Fans of Dan Simmons THE TERROR will love ARARAT, the thrilling tale of an adventure that goes awry. When a newly engaged couple climbs Mount Ararat in Turkey, an avalanche forces them to seek shelter inside a massive cave uncovered by the snow fall. The cave is actually an ancient, buried ship that many quickly come to believe is really Noah s Ark. But when a team of scholars, archaeologists, and … and filmmakers make it inside the ark for the first time, they discover an elaborate coffin in its recesses and when they break it open, they find that the cadaver within is an ugly, misshapen thing and it has horns. A massive blizzard blows in, trapping them in that cave thousands of meters up the side of a remote mountain but they are not alone.”
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Growing up, my Grandma Hankins always had issues of the Weekly World News kicking around her place. For a fertile young imagination like mine, these editions were a goldmine of discoveries; Bat-boy, Bigfoot, Yeti’s, Vampires, Aliens and the like.
I remember vividly every six months or so, the Weekly World News would feature an issue dedicated specifically to religious things and findings. Usually on the cover were pictures of the Arc of the Covenant or the Holy Grail.
One such issue featured a picture of Noah’s Ark which was half buried in the side of a mountain. Since that first introduction to Mount Ararat, I’ve been fascinated by the ‘possibility’ of something on the mountain. And while I’ll admit the story of Noah and the Ark came from some kernel of truth, the written tale as we know now is probably far from what actually occurred.
All of that said, it brings us to Ararat by Christopher Golden.
When I first stumbled across the synopsis I was hooked. So this last Christmas I snagged it with my Amazon gift card. I quickly pushed it up my TBR to prioritize it in January, much to the chagrin of the other 200+ books I have sitting on my Kindle waiting for my eyes.
The story starts out straight forward enough. Meryam and Adam are an adventurous couple, coming from a mixed background. They have been travelling the world, documenting their various escapades to a growing audience. After making friends with a young guide near Mount Ararat on a prior hike, he sends word. A horrible earthquake and avalanche has occurred on Ararat. In the aftermath a cavern has been found and from early reports, it appears that a vessel of some kind is within.
A frantic race begins to get to the cavern and claim it as theirs to excavate.
The opening to this story could have been the entire book on its own and it would have been a phenomenal read. But Golden’s not done with us. Oh no, not in the least. You see, in that vessel, in that cavern, sits a tomb. Within that tomb is the body of a figure long since dead. The unsettling part – on its head are two bumps. Two bumps that appear to resemble horns.
Golden takes it from there, creating a frantic read filled with claustrophobia, mystery, intrigue and a well done dash of psychological turmoil. We follow Ben Walker’s story as he arrives with Father Hughes and UN Observer Kim Soeng and they try to help the group figure out what exactly the wooden vessel is, so high up on the mountain, who resided within, and most importantly, just what that horned figure is and what it’s doing to the group.
Throughout, Golden peppers the story with just a hint of Walker’s back story, and I sure hope in the future we learn more about some of his prior adventures that caused his numerous scars.
One thing I found interesting with Ararat, is that I read the novella Who Goes There? By John W. Campbell at the same time. For those who don’t know, Who Goes There was the inspiration for the movie The Thing. I found a number of similarities between the two, but I haven’t found any interviews or anything where Golden indicates it influenced him. I found reading the two together actually heightened my enjoyment of Ararat. Where Who Goes There? Would sometimes get bogged down in long bouts of dialogue, Golden didn’t flounder there, which really elevated it I thought.
Overall, Ararat was a stunning read and I see now why it was an awards contender and winner in a variety of mediums. If there isn’t a current attempt to adapt this to motion picture, I would be surprised. It has all of the necessary things there to make it a hit.
Also of note, Golden has now announced Pandora (Ben Walker #2), which will arrive in April of this year, and I for one am really excited to keep going along with Walker on his adventures.
If you have this book in your TBR I’d suggest moving it up and getting it read before Pandora comes out, especially if you enjoy demonic tales filled with real life hurt and heartache.
Giving new life to the trope of giving new life to Ancient Evil
I’ve been a horror fan since I was a kid, and there’s very little in fictional horror that scares or disturbs me. There are plenty of such films and books that I like, or even love, and admire the craft of. But after years of reading and watching this stuff, even the scariest of it no longer leaves me looking over my shoulder, or awake at night twitching at sounds, or turning on all the lights in the house.
