Really nice to see a refreshing take on the "ancient aliens" theories. This book does an incredible job of delivering medieval historical fiction realism and blending it with Stargate-esque science fiction.

I really liked the set up and overall setting for this. It really reminded me of some of my favourite Science Fiction series.

I wasn't the biggest fan of the way things were explained at times, I think it would have benefitted more from a glossary than mid sentence explanations.

Overall I think this is a strong beginning to an epic science fiction series, with great religious representation. I also think its been well researched from the Appendix at the back.

Actual Rating: 3.5 / 5

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. I usually don’t like sci fi novels, but I loved this one! There is STEM, history, action, and adventure. Based off of the aliens-built-the-pyramids-conspiracy-theories, this novel takes you back in time to the Arab Renaissance era as well as other planets. The characters Despite a few foul words, this book was clean. While not a religious book, the characters seem to be Muslim. There is not too much in character development, but the theme of doing what is right for humanity prevails. It’s a definitive cliff hanger, and the reader will look forward to reading the next book in the trilogy.

A solid scifi tale, probably in the thriller sub-category. This has a good cast, and the story is pretty interesting, with good pacing. Odin writes well, and It's hard to tell if this will stand out in the crowded book market. But for those pick it, I suspect they'll enjoy it.

I appreciate the free review copy!!

This is an interesting scifi novel that begins in ancient Egypt. Someone finds an alien artifact in the great pyramid of Giza. It transports him to the alien world and so begins the story......

Amazing first book of the trilogy!
This is my first book downloaded from NetGalley and I have to say I am literally blown away by this book. It is so well written and the plot is very nicely and well woven. Not only are the main character’s adventures incredible, but they are particularly vividly described. It’s as if you step into the book’s world and experience every step of the protagonist’s journey.
The story follows Al-Khidr, an alchemist, who is assigned as mission to be part of the team who first entered the Pyramid of Giza. Upon the exploration of the pyramid, the team finds three unusual artefacts, which appeal tremendously to the Al-Khidr. He gets permission from the Caliph to keep them and so his life changed irremediably. Curious to find their secret, Al-Khidr messes with the artefacts until he activates them by mistake and is transported onto another planet. Unbelievable? You bet! That is why the plot is so thrilling! You wouldn’t expect such a development! And so his adventures as an alien begin (yes, you read that correctly! A human being is the alien in the story! I think it’s an awesome idea!).
There are plenty of things I like about this book (the plot, the characters are likable, the mix of fiction and sci-fi, the fact that the new and the old intertwine naturally etc.), but let me tell you about some details that made the difference for me: all the Arabic names, words and expressions have the translation written in brackets right next to them, not in footnotes. Makes it so much easier to understand and even remember them, so hats off to the author for writing it like that. Also, this brings a lot of authenticity to the story. Then, (spoiler alert!) I loved the names of the aliens from the Lyra planet :) They are easily recognizable and they are all related to Ancient Egypt, which again, brings more realism to the story and it’s a bit thought-provoking, too.
To be very direct: it’s a wonderful Sci-Fi book, which I enjoyed tremendously and which deserves to be read from cover to cover. It’s definitely in my top 3 sci-fi books! I am very much looking forward to the next two parts of the trilogy!

Interesting exploration and discover story taking place at the Pyramids of Giza more than a thousand years ago. Tales and lore about the origin and speculation of contents of pyramids.

The story isn’t written in an eloquent way. it seems like a bunch of facts/ideas mushed together. And some parts of it are either written in bad english (Is that purposeful for the characters to be speaking like that? And if it is, the Sphere was told to give the main character all the knowledge of the alien’s language, so why does everyone speak in bad English?) or is it just bad grammar/editing.

Then it gets futuristic and alien-y, a book for fans of Ancient Aliens.