputation as a professional “enigmalogist” (someone who investigates ghosts and mythic creatures) that wealthy treasure hunter Porter Stone recruits Logan to assist his team with a dangerous excavation in Egypt. Stone believes he’s found the location of the tomb of Narmer, a legendary pharaoh, but it’s in the forbidding area known as the Sudd, a huge inaccessible swamp. Stone’s expedition has been plagued by a series of bizarre events, from equipment failure to the disappearance of 200 pounds of meat, occurrences that may be the result of a warning Narmer inscribed in stone of the fate awaiting those who violate his final resting place. Child evokes fear through understatement, and his characters are much more than the paper-thin puppets of similarly themed novels. Readers will hope to see more of Logan in a sequel. Agent: Eric Simonoff, William Morris Endeavor.

May 1, 2012
When setting out to investigate Near-Death Experiences, it's best to employ an "enigmalogist." In Child's (Terminal Freeze, 2009, etc.) latest adventure, Dr. Jeremy Logan, Yale professor of Medieval History, has the right resume, and his new client, H. Porter Stone, provides the enigma. Stone is the James Cameron of treasure hunters, and his current dig seeks the "holy grail of Egyptology," the secrets of the tomb (cursed, no doubt) of Narmer, the Pharaoh who united Egypt and became its first God-King. Logan is the man for the job, having exorcised ghosts and discovered links to legendary treasures around the globe, and thus he has Stone's respect and support. That means Logan is soon ensconced atop the Sudd, a vast primeval swamp beyond the far southern reaches of the Nile. There, Stone has constructed a fabulous floating exploratory complex, attempting to burrow 45 feet through a near-impenetrable mishmash of muddy water, "mire, and silt, and particulate matter, and foul decay as old as the oldest tomb," to find the three chambers of Narmer's legendary tomb. There are assorted characters in play, none beyond stock, including Jennifer Rush, wife of the head of the Center for Transmortality Studies. Ethan Rush is Logan's former classmate and his contact on this escapade. Jennifer was returned from post-car crash dead after 14 minutes, apparently equipped to indulge a representation of the soul of Queen Niethotep, Narmer's devious and ambitious consort. Niethotep speaks through Jennifer to apply the requisite curse. Stone and company defiantly access the funeral chambers, the quest for knowledge and fame outweighing superstition. There are drownings, deaths, methane explosions, and repercussions between Stone, the techno-types and the obligatory attractive young female Egyptologist. Ample gadgetry, New Age soul-shifting, and pyrotechnics sufficient to employ a stable of stuntmen when brought to film: Child's newest is the sort of thing to delight all those who got wrapped up in The Mummy. Think, a Dan Brown-ian adventure amongst Pharaohs ready with a pocket full of curses.

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2011

Back in 3200 B.C.E, King Narmer united Upper and Lower Egypt. Now, deep in the Sudd, a nasty swamp in northern Sudan, explorer Peter Stone is directing an archaeological dig aimed at uncovering Narmer's tomb. When folks on the dig get worried about an ancient curse, Stone brings in Professor Jeremy Logan (you'll remember him from brief appearances in Deep Storm and Terminal Freeze). Looks as if we may be seeing more of Logan; meanwhile, this is obviously one of the big thrillers of the season.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2012
Jeremy Logan, a character who appeared in a minor role in two earlier Child novels, takes center stage here. Logan is a history professor whose speciality is enigmalogy, the study of puzzling, bizarre, or paranormal eventshauntings, the Loch Ness Monster, etc. (the term appears to be a made-up coinage, a spin-off, perhaps, of the real discipline of enigmatology). Here Logan is recruited by famed treasure hunter Porter Stone to investigate some curious events that have occurred following the unearthing of the tomb of an Egyptian pharaoh. Is this an ancient curse or the work of modern-day villains? Child, who with his longtime writing partner, Douglas Preston, is responsible for the Special Agent Pendergast and Gideon Crew novels, has had quite a bit of success with his solo efforts, and this one should also do well. Its characters are well drawn (Logan is a dogged investigator, and Stone is appropriately, um, enigmatic), and the mystery is nicely handled, keeping readers guessing as to whether something supernatural is going on here. Of the author's solo novels, this could be the best so far.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)