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Editorial Content for The Third Gate

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

The God-king Narmer was a Pharaoh who united upper and lower Egypt over 5,000 years ago. Thought to be the successor to the Pharaoh’s Scorpion and Ka, he became the first leader of unified Egypt. Along with his wife, Neithhotep, the two ruled Egypt and quickly became legends. However, it is not what they did during their life that drives the plot of Lincoln Child’s latest novel, THE THIRD GATE. Rather, it is what they left behind them after their death that is the true stuff of legend. Specifically, their buried tomb is rumored to contain a prize that has been sought for countless centuries.

"THE THIRD GATE is an ideal summer beach read. It presents a roller-coaster ride of excitement and unearthly chills that will please both [Childs'] loyal readers and first-timers looking for a great literary adventure."

It is at this point when historical legend meets speculative fiction. World-famous explorer and multi-millionaire Porter Stone is determined to unearth this legendary tomb and bask in the riches alleged to lie within. Porter is a larger-than-life character, sort of a Ted Turner meets Steve “The Crocodile Hunter” Irwin. He and his band of highly-paid explorers find themselves in one of the most remote and dangerous dig sites on the planet --- the swampy marshland known as The Sudd.

The vast swamp located in South Sudan is completely uninhabitable and untraversable, but this does not stop the great Porter Stone. He goes and builds a floating mini-scientific village on the surface of The Sudd; the free-floating archeological base is manned by some of the most expensive equipment and scientific minds working in the field today. They are there for one reason --- Stone believes the tomb of King Narmer is buried in the muck of The Sudd.

This is where our hero, Professor Jeremy Logan, comes into play. A world-renowned enigmologist, Logan possesses a unique specialty not presently found on The Sudd mission. He has made a living and garnered quite a reputation as someone who studies and interprets bizarre and inexplicable enigmas and events. There has been plenty of this during The Sudd mission, resulting in tragedy and death. There is an alleged curse on all who attempt to open up King Narmer’s tomb, and Logan’s job is to refute the tragic occurrences on the mission as being mere accidents and not a part of Narmer’s supernatural reach from beyond the grave. As more strange occurrences take place, Logan is challenged to debunk what he is seeing firsthand and quickly realizes that all of their lives are in terrible danger.

What Lincoln Child does best, whether writing solo or with Douglas Preston, is to create enormously readable thrillers that are packed with well-researched scientific and historical premises. THE THIRD GATE is an ideal summer beach read. It presents a roller-coaster ride of excitement and unearthly chills that will please both his loyal readers and first-timers looking for a great literary adventure.

Teaser

 

An archaeological team is secretly attempting to locate the tomb of an ancient pharaoh in the Sudd, a nearly impassable swamp in northern Sudan. They find what is believed to be the god-king Narmer's tomb and hope to find within it his legendary crown, which supposedly possessed awesome powers. A series of inexplicable occurrences are causing people to fear a curse, and it is up to Professor Jeremy Logan to answer the questions being raised with the alarm.

Promo

Professor Jeremy Logan --- renowned investigator of the strange and the inexplicable --- is called to an excavation set in a nearly impenetrable Egyptian swamp. The treasure that lies beneath allegedly bears a curse that threatens the lives of all who attempt to unearth it, and Logan is there to help debunk the supernatural events that seem to be happening with increasing frequency.

About the Book

Under the direction of famed explorer Porter Stone, an archaeological team is secretly attempting to locate the tomb of an ancient pharaoh who was unlike any other in history. Stone believes he has found the burial chamber of King Narmer, the near mythical god- king who united upper and lower Egypt in 3200 B.C., and the archaeologist has reason to believe that the greatest prize of all --- Narmer’s crown --- might be buried with him. No crown of an Egyptian king has ever been discovered, and Narmer’s is the elusive “double” crown of the two Egypts, supposedly pos­sessed of awesome powers.

The dig itself is located in one of the most forbidding places on earth --- the Sudd, a nearly  impassable swamp in north­ern Sudan. Amid the nightmarish, disorienting tangle of mud and dead vegetation, a series of harrowing and inexpli­cable occurrences are causing people on the expedition to fear a centuries- old curse. With a monumental discovery in reach, Professor Jeremy Logan is brought onto the project to investigate. What he finds will raise new questions... and alarm.

In the hands of master storyteller Lincoln Child, THE THIRD GATE breaks new ground and introduces a fascinating new protagonist to the thriller world.