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Ben Walker #2
The Pandora Room
When what appears to be the original Pandora's Box is discovered in an ancient city, neighboring countries fight for ownership and unleash a terrible plague.
The Pandora Room is New York Times bestselling author Christopher Golden's chilling exploration of what happens when the original Pandora's Box is discovered in an ancient subterranean city, stirring international conflict and exposing the archaeological team to curses, whispers, and the terror of a legendary plague.
In one ancient variation on the myth of Pandora's Box, there were two jars, one for Pandora and one for her sister, Anesidora. One contained all the blessings of the gods, the other all the world's curses. Now, in a subterranean city in Northern Iraq, archaeologist Sophie Durand has discovered a secret chamber covered in writing that confirms that version of the tale--a chamber which contains a single jar. "Weird shit" expert Ben Walker joins Sophie's team just as the mystery deepens and grows ugly. Those who believe the myth want to know which jar has been found in the Pandora Room, the one containing blessings, or the one full of curses. Governments rush to lay claim, but jihadi forces aren't waiting for the dust to settle. Whatever the jar contains, they want it, no matter who they have to kill...or what will emerge when they open it. For Sophie, Walker, and the others, the Pandora Room may soon become their tomb.
The Pandora Room is New York Times bestselling author Christopher Golden's chilling exploration of what happens when the original Pandora's Box is discovered in an ancient subterranean city, stirring international conflict and exposing the archaeological team to curses, whispers, and the terror of a legendary plague.
In one ancient variation on the myth of Pandora's Box, there were two jars, one for Pandora and one for her sister, Anesidora. One contained all the blessings of the gods, the other all the world's curses. Now, in a subterranean city in Northern Iraq, archaeologist Sophie Durand has discovered a secret chamber covered in writing that confirms that version of the tale--a chamber which contains a single jar. "Weird shit" expert Ben Walker joins Sophie's team just as the mystery deepens and grows ugly. Those who believe the myth want to know which jar has been found in the Pandora Room, the one containing blessings, or the one full of curses. Governments rush to lay claim, but jihadi forces aren't waiting for the dust to settle. Whatever the jar contains, they want it, no matter who they have to kill...or what will emerge when they open it. For Sophie, Walker, and the others, the Pandora Room may soon become their tomb.
308 pages, Hardcover
First published April 23, 2019
229 people are currently reading
2019 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Golden
798 books2,959 followersCHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of such novels as Road of Bones, Ararat, Snowblind, Of Saints and Shadows, and Red Hands. With Mike Mignola, he is the co-creator of the Outerverse comic book universe, including such series as Baltimore, Joe Golem: Occult Detective, and Lady Baltimore. As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies Seize the Night, Dark Cities, and The New Dead, among others, and he has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, and a network television pilot. Golden co-hosts the podcast Defenders Dialogue with horror author Brian Keene. In 2015 he founded the popular Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival. He was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His work has been nominated for the British Fantasy Award, the Eisner Award, and multiple Shirley Jackson Awards. For the Bram Stoker Awards, Golden has been nominated ten times in eight different categories. His original novels have been published in more than fifteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 249 reviews
September 19, 2019
A Thrilling Adventure In Ancient History And Mythology!
This was a very suspenseful trip into the unknown with a touch of believable and eerie supernatural in the background. Top archaeologist Sophie Durand and her team of many highly chosen colleagues and assistants have been working in the desert outside a small city in the middle east for almost a year and have discovered many ancient artifacts during this time. Suddenly they discover a hidden room underground that has been untouched for thousands of years. They decipher a warning that appears to say "Those who enter this room will be cursed". This doesn't stop the team from learning more so they enter at their own risk.
Shortly after the room is entered a few of the team start feeling slightly ill and some members start hearing unusual whispers and seeing shadows from the corners of their eyes. Are they experiencing paranoia about the "cursed room" or are they running fevers and are hallucinating? Either way the team is having problems and will need some help from the outside. This unusual journey will commence at this point and non-stop action will take you on a relentless ride to the end of this story.
I found this book very suspenseful and interesting, the beginning had some slow areas due to history description, but that only added to the storyline (imo). Christopher Golden really did his homework in creating a wonderfully realistic and colorful novel with rich detail of ancient history and incorporating some mythology into the mix. This is a follow-up book to the first "ARARAT" which I am so excited to read soon, yet this is a stand-alone novel and holds it own very well. I also want to mention the great characters and their personalities that had myself thinking of them as real people and caring about all of them and wondering what they would do next.
I highly recommend this book if you enjoy thrilling adventures or if you want to read something different and so well-written that I hope you give this book a try!!
I want to thank the publisher St. Martin's Press and the author Christopher Golden and Netgally for the opportunity to read this gem of a book!
This was a very suspenseful trip into the unknown with a touch of believable and eerie supernatural in the background. Top archaeologist Sophie Durand and her team of many highly chosen colleagues and assistants have been working in the desert outside a small city in the middle east for almost a year and have discovered many ancient artifacts during this time. Suddenly they discover a hidden room underground that has been untouched for thousands of years. They decipher a warning that appears to say "Those who enter this room will be cursed". This doesn't stop the team from learning more so they enter at their own risk.
Shortly after the room is entered a few of the team start feeling slightly ill and some members start hearing unusual whispers and seeing shadows from the corners of their eyes. Are they experiencing paranoia about the "cursed room" or are they running fevers and are hallucinating? Either way the team is having problems and will need some help from the outside. This unusual journey will commence at this point and non-stop action will take you on a relentless ride to the end of this story.
I found this book very suspenseful and interesting, the beginning had some slow areas due to history description, but that only added to the storyline (imo). Christopher Golden really did his homework in creating a wonderfully realistic and colorful novel with rich detail of ancient history and incorporating some mythology into the mix. This is a follow-up book to the first "ARARAT" which I am so excited to read soon, yet this is a stand-alone novel and holds it own very well. I also want to mention the great characters and their personalities that had myself thinking of them as real people and caring about all of them and wondering what they would do next.
I highly recommend this book if you enjoy thrilling adventures or if you want to read something different and so well-written that I hope you give this book a try!!
I want to thank the publisher St. Martin's Press and the author Christopher Golden and Netgally for the opportunity to read this gem of a book!
November 29, 2021
My thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley. I'm a sucker for this man's stories. Well, his adult market stuff. Matter of fact, nobody should ever trust me when I review his books! He almost always gets a pass with me. I did love Ararat, the first Ben Walker story. I almost loved this one too. Almost. One thing Golden can do is develop the scenery and the mood. I could clearly picture this underground system of caves, and feel the oppression of rocks, crazies with this Pandora virus, and then Daesh coming in the only opening in the whole cave system. Shit fuzzy! Run, run!😬 What I also should have been feeling though was fear. Fear for my friends "the characters" in the book. I wasn't though. Mr. Golden has come up with one hell of a tale. It was so fast paced though, that he didn't take time to develop his characters. When someone dies in a story, then I want to feel that loss. If I don't care who lives or dies, then all I've done is read a good story without heart. I'm willing to overlook the lack of character development for now, because I've read other books by Golden. He usually develops his character's. However, if this was my first read of this series? I'd have left a bad review. Mr. Golden must keep his character development consistent. I expect better, because I know Golden can do better.
Still, I won't be so nice next time.😤
Still, I won't be so nice next time.😤
May 3, 2019
3.5/5 stars
THE PANDORA ROOM is a follow up to Golden's novel from 2017, ARARAT. While I enjoyed that book more than this one, it was still an exciting adventure!
