What do you think?
Rate this book
Lost Sols Trilogy #1
Ancient Treasure
Maria's archaeological work had finally paid off. Her life long goal of proving aliens had visited Earth in the distant past was about to be realized. On her way to the newly discovered Prime Pyramid she died under mysterious circumstances.
She had raised her grandson Vincent after both his parents died. Vincent is compelled to continue the work of his grandmother and to uncover the truth about her death with the help of his powerful uncle Enzo. His quest to prove the existence of ancient astronauts will take him into the solar system and beyond. The quest will lead him to Mars, Atlantis, the pyramids, Roswell, and a lost ancient Martian civilization. With help from his uncle and the crew of the Constellation, he will try to unlock the reasons behind the ancient visitations and to find out the secrets of new found alien technology.
An oppressive United States Government controlled by corporate greed has hidden and covered up all evidence of an alien presence throughout the solar system. Personal freedom has been taken, and the government will eliminate anyone who would dare try to unlock the power and secrets of the past. Secrets which include where the aliens went.
She had raised her grandson Vincent after both his parents died. Vincent is compelled to continue the work of his grandmother and to uncover the truth about her death with the help of his powerful uncle Enzo. His quest to prove the existence of ancient astronauts will take him into the solar system and beyond. The quest will lead him to Mars, Atlantis, the pyramids, Roswell, and a lost ancient Martian civilization. With help from his uncle and the crew of the Constellation, he will try to unlock the reasons behind the ancient visitations and to find out the secrets of new found alien technology.
An oppressive United States Government controlled by corporate greed has hidden and covered up all evidence of an alien presence throughout the solar system. Personal freedom has been taken, and the government will eliminate anyone who would dare try to unlock the power and secrets of the past. Secrets which include where the aliens went.
359 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 9, 2014
46 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
James Kirk Bisceglia
3 books8 followers James Kirk Bisceglia was born in Tacoma Washington in July of 1969. Since he was young he always has had a fascination with astronomy, science fiction, and the possibility of advanced alien civilizations. He's been influenced by many authors who are too numerous to mention. Ancient Treasure and the Lost Sols Trilogy was a project he had been envisioning for many years. The encouragement and support of family and friends was greatly appreciated as he began his career as an author. When he was given the name James Kirk in 1969 an interest in space was destined.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 26, 2019
Did astronauts come from other worlds to visit Earth generations ago and could that possibility be proved? Following Vincent on his journey tp prove the truth of the past, readers are in for an incredible journey that goes to some extraordinary places to find the truth. This book is great for sci-fi fans and even those who lean more toward sci-fact.
September 30, 2018
Sociopathic Vulcan-like humans kill without issue
I wanted to like this book, but it was simply bad. The author seemed inexperienced. All dialogue is one paragraph. There are numerous grammar errors. The dialogue is very "just the facts, ma'am" even when people are bleeding to death. It's a mess that wasn't ready to be published. The rest of my review will contain spoilers.
The Good.
Some alien tech ideas were inventive. I especially like how mood contacts were used in interrogation.
Hiding a kidnapped man in a grizzly bear carcass was funny.
The Bad.
Grammar and all editing. There's even a note from a beta reader, in a callout box no less, that wasn't deleted from the finished product. It occurs late in the book.
Monique was easily captured, folds in under two minutes of interrogation, then becomes a valued member of Vincent's crew.
The characters easily come up solutions to their insane problems by thinking out loud. They're using stolen alien technology, but always quickly surmise the best course of action.
Dialogue is atrocious. A character nearly has her leg blown off and calmly states that prosthetics don't impact quality of life as the doctor (who brought up the amputation subject) is still wrapping bandages. She later is simply content when alien tech reviews her leg.
The characters (none soldiers) have no problems slaughtering their enemies. PTSD doesn't exist in this book despite the scientists murdering dozens, if not hundreds of people.
The Technical.
There's lots of head hopping.
I wanted to like this book, but it was simply bad. The author seemed inexperienced. All dialogue is one paragraph. There are numerous grammar errors. The dialogue is very "just the facts, ma'am" even when people are bleeding to death. It's a mess that wasn't ready to be published. The rest of my review will contain spoilers.
The Good.
Some alien tech ideas were inventive. I especially like how mood contacts were used in interrogation.
Hiding a kidnapped man in a grizzly bear carcass was funny.
The Bad.
Grammar and all editing. There's even a note from a beta reader, in a callout box no less, that wasn't deleted from the finished product. It occurs late in the book.
Monique was easily captured, folds in under two minutes of interrogation, then becomes a valued member of Vincent's crew.
The characters easily come up solutions to their insane problems by thinking out loud. They're using stolen alien technology, but always quickly surmise the best course of action.
