The first thriller in the Ben Walker series.
As can be expected from Golden, this is a thrilling adventure/suspense novel. Evocatively told, with well-drawn and engaging characters. Really good. Recommended.

4.5

Book source ~ NetGalley

An earthquake and a landslide reveal a hidden treasure. Or is it? Many think the long-buried ship up on Mount Ararat in Turkey is Noah’s ark. Some aren’t sure what to believe, but all of the workers laboring on the dig agree that something menacing is inside this incredible artifact and they’re sure it’s tied to the coffin and the deformed corpse inside.

Told from many POVs, this story is a chilling tale of regretting what you wish for. Buried for thousands of years is truly not long enough for what these people find inside the ark. Add a blizzard to their woes and now you have a situation not unlike John Carpenter’s The Thing. Which gave me nightmares. Thanks, mom, for talking me to the theater to see that when I was 14.

The story is compelling and the writing pulls you right along with the characters as they deal with this awesome and terrible discovery. Some things are better left buried. Forever.

The premise is SO super interesting but then the book itself falls short on that promise. Being a little too bloated, repetitive and slow moving, it was hard to keep the tense excitement alive.

I was a little disappointed when I realized that this was a horror book rather than an archeological adventure. I held at until the end, though.
Finding Noah's ark on Mount Ararat turns out to be more than what these adventurers bargained for. If you like horror books, you'll like this. Not my thing, though!

I really wanted to like this, and glad I stuck with it for the twist ending, but it was a slog. What starts as a very promising premise ends up as an unintended slapstick on a blizzardy mountainside. Should have been better.

Ararat by Christopher Golden is another example of a break neck story that will hold you and take you on a roller coaster ride of thrills and terror. What was to be the archaeological find of the century turns into a tale of horror and survival as mankind must battle an ancient evil unleashed upon an unsuspecting world.

"...Oh please, Mr. Holzer. I've seen you do the stupidest, most dangerous things-most of which could have killed you-and you're worried about aftershocks? This is the stuff we live for, and let's not forget how badly you want that television show you're always going on about. I want to see what's inside that cave, and I want to get there first. You try to tell me that you don't want the same and I will know that you are lying through your bloody teeth.
Adam laughed and shook his head at the insanity of it all.
Then he took her hand and together they hurried along the sidewalk, red umbrella bobbing overhead. But Adam didn't care about the rain anymore. By the time they reached Turkey it would be the first of December, and a little bit of chilly drizzle would be nothing compared to what awaited them on Mount Ararat..."

An earthquake strikes Mount Ararat in Turkey, opening up a cavern that had been sealed for ages. Inside is a massive cave. Only it truly isn't a cave at all and the stone is actually petrified wood. It is a ship and the quake has opened up its hull. Located where it is, the ship is fueling speculation and fear. In a prominent Muslim country, has nature itself unearthed proof of the Bible? Has it unearthed the remains of Noah's Ark? Scholars and archaeologists race to the sight, the first to claim the dig would become world famous. But instead, what they find is even more of a mystery. Not only is this possibly the hull of a ship but inside is sealed a coffin. Unable to await for government permission they break it open and what they find is not the holy man of God that they expected but instead....

"...Forcing himself forward, he looked down into the box.
The corpse seemed like a pitiful thing, a bit of fakery created for a low-budget horror film. His mind wanted to interpret it that way, to perceive the wrongness of the thing as absurd instead of monstrous. But as his mind began to take it in, he knew the remains were anything but fake.He'd seen monsters before. Inhuman didn't mean impossible, didn't mean evil. Walker had to remind himself of that.
The fingers were inhumanly long, curved into hooks by the millennia it had spend dead in that box. The skin stretched tight over its chest had a purplish-gray hue. It had withered, and there were spots in which the flesh had caved in. Bone showed through in various places on its skull and one cheek had crumbled to dust. The eyes had sunken to dried berries in its head.
The horns were pale, dusty white, like ivory elephant tusks dulled by age. Six or seven inches in length, the two points jutted from indentations just above its eyes. One had a broken tip, jagged as splintered stone, and both bore a gentle outward curve. The cadaver's skull was misshapen, bulging outward at the top and too pointed in the jaw. In life, it would have been a very odd looking man. Ugly even.
If it had been a man...."

A storm comes in and the team find themselves trapped on the mountain. But that is not what threatens them. No, slowly at first and then with more and more power, something hideous and evil is calling out to them. Something that takes possession of them one by one, as it too seeks its escape from the mountain.