In northern Iraq, a team of archaeologists have discovered a room and in that room, a box, and in that box? The information is right there in the book's title. Is it real, or not? It was once said there was a box full of plagues, disease and malice; it was also said there was a box full of peace and joy to all. If both of these sayings were true, which box is this? You'll have to read THE PANDORA ROOM to find out!
Ben Walker, our protagonist is the ultra-macho hero, dedicated to his job and letting nothing, not even his son Charlie, prevent him from accomplishing his mission. He's wily, not afraid of shooting to kill, and a general all around kick-ass kind of guy. You want him in your corner. Once he joins the team of scientists at the discovery site, the action begins and pretty much doesn't let up for the rest of the book. Since the battle occurs on two fronts, one within the underground labyrinth of the dig, and the other above ground, the story fairly raced along.
What I thought was lacking, though, was the depth of the characters. I was already familiar with Ben, and I did like Sophie and Martin, but I didn't feel like I got to know the other characters enough to really care about them. Without caring, what could be tense moments when the characters were in danger, turned into more... tepid situations in my heart. I was disappointed by that.
Everything wrapped up rather nicely and I enjoyed the final scenes. They did make me wonder if Pandora's Box or something similar could resurface for Ben sometime in the future? Maybe a cursed shroud of Turin? The removal of the sword from the stone? I guess I'll have to wait and see. Even though THE PANDORA ROOM didn't fully knock my socks off? I'll be in line to read Ben Walker #3!
Recommended!
*Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for the e-ARC of this book for review consideration.*
THE PANDORA ROOM is a follow up to Golden's novel from 2017, ARARAT. While I enjoyed that book more than this one, it was still an exciting adventure!
In northern Iraq, a team of archaeologists have discovered a room and in that room, a box, and in that box? The information is right there in the book's title. Is it real, or not? It was once said there was a box full of plagues, disease and malice; it was also said there was a box full of peace and joy to all. If both of these sayings were true, which box is this? You'll have to read THE PANDORA ROOM to find out!
Ben Walker, our protagonist is the ultra-macho hero, dedicated to his job and letting nothing, not even his son Charlie, prevent him from accomplishing his mission. He's wily, not afraid of shooting to kill, and a general all around kick-ass kind of guy. You want him in your corner. Once he joins the team of scientists at the discovery site, the action begins and pretty much doesn't let up for the rest of the book. Since the battle occurs on two fronts, one within the underground labyrinth of the dig, and the other above ground, the story fairly raced along.
What I thought was lacking, though, was the depth of the characters. I was already familiar with Ben, and I did like Sophie and Martin, but I didn't feel like I got to know the other characters enough to really care about them. Without caring, what could be tense moments when the characters were in danger, turned into more... tepid situations in my heart. I was disappointed by that.
Everything wrapped up rather nicely and I enjoyed the final scenes. They did make me wonder if Pandora's Box or something similar could resurface for Ben sometime in the future? Maybe a cursed shroud of Turin? The removal of the sword from the stone? I guess I'll have to wait and see. Even though THE PANDORA ROOM didn't fully knock my socks off? I'll be in line to read Ben Walker #3!
Recommended!
*Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for the e-ARC of this book for review consideration.*
February 28, 2019
The Pandora Room was a solid 5 stars.
With a large cast of characters, this book centers around an archaeological dig in Northern Iraq. Things get very interesting when the team of archaeologists discover what they believe to be Pandora’s Box (jar in this case) in a room they dubbed the Pandora Room. Whatever the jar really is or isn’t-everyone wants it!
I’m a sucker for these types of books and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. The Pandora Room is well-written and full of adventure as well as horror/darker elements. I’d highly recommend it to readers that enjoy horror and adventure type books. Thank you NetGalley for providing me a copy for review.
With a large cast of characters, this book centers around an archaeological dig in Northern Iraq. Things get very interesting when the team of archaeologists discover what they believe to be Pandora’s Box (jar in this case) in a room they dubbed the Pandora Room. Whatever the jar really is or isn’t-everyone wants it!
I’m a sucker for these types of books and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. The Pandora Room is well-written and full of adventure as well as horror/darker elements. I’d highly recommend it to readers that enjoy horror and adventure type books. Thank you NetGalley for providing me a copy for review.
September 11, 2019
3.5
This one was a lot like the adventure style of Ararat but you were dealing with different challenges on the excavation. This site was underground and the artifact was located in the Pandora Room. If you know anything about the mythology surrounding Pandora then you’ve probably gotten a few hints.
I assure you it gets a lot stickier and messier from there. There are alternate versions of the myth, and those are considered by the archaeologists as well. The problem is which fits ? What awaits them? If only they had time to figure these things out or time to safely remove the artifact and decided things, alas, no. Jihadist and Kurds are battling over these borderlands and soon the UN is rushing to get the artifact, as a war starts over the underground ancient city.
I’m leaving out a lot of details bc I don’t want to soil anything.
This is Ben Walker’s second book and he ends up there as insurance. It takes a hard hit on his personal life to do such a job and we get a bit more detail in this book.
This one was a lot like the adventure style of Ararat but you were dealing with different challenges on the excavation. This site was underground and the artifact was located in the Pandora Room. If you know anything about the mythology surrounding Pandora then you’ve probably gotten a few hints.
I assure you it gets a lot stickier and messier from there. There are alternate versions of the myth, and those are considered by the archaeologists as well. The problem is which fits ? What awaits them? If only they had time to figure these things out or time to safely remove the artifact and decided things, alas, no. Jihadist and Kurds are battling over these borderlands and soon the UN is rushing to get the artifact, as a war starts over the underground ancient city.
I’m leaving out a lot of details bc I don’t want to soil anything.
This is Ben Walker’s second book and he ends up there as insurance. It takes a hard hit on his personal life to do such a job and we get a bit more detail in this book.
July 5, 2019
We were first introduced to Ben Walker in ARARAT. He was lucky to survive that experience, only to once again have to face evil when he is sent to Northern Iraq where a jar has been found. A jar with a connection to the myth of Pandora's Box. But, that is what it is, right, just a myth? There can't be anything to the legend that the jar is cursed. Ben hardly has time to settle into his new assignment when they are attacked by enemies that are after the jar. And, now trapped in the subterranean city must they fight against enemies above as well as and something below with them...
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!
March 22, 2019
My rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5
Genre: Mystery & Supernatural Thriller
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub. Date: April 23, 2019
This is the author’s second novel with his protagonist, Ben Walker. Think James Bond, only more realistic. This hero actually feels chronic pain from injuries incurred during his fights with bad guys. The reader first meets the character in Golden’s 2017 novel, “Ararat.” He joins an archaeological expedition, digging deep within a mountain located in Turkey. They were looking to find Noah's ark (and stumbles instead on to the devil). In “Pandora,” he joins another expedition. Once again, Walker becomes part of the team as a member of the National Science Foundation. In reality, he works for the US government—spy lies. Nothing new about books with spies and forces beyond scientific understanding, but Golden does it very well, reminiscent to “The Age of Exodus,” by Gavin Scott. In “Pandora,” the archaeological team learns that the infamous titular box is real and buried in an ancient subterranean city located in Northern Iraq. Golden is a master at creating a claustrophobic atmosphere filled with evil, both real and hallucinatory. The box, which is a jar in this novel, is filled with ancient diseases that once opened turns into a plague. Do not be surprised if you begin to feel a sore throat.