Dialogue is atrocious. A character nearly has her leg blown off and calmly states that prosthetics don't impact quality of life as the doctor (who brought up the amputation subject) is still wrapping bandages. She later is simply content when alien tech reviews her leg.
The characters (none soldiers) have no problems slaughtering their enemies. PTSD doesn't exist in this book despite the scientists murdering dozens, if not hundreds of people.
The Technical.
There's lots of head hopping.
September 15, 2018
Too many issues
The premise- aliens visited earth and the rest of the solar system millennia ago- is a familiar one that has lots of potential.
Unfortunately, the writing hurt the story.
The characters have no real consistency. The main character starts as a simple archaeologist who suddenly becomes a starship captain on his first trip into space. Nobody has a consistent moral compass- one character designs a booby trap bomb, has a moment of emotional conflict over killing the bad guyd, giving us maybe a flash of ptsd or some kind of emotional depth, but it's resolved within a paragraph of kind words and she's back to manning the weapons station.
Speaking of the bad guys, the "shadow government as bad guys" trope is fine, but this book takes it to absurd extremes. The US is still a nominal democracy, but absolutely EVERYONE who works for the government is shown as one-dimensionally evil, from the CIA agents to the air force to the FBI. One character sneeringly says "the US is the most powerful nation on earth, we can do whatever we want," and government operatives openly kill and torture citizens by the hundreds. Except, of course, the female FBI agent who starts by trying to blow up civilian aircraft with a missile and killing the main character's relative, but in the span of one chapter goes from prisoner too dangerous to be left alive to trusted crewmember, and by the end of the book, the love interest.
Then there's the writing. When writing dialogue, the rule is a new paragraph each time there's a new speaker. You take that for granted until you see what it looks like when the rule is broken. In this book, multiple characters' dialogue is mashed together in single paragraphs, making it difficult to follow the conversations. Less disruptive but still noticeable, occasionally the POV changes suddenly from one paragraph to the next; I had to reread sections a few times to follow it.
The premise- aliens visited earth and the rest of the solar system millennia ago- is a familiar one that has lots of potential.
Unfortunately, the writing hurt the story.
The characters have no real consistency. The main character starts as a simple archaeologist who suddenly becomes a starship captain on his first trip into space. Nobody has a consistent moral compass- one character designs a booby trap bomb, has a moment of emotional conflict over killing the bad guyd, giving us maybe a flash of ptsd or some kind of emotional depth, but it's resolved within a paragraph of kind words and she's back to manning the weapons station.
Speaking of the bad guys, the "shadow government as bad guys" trope is fine, but this book takes it to absurd extremes. The US is still a nominal democracy, but absolutely EVERYONE who works for the government is shown as one-dimensionally evil, from the CIA agents to the air force to the FBI. One character sneeringly says "the US is the most powerful nation on earth, we can do whatever we want," and government operatives openly kill and torture citizens by the hundreds. Except, of course, the female FBI agent who starts by trying to blow up civilian aircraft with a missile and killing the main character's relative, but in the span of one chapter goes from prisoner too dangerous to be left alive to trusted crewmember, and by the end of the book, the love interest.
Then there's the writing. When writing dialogue, the rule is a new paragraph each time there's a new speaker. You take that for granted until you see what it looks like when the rule is broken. In this book, multiple characters' dialogue is mashed together in single paragraphs, making it difficult to follow the conversations. Less disruptive but still noticeable, occasionally the POV changes suddenly from one paragraph to the next; I had to reread sections a few times to follow it.
May 14, 2020
Full disclosure… I was drawn to the Lost Sols trilogy because I have a passion for archaeology, and I am a big fan of the TV show "Ancient Aliens." Since there is little to no chance I will get to visit the great archaeological sites around the world, through this program, I get to see them. This program has also introduced me to places and cultures heretofore unknown to me.
Right out of the gate, I was disappointed in the book… not the story, but the layout. There is a reason dialog is separated into multiple paragraphs. It is done for readability. Dialog here is presented as a single paragraph which makes following who is speaking when most difficult. Despite this, I soldiered on. Ancient aliens… Archaeology… you can see why.
ANCIENT TREASURES seems to be set in 2038, the very near distant future. Michael Louis is President of the United States. Space travel is in the public and military sectors, and aliens are a subject that can get you killed by direct order of the President. I vacillated between giving this book a 3 or a 4-star review. There is no doubt that without the formatting problems with the dialog, I would give this book a 4-star review, but I think that under the circumstances 3 stars is fair.
Right out of the gate, I was disappointed in the book… not the story, but the layout. There is a reason dialog is separated into multiple paragraphs. It is done for readability. Dialog here is presented as a single paragraph which makes following who is speaking when most difficult. Despite this, I soldiered on. Ancient aliens… Archaeology… you can see why.