What if Noah's Ark had carried a demon? As ridiculous as it sounds, Golden makes it plausible and then believable and then very, very terrifying. This is horror and it works on so many levels that you will be curling up in your chair and turning on the hallway light and cozying up next to your spouse as she watches the Crown because you just don't want to be alone.

Ararat is also a fast paced thriller as our heroes have to also fight against the elements and time as they try first to get up the mountain and then get off.

A thriller and a horror novel, the likes of which we have been missing in the literary world for some time.

A damn good read!

This book reminded me of James Rollins Sigma Force books. It had interesting biblical history mixed with a new discovery. The plot quickly developed into a fascinating story. I thought the cast of characters were very diverse. The reader became invested immediately and it was hard to put it down. Made me miss my bedtime on more than one night. My library already owns this title in both book and audio format. As a bonus I did listen to this story and the audiobook version was great. The narrator was easy to listen to.

First Line - Just past eight o'clock on the last day of November, the mountain began to shake.

Summary - Ararat is the heart-pounding tale of an adventure that goes wrong…on a biblical scale. When an earthquake reveals a secret cave hidden inside Mount Ararat in Turkey, a daring, newly-engaged couple are determined to be the first ones inside…and what they discover will change everything.

Highlights - Ararat grabs you right from the first page and has a great twist at the end!

Lowlights - A few of the "supernatural" elements felt a little more far fetched then they really needed to be.

FYI - Not for those who scare easily :)

Golden is always hot, but in Ararat, he's on fire! Amazing, thought provoking, and ultimately terrifying novel. An absolute must read!

Incredible book from beginning to end! I wish I had gotten to this one sooner....

Christopher Golden has a writing style that instantly pulls you in, with believable characters, and a situation that steadily increases with tension.

I will be purchasing a physical copy of this book for my shelves!

Published by St. Martin's Press on April 18, 2017

An avalanche on Mount Ararat has opened a previously hidden cavern. Adventure writers Adam Holzer and Meryam Karga put off planning their wedding to travel to Turkey in the hope that exploring the cavern will lead to the discovery of Noah’s Ark, which would cap their writing careers and give them a television series to boot.

A Catholic priest who doubles as a scholar of biblical times tells us that one interpretation of ancient texts suggests that Noah had a demon on board the ark along with the world’s critters. Noah might have wanted to hire a security guard to keep intruding demons out, but his lapse serves as the shaky foundation for Ararat.

Adam and Meryam find a structure that seems to be an ark, improbably high on the mountain to have been deposited by a flood, but of even greater interest is the apparent demon in the coffin, improbably well preserved if it’s been there since biblical times. But really, who knows how quickly a demon’s body rots? An international team soon arrives on the scene, including the scholarly priest and a fellow named Ben Walker who has been sent by DARPA under the guise of representing the NSF. Because DARPA, it seems, takes a great interest in demons. Who knew?

Of course, all the researchers who camp in the ark begin to experience anxiety and nightmares (understandable when sharing quarters with a dead demon) and creepy events soon occur. Fortunately, the researchers include expendable grad students who can be counted on to disappear without explanation. But is it the demon who is making them disappear, or does a murderer lurk among the ark’s new residents?

The characters have about as much depth (i.e., not much) as is common in a thriller, but they have enough substance to seem real. Adam is Jewish and Meryam was a Muslim before she became an atheist. I suppose that’s supposed to make them an interesting match, but Christopher Golden doesn’t do anything with their backgrounds after revealing them, other than having a bitter Turkish guide yell at them both.

Nor does he do anything new with a plot that basically combines a lost ark story with a demonic possession story — one of those demons who jumps from person to person like a hot potato. When the demon starts playing musical bodies, the story becomes too ridiculous to be frightening, and too predictable to be interesting. The novel tries to be insightful about the evil that lurks inside all of us (except, apparently, Walker) but the self-realizations that the characters stumble upon are too banal to be rewarding.

Ararat moves quickly. It is easy, light reading and it has some entertaining moments. It simply does not do enough with those moments to overcome its weaknesses.

NOT RECOMMENDED

Wow.
I've not ever read anything by Christopher Golden before, but after reading this I want to go searching for all his novels! This was spectacular! If you are a fan of Stephen King, pick up this novel. The suspense, mystery and thrills as well as down right eerie feelings you get just keep one riveted throughout this novel! This is one of those novels that I just wanted to sit and read and not be disturbed...alas that pesky job had other plans for me! However, this novel was wonderful and I will most certainly be looking for more by this author.

This novel follows a newly engaged couple who hear of an ancient cave that was uncovered on Mount Ararat in Turkey, this area is believed to be the area where the ancient ark of Noah landed in the end of the flooding...and a new avalanche has uncovered an interesting discovery. As people are racing up the mountain to be the first to lay claim and begin studying they have no idea what they are potentially getting into. As they begin to study the are and the cave they make an eerie discovery that does not fit with the ancient story, then a storm begins and causes the team to be snowed in....but those conducting the archaeological digs and researching are no longer the only ones in the cave.

Thrilling and amazing with an ending even I would have not guessed! Again, a must read for those who have always loved Stephen King novels!

St. Martin's Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Ararat. This is my honest opinion of the book.

Engaged adventure seekers Adam Holzer and Meryam Karga get a call from their friend, Feyiz, with a once in a lifetime chance to explore a new cavern on Mount Ararat. When it is determined that the cavern is actually part of a buried ship, many believe it must be Noah's Ark. A discovery on the ship changes everything and leads those in its proximity into danger. Will it turn out that this archeological discovery was better left undisturbed?

Ararat is a great blend of horror, psychological thriller, and suspense. The book escalates at a fevered pace, culminating in a movie worthy storm - both literally and figuratively - of epic proportions. With the tension thrumming in the air from the beginning of the novel, the author skillfully builds upon that foundation until the very end. I would definitely recommend Ararat to readers who enjoy a thrilling tale filled with horror and suspense.

Thanks to Netgalley, Christopher Golden, and ST Martin's press. A unique look into an age old religious mystery, Noahs Ark. The story was fascinating in that it was not the same biblical tale. . The author added a touch of his own perception to it, and it was terrific ! I loved his version of what happened and even though there were clues to the ending, I didn't see it all coming together till the very end. Would definitively reccommed this as book and am.anxious to read another of his works.
Review in Goodreads and Amazon to follow.

An avalanche high up on the Ararat mountain unveils a hidden cave which holds the archeological find of a lifetime. Meryam and her fiancé Adam want to be the first to claim it. What they find after scaling the frozen mountain dwarfs even their greatest expectations. The possibilities are staggering. It will need to be studied. Analyzed. Recorded. It will test the very fabric of their religious belief systems (or lack thereof). And shit…it just woke up.

This was my first Christopher Golden. And it was damn good too. The writing was sharp and the imagery was vivid. Snow and blizzard conditions are a great backdrop for this kind of story and Mr. Golden really made me feel the chill in my bones. 4.5 Stars and Highly Recommended!

Ararat is a horror, mystery, monster-ish book. It's not what I thought it would be, but that is not a bad thing. It was well written and even though I really didn't like the overall plot it was written engaging enough to keep me wanting to read it and finding out what happens. It wasn't bad just not my usual cup of tea. Don't get me wrong I love creepy, scary, paranormal, and horror stories but demonic possession stories don't really do it for me. I was expecting something a little more monstrous and abominable, so yes I was disappointed there. I did like the creep factor Christopher Golden inserted into the whole Noah's Ark story, that was a good twist. I halfway expected all the characters introduced in the first chapters to die at the end of the those chapters.

Earthquake in Turkey reveals a cave opening with a giant ship inside it. Locals and scholars believe it to be Noah's Ark. Advanced teams are sent up the mountain Ararat to discover the truth.

Adam, Meryam, Feyiz, and Hakan made a deal with the Turkish government that who ever made it to the cave first would have the rights to the cave. Adam and Meryam are adventurist and authors, they record all their adventures and put them out on the internet and finding Noah's Ark, if it is indeed The Ark, would be the big break they needed. Feyiz and Hakan are sherpas they know the mountain better than anyone else. In a race against time these four start ascending the mountain hopefully to get their before the other team. Three weeks later specialist Dr. Ben Walker, Dr. Kim Seong, and Father Cornelius Hughes are called up the mountain for their expert opinion, but on what they don't know yet. Once they get there it's immediate, a dark feeling surrounds them. Something isn't right with the cave or the ruins of the ship. Once they see what Adam and Meryam found in the ruins of the ark strange things start to happen. The sarcophagus with a demonic looking corpse makes everyone uncomfortable. Rumors are running rampant and the workers are getting scared of the creature but a blizzard she them trapped inside the cave until the next morning at least. But people start disappearing and people keep behaving out of the norm. Can the crew make it past nightfall or will they be forced to leave the cave and face the blizzard instead of the thing inside it.