Enhancing the tale, “Pandora” has an element of current affairs to it. It seems that both governments, the US and the Iraqis, want the jar in their hands to be used as a weapon. Now that is a thought that is truly terrifying and probably not all that farfetched. In this sequel, Walker is fighting demon ghosts underground and soldiers above ground: A very nice touch. “Pandora” does not quite have the same finesse as “Exodus.” Scott simply never misses a beat. Golden spends a good deal of time explaining why the team is actually experiencing two different types of disease: skimming material. Still, Ben Walker#2 is a very good supernatural fantasy. The similarities in both Walker tales are obvious, but as long as you go in knowing this, you will not be disappointed. If you didn’t read the first tale, this can easily be a standalone novel. “Pandora” is written razor-sharp to scare the bejesus out of the reader. Your adrenaline should rise with each chapter. The secret to Golden's success seems to be that he writes about supernatural thrills with just the right amount of religious references to make it all feel grounded in something familiar.
I received this Advance Review Copy (ARC) novel from the publisher at no cost in exchange for an honest review.
Find all my book reviews at:
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Genre: Mystery & Supernatural Thriller
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub. Date: April 23, 2019
This is the author’s second novel with his protagonist, Ben Walker. Think James Bond, only more realistic. This hero actually feels chronic pain from injuries incurred during his fights with bad guys. The reader first meets the character in Golden’s 2017 novel, “Ararat.” He joins an archaeological expedition, digging deep within a mountain located in Turkey. They were looking to find Noah's ark (and stumbles instead on to the devil). In “Pandora,” he joins another expedition. Once again, Walker becomes part of the team as a member of the National Science Foundation. In reality, he works for the US government—spy lies. Nothing new about books with spies and forces beyond scientific understanding, but Golden does it very well, reminiscent to “The Age of Exodus,” by Gavin Scott. In “Pandora,” the archaeological team learns that the infamous titular box is real and buried in an ancient subterranean city located in Northern Iraq. Golden is a master at creating a claustrophobic atmosphere filled with evil, both real and hallucinatory. The box, which is a jar in this novel, is filled with ancient diseases that once opened turns into a plague. Do not be surprised if you begin to feel a sore throat.
Enhancing the tale, “Pandora” has an element of current affairs to it. It seems that both governments, the US and the Iraqis, want the jar in their hands to be used as a weapon. Now that is a thought that is truly terrifying and probably not all that farfetched. In this sequel, Walker is fighting demon ghosts underground and soldiers above ground: A very nice touch. “Pandora” does not quite have the same finesse as “Exodus.” Scott simply never misses a beat. Golden spends a good deal of time explaining why the team is actually experiencing two different types of disease: skimming material. Still, Ben Walker#2 is a very good supernatural fantasy. The similarities in both Walker tales are obvious, but as long as you go in knowing this, you will not be disappointed. If you didn’t read the first tale, this can easily be a standalone novel. “Pandora” is written razor-sharp to scare the bejesus out of the reader. Your adrenaline should rise with each chapter. The secret to Golden's success seems to be that he writes about supernatural thrills with just the right amount of religious references to make it all feel grounded in something familiar.
I received this Advance Review Copy (ARC) novel from the publisher at no cost in exchange for an honest review.
Find all my book reviews at:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
https://books6259.wordpress.com/
https://twitter.com/NeesRecord
https://www.facebook.com/martie.neesr...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/amz...
https://www.pinterest.com/martienreco...
January 28, 2020
Christopher Pyrite
Pyrite, also known as fools gold because there was nothing 'Golden' about this book.
What a snorefest. I knew i should have passed on this book after reading Golden's, i mean Pyrite's equally boring book 'Ararat'. Just plain dull. I was rooting for the evil in Pandora's Box i mean jar. Wow what a big reveal! A jar! Then i started cheering for the ghosts. Lets hope the characters end up eating the fish at the end of the book. Ha! No plot, no character development, and at times silly.
No. The End.
Pyrite, also known as fools gold because there was nothing 'Golden' about this book.
What a snorefest. I knew i should have passed on this book after reading Golden's, i mean Pyrite's equally boring book 'Ararat'. Just plain dull. I was rooting for the evil in Pandora's Box i mean jar. Wow what a big reveal! A jar! Then i started cheering for the ghosts. Lets hope the characters end up eating the fish at the end of the book. Ha! No plot, no character development, and at times silly.
No. The End.
April 22, 2019
An archeologist discovers a suberranean city in Iraq. Inside a secret chamber covered in ancient writings, there is a jar. Pandora's Box. The ancient story tells of two jars....one containing all the blessings of the Gods and the other containing all of the curses. Which jar lies in the secret chamber? Suddenly governments and even ISIS are fighting for control of the jar. Will they unleash ancient curses upon the earth? Some myths are best left buried!
I enjoyed the first book in this series, Ararat. And I definitely enjoyed this sequel. The book wastes no time jumping into action. Archeologist Sophie Durand is followed by The Bad Guys in chapter one and the fight for control of Pandora's Box begins immediately. Ben Walker, admittedly an expert in "Weird Shit,'' joins the team just in time for the S to hit the fan. The book definitely has an Indiana Jones type feel....nefarious evildoers following archaeologists to gain control over a powerful mythological artifact.
The Pandora Room is an action-packed, thrilling read. The temptation to open Pandora's Box (if it were real and ever discovered) would be almost over-whelming. This book jumps right into the myth and proposes what would happen if the legendary vessel were discovered.
I'm definitely going to keep reading this series. I wonder what dangerous situation Ben Walker will find himself in next time? First Noah's Ark....now Pandora's Box. I can't wait to find out what will happen in the next book, Red Hands!!
**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
I enjoyed the first book in this series, Ararat. And I definitely enjoyed this sequel. The book wastes no time jumping into action. Archeologist Sophie Durand is followed by The Bad Guys in chapter one and the fight for control of Pandora's Box begins immediately. Ben Walker, admittedly an expert in "Weird Shit,'' joins the team just in time for the S to hit the fan. The book definitely has an Indiana Jones type feel....nefarious evildoers following archaeologists to gain control over a powerful mythological artifact.
The Pandora Room is an action-packed, thrilling read. The temptation to open Pandora's Box (if it were real and ever discovered) would be almost over-whelming. This book jumps right into the myth and proposes what would happen if the legendary vessel were discovered.
I'm definitely going to keep reading this series. I wonder what dangerous situation Ben Walker will find himself in next time? First Noah's Ark....now Pandora's Box. I can't wait to find out what will happen in the next book, Red Hands!!
**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
February 12, 2019
A new set of twists on an adventure thriller theme. What happens when an archeological team finds a buried ancient treasure? What terrible forces have they unwittingly unleashed? What ancient terror from the deeps is now stomping through our world ? It may not be Lara Croft and Indiana Jones, but it’s a story in the tradition. Here, an archeological team in Kurdistan has found that ancient treasure - that taste of hell known as Pandora’s box 📦- although in this case it’s a jar. As the Jihadist terrorists rage above ground, the team deals with ghosts, diseases, and all manner of possession. A truly great concept, but a little rough in the execution in that the reader often had difficulty In differentiating the characters and becoming invested in their story.
February 21, 2025
My only complaint is the number of characters. Trying to keep track of them was difficult and at times you really were only introduced to them before they died. Lots of action and the wrath of pandoras jar was quite creepy. This story was not as good as Ararat but I will still be reading the third installment of the Ben Walker series.
April 25, 2019
THE PANDORA ROOM is the second in the Ben Walker series, which commenced with the stunning thriller ARARAT. An archaeological excavation in Kurdistan breaks through into a cleverly hidden underground city, possibly the major archaeological discovery of the century. However, there is far more to this site than simply an abandoned civilization covered over by the detritus of millennia. A warning noting a no trespassing order by the King of Asia (Alexander the Great) eventually leads to a room far underground containing a simple jar on an altar. But the inscriptions on the jar and the walls indicate that this may be the legendary Pandora's Jar of antiquity and myth, predating Greek mythology. Of course, there's not just a simple archaeological discovery; and Ben Walker, on a mission for DARPA to recover the jar no matter what, unearths what should have been left concealed for eternity.
I adored ARARAT and consider it a re-reader. I found THE PANDORA ROOM fascinating, but I thought the next-to-last segment (as Walker, Kim, a medical doctor, and some of the archaeologists attempt escape through a newly uncovered underground river tunnel) dragged on longer than necessary. Following that the novel concludes with a potentially apocalyptic outcome, leaving the reader to ask: "Is the Earth safe? Or will the contents of Pandora's Jar wipe out all life on this planet?"
I adored ARARAT and consider it a re-reader. I found THE PANDORA ROOM fascinating, but I thought the next-to-last segment (as Walker, Kim, a medical doctor, and some of the archaeologists attempt escape through a newly uncovered underground river tunnel) dragged on longer than necessary. Following that the novel concludes with a potentially apocalyptic outcome, leaving the reader to ask: "Is the Earth safe? Or will the contents of Pandora's Jar wipe out all life on this planet?"
June 2, 2019
2.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2019/06/01/...
Well, unfortunately this one didn’t really work for me. While I wasn’t completely blown away by Ararat, when I saw that it had a quasi-sequel called The Pandora Room coming out, I thought I might give Christopher Golden and this world another try. Sad to say though, I think I ended up even less taken with this new installment.
And it’s a pity, because I thought the book’s description sounded so intriguing. Just days before packing it in on her dig site in Northern Iraq, archaeologist Sophie Durand makes a stunning discovery in the underground city her expedition has been in the process of excavating. Uncovered in a hidden chamber, an ancient jar may hold the secrets to the origin of Pandora’s Box, the mythological vessel that is said to have unleashed all the sickness, evil, and death upon the world. As the news of this discovery spread, governments around the world are taking notice, given the artifact’s provenance. Once again, this is where Ben Walker enters the picture. Disguised as a representative of the National Science Foundation, he is in fact a secret DARPA agent who is dispatched to the region in order to investigate Sophie and her team’s find.
At first, his role seemed pretty straightforward—ensure that all protocols are followed properly in the jar’s containment process, and then somehow extract the artifact on behalf of his employers for further study. However, not long after his arrival, political instability and insurgents in the region swiftly put an end to those plans. Worse, following a procedural breach by a rogue researcher, it appears contamination has occurred when several of the team members are sickened by an unknown pathogen. Trapped in the haunted underground labyrinthine city surrounded by armed terrorists and a quarantine, Ben Walker finds himself in yet another fight for his life.
With such an incredible premise, I was surprised to find The Pandora Room disappointingly lacking in both the action and thrills department, especially in the first half of the book. While listening to this in audio, I actually found myself struggling not to fall asleep! Part of the reason for this is the slow setup; there are a ton of characters to establish at the dig site, and Ben Walker himself doesn’t show up until later. I’m also not sure why the story needed such a long introduction to get started, but the beginning was definitely bogged down by a ton of extraneous detail about the political situation in the region as well as a whole lot of character background information that could have waited until later. Then there was the handwringing and bureaucratic nonsense about what to do with the jar when, in another couple of chapters, it all turned out to be moot anyway.
Thankfully, the pacing improved significantly following the “Oh shit!” moment that finally got the ball rolling on this paranormal thriller. When it turns out the seal on the jar has been cracked, several people start exhibiting signs of an unknown and quite possibly pre-biblical plague. My hat’s off to Golden, at least he knows how to ramp up the suspense by including in his descriptions of the victims a wide assortment of terrifying and gruesome symptoms. And then there are the jihadi military forces on Sophie and Ben’s doorstep, trying to infiltrate the archeological dig site and kill everyone within. Some of the sick have also started reporting hallucinations, claiming to hear and see things that shouldn’t be possible or don’t make sense. But are these just more signs of the mysterious illness, or are there in fact preternatural elements at play here? Like my thoughts on Ararat, I just loved the resulting vibes of uncertainty and the overall feeling of claustrophobia.
Still, while I enjoyed these horror aspects, I just didn’t think there were enough. The plot struggled to maintain its momentum and hence my interest, and with the exception of Ben Walker, none of the other characters were really that engaging or likeable. At times, the book also seemed confused as to whether it wanted to a paranormal horror or an action thriller, and ultimately this whole wishy-washy not-quite-sure-how-to-fulfill-either goal scenario simply didn’t work for me at all.
In sum, The Pandora Room had potential, but it ended up falling short of expectations. What could have been an atmospheric and slow-burn chiller became more or less a pedestrian action-adventure novel sprinkled here and there with supernatural elements. Sure, it wasn’t all bad, but there’s not much I found too memorable about this one either. Hence an ambivalent 2.5 rating when it comes to this one.
Audiobook Comments: It probably wasn’t for the lack of trying, but not even Amber Benson, a great actress and normally an effective narrator, could save this one for me. I’ve listened to and enjoyed a few of her audiobook performances in the past, but for some reason things quite didn’t click this time. She didn’t even really sound like herself, though granted that could have been caused by the writing style.
Well, unfortunately this one didn’t really work for me. While I wasn’t completely blown away by Ararat, when I saw that it had a quasi-sequel called The Pandora Room coming out, I thought I might give Christopher Golden and this world another try. Sad to say though, I think I ended up even less taken with this new installment.
And it’s a pity, because I thought the book’s description sounded so intriguing. Just days before packing it in on her dig site in Northern Iraq, archaeologist Sophie Durand makes a stunning discovery in the underground city her expedition has been in the process of excavating. Uncovered in a hidden chamber, an ancient jar may hold the secrets to the origin of Pandora’s Box, the mythological vessel that is said to have unleashed all the sickness, evil, and death upon the world. As the news of this discovery spread, governments around the world are taking notice, given the artifact’s provenance. Once again, this is where Ben Walker enters the picture. Disguised as a representative of the National Science Foundation, he is in fact a secret DARPA agent who is dispatched to the region in order to investigate Sophie and her team’s find.
At first, his role seemed pretty straightforward—ensure that all protocols are followed properly in the jar’s containment process, and then somehow extract the artifact on behalf of his employers for further study. However, not long after his arrival, political instability and insurgents in the region swiftly put an end to those plans. Worse, following a procedural breach by a rogue researcher, it appears contamination has occurred when several of the team members are sickened by an unknown pathogen. Trapped in the haunted underground labyrinthine city surrounded by armed terrorists and a quarantine, Ben Walker finds himself in yet another fight for his life.
With such an incredible premise, I was surprised to find The Pandora Room disappointingly lacking in both the action and thrills department, especially in the first half of the book. While listening to this in audio, I actually found myself struggling not to fall asleep! Part of the reason for this is the slow setup; there are a ton of characters to establish at the dig site, and Ben Walker himself doesn’t show up until later. I’m also not sure why the story needed such a long introduction to get started, but the beginning was definitely bogged down by a ton of extraneous detail about the political situation in the region as well as a whole lot of character background information that could have waited until later. Then there was the handwringing and bureaucratic nonsense about what to do with the jar when, in another couple of chapters, it all turned out to be moot anyway.
Thankfully, the pacing improved significantly following the “Oh shit!” moment that finally got the ball rolling on this paranormal thriller. When it turns out the seal on the jar has been cracked, several people start exhibiting signs of an unknown and quite possibly pre-biblical plague. My hat’s off to Golden, at least he knows how to ramp up the suspense by including in his descriptions of the victims a wide assortment of terrifying and gruesome symptoms. And then there are the jihadi military forces on Sophie and Ben’s doorstep, trying to infiltrate the archeological dig site and kill everyone within. Some of the sick have also started reporting hallucinations, claiming to hear and see things that shouldn’t be possible or don’t make sense. But are these just more signs of the mysterious illness, or are there in fact preternatural elements at play here? Like my thoughts on Ararat, I just loved the resulting vibes of uncertainty and the overall feeling of claustrophobia.
Still, while I enjoyed these horror aspects, I just didn’t think there were enough. The plot struggled to maintain its momentum and hence my interest, and with the exception of Ben Walker, none of the other characters were really that engaging or likeable. At times, the book also seemed confused as to whether it wanted to a paranormal horror or an action thriller, and ultimately this whole wishy-washy not-quite-sure-how-to-fulfill-either goal scenario simply didn’t work for me at all.
In sum, The Pandora Room had potential, but it ended up falling short of expectations. What could have been an atmospheric and slow-burn chiller became more or less a pedestrian action-adventure novel sprinkled here and there with supernatural elements. Sure, it wasn’t all bad, but there’s not much I found too memorable about this one either. Hence an ambivalent 2.5 rating when it comes to this one.
Audiobook Comments: It probably wasn’t for the lack of trying, but not even Amber Benson, a great actress and normally an effective narrator, could save this one for me. I’ve listened to and enjoyed a few of her audiobook performances in the past, but for some reason things quite didn’t click this time. She didn’t even really sound like herself, though granted that could have been caused by the writing style.
August 14, 2020
3.5 stars
April 6, 2019
My review of THE PANDORA ROOM can be found at High Fever Books.
The Pandora Room, Christopher Golden’s follow-up to his Bram Stoker Award-winning novel Ararat, sees Ben Walker returning for more supernatural archeological shenanigans and cave-based craziness.
In the book’s opening moments, Sophie Durand discovers she and her team are being followed during a trip into town for supplies. It’s a small leap in logic to realize that whoever is watching her must want whatever is buried in the subterranean city recently uncovered in Northern Iraq. Not until they discover a hidden chamber does Sophie realize what mysterious find is so prized. Her dig site isn’t home to just the remains of an ancient city, but to an ancient artifact straight out of myth — Pandora’s Box. Or, more accurately, Pandora’s jar. Enter “weird shit” expert Ben Walker, his UN counterpart and lover Seong Kim, and a violent ISIS raid to seize the jar and its ancient deadly contents.
I recall Ararat being a bit of a slow-burn with Golden ratcheting up the tension by increments and lulling us into that book’s horror element by degrees, until everything finally boils over into all-out insanity. The Pandora Room, however, wastes little time dropping us into the thick of things. Golden brings in the tension right from the start as Sophie is followed by a pair of mustached men, leading to a car chase through the desert and an encounter with Allied military forces protecting her archaeological dig site. Although, as with Ararat, Golden reins in the horror elements for a good long while, but there’s certainly no shortage of action. Once the supernatural aspects come into play and it’s (mostly kinda sorta) clear that Sophie, Walker, and company are not alone in this underground city, The Pandora Room becomes a frenetic sequence of chases, gunplay, double crosses, and all sorts of other associated mayhem.
The Pandora Room is a worthy sequel to Ararat, but like most sequels and series it fairly closely adheres to the original’s formula for success. It’s kind of like Die Hard 2 in terms of sequels. To borrow from John McClane, there’s another cave, another ancient evil…how can the same shit happen to the same guy twice? It’s forgivable, of course, simply because of how enjoyable it is, but it does tread heavily on familiar ground already covered in the prior book. Golden injects just enough freshness to keep the formula alive, gives us an extreme landscape to set it all in that’s the polar opposite of Ararat’s freezing, high-altitude mountain cave, and seriously ups the ante in terms of threat levels and deadly serious dangers from both inside the subterranean city and the jihadist-filled desert above. The Pandora Room feels familiar, but there’s enough unknowns lurking about the edges to make the endeavor welcome. There’s also some neat teases into Walker’s past unseen adventures that I would love to see fleshed out at some point, particularly his time in Guatemala, and a brief detour to the Arctic that has plenty of story potential and horrific implications to fill a future novel (book 3, perhaps, Mr. Golden? Please?)
Books like Ararat and The Pandora Room hit a particular sweet spot for me, and Golden has a done a wonderful job of following in the footsteps of authors like James Rollins. Turning to the ancient world and historical myths made real is an endlessly fascinating realm to mine for present-day fiction, and the implications of what ancient evils could be mishandled in the present provides all sorts of harrowing horror. While Rollins trends more toward the high-tech aspects of ancient history/modern military thrillers, Golden puts in a sweet spin all his own by taking similar conceits and running them through the filter of horror and supernatural terrors, and with plenty of run-and-gun vim and verve. Basically, if you dig Rollins’s Sigma Force books or are maybe looking for something a little fresher than that long-running series, the two (thus far) Ben Walker books are a natural pick up. The Pandora Room is meaty, scary, and has enough potential what if? terrors to keep you up late into the night worrying about ancient evils and their possible weaponization. It’s not exactly a feel good read, but it sure is damn well riveting.
[Note: I received an advanced reading copy of The Pandora Room from the publisher, St. Martin's Press.]
The Pandora Room, Christopher Golden’s follow-up to his Bram Stoker Award-winning novel Ararat, sees Ben Walker returning for more supernatural archeological shenanigans and cave-based craziness.
In the book’s opening moments, Sophie Durand discovers she and her team are being followed during a trip into town for supplies. It’s a small leap in logic to realize that whoever is watching her must want whatever is buried in the subterranean city recently uncovered in Northern Iraq. Not until they discover a hidden chamber does Sophie realize what mysterious find is so prized. Her dig site isn’t home to just the remains of an ancient city, but to an ancient artifact straight out of myth — Pandora’s Box. Or, more accurately, Pandora’s jar. Enter “weird shit” expert Ben Walker, his UN counterpart and lover Seong Kim, and a violent ISIS raid to seize the jar and its ancient deadly contents.
I recall Ararat being a bit of a slow-burn with Golden ratcheting up the tension by increments and lulling us into that book’s horror element by degrees, until everything finally boils over into all-out insanity. The Pandora Room, however, wastes little time dropping us into the thick of things. Golden brings in the tension right from the start as Sophie is followed by a pair of mustached men, leading to a car chase through the desert and an encounter with Allied military forces protecting her archaeological dig site. Although, as with Ararat, Golden reins in the horror elements for a good long while, but there’s certainly no shortage of action. Once the supernatural aspects come into play and it’s (mostly kinda sorta) clear that Sophie, Walker, and company are not alone in this underground city, The Pandora Room becomes a frenetic sequence of chases, gunplay, double crosses, and all sorts of other associated mayhem.
The Pandora Room is a worthy sequel to Ararat, but like most sequels and series it fairly closely adheres to the original’s formula for success. It’s kind of like Die Hard 2 in terms of sequels. To borrow from John McClane, there’s another cave, another ancient evil…how can the same shit happen to the same guy twice? It’s forgivable, of course, simply because of how enjoyable it is, but it does tread heavily on familiar ground already covered in the prior book. Golden injects just enough freshness to keep the formula alive, gives us an extreme landscape to set it all in that’s the polar opposite of Ararat’s freezing, high-altitude mountain cave, and seriously ups the ante in terms of threat levels and deadly serious dangers from both inside the subterranean city and the jihadist-filled desert above. The Pandora Room feels familiar, but there’s enough unknowns lurking about the edges to make the endeavor welcome. There’s also some neat teases into Walker’s past unseen adventures that I would love to see fleshed out at some point, particularly his time in Guatemala, and a brief detour to the Arctic that has plenty of story potential and horrific implications to fill a future novel (book 3, perhaps, Mr. Golden? Please?)
Books like Ararat and The Pandora Room hit a particular sweet spot for me, and Golden has a done a wonderful job of following in the footsteps of authors like James Rollins. Turning to the ancient world and historical myths made real is an endlessly fascinating realm to mine for present-day fiction, and the implications of what ancient evils could be mishandled in the present provides all sorts of harrowing horror. While Rollins trends more toward the high-tech aspects of ancient history/modern military thrillers, Golden puts in a sweet spin all his own by taking similar conceits and running them through the filter of horror and supernatural terrors, and with plenty of run-and-gun vim and verve. Basically, if you dig Rollins’s Sigma Force books or are maybe looking for something a little fresher than that long-running series, the two (thus far) Ben Walker books are a natural pick up. The Pandora Room is meaty, scary, and has enough potential what if? terrors to keep you up late into the night worrying about ancient evils and their possible weaponization. It’s not exactly a feel good read, but it sure is damn well riveting.
[Note: I received an advanced reading copy of The Pandora Room from the publisher, St. Martin's Press.]
April 26, 2019
Read my Interview with Christopher Golden On his novel The Pandora Room, writing, and inspirations. | More2Read
Mysteries of the ancient and the modern, women and men dealing with myths, good versus evil, dead bodies piling, terror arriving in many forms.
Location Amadiya, a city of less than 5 thousand, an unstable region of the world, with a gathering of people in search of some things to be deciphered.
There will be archaeologists, researchers, and teachers a project financed by the European Union, the Alliance, doctors, Dr. Ben Walker, Ms. Kim, Dr. Tang, Sophie Durand, and Lamar Curtis and Professor Beyza Solak.
A box with secrets, myths to decode, whilst all things going berserk above ground, will there be some containment and preservation of life, key aspects hooking you to the final page.
Amongst secret rooms, near altars, within a subterranean city of old secrets buried, myths, awaiting the reader an intriguing and mysterious tale, in another land, in another dimension, amongst another entity of terror, with an Indiana Joan and crew in the pandora room.
Review also @ More2Read.com
Mysteries of the ancient and the modern, women and men dealing with myths, good versus evil, dead bodies piling, terror arriving in many forms.
Location Amadiya, a city of less than 5 thousand, an unstable region of the world, with a gathering of people in search of some things to be deciphered.
There will be archaeologists, researchers, and teachers a project financed by the European Union, the Alliance, doctors, Dr. Ben Walker, Ms. Kim, Dr. Tang, Sophie Durand, and Lamar Curtis and Professor Beyza Solak.
A box with secrets, myths to decode, whilst all things going berserk above ground, will there be some containment and preservation of life, key aspects hooking you to the final page.
Amongst secret rooms, near altars, within a subterranean city of old secrets buried, myths, awaiting the reader an intriguing and mysterious tale, in another land, in another dimension, amongst another entity of terror, with an Indiana Joan and crew in the pandora room.
Review also @ More2Read.com
March 21, 2023
I loved Ararat, the first Ben Walker story so I was a bit disappointed with this one. While I loved the characters and the descriptions were well done, the writing didn't really work for me. I should have been terrified in places but no, that didn't happen here. Will read the next book, but maybe take a bit of a break rather than rushing to get it,
April 29, 2019
*4.5 Stars
Ben Walker is living my childhood dream, well, he isn’t exactly living it because he is a fictional character, but you know what I mean. I grew up on a healthy dose of Indiana Jones and Allan Quatermain; Harrison Ford and Richard Chamberlain stoked my love of the adventure of uncovering a lost mythical treasure in an exotic location. Ben Walker is a modern version of my childhood heroes.
The Pandora Room is the second book in the Ben Walker series, but if you haven’t read Ararat yet, don’t worry, you can easily go straight into The Pandora Room (if you dare); there is nothing here that will spoil book one.
Christopher Golden has filled The Pandora Room with non-stop action. He has a knack for finding great mythical subject matter and turning it far more sinister than I could have ever imagined. The Pandora Room was fast-paced and captivating.
I want to be Ben Walker, except for all of his family trouble, I don’t want that. But to be shipped off to near inaccessible locales and to be one of the first to explore exciting archaeological sites that were believed to be myths, that’s what I want. When an author makes you want to be the protagonist, the job is done. I’m involved now and there is no escape. That is the type of connection that I want as a reader. The only thing that Walker lacks is a bit of the humor and fun that Jones and Quatermain brought to their stories.
The Pandora Room left me with only one thought: where will I be going with Walker next time and which mythical mystery will we unearth?
*I received a copy of the book from the publisher (via NetGalley).
Ben Walker is living my childhood dream, well, he isn’t exactly living it because he is a fictional character, but you know what I mean. I grew up on a healthy dose of Indiana Jones and Allan Quatermain; Harrison Ford and Richard Chamberlain stoked my love of the adventure of uncovering a lost mythical treasure in an exotic location. Ben Walker is a modern version of my childhood heroes.
The Pandora Room is the second book in the Ben Walker series, but if you haven’t read Ararat yet, don’t worry, you can easily go straight into The Pandora Room (if you dare); there is nothing here that will spoil book one.
Christopher Golden has filled The Pandora Room with non-stop action. He has a knack for finding great mythical subject matter and turning it far more sinister than I could have ever imagined. The Pandora Room was fast-paced and captivating.
I want to be Ben Walker, except for all of his family trouble, I don’t want that. But to be shipped off to near inaccessible locales and to be one of the first to explore exciting archaeological sites that were believed to be myths, that’s what I want. When an author makes you want to be the protagonist, the job is done. I’m involved now and there is no escape. That is the type of connection that I want as a reader. The only thing that Walker lacks is a bit of the humor and fun that Jones and Quatermain brought to their stories.
The Pandora Room left me with only one thought: where will I be going with Walker next time and which mythical mystery will we unearth?
*I received a copy of the book from the publisher (via NetGalley).
February 12, 2019
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this action-packed ARC in return for an honest review.
I enjoy adventures where there is a sense of danger, including ones based on mythology and the supernatural. I had problems with the large cast of characters. Many of the people named only existed to become victims, and so wasn’t moved by the illnesses or deaths of characters I never got to know. There were too many factions involved in either guarding or retrieving the relic, either for what they considered good purposes or for villainous intent. I felt I was only beginning to empathize with the main characters late in the book when they started to stand out as individuals.
There was much heroism and acts of self-sacrifice amidst incredible terror. With so much intense, deadly action and horror, I found little time for me to build up an emotional connection or a feeling of suspense and a sense of dread.
Despite my reservations, I feel many readers will become involved in this terrific action thriller. I commend the author for his incredible imagination in developing the plot. I would like to see the main characters again in a following book, preferably without such a huge supporting cast.
I enjoy adventures where there is a sense of danger, including ones based on mythology and the supernatural. I had problems with the large cast of characters. Many of the people named only existed to become victims, and so wasn’t moved by the illnesses or deaths of characters I never got to know. There were too many factions involved in either guarding or retrieving the relic, either for what they considered good purposes or for villainous intent. I felt I was only beginning to empathize with the main characters late in the book when they started to stand out as individuals.
There was much heroism and acts of self-sacrifice amidst incredible terror. With so much intense, deadly action and horror, I found little time for me to build up an emotional connection or a feeling of suspense and a sense of dread.
Despite my reservations, I feel many readers will become involved in this terrific action thriller. I commend the author for his incredible imagination in developing the plot. I would like to see the main characters again in a following book, preferably without such a huge supporting cast.
June 27, 2019
Really hard to get through after the first 2 thirds. Same scene over and over again.
October 24, 2020
actual rating: 2.5
Kind of wished I had been less impatient and waited for my hold of Ararat to come through because I think I would have enjoyed that one slightly more, but looking at the reviews it seems like the same basic premise but in a different location [although with the slight bonus of an actual mummy instead of a disease as the horror element] so I think I'm done with this series. I can see how this book could be enjoyable to some people but even now in 2020 I just do not find ~oooh mysterious disease~ to be as scary as a lot of people seem to, and while I appreciate the diverse cast none of them ever really felt like real people to me and there were several of them that I kept getting mixed up.
If you are looking for something that is more of a historical mystery or a horror book I would not really recommend this as it leaned way more into the political thriller aspect than I thought it would [although thrilling is not a word I would use to describe this book at all]. There were a lot of asides about the political situation in the area and the soldiers kept breaking in to be like 'just so you remember we're actually fighting terrorists up on the surface while you all are trapped in this cave' and I was like thanks for reminding me I guess because I literally kept forgetting since it did not actually matter at all. There was definitely an interesting idea in here but most of the book just felt like these people wandering around while surely there must be something interesting going on elsewhere.
Kind of wished I had been less impatient and waited for my hold of Ararat to come through because I think I would have enjoyed that one slightly more, but looking at the reviews it seems like the same basic premise but in a different location [although with the slight bonus of an actual mummy instead of a disease as the horror element] so I think I'm done with this series. I can see how this book could be enjoyable to some people but even now in 2020 I just do not find ~oooh mysterious disease~ to be as scary as a lot of people seem to, and while I appreciate the diverse cast none of them ever really felt like real people to me and there were several of them that I kept getting mixed up.
If you are looking for something that is more of a historical mystery or a horror book I would not really recommend this as it leaned way more into the political thriller aspect than I thought it would [although thrilling is not a word I would use to describe this book at all]. There were a lot of asides about the political situation in the area and the soldiers kept breaking in to be like 'just so you remember we're actually fighting terrorists up on the surface while you all are trapped in this cave' and I was like thanks for reminding me I guess because I literally kept forgetting since it did not actually matter at all. There was definitely an interesting idea in here but most of the book just felt like these people wandering around while surely there must be something interesting going on elsewhere.
October 23, 2019
If I could rate this zero stars, I'd do so. Pretty much nothing happened in the first two thirds of the book, and then pretty close to nothing happened in the last third of the book. To give an idea of the writing "technique", random characters were introduced for a page or so, and then never mentioned again. Reading it was a total waste.
July 11, 2019
The Pandora Room by Christopher Golden is book number #2 in the Ben Walker series and a stunning follow up to the exciting and frightening Ararat. A team of archaeologists have found a hidden room deep underground in Iraq. A room that brings to life an ancient Greek legend and the dangers it contains.
"...Her hand wavered, and all the breath went out of her. A numbness spread through her. The excitement of discovery, the thrill of ancient secrets, had driven her until this moment, reminding her of the spark that had ignited her interest in archaeology when she'd been just a girl. Now all that adrenaline left her in a rush, for this wasn't just a secret. This was a myth. This was impossible.
'Holy shit.'
The dust and shadows made no reply.
Sophie sank to the floor, took a breath, and began trying to read what little of that writing she could make out. Upstairs, her team would be worried for her, working to free her, but in those moments-and for an hour or two more-she had forgotten that they, and the rest of the world, even existed.
At first, she found what little she could translate very hard to believe.
Slowly, she became filled with wonder.
In time, that wonder turned to fear..."
An ancient Greek myth states that two jars were given to two sisters. Once contains all the blessings of the Gods and the other, all the curse's of the world. The sisters were Anesidora and Pandora. In a hidden room underground in Iraq, a jar has been found atop an altar.
Archaeologist Sophie Durand translates the writing on the altar that seems to confirm the tale of Pandora's box. But which jar is it? Government operative Ben Walker joins the team that is determined to understand what they have found, but before they can they are attacked by Jihadists and while they fight for their lives, the jar is cracked and what is inside begins to seep out among them. Sophie's team becomes sick and diseased and even more so, they begin to hallucinate. They begin to see specters among them, doing the most violent and evil acts. But are these hallucinations or are they something even darker.
"...I just want to know how much time I have,' he told them. 'You can argue about ancient rituals all you like. You can dispute the ghosts I saw with my own eyes and whether they're echoes of past events or actual lost souls, and how these Minoan priests put crimes and plague and sickness inside fucking flowers. A day ago, they would be the most fascinating arguments I had ever heard. But right now, all I care about is how long I have to live and how much it will hurt when I die..."
The race is on for Ben and Sophie, can they survive the attacks from the Jihadists and the betrayal of their own Governments who want the jar for their own purposes and somehow survive? Can they keep the ghosts and disease away from them long enough to find a way out, and more so, if they can, can they really unleash Pandora's box on the world?
Christopher Golden is a excellent writer and is doing in the genre of thriller and horror novel something that many authors have forgotten how to do. He weaves myth and legend with real life fear to make the reader believe that the stories we heard as children are much darker and horrible than we could have ever imagined. The characters ring true and their humanity, good and bad, drive them to have moments of great heroic actions and moments of selfish and cruel darkness. Golden does an terrific job of showing the reader this and with it, tell a frightening tale of evil that goes bump in the dark.
A terrific read!
"...Her hand wavered, and all the breath went out of her. A numbness spread through her. The excitement of discovery, the thrill of ancient secrets, had driven her until this moment, reminding her of the spark that had ignited her interest in archaeology when she'd been just a girl. Now all that adrenaline left her in a rush, for this wasn't just a secret. This was a myth. This was impossible.
'Holy shit.'
The dust and shadows made no reply.
Sophie sank to the floor, took a breath, and began trying to read what little of that writing she could make out. Upstairs, her team would be worried for her, working to free her, but in those moments-and for an hour or two more-she had forgotten that they, and the rest of the world, even existed.
At first, she found what little she could translate very hard to believe.
Slowly, she became filled with wonder.
In time, that wonder turned to fear..."
An ancient Greek myth states that two jars were given to two sisters. Once contains all the blessings of the Gods and the other, all the curse's of the world. The sisters were Anesidora and Pandora. In a hidden room underground in Iraq, a jar has been found atop an altar.
Archaeologist Sophie Durand translates the writing on the altar that seems to confirm the tale of Pandora's box. But which jar is it? Government operative Ben Walker joins the team that is determined to understand what they have found, but before they can they are attacked by Jihadists and while they fight for their lives, the jar is cracked and what is inside begins to seep out among them. Sophie's team becomes sick and diseased and even more so, they begin to hallucinate. They begin to see specters among them, doing the most violent and evil acts. But are these hallucinations or are they something even darker.
"...I just want to know how much time I have,' he told them. 'You can argue about ancient rituals all you like. You can dispute the ghosts I saw with my own eyes and whether they're echoes of past events or actual lost souls, and how these Minoan priests put crimes and plague and sickness inside fucking flowers. A day ago, they would be the most fascinating arguments I had ever heard. But right now, all I care about is how long I have to live and how much it will hurt when I die..."
The race is on for Ben and Sophie, can they survive the attacks from the Jihadists and the betrayal of their own Governments who want the jar for their own purposes and somehow survive? Can they keep the ghosts and disease away from them long enough to find a way out, and more so, if they can, can they really unleash Pandora's box on the world?
Christopher Golden is a excellent writer and is doing in the genre of thriller and horror novel something that many authors have forgotten how to do. He weaves myth and legend with real life fear to make the reader believe that the stories we heard as children are much darker and horrible than we could have ever imagined. The characters ring true and their humanity, good and bad, drive them to have moments of great heroic actions and moments of selfish and cruel darkness. Golden does an terrific job of showing the reader this and with it, tell a frightening tale of evil that goes bump in the dark.
A terrific read!
May 1, 2019
Okay. Maybe my expectations for this book were too high? Kind of predictable to be honest with you. I finished it, but it isn't something I would read again.
May 4, 2021
I liked Ararat. This is basically the same story- just different artifact. I mean what are the odds one guy finds “Noah’s Ark” and “Pandora’s Box”?!
Also- if this is a “Ben Walker series” why is he such a minor character? There was no character development either. I thought I needed to read the middle one before I read Red Hands ~ now that this one was so bad, I doubt I’ll read the third one now.
I struggled to finish it. So glad it’s over.
Also- if this is a “Ben Walker series” why is he such a minor character? There was no character development either. I thought I needed to read the middle one before I read Red Hands ~ now that this one was so bad, I doubt I’ll read the third one now.
I struggled to finish it. So glad it’s over.
May 25, 2019
Mediocre archeological thriller.
June 11, 2019
3.5 stars
April 16, 2020
In the dark tunnels and hidden chambers of an ancient city lies a myth. When Sophie Durand stumbles into a, once, sealed off room, she finds a chamber scrawled with ancient writing and a jar on an alter that supposedly belongs to the myth of Pandora’s box. Only in this version, there are two jars: one with horrors and another with cures. But which jar is this one? And to what lengths are people willing to go for possession of this jar?
I’m a huge Christopher Golden fan. He writes novels with so much adventure and almost nonstop action, and this one follows that theme. There so much imagination, and thought, that went into the writing of this book, like so many of his others. I enjoyed the blend of myth and adventure, the darkness and the elements of horror. This book did have a few too many characters, and some of the character’s personal reflections are a bit redundant. Though the emphasis on people’s thoughts and humanity is there as a sort of commentary. It’s a wonderfully crafted subterranean world. This sequel to Ararat doesn’t disappoint, though the adventure is done in a very different way. Four stars.
Additional note: Reading this during a stay-at-home order was probably not the best. I didn’t enjoy reading about quarantine and people having to wear face masks while it’s a reality for the world.
I’m a huge Christopher Golden fan. He writes novels with so much adventure and almost nonstop action, and this one follows that theme. There so much imagination, and thought, that went into the writing of this book, like so many of his others. I enjoyed the blend of myth and adventure, the darkness and the elements of horror. This book did have a few too many characters, and some of the character’s personal reflections are a bit redundant. Though the emphasis on people’s thoughts and humanity is there as a sort of commentary. It’s a wonderfully crafted subterranean world. This sequel to Ararat doesn’t disappoint, though the adventure is done in a very different way. Four stars.
Additional note: Reading this during a stay-at-home order was probably not the best. I didn’t enjoy reading about quarantine and people having to wear face masks while it’s a reality for the world.
May 19, 2019
Before sitting down to read this book, make sure you have a magnifying glass close at hand so that you can see what page number you're on. If you don't care about page numbers, then you're good to go. Apparently this book is number two, the latest installment, in a series of Ben Walker books.
The story begins with a car chase (original and thrilling, right?) and goes on to become an action thriller / ghost story. Christopher Golden's zest for horror really shines starting at about page 280, twenty pages shy of the end. Too little, too late. If only the whole thing read like the last twenty pages, I could have loved it!
The story begins with a car chase (original and thrilling, right?) and goes on to become an action thriller / ghost story. Christopher Golden's zest for horror really shines starting at about page 280, twenty pages shy of the end. Too little, too late. If only the whole thing read like the last twenty pages, I could have loved it!
May 1, 2019
ARC REVIEW
Ben Walker #2, Walker is back for another adventure. I think this can be read as a standalone since they are two separate stories but for the two returning characters a bit of character development happened in the first book; you can always go back and read the first book if you feel the need to after reading this one. I enjoy Golden's writing, for me this one was quite a bit more enjoyable to read than the first, topic-wise I have always been more interested in Pandora's Box than the arc, viruses and creepy ass ghost are more my thing.
Archaeologist Sophie Durand was leading a dig site of an underground city in the Northern Iraqi/Kurdistan area when she discovers what she thinks is Pandora's Box. Kim Seong gets called in by the UN to oversee and decide who gets custody of the item. To help her out she asks specifically for Ben Walker. Walker is use to handling stuff for the government making sure old artifacts and such end up in the right hands. But what happens no one expects. The local jihadi view this discovery as a threat to their history and religion and lead an attack at the dig site. Top side the American and Kurdish soldier are fighting to keep the jihadi from making it down into the underground city and destroying everything; while down below the scientist, researchers, and laborers are facing a horrible virus and pretty soon they are trapped there with no way out.
Overall, great read. I did tear up at one point toward the end it was one of those moments where you want to throw the book across the room, curse the author and then go right back to reading it because you have to find out what happens next. This book was creepy, morbid, and a little grotesque a few times and I loved it. I loved the characters, as large of a cast that he had it was easy to follow, each time the narrative changed perspectives he named the person it switched to within the first sentence. There were some unanswered questions at the end, so I am hoping another book comes soon and answers them, well not too soon you can tell Golden does research his stuff first and that takes time but it so worth it.
Ben Walker #2, Walker is back for another adventure. I think this can be read as a standalone since they are two separate stories but for the two returning characters a bit of character development happened in the first book; you can always go back and read the first book if you feel the need to after reading this one. I enjoy Golden's writing, for me this one was quite a bit more enjoyable to read than the first, topic-wise I have always been more interested in Pandora's Box than the arc, viruses and creepy ass ghost are more my thing.
Archaeologist Sophie Durand was leading a dig site of an underground city in the Northern Iraqi/Kurdistan area when she discovers what she thinks is Pandora's Box. Kim Seong gets called in by the UN to oversee and decide who gets custody of the item. To help her out she asks specifically for Ben Walker. Walker is use to handling stuff for the government making sure old artifacts and such end up in the right hands. But what happens no one expects. The local jihadi view this discovery as a threat to their history and religion and lead an attack at the dig site. Top side the American and Kurdish soldier are fighting to keep the jihadi from making it down into the underground city and destroying everything; while down below the scientist, researchers, and laborers are facing a horrible virus and pretty soon they are trapped there with no way out.
Overall, great read. I did tear up at one point toward the end it was one of those moments where you want to throw the book across the room, curse the author and then go right back to reading it because you have to find out what happens next. This book was creepy, morbid, and a little grotesque a few times and I loved it. I loved the characters, as large of a cast that he had it was easy to follow, each time the narrative changed perspectives he named the person it switched to within the first sentence. There were some unanswered questions at the end, so I am hoping another book comes soon and answers them, well not too soon you can tell Golden does research his stuff first and that takes time but it so worth it.
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