The genre of archaeological fiction is the vehicle through which many people first get involved in archaeology. For others it is a way to stay involved. If you’re an armchair archaeologist or one who has the bad knees from hours of kneeling with your bottom towards the sky – if you’re just getting involved in archaeology or have years of experience – we think you will enjoy Bill Gresens’ reviews of books which highlight the realities and misconceptions of archaeology to take the reader on a journey. And isn’t that what archaeology is about – taking a journey to the past, discovering lives that we can only dream about, solving mysteries? We hope you enjoy our book reviews and that they encourage you to take a journey filled with mystery and adventure. Start your adventure by checking out one of the book listed below. Enjoy!
Do you have a book you would like to recommend? Link to e-mail your recommendations or comments. Please include book title, author, publisher, publication date and your comments. Share your favorite archaeology fiction book with us today!
Meet MVAC’s Book Reviewer – Bill Gresens
Bill pondering his next book review.
Reviewer and son Nick at 3rd Century BC Elymean site in western Sicily.
Bill Gresens was the Grants & Contract Officer at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse for thirty some years before recently retiring. He was also a member of the MVAC Board of Directors during its first 20+ years of existence. He hopes to spend much of his retirement life working in the archaeology laboratory during the winter and doing field work during the summers. He spends much more time than he should reading fiction that uses archaeology as a theme or backdrop. On a fairly erratic basis he will review the archaeology and fiction books he’s recently read—including the good, the bad and the truly atrocious.
Review Rating
With the October 2004 review, we began rating the books on the basis of one to four trowels; one trowel= don’t bother, to four trowels= run right out to your local book store and buy the hard cover!
Reviews (Book Review Authors)
Ararat by Christopher GoldenApril 1, 2018
The Mermaid’s Scream by Kate EllisMarch 1, 2018
The Chalk Pit by Elly GriffithsFebruary 1, 2018
Mythos Christos by Edwin HerbertJanuary 1, 2018
Skaar: A Novel of Archaeology, Revolution and Betrayal by Rowland ReeveDecember 1, 2017
The Baljuna Covenant by Tim PelkeyNovember 1, 2017
Look What the Wind Blew In by Ann CharlesOctober 1, 2017
The Painted Queen by Elizabeth Peters, Joan HessSeptember 1, 2017
The Lazarus Bell by Patrick DunneAugust 1, 2017
The Smoke Hunter by Jacquelyn BensonJuly 1, 2017
Lost in Translation by Nicole MonesJune 1, 2017
Lord of the Dark Lake by Ron FaustMay 1, 2017
The Count of the Sahara by Wayne TurmelApril 1, 2017
Burials by Mary Anna EvansMarch 1, 2017
The Woman in Blue by Elly GriffithsFebruary 1, 2017
The House of Eyes by Kate EllisJanuary 1, 2017
A Carol for the Dead by Patrick DunneDecember 1, 2016
Switcheroo by Aaron ElkinsNovember 1, 2016
Shell Game by Sarah R. ShaberOctober 1, 2016
Death Among the Fossils by Isadore DurantSeptember 1, 2016
The Oracle by D.J. NikoAugust 1, 2016
The Death Season by Kate EllisJuly 1, 2016
Mountain Rampage by Scott GrahamJune 1, 2016
Catacomb by Sarah WissemanMay 1, 2016
Sunken Dreams by Steven KuehnApril 1, 2016
The Shadow of the Evening by Laura Brylawski-MillerMarch 1, 2016
The Avalon Chanter by Lillian Stewart CarlFebruary 1, 2016
Lady in the Lake by Jason FossJanuary 1, 2016
The Lifers’ Club by Francis PryorDecember 1, 2015
The Italian Letters by Linda LambertNovember 1, 2015
Isolation by Mary Anna EvansOctober 1, 2015
Land of Marvels by Barry UnsworthSeptember 1, 2015
The Shroud Maker by Kate EllisAugust 1, 2015
The Ghost Fields by Elly GriffithsJuly 1, 2015
Canyon Sacrifice by Scott GrahamJune 1, 2015
The Orpheus Descent by Tom HarperMay 1, 2015
Burnt Siena by Sarah WissemanApril 1, 2015
Easy Go by Michael Crichton (John Lange)March 1, 2015
The Blood of Alexander by Tom WildeFebruary 1, 2015
The Riddle of Solomon by D.J. NikoJanuary 1, 2015
The Outcast Dead by Elly GriffithsDecember 1, 2014
The Moses Virus by Jack HylandNovember 1, 2014
Artifact by Gigi PandianOctober 1, 2014
On the Third Day by Piers Paul ReadJuly 1, 2014
The Tenth Saint by D.J. NikoJune 1, 2014
The Cairo Codex by Linda LambertMay 1, 2014
The Ancient Curse by Valerio Massimo ManfrediApril 1, 2014
The Book of Killowen by Erin HartMarch 1, 2014
A Dying Fall by Elly GriffithsFebruary 1, 2014