Reading Christopher Golden’s Ararat did it, though. Oh, I didn’t have to turn all the lights on, or anything, but I did have to put the book down every so often and give myself a break from the ominous tension and anticipatory dread that ratcheted up with every new plot development. That hasn’t happened to me since I read Harlan Ellison’s Deathbird Stories back in the 70’s.
The discovery of a strange sarcophagus containing a weird looking body, the opening of which results in possessions and mayhem is not a new and original plot by any means. But the originality of the book isn’t in the premise, it’s in the execution. And the execution here is flawless.
Golden is one hell of an author. His work on licensed IPs like Hellboy and Buffy is exceptional, and fans of those properties can depend on his delivering outstanding additions to their canon. But where he really shines is in his personal work, like (most recently) Tin Men, Dead Ringers, Snowblind, and now Ararat.
A couple goes on an expedition when an avalanche exposes an ark, supposedly Noah’s ark, when things start to go horribly wrong. Excellent book; right up there with Stephen King on this one.
After an earthquake in Turkey, a massive opening is revealed in the side of a mountain, and the ship discovered inside that opening is the setting for Ararat.
Adam and Meryam, an adventurous engaged couple, lead an expedition to explore what is thought by many to be Noah’s Ark. Their team includes archaeologists, representatives of Turkey, mountain guides and a priest, among others. Once up the mountain and inside, they discover what seems to be some type of coffin. Is this really Noah’s Ark? What’s in the coffin? More importantly, will the team get out alive? You will have to read this to find out!
Ararat raced along barely letting me catch my breath. As the team’s investigation into the ship and its contents progressed, the story became darker and the tension hummed. The main characters were all complicated which added a lot to the atmosphere, especially towards the end. Once I hit the second half of this book, it became impossible to put down and I finished it in one shot. By that time, I had developed real feelings for a few of these people and I just had to see what happened to them, and let me tell you, that ending? I can’t remember reading a more satisfying finale than this in a long, long time. Bravo!
A tale of isolation, frigid temperatures, snow, and something unknown; I can’t help but be reminded of one of my favorite horror movies of all time, (based on a novel by John Campbell), called The Thing. This novel is slightly more complicated, but the atmosphere and the tension are there in spades, and what horror fan doesn’t love that?
Ararat is everything it promises in the synopsis and more. I cannot think of anything that could have been done better, because this book is already perfect. My highest recommendation, most especially to fans of The Thing, or The Terror by Dan Simmons. Ararat is a MUST READ!
*Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
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.
Christopher Golden has constructed a place you never want to go but that you cannot stop reading about.
ARARAT takes place on the mountain of the same name, where Noah’s Ark is reputed to have come to rest. That’s exactly what the novel seems to be about, when an earthquake unearths what appears to be remnants of a giant ship. But when scientists ascend the mountain to study the discovery, they quickly find that there’s something in there that should not be. Whether it’s Noah’s ark at all becomes secondary to survival as the team squares off with a chilling and brutal entity that will feed off the reader’s worst fears!
As a horror writer, I have many different tools available to scare you. One of those tools is dread, which is not the same as horror, terror, or the gross-out. Dread is a tough one to do, because it requires patience and precise words and pacing. Golden has done that here. He doesn’t hide his monster, it’s in plain sight the entire story, yet the dread just builds and builds until you are forced to stay up long after dark, reading to see when things will finally burst.
The author and I were both nominated for the Bram Stoker Award the same year (different categories), and ARARAT won that year. I have not met Christopher Golden, but I have met Joe Hill and other horror authors who speak highly of him and there’s no question he’s at the top of his game when it comes to dread. So whether you are a reader who loves horror novels or a writer who’s looking to sharpen that particular tool in your toolbox, I highly recommend reading this Bram Stoker Award winner.
A perfect horror thriller. What lies in the black sarcophagus at the center of Noah’s Ark?
I have always loved books that involve some sort of history. The race is on to get to the site on Mount Ararat to stake claim on the dig in the cave opened up by a massive earthquake. The archaeology team sets to work trying to establish if the ship in the cave is Noah’s Ark or not. As the story picks up, a strange elaborate sarcophagus is found with a strange being inside. No one knows what to make of it or even if it is real. A huge blizzard traps the entire team into the cave. Everyone on the team must find the resolve to stick to their wits and keep control of their emotions or they may never leave the mountain alive. I liked the twists and turns the story took. There is so much about history we do not know. Christopher Golden does a great job incorporating the legends into the story.