ANCIENT TREASURES seems to be set in 2038, the very near distant future. Michael Louis is President of the United States. Space travel is in the public and military sectors, and aliens are a subject that can get you killed by direct order of the President. I vacillated between giving this book a 3 or a 4-star review. There is no doubt that without the formatting problems with the dialog, I would give this book a 4-star review, but I think that under the circumstances 3 stars is fair.
April 28, 2021
This is the first book I read from this author and let me tell you that I loved it! Such a good book with great characters that keeps you obsessed with every page since the first one. The ending of this book.. come on! I just didn´t expect it! Can´t wait to read other books from this great writer! Amazing job! a must-read! A fantastic book that has it all! I happily endorse this story to any and all who are looking for a sci-fi enjoyable read and a completely different experience than anyone could imagine on their own. ¡Great book!
February 4, 2020
Read whole trilogy in a week!!!
I did...all 3 in a week. After I finished I went back and read this one (the 1st) again because I could appreciate it even more and it was even better the second time especially with it all coming full circle in #3.
If you're open minded and willing to (even if it's just for the sake of a really great well rounded fun story that's well thought out) entertain the "What if" or "Wouldn't that be something" or even better "Now THAT makes sense" when it comes to our beginnings, unexplained artifacts, ufo reports & why aliens haven't come said hi....then this will all around our world 🌎 to Mars and even farther.....
I did...all 3 in a week. After I finished I went back and read this one (the 1st) again because I could appreciate it even more and it was even better the second time especially with it all coming full circle in #3.
If you're open minded and willing to (even if it's just for the sake of a really great well rounded fun story that's well thought out) entertain the "What if" or "Wouldn't that be something" or even better "Now THAT makes sense" when it comes to our beginnings, unexplained artifacts, ufo reports & why aliens haven't come said hi....then this will all around our world 🌎 to Mars and even farther.....
January 14, 2024
intriguing story, lacking depth.
Could use better editing, the dialogue formatting on kindle was quite confusing.
A couple times the material “tratium” was spell checked to tritium which is confusing if you know what tritium is.. overall I loved the story. It felt a bit rushed and could have been twice as long if there was more imaginative descriptions of the scenes.
Could use better editing, the dialogue formatting on kindle was quite confusing.
A couple times the material “tratium” was spell checked to tritium which is confusing if you know what tritium is.. overall I loved the story. It felt a bit rushed and could have been twice as long if there was more imaginative descriptions of the scenes.
October 1, 2020
Intriguing concepts and fast paced action. I had a hard time with the dialogue - it seemed wooden and hard to follow in places. But, the space travel was done well.
September 2, 2014
Review of Ancient Treasure by James Bisceglia
Ancient Treasure is the story of a young Archaeologist named Vincent who is trying to validate the work of his late grandmother by proving that earth has indeed been visited by an advanced race from other parts of the Universe.
With the help of family members and new friends Vincent goes on an adventure to prove his grandmother wasn’t a crackpot; an adventure that raises questions about Mars, advanced alien technology, Atlantis and ancient treasure that the government is determined to keep buried indefinitely.
This story has a very interesting plot and the characters are quirky and fun. Even in intense moments the characters are likable. Ancient Treasure was engaging from the beginning and I read it in one sitting. The only complaint I have about the book is that I feel the author did more telling than showing in some parts of the story. Maybe if the author had fleshed out the back story a little more some of the elements of the story could have been revealed better as opposed to just telling us what things meant.
Otherwise, it was an interesting read with a good amount of twist, turns and drama that kept me up reading all night. I am actually looking forward to book 2 so that I can find out what the crew is up to next.
Ancient Treasure is the story of a young Archaeologist named Vincent who is trying to validate the work of his late grandmother by proving that earth has indeed been visited by an advanced race from other parts of the Universe.
With the help of family members and new friends Vincent goes on an adventure to prove his grandmother wasn’t a crackpot; an adventure that raises questions about Mars, advanced alien technology, Atlantis and ancient treasure that the government is determined to keep buried indefinitely.
This story has a very interesting plot and the characters are quirky and fun. Even in intense moments the characters are likable. Ancient Treasure was engaging from the beginning and I read it in one sitting. The only complaint I have about the book is that I feel the author did more telling than showing in some parts of the story. Maybe if the author had fleshed out the back story a little more some of the elements of the story could have been revealed better as opposed to just telling us what things meant.
Otherwise, it was an interesting read with a good amount of twist, turns and drama that kept me up reading all night. I am actually looking forward to book 2 so that I can find out what the crew is up to next.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews