The Sphinx

Area 51 #4

by Robert Doherty (Pseudonym)

From NY Times Bestselling Author Bob Mayer writing as Robert Doherty
Over 1.2 Million copies of Area 51 sold in print—also author of bestselling Atlantis series

*****Updated August 2011*****

Are there aliens among us?

Have the highest echelons of power already been breached?

The U.S. government knows--but they're not telling....

For thousands of years it has harbored mankind's greatest secret. Now someone or something has found the key to...The Sphinx.

No place is safe from alien infiltration. Not even top secret Area 51. Scientist Lisa Duncan and Special Forces officer Mike Turcotte know that better than anyone. Secrets have been revealed. Codes have been broken. A countdown has begun. Using alien technology, a group has gained control of a Star Wars satellite that could engulf the planet in a nuclear fire. With no room for error, Turcotte and Duncan must race to solve an ancient riddle and prevent a global catastrophe.

Joined by a secret band of renegades, Mike and Lisa must travel to Egypt in a frantic search for answers. There they make a startling the key to the mysterious Ark of the Covenant, a true record of mankind's origins. But the artifact is hidden deep within the inner sanctum of the Great Sphinx of Giza. And Lisa and Mike are not alone in their quest. An anthropologist is one step ahead of them, and aliens close behind, as hunters and hunted race to uncover the secret of the Sphinx. Even if it means Armageddon...

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Aliens, Thriller, Fantasy, Audiobook, Paranormal

388 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Pen name for Bob Mayer.

Reviews

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome back to the world of Area 51. I read the first 3 Area 51 thrillers a few years ago and also began reading Bob Mayer's Atlantis's series of books (6 books). Well, I finally knocked out that series earlier this year and decided to resume my assault on the Area 51 books. There were nine at the time I started, but #10 just came out (I won a free copy) and soon #11 will be out. If you like sci-fi thrillers with a little bit of Indiana Jones thrown in then gave this series a try. Maybe in a month or so I will take on book #5: The Grail.

[Lacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this on audio, and I zoned out a lot. I'm not sure if it was the reader or the fact that it's book 4 and I've never read any of the others and I felt like I was missing something. I didn't quite know what was going on.