Is it Noah’s Ark?
After an avalanche/landslide occurs down the side of Mt. Ararat in Turkey, a huge cavern appears in the side of the mountain.
Archaeologists, biblical scholars, Arkologists, guides, ancient language experts, government agents, and documentary crews all want to be the first to lay claim to the sit – because it seems an ancient ship has been discovered inside the cavern.
Meryam and Adam, her fiance, have a small documentary crew and experts and they want to be the first to step foot on site. They’ve filmed their adventures before plus written books and this could be a huge story with far-reaching impacts.
This is quite an adventure tale that bogs down a bit because of repetition but still is fast-paced and asks some difficult questions. What is found on this ancient craft is the stuff nightmares are made of and plenty of thrills and chills.
I’ve enjoyed this author previously and am now off to read book number two THE PANDORA ROOM featuring Ben Walker, ostensibly a U.S. representative for the National Science Foundation but actually an agent for DARPA.
Creepy good adventure horror.
Christopher Golden never fails to deliver a page turner, but Ararat is a blockbuster movie on page. The tension is high, the stakes are higher and the fear factor is through the roof. Hollywood should wise up and make a summer blast out of this one.
I found this book to be a fun and quick read. The story line was easy to follow and the monsters were different than in some other action/adventure/horror books I have read. If you are looking for something entertaining to read over the summer, this isn’t bad.
This book kept me wondering.
Of the three novels that I have read by Christopher Golden, this by far was the strongest in terms of story and characters. I didn’t find the supernatural premise credible. Still, in terms of the creep factor, ARARAT was very effective.
Two bloggers, Adam and Meryam, travel the world and document their adventures. Adam is American and Jewish. Meryam is English and a lapsed Muslim.
Adam wants Meryam to marry him, but senses that Meryam is delaying her decision. Meryam insists that they travel to Turkey and climb Mount Ararat. She’s found evidence; Noah’s Ark has been located. Meryam is determined to lay claim to it by getting there first. The lovebirds are experienced mountain climbers and they intend to call in some favors.
Along the way, Meryam butts heads with the sexism of the local mountain climbers, fellow Muslims who disapprove of her uppity ways. They are skeptical of her conclusions about the Ark. Meryam wastes no time swatting down their macho attitudes. Her grudging guides agree to help her and Adam climb the mountain. In the meantime, others are trying to reach the Ark before she and Adam do.
So far, I’m buying the whole thing. Meryam and Co gets to the site first. Soon after, her competitors arrive as well, including scientists and a priest, bringing their equipment and expertise. There it is, Noah’s Ark. But there’s something strange about these ruins. Among the cages and ship cubbyholes, the artifacts and petrified wood, they discover a mummy. Not your garden-variety, wrapped, foot dragging former Egyptian/Incan/Viking warrior, this one’s pretty strange, with its pointed head and menacing wrapping covered with ancient writing of undetermined origin. It’s a dried-out devil. Apparently those forty days and forty nights on Noah’s floating menagerie were action-packed. What was left of humanity was forced to outsmart an evil stowaway.
Say what? At that point, the premise of a devil tormenting Noah and family as they waited for the floodwaters to subside made my long-ago Catechism lessons float to the front of my brain. I didn’t buy the idea of a devil stowaway on Noah’s Ark. Couldn’t the devil have hidden on some other guy’s ark? Someone saw what Noah was up to as the clouds gathered and put two and two together as the animals, two by two, boarded the Ark. Let the devil hitch a ride with the other guy.
Regardless, in this novel, the devil was on Noah’s Ark. The plot continues with “the devil made me do it.” Who’s got the devil in him and who’s the next victim and where’s the devil now?
I did like the ending. It was a surprise and yet tied everything together. The characters had some depth. I wish I knew more about them. Adam’s childhood reflections helped define him. Meryam was unlikeable, but I did develop an understanding and sympathy for her.
Like the other two novels by Christopher Golden that I’ve read, the action sequences of ARARAT were written well and were suspenseful. However, like the other two (SNOWBLIND and DEAD RINGERS), the supernatural underpinnings were so flimsy that they threatened my suspension of disbelief. Reading these was like enjoying a tasty meal that gives you heartburn.
Anyway, I recommend ARARAT. It’s a satisfying read. If you enjoy novels that deliver a good scare with well-drawn characters, check out books by Christopher Golden. But keep the Tums handy.