There’s no money in the study of history, not unless one gets a little … creative.
Ashura is an empire of monuments, of Grand Ziggurats and obelisks of pale stone. The tombs of long-dead necromancer-kings rise like labyrinthine fortresses above the desert sands. Cruel traps and legions of undying guardians watch over fortune-filled treasure chambers, the wealth of dynasties awaiting those with the cunning to survive the taking of it.
Yet there are those who dive for secrets, rather than gold.
Naroh is a tomb diver, a brilliant, reckless, and oftentimes penniless historian haunted by Ashura’s greatest mystery. From atop a scorpion bred for war, he’s spent the last ten years crisscrossing the empire, digging up and gathering the fragments of its forgotten past.
Then, a plundered artifact leads him to Eshi, a savagely beautiful girl with a hyena’s grin. Scattered clues become a path and, together with an elf who sings to spirits, they set out to find the millennia-lost tomb of Ashura’s greatest conqueror.
A necromancer whose might was such that even the gods took notice.
Tomb Divers is an ancient Egypt/Mesopotamia-inspired, slow-burn harem fantasy adventure. It contains scenes of graphic sex and violence.
Plot only moves because Naroh is clinically brain dead which makes it reeeeeaaallly hard to enjoy the read. He has no notable skills except an inability to keep his mouth shut, absolutely no awareness of his surroundings or a sense of time, and constant horny thoughts for zero reason about someone who tries to kill and rob him.
I read about 200 books a year. I reviewed very few of them.
This is the most creative "adventure fiction" novel I've ever read and one of the most fun fantasy novels written in the last decade.
Something like the vibe of The Mummy meets the mojo of Romancing the Stone via monster girls and haremlit. Which doesn't do it a bit of justice. It's barely haremlit by even the broadest interpretation.
If you go into this expecting "plot" over plotting, you're going to be pleasantly surprised. The spice is mild and well balanced, adding only deft touches of flavor and never rising too forward in the dish.
If you want a very creative mileu with a strong setting and excellent characterizations, this is epic and unusual in equally delightful measures.
I've never bothered to review this genre before, but this one deserves it. Excellent book, well worth the read, and I pray to all the gods inside to read a shelf full of sequels someday.
This was a pretty decent offering for a new author. Set in a very Egyptian setting, the plot revolves around that.
The MC is a man from a poor upbringing whose love of knowledge has led him to delving old tombs for anything he can learn. He's stumbled on possible evidence of where the first "pharon" of the lamian ruled culture might be. He begins his quest, and along the way meets two very interesting women that become important to him.
The first woman is a hyenian woman, so she has hyena traits but is mostly humanoid. She doesn't often use words to convey things, leading to a lot of frustration on both her and the MC's part. And also the reader, as it comes across as childish. The second woman is an elf that can perform spirit magic, and joins them around the half-way point. Consummation with the first comes late in the book, while the second one shows her interest at the very end. I can tolerate the elf more than the hyena woman, since she doesn't play games.
While the world building is pretty interesting, it takes a while to develop. The Egyptian aspect is turned on its head a bit, so you have to adjust your thinking some.
This story was excellent for many reasons. The plot itself was fascinating, about a tomb raider/archaeologist who was motivated more by the acquisition of knowledge than wealth or treasures. The characters were dynamic, their interactions believable, and the formation of the team a byproduct of random chance and chaos. Even better, the characters were fun. The world building was quite unique, the history and culture revealed through discussions amongst many characters relating to current plans of tomb diving. I started with just a sample, and after just a few chapters, just had to read the whole book. I have to admit, being disappointed only once....when I realized a second book wasn't yet available. I hope a second book comes out soon...I can hardly wait to delve into the mysteries revealed, the adventures yet to come, and the surprises waiting for characters I truly enjoyed. Thank You to the author
A Refreshingly Interesting Story that's 100 pages too long.
A slow-burn haremlit story in an intriguing egyptian-like setting. The characters were pretty fun, and there were several thrilling events and development.
The big issue was that there was a lot of content that had little to no substance. Pages of content could be skimmed through, and you wouldn't miss a thing, story wise, because the narrative went into levels of descriptive detail that was all but tedious. Which hurt more than usual since the characters and overall plot were good. Was a good read, but will wait until a few more books come out before continuing onward.
Probably one of my favourite book of erotica for men right now. It was such a lovely experience ! The setting and lore are unique and will fulfill every itch of the Egyptian nerd. I also loved the character as they are written way better than most books of that genre. The protagonist is passionate and fun yet not overly quirky, and he does not exhibit classic toxic traits that I usually find in those types of books. The love interests are written with the same level of quality. Overall while it was not perfect it was much better than what I had anticipated and it was a very enjoyable read. I will be eagerly awaiting the next one.
For a first time autor this book is beyond any expectation I could have set for it. Mc's energy and reckless drive feels so natural. The adrenaline junky aspect of the tomb divers and the quick dedication to others in the life and death senerios just feels so real. The magic system is pretty unique too, and the fact that mc isn't op but just a history buff with the experience to do something nobody has been able to do before sets this book apart from so many others in this genre 10/10 would recomend
This book was well thought out and well written. The characters feel real, they have their own thoughts and desires and motivations for all their actions which are all realistic. No generic Mary Sue/end all be all characters here. It's all grounded and realistic, the set ups make sense and work well with the payoff. The word building is great and does not get in the way of the story
All in all, the author did a fantastic job at putting together this story. I hope to see more of this series soon!
A refreshing drink that only increases your thirst for more
I had a blast reading this book, I’ve read quite a few books similar and I’ve got to say that this one is such a refreshing and new take. Honestly the world building by itself is so entertaining and the mystery of the story captivates throughout. The characters are very good and have good depth to them. I loved everything about the setting and the history of the world that is built. I excitedly wait for the continuation of this story and I hope you will feel the same once you finish.
This was an amazing first book for a new series and new author! The mystery and intrigue is great and the characters mesh really well together. Love the setting too! Ancient Egyptian -ish with a twist! Do yourself a favor and give this book a chance. You won’t be disappointed! Can’t wait for the next book.
Wow, this book and author came out of nowhere. The premise seemed interesting and I wanted to give this author a shot. Best decision ever. Not only is this a beautifully written story with a unique and interesting plot, but it is interspersed with a beautiful romance. One of the best in the genre in my opinion. Give this book a chance, you won’t regret it.
Sweat is mentioned too many times, almost to the point where you start to think it's like a kink or something of the character.. .... And once you notice you cant help but notice how often it's mentioned... Story is is good but also kind of frustrating.. Naroh feels... Kind of dim. Which for a tomb diver, feels counterproductive.
I very much enjoyed this one. Very well written and edited. I loved the characters and their chemistry with each other was superb. The plot unwinding itself is going to very interesting and I'm curious to see where this go from here.
I enjoyed the book, good story, likable characters and am already looking forward to the next instalment. It's a mix of harem, ancient Egyptian and fantasy. Well woven and thought has been out into the storyline. Well done
All I can say is More. Need the next story A.S A.P. Characters are well drawn, and the world-building is too. If all of his stories are this good, he's one to watch going forward.
I throughly enjoyed this book. The amount of exacting detail involved is amazing! A fantasy story along the lines of ancient Egypt. Looking forward to seeing the next edition! Thanx so much Joe W
Great world building and dynamics, especially for the subgenre. I like how plot heavy it is and how the "romantic" parts fit in well, feel rather organic and don't try to be all over the top and overtake the story. I recommend the audiobook.
It hooked me right away. The characters were well written and the romance was a perfect slow burn. The story sucked me in and now I'm dying for the next book!