[Maria Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing about these books in this series, you get to take a tour of various places in the globe. This one starts in 1855, in the Giza Plateau, with two men standing in front of the Sphinx talking. One of the two is Kafi a local Arab a caretaker for the area, and the other is an Englishman named Richard Francis Burton, an explorer who mastered multiple languages and traveled far to find his quest. His quest here was to find the Hall of Records. He was sent here by a person called Abdu Al-Iblis who had given him a medallion to help gain access with the promise to return to him and tell him what he found, but Burton had already decided not to, because of an instinctive mistrust of the man. Kaji finally agrees to take Burton inside but plans to lock him up in a space with no exit on the way out. Burton thwarts this by pushing Kali inside with him, which results in Kali dying from his crushed limb from the closing entry stone. When Kaji realizes death is near, he tells Burton what he knows with the promise to never tell another, figuring Burton will die entombed with him also, but Burton finds his way out via the Nile River which is the other entry into the Hall of Records.
In the present time, a satellite called Warfighter IV has been powered up to hit the Talonship with a Laser but suddenly is no longer being controlled by human hands and is locked in tangent orbit with the Talonship until it reaches a point above a target (a specific location in Area 51 containing the remains of the two dead STAAR members. A STAAR member called Etor has managed to destroy the space shuttle Atlantis as it was being ready to be launched, eliminating mankind's ability to space travel. STAAR contacts Area 51 and demands they be given the key or they will use the Russian satellite which has Colbat nuclear bombs to bomb the entire USA and gives them 48 hours to deliver it. Turcotte gets a call from STAAR's leader Lexima asking for the key which he agrees to if she releases Che Lu and Lo Fa at the same time. She has Elek do the pickup in a flying metal dragon ship and he gets both the key and the coffin but the coffin has more than just bones inside now. The clock is now less than three minutes and a standoff occurs until Lexima agrees to Turcotte's terms
Turcotte is given a Special Forces group whose only instructions he can give them is they are to be the "if things go crap" operation depending on each situation and he needs them to be able to handle placing nuclear backpack bombs. Turcotte takes the team and Yakov to Station IV to investigate what was still there and figure out what was taken. He finds out it was a control box which explains how STAAR can control the Talonship, but Yakov thinks the KGB has hidden artifacts that may contain the key they are looking for called the Spear of Destiny, which means they have to go to Moscow to get it. Unfortunately, they are partially betrayed by one of The Ones Who Wait, who causes them to dig out to find the Archive storage where they find what they came for, then Turcotte calls for rescue. But Yakov has a tracker on him which is not discovered until they return to Area 51.
Meanwhile, an anthropologist named Mualama is in Brazil, looking for the Devil's Throat which at this time is in the middle of a swift-running river. He finds it and dives under it for a spot he was told from his research has an underground dry cave that something hidden there. His group is attacked while he is there underwater by a group of tribesmen led by a tall stranger, who has the tribesmen take the bodies of those they had killed as an attraction for the piranhas who roam the river. Mualama is saved by the sacrifice made by his guide to lead the fish away while he floated over to the other side of the river downstream behind the fish. The Mission strikes again. Mualama had returned to Africa and enlisted his nephew Lago to help him reach his next site which required climbing up a mountain through both jungle and cold ice snow terrain, Mount Speke. There he finds another cave under an ice wall of icicles, called the Devil"s Veil. He now has the entire written manuscript of Burton, which has to be translated. But He learns from the drawings he needs to go to Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. There using a surveyor's scope to triangulated, they start digging in a 10-meter area, while discussing the possibility of this crater being the remains of the sister to Kilimanjaro. After two hours of digging, they hit a metal that is colored red with markings of high runes. After another few hours, they manage to uncover and pull out the red marker stone and find underneath a black metal pod which had been buried for about ten thousand years. Inside is a skeleton seven feet tall, with long arms and legs, plus the facial bones were different than human, elongated with deep eye sockets. It had a crown made of gold with a large black gem set in the middle plus a slender rod, a foot-long, two inches thick, with one end of the rod holding ahead of a lion with ruby-red eyes. Mualama sends his nephew to call UNAOC and to have them send someone who knew Nabinger. Duncan gets him plus what he discovered rescued back to Area 51 but his nephew is killed. After everyone is calmed down and talking, Mualama discloses what he knows and suggests they go to Giza and go into the area under the Sphinx with the key he has to open the Hall of Records. They get past all the people protesting their presence there and are taken inside by another Kafi, where they find out only one of them can enter wearing the special robes and cap so Duncan is selected to go into the Hall of Records, leaving Mualama and Kafi waiting.
A Guide group lead by a man who calls himself Guide Parker, hires a ship from Tazmania to take them to Easter Island. A message has been sent out from that island supposedly from Kelly Reynolds, claiming the Airlia are friends and mankind should let the Airlia take care of their problems unhindered by man's interference. The Secretary of Defense is killed by the Guide member. Slowly Kelly Reynolds gets herself from under the control of the guardian on Easter Island but she can't stop the events that occur when the guardian starts to use the nanotechnology left on the island to its benefit. The first thing it does is let a glider into the shield to land and converts it to its design with nanotech virus metal and sends it back to the carrier U.S.Washington which causes the ship to beach onto the island taking a third of its crew too, but there's a gap in the shield now in the space created on the bottom shelf by the ship grinding the bottom area. Kelly Reynolds sends a coded message that lets them know she is free from control by the guardian and information that the guardians are not connected together but there is a master guardian somwhere on Earth.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, really liked the new character of Mualama. Very cool to spend some time in Egypt and the pyramids and sphinx. I'm not quite sure why new characters always have to be introduced, I'd be more than happy to just stay with Lisa and Mike. But, at least in this case, Mualama was a good addition and his quest was intriguing (not always the case in previous books). I will say the ending definitely made me want to continue on to the next book in the series, The Grail.

[Dustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tense and exciting installment in the series. Again the main characters are strong, the dialogue is mostly on point (there are a few "as you know..." type exchanges that don't quite feel natural), and the action is exciting.
My biggest complaint is the redundancy of information that is repeated from book to book, but I'm reading these all back to back and not spread out over a pre-wikipedia decade like they were written so it can be somewhat forgiven. The loving descriptions of military gear porn are back but at this point I'm just going to accept that as part of the author's style.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must say this was the best of book of the series so far. There were still some edit/spelling mistakes for some reason more abundant that I am used to seeing in books.

There were some interesting theories in this book. I thought they are somewhat plausible even. I do recommend reading the first 3 books first to have the most understanding of what is going on with all the characters.

I've already started on the next book. I just had to know what would happen next.

[Shawn Deal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book of the series. This is the middle book of the series and reads like a middle book. This doesn't have an exact ending, this is a set up novel for the books that come next. A lot of characters in this novel, much more than the previous four. Lots of changing scenes as we go from character to character. It is a good book, but moves around a lot. I had to refer back several times to try and make sure I knew who the author was talking about.

