I would like to thank the author and publisher for providing an electronic review copy of this book.

"Soundrise" by Lynn Voedisch is a techno-mystic-thriller that follows the adventures of programmer Derek Nilsson as he leads a group of talented hobbyist programmers in the task of decoding mysterious data he and his friend George obtained a few years earlier. The story starts in computer geek hacker/programmer territory and quickly develops with the contributions of mysterious voices possibly from a parallel dimension, wise advice from the proprietor of Derek's favorite local Indian restaurant, a workplace romantic interest (along with a potentially relationship destroying sultry Egyptian Goddess), deadly interference from this and other ancient Egyptian deities, reconciliation with estranged family, and various excursions from Chicago by pickup truck to New Mexico, light airplane to Connecticut, and commercial airplane to Ethiopia to solve the mystery of the Egyptian pyramids and possibly save civilization...

As with any science fiction/fantasy novel, a certain amount of suspended belief is required, but it was a fun book. I tend to prefer novels that keep fantasy separate from the science, but with the thriller nature of the plot, the realistic characters, and the various local details of Chicago, New Mexico, and Connecticut, and of course the subtle shout-out to Elkhorn Wisconsin, this book kept me engaged until the end.

I just could not get into this book. It started with a techy guy who hacks computers, but the story jumps around and I was lost. The plot sounded good, but the execution was beyond me.

this was a really good read, I enjoyed the characters and how it had a bunch of twists. I'd be interested in reading more in this universe.

Derek and George only want to find the hidden cache of information stored somewhere out in cyberspace by a notorious (now imprisoned) hacker, but, when a mysterious voice starts talking to Derek and an irresistible woman sets her sights on him, that information suddenly becomes a lot more important.

There was something immensely alluring about the book description. It mentions a voice coming from over a computer, which is fascinating to me in itself. But then it goes on to mention goddesses and mysteries, and my mind just started spinning into fantasy worlds. I somehow envisioned a story where Derek was toiling away so diligently on finding a treasure trove of data somewhere out in cyberspace and then getting sucked into a fantasy world. Well, that's not quite how the story played out, but there's a fair bit of fantasy in it.

The Plot: Derek's Story

Derek works as a programmer by day and a hacker sifting through an untold amount of data to find a trove of data hidden away by a now imprisoned infamous hacker by night. With just his cat Foo and a plant that won't die to keep him company, he and his friend George are pouring everything in to finding the data and becoming wealthy off of it.

But then a voice coming through his computer startles Derek awake. Roger offers help and warnings, direction and philosophy. Then an alluring woman named Sekhmet reaches out, offering help and information, but she leads him into an age old dance that he could never have guessed at.

Along with his mother's cousin Boone and new girlfriend Kyra, Derek sets off across the country, following the virtual fingers Roger and Sekmet point him in, unknowingly walking into danger, adventure, his estranged father, and the chance of a lifetime.

Soundrise presents a story that pulls the reader into a world where the edges of time and space are blurred, where long dead gods walk again, where the past claws for a handhold in the future. It's tantalizing, once you're in the thick of it, moving between the stark present and Egyptian mythology and ancient history. There's adventure and danger and secrets just waiting to be let out. But the writing is not smooth. There's a bit too much tell here and there. The far ends of the novel are slow and almost meandering though it still follows the overall story, almost ploddingly sees the plot through to the end. It sounds like it should be a fascinating tale from start to finish with breathless discovery and adventure at every turn, what with mysterious voices and alluring female strangers, but instead turns into a drawn out story with uneven pacing and multiple points where I wish it had hurried up or ended.

If, however, you look at the story another way, it suddenly makes more sense. It's the story of Derek's transformation from complete computer nerd with only a cat and a plant to keep him company into a whole, complete individual. As the story unfolds, Derek is tested in many ways and given the gift of an amazingly beautiful, smart, and adventurous girlfriend. The adventure Roger and Sekhmet lead him on forces him to confront his past and who he is as a man, slowly becoming the person he's meant to be. While the description might lead a reader to think there's more technology and hacking and computers involved (there is a fair amount), it's surprisingly not a major part of the story, which makes a whole lot more sense when looked through the lens of a man finding himself.

The Characters: Still Derek's Story

Soundrise revolves around Derek. A dedicated computer nerd with a decent day job and a fascinating tech mystery on his hands at night, he doesn't need much in his life. His days follow a routine. He has his mother, whom he checks on as she's been suffering from terrible bouts of depression since her ex-husband left town five years before, but he doesn't really know how to help her. He works with George on the data, but they're rarely in the same place together. He's not exactly interesting, until he meets Kyra and falls for her. Then he stumbles into becoming human and feels more lifelike.

For as large a part Kyra plays in Derek's life and transformation, she's incredibly flat. She has her role and plays it to perfection, but never tests the boundaries. She's there solely as a support to Derek, to guide him and encourage him. At first, she's a stunning compliment to Derek, but, over time, her character feels leeched of color and she slowly starts to drift off the pages as Derek comes into his own.

Aside from Derek, every character was merely a supporting one. They were assigned a part and played it flawlessly, but it made them predictable and almost completely uninteresting. Of course, this is Derek's story and he is the star, but he made literally everyone else completely lackluster. Except Boone. I don't think anyone or anything could make Boone dull.

The Setting: Across the Country and Into Egypt

Full of adventure, Soundrise takes the reader across the country from the Midwest to the West and off to the East. It even ventures out of the country, but most of it is set firmly in the US. For as much traveling as there was, there was still a good sense of place, even when they were only in a location for a short time. Most of the love went into locations the characters spent a good deal of time in, but everywhere else still got a good dose of description. I liked that, woven into the pedantic descriptions of what it looked like, there was a sense of place, of atmosphere, in the way the descriptions were worded. It helped inform the reader that the characters were, indeed traveling. No one place really stood out in my mind, but I still left the book with a feeling of the Midwest and Southwest, even a bit of Egypt.

Overall: A Strong Focus on Egyptian Mythology and History

As I mentioned earlier, Soundrise wasn't exactly what I expected it to be. It turned out to be not quite as interesting, but still had a lot of elements that I liked. The Egyptian mythology and history felt like it carried on for too long and I was disappointed there wasn't more actual hacking going on. It felt more like Derek and George were just waiting around for other hackers to deliver the good stuff to them, but I did really like the way Derek was drawn in even deeper. It was also nice to watch him unfold and evolve as a person, though Kyra felt more like a prop, one that was fascinating at first and then became almost completely irrelevant unless needed. I did feel the whole story went on a little long, or was maybe a little too wordy, but looking at it as something of a character study, it was quite interesting.

Thank you to Netgalley and The Story Plant for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
Link to post: https://thelilycafe.com/book-review-soundrise-by-lynn-voedisch/

I went into reading this with high expectations that were set by the good reviews and the premise but unfortunately I finished the book being disappointed.
Firstly, I was not a fan of the writing style - the writing felt rough and jumpy. Some bits were very rushed while others dragged on unnecessarily but worst of all were the cringe worthy metaphors.

At the start of the book I really enjoyed the main character but his arc seemed to unrealistic - from a complete nerd who is scared of talking to girls to being a real hero with bucketloads of confidence. Whilst many books and movies have this arc it felt unbelievable in this book. Some major plot holes and the whole goddess aspect felt like an unnecessary add on.

I rate this 3/5.

The book was provided as an ARC by NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Overall, this book was a great read. I really enjoyed the underlying premise and the overall plot development. The idea of mixing hackers with Egyptian history and theory was interesting. I was not sure how the book was going to play out as this did not seem like a natural mix. My only issue with the book was the lack of relationship and emotional development. The relationship between Derek and Kyra just seemed to happen. There was some build-up, but it seemed like it went from an awkward back and forth to being in a relationship. Also, the death of Boone seemed like it didn't affect Derek. There was no sign of sadness or remorse by Derek after his death. He just kept going as if it was business as usual. I feel that there should have been more impact on Derek, especially considering Boone sacrificed himself to save Derek and Kyra.

The flip-flop of Stonegate was strange and I couldn't quite figure out why he kept changing his allegiance. I know Sekmeht had an unusual pull and affect on men, but to me, it did not explain his constant switching of sides nor why Derek would trust him at all, especially when he was working with Sekmeht in the end.

The story was engaging and made me want to keep reading to see what happened next. It would be interesting to explore what happens next, now that Sekmeht had been destroyed. If there were ever a sequel, there could be a number of ways that the story could go. Obviously, the technology is not going to be able to remain secret and in the sole possession of Derek and the team. Eventually, someone with nefarious intentions will get hold of the data and how it works and use it for dark purposes.

Overall, I would rate this book as a must-read!

Author Lynn Voedisch has written a suspenseful new thriller that blends novel scientific ideas, cyber-detection, Egyptian mythology, personal redemption, and a potential catastrophe into a potent fictional mix. Although quite speculative, her novel's core ideas have been well researched. She has presented them with originality and clarity and has woven a thoroughly intriguing plot from this mixture of concepts.

However, Voedisch's tale is not merely technical, it is quite human. She has endowed her characters with depth and substance. As you follow their interlocked relationships, you find that you care about them. Some of them are, shall we say, "flawed," and we keep hoping, as we read, that they will somehow find their way.

All in all, Soundrise is an absorbing read. Every time you think you are going to close the book, you find that you turned the page instead. The book is professionally written and gives its readers plenty to ponder.

Highly recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this overall. This author has written a few books and doesn't seem to have hit her stride yet. But this one kept me mostly engaged and I enjoyed the premise.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!