Overall, like I said not normally my kind of read but was written in a way I needed to find out what happened.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an up and down read for me. I believe what it was (at least part of it) is that I went in thinking it was going to be one type of read, and it ended up being totally different from what I expected. An engaged couple end up finding "the arc" on Mount Ararat. They have a group of scientists, archeologists, linguists, etc. come up to the mountain, along with a film crew, to document their find. A suspicious cadaver is also found, one with horns, that opens up a demonic monster, all while a blizzard bears down on the mountain.

It was rather interesting at first getting to meet all the different characters and then climbing Mt Ararat and finding the arc. I guess I was hoping for a bit more drama and history and a little less horror because then the zombie, demon, blood bath whatever you want to call it broke out. It isn't my thing. Characters were getting picked off left and right. One of the errors I found is a already deceased character made it off the mountain, but this may have been corrected in the published edition. I was happy to just keep track at that point. If you like that type of reading, then this one is for you. Oh, and the ending left it open to continue to another book. People make it off the mountain!

3.5 of 5 stars

Adam and Meryam are a newly engaged couple from very different backgrounds, but they have always bonded over their love of adventure. In recent years, they have even achieved moderate fame for their series of videos taken from their travels around the world. Now they are eyeing their next great challenge, an expedition to climb Turkey’s Mount Ararat after an avalanche has reportedly revealed a massive cave up high in the side of the mountain. Wasting no time, Adam and Meryam call upon an old friend to be their mountaineering guide, and together they begin a harrowing race up Ararat in order to be the first ones to discover its secrets.

However, what they end up finding in the cavern goes even beyond their wildest dreams. Within its depths, the couple discover the remains of a large ancient ship, which immediately raises the question: could this be Noah’s Ark, the great vessel that weathered the Biblical flood in the Book of Genesis? To answer this question, a full team is quickly assembled to excavate and study the find, with Meryam at its head as project manager. Included among the scientists and other experts is also a documentary crew, which is how, when a mysterious coffin is unearthed among the ruins, everything that happens next is captured on film.

Throwing caution to the wind, the coffin is pried open, revealing an ugly, desiccated corpse. It is immediately apparent to everyone present that this could not be Noah—for the body is twisted and misshapen, and the top of the creature’s skull is adorned with a pair of horns. The remains of the demon—for it is impossible not to think of it as such—puts everyone on edge, regardless of their religious beliefs. Soon, the tensions start taking their toll, with project members acting erratically and others going missing. Worse, there’s no escape, for a blizzard has swept in, leaving them all trapped on Mount Ararat with an evil force.

This is my first Christopher Golden novel, and I was not disappointed. Of course, it didn’t hurt that I’m a big fan of “snowbound horror”, which I truly believe is starting to become a bonafide subgenre of its own. The most effective stories of this type can make you shiver even while reading in the sweltering heat of summer or indoors beside a warm and cozy fire, if the author can convey the right type of atmosphere. There’s just something I find so creepy and oppressive about the isolation of wintry, sub-zero temperature settings, and happily, Ararat was no exception. Golden was able to capture the forbidding environment of the mountains, making it clear that, whatever may happen to our hapless characters, they are on their own.

I also enjoyed the novel’s premise. I think most people are familiar with the story of Noah’s Ark, but probably far fewer of us would expect it to be the topic of a horror novel. It made for a strange but suspenseful read, with just enough ambiguity to keep one guessing. Contrary to what one might think, the story is also very light on the religious themes, focusing instead on the human drama. Even without the threat of a demonic presence, trap a large group of strangers together in an inaccessible cave on the side of a mountain and inevitably you’ll see the fur start to fly. I was motivated to turn the pages simply because I wanted to see how everything would resolve, and in a way, the tensions and mistrust between the project members reminded me a lot of John Carpenter’s The Thing—all it takes is a bit of doubt and suspicion thrown into the mix, and even the strongest relationships can begin to fall apart.

Yet I do have one major complaint about this book, and that is the story’s pacing. From browsing reviews of Golden’s other works, it seems like a rather common issue among readers, and I couldn’t help but notice a lot of a similar pacing problems in Ararat. Namely, the author blew through things so fast that I barely had a chance to connect to any of the characters, and therefore many of their ultimate fates left me feeling unaffected. Character depth was also pretty much non-existent, with heavy reliance on telling rather than showing, and sometimes the difference between a good book and a great one is the effort and time it takes to develop these little details.

Still, Ararat was a solidly fun read, despite not meeting its full potential. It’s certainly no Dan Simmon’s The Terror, but these kinds of books are also satisfying in their own way, and not least because they are often guaranteed entertainment. If you’re simply in the mood to pass the time with a creepy thriller-horror novel complete with gore, violence, and a staggering body count, this book will do the job just fine.

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