[Carlos Trevino · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book was a decent read, but this one made reading it worth it. I very much liked how they kept the story fresh with great plot twists and the addition of Mualama, his discoveries, the Russian aspect of the story, and fact that we as readers still haven't had the whole alien background story revealed even now has me pretty antsy to open up the fifth book

[Shaft · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is it cheesy? Like a deep pan pizza.

Still it is engaging and the lore is right there and interesting I keep threatening to crack a textbook and find out a little more about ancient civilisations because I keep hearing about them here. Like Axom for instance. If you like Sci-Fi it is worth a try.

[Maurice Y Khang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best in the Series So Far

With the introduction of Professor Mualama, yet another interesting character, this edition took on a historical Indiana Jones perspective that I loved. As the story switched from one character to another, I couldn't decide which subplot I liked best. Well done!

[Walter Boomsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I might be hooked on the series... I continue to find it challenging to "keep up" with the locations and groups. The ending of this book, like the previous is a bit weak, perhaps intentionally to maintain the reader's interest. I do find myself questioning whether or not the individual book(s) are "standalone." Even with the prologue, there's just so much background that it is difficult to "keep up." My DW, who is a voracious reader, has given up. She accidentally skipped one book and ended up quite confused.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Story That Never Ends ... Yikes!

This book series is straying very, very far away from its Area 51 beginnings. Not all of the plot is a “good thing” — and, indeed, there are a lot of strange things occurring that will stretch your imagination or willing suspension of disbelief.

I have resorted to “only” a 3-star rating because this tale just continues on and on and on and on, without any apparent ending.

[Jacques Hollands · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another "meh" book in the series. I'm finding it incredibly frustrating. It has all the elements I enjoy in a good book, but somehow it too just lacks a bit of lustre.

It isn't badly written, but the characters seem to fade in and out. As I have pointed out in reviews of previous books in the series, Sphinx was also besieged by poor flow of the story. Events seem to happen out of the blue and one is often surprised by events that seemingly weren't discussed earlier on.

[George Fodor · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the plot kept me interested, Doherty's military techno jargon/lingo challenge the reader to keep pace--you kind of have to take his word for it. Also, as the book progresses, there's a lot of moving around among places/scenes to depict nearly simultaneous activities. For me, a slow reader (by choice), this requires longer reading times than that provided by my DC Metro commute.

[Bruce Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Think we can’t get to this state?

Had read this book a few years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to believe that the governments of he world could be so riddled with spies, plants, and just plain incompetents. Now, yeah, perfect;y plausible. Another great novel in the series by Bob Meyer.

[M. Sprouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series keeps the action coming. "Area 51: The Sphinx is as good as any of the previous books. Usually, in sci-fi series of this length it is slow and drawn out. Fortunately, so far the Area 51 series is not like that. The plot builds on the other books, but is also fresh and different. It's definitely worth the read, but start with book #1.

[Elizabeth Adkisson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better and Better

This series just keeps getting better and better. I'm excited there are several more books in the series to read. On to the next one.

[Larissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how he brings together so many different elements into a story where it all fits. Things just keep building, I can't wait to see how things go.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable continuation of the series. Well written and organized and action packed.

[Julie Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book of the series. I love the adventures in the Amazon and the mysteries of Egypt. The ending is way too abrupt, though. It's definitely setting up for the next one.

[R R Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable Read

I'm on my second read through and very much still enjoying it
The story moves along nicely and I personally like the writing

[Noodle The Naughty Night Owl · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10: Excellent read, well written, fell right into the fictional world created.

“You are learning. Paranoid is good. Paranoid keeps you alive.”

[Kathleen Lubbers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exhilarating!

LOVE the story line! Well developed characters, the plots thicken and I can't put this series down! Narration is very good. The author's expertise is weaving interesting historical facts with fiction- aliens !

[Pruitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the fourth book in the Area 51 series by Robert Doherty (which is a pen name of writer Bob Mayer). I've read the previous three books, and like them, I enjoyed reading this. It's a pretty easy to read, action-oriented story that moves along. As with any long series, you'll have books that are really setting up greater action later in the Series, and that's what I felt this one was when I finished. It has it's own quest, but that quest is obviously just a small piece of the overall matter at hand, this time it's finding a couple of "Keys" which are actually Ancient Alien artifacts from a race known as the Arlia, but seem to open some previously closed areas.

The book again features the surviving cast of characters from the first book, Area 51, as well as a few new ones introduced in the following 3 books, including this one. The two main characters to this point in the story still have been Major Turcotte, and Dr. Duncan, but the other characters all play important parts to the story too, and it looks like some of them will have even larger roles in the next few books.

This book continued to touch on events that take place at Area 51. On, and around, Easter Island. At the Chinese Tomb located at Quian-Ling. And also makes a return to the Giza Plateau. All while trying to keep the planet safe, and also trying to unravel the mystery of the alien, Arlians, their agents on Earth, and those agencies while have fought against them for thousands of years. It'll be interesting to see what happens in the next one. I know I'm looking forward to reading it. :)

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been several months since I've read the third book in the Area 51 series, but it was quite easy to pick up the baton in this fourth book. Mayer has an easy-reading writing style that carries you along quickly through the story. There is plenty of action, characterization, and description, but not too much when it's not needed.

The Sphinx opens in the mid-1800s in Egypt, where an explorer, Burton, is seeking knowledge, and he wants to find out about the Sphinx. In current times, another explorer is following Burton's cryptic clues to find...The Answer (to Something). And then there's Lexxa threatening to destroy America (as if! wait, could she really?). Escapades ensue, and a race against the clock is enjoined.

The overall tone of this book seemed to be different from its predecessors, and with the non-ending ending, it seems understandable (mostly). With the revelation of the Airlia's influence on Earth's population previously discovered, The Sphinx seems more concerned with how humanity deals with this knowledge. The big question seems to be, given two different (opposing) accounts of how something happened, which one should you believe? It becomes slightly less academic when your acceptance of one or the other could determine not only your fate, but the fate of the entire planet's population. Choose wisely (please!).

I look forward to the next book in the series and highly recommend this one. Clearly, you need to have started at the beginning of the series for optimal appreciation.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

After my somewhat lukewarm reaction to the first three books of this series, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The balance of character, plot, and setting was much improved and the whole novel fairly hummed along. I especially enjoyed the sections involving the character of Mualama as he follows in the footsteps of one of the greatest real world explorer/adventurers of all time, Sir Richard Francis Burton. Perhaps it is my genuine interest in that great personage that assisted my overall positive reception to this volume of the Area 51 series.

But no, it's more than that The two main characters of the series, scientist Lisa Duncan and Special Forces officer, Mike Turcotte, were better developed characters this time around. Where they were sort of annoying before, this time they were interesting. And their supporting characters were rather intriguing. The plot itself picks up from volume three and moves on at break-neck pace, taking place over the course of 48 hours.

The author (Robert Doherty is a pseudonym for Bob Mayer) is adept at blending science fiction concepts of aliens and their advanced technology with military operations as well as historical events, leading to a nice mash-up of genres and an overall good story. Looking forward to the next book in this series.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series is awesome. There's everything my soul ever wanted :) Ancient artifacts, UFOs, mysterious events, strange objects, danger, the world on the brink of annihilation - and lots of action! And inside all that, a small group of people who have no one to trust but themselves, people with high morals (of course :)) and incredible courage who (as it is in every popular thriller/sci-fi) are doing their best to save the day. Thumbs up! I love the change of locations - from the pyramids of Egypt to Qian Ling in China, from the forests of Amazonia to Antarctic, and then back to Area 51 in US or the vicinity of Easter Island. And there are plenty of historical facts woven inside the fictitious events and characters. A real treat!

[Mark Henrikson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second verse; same as the first.

Book four was the last I read in this series. It's not like the author jumped the shark or anything. Its just that the characters were no longer interesting, not developed at all during series. The plot line of aliens on earth had already been done pretty well in prior books in the series and the author was just stretching the material at this point.

Nothing really bad about the book, just nothing really good either. I got off the train at this stop. Thanks for the ride Mr Mayer.

[Donald]

Aliens or alien-human hybrids are threatening to use a long-abandoned soviet space-based nuclear weapon to attack the United States unless the folks at Area 51 provide them a "key" hidden on Earth long ago. Unfortunately, the Area 51 folks don't have the key and don't know where it is - but they have 48 hours to find it. The book follows the adventures of the Area 51 team in searching the planet for this alien artifact!

[Stony Graves · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read. I love the 'Ancient Astronaut' theories woven into the reality of this novel. The author does write military style fiction also, and this novel reads that way. Too many tech terms and dry, monotonous descriptions of weaponry. THE SPHINX ends with a cliffhanger of George R.R. Martin proportions, which totally rocks in my opinion.