The Inquisitor’s Key by Jefferson BassJanuary 1, 2014
Rituals by Mary Anna EvansDecember 1, 2013
Tears of the Jaguar by A.J. HartleyNovember 1, 2013
The Shadow Collector by Kate EllisOctober 1, 2013
Barbara Mertz (Elizabeth Peters) by Bill GresensSeptember 1, 2013
Beranek’s Stand by Ray M. SchultzeSeptember 1, 2013
The Three Evangelists by Fred VargasAugust 1, 2013
The Map of Lost Memories by Kim FayJuly 1, 2013
Travels in Elysium by William AzuskiJune 1, 2013
The Fifth Codex (for young readers) by Robert BresloffMay 1, 2013
A Room Full of Bones by Elly GriffithsMarch 1, 2013
The Third Gate by Lincoln ChildFebruary 1, 2013
The Cadaver Game by Kate EllisJanuary 1, 2013
The Golden Skull (for young readers) by John BlaineDecember 1, 2012
The Lost Goddess by Tom KnoxNovember 1, 2012
Murder in Lascaux by Betsy Draine, Michael HindenOctober 1, 2012
The House at Sea’s End by Elly GriffithsSeptember 1, 2012
The Amun Chamber by Daniel LestonAugust 1, 2012
The Tenth Chamber by Glenn CooperJuly 1, 2012
Toward the Gleam by T.M. DoranJune 1, 2012
Plunder by Mary Anna EvansMay 1, 2012
The Explorer’s Code by Kitty PilgrimApril 1, 2012
Quest by David WoodMarch 1, 2012
The Second Messiah by Glenn MeadeFebruary 1, 2012
The Guardians of the Covenant by Tom EgelandJanuary 1, 2012
Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx (for young readers) by James RollinsDecember 1, 2011
The Jackal Man by Kate EllisNovember 1, 2011
The Ark by Boyd MorrisonOctober 1, 2011
The Janus Stone by Elly GriffithsSeptember 1, 2011
The Keepsake by Tess GerritsenAugust 1, 2011
One Grave Less by Beverly ConnorJuly 1, 2011
The House of the Sphinx by Sarah WissemanJune 1, 2011
Elisha’s Bones by Don HoeselMay 1, 2011
The Flesh Tailor by Kate EllisApril 1, 2011
The Gripping Beast by Margot WadleyMarch 1, 2011
Angel of Death by Roy LewisFebruary 1, 2011
Fieldwork by Mischa BerlinskiJanuary 1, 2011
The Kane Chronicles, Book One: The Red Pyramid (for young readers) by Rick RiordanDecember 1, 2010
A Darker God by Barbara CleverlyNovember 1, 2010
Strangers by Mary Anna EvansOctober 1, 2010
A River in the Sky by Elizabeth PetersSeptember 1, 2010
Archaeology in Fiction: A Selected Bibliography by Bill GresensJuly 1, 2010
Hidden Oasis by Paul SussmanJuly 1, 2010
The Atlantis Code by Charles BrokawJuly 1, 2010
The Crossing Places by Elly GriffithsJune 1, 2010
Cibola by David WoodApril 1, 2010
Lyn Hamilton by Bill GresensMarch 1, 2010
The Fall of Augustus by Sarah WissemanFebruary 1, 2010
St. Oswald’s Niche by Laura FrankosJanuary 1, 2010
Song of the Tides by Tom JosephDecember 1, 2009
The Genesis Secret by Tom KnoxNovember 1, 2009
Murder in the Museum of Man by Alfred AlcornOctober 1, 2009
The Alexander Cipher by Will AdamsSeptember 1, 2009
Floodgates by Mary Anna EvansAugust 1, 2009
Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha ChristieJuly 1, 2009
Nine Lords of the Night by E.C. GibsonJune 1, 2009
The Bible of Clay by Julia NavarroMay 1, 2009
And Only to Deceive by Tasha AlexanderApril 1, 2009
Dragon Bones by Lisa SeeMarch 1, 2009
Bright Hair About the Bone by Barbara CleverlyFebruary 1, 2009
The Blood Pit by Kate EllisJanuary 1, 2009
Uneasy Relations by Aaron ElkinsDecember 1, 2008
The Shining Skull by Kate EllisNovember 1, 2008
Questionable Remains by Beverly ConnorOctober 1, 2008
The Sea King’s Daughter by Barbara MichaelsSeptember 1, 2008
The Pale Surface of Things by Janey BennettAugust 1, 2008
Findings by Mary Anna EvansJuly 1, 2008
Trace Elements by Kathryn Lasky KnightJune 1, 2008
The Last Secret of the Temple by Paul SussmanMay 1, 2008
The Tomb of Zeus by Barbara CleverlyApril 1, 2008
Crusader Gold by David GibbinsMarch 1, 2008
The Raven’s Pool by Deborah CannonFebruary 1, 2008
Search the Shadows by Barbara MichaelsJanuary 1, 2008
Chasing Eden by S.L. LinneaDecember 1, 2007
The Meriwether Murder by Malcolm ShumanNovember 1, 2007
The Jackal’s Head by Elizabeth PetersOctober 1, 2007
No Certain Rest by Jim LehrerSeptember 1, 2007
Napoleon’s Pyramids by William DietrichAugust 1, 2007
A Dark Music by Robert FroeseJuly 1, 2007
Effigies by Mary Anna EvansJune 1, 2007
The Fall of Troy by Peter AckroydMay 1, 2007
Carved in Bone by Jefferson BassApril 1, 2007
A Tourist in the Yucatan by James McNay BrumfieldMarch 1, 2007
Fog on the Mountain by Frederica de LagunaFebruary 1, 2007
The Torch of Tangier by Aileen G. BaronJanuary 1, 2007
A Rumor of Bones by Beverly ConnorDecember 1, 2006
The Lucifer Gospel by Paul ChristopherNovember 1, 2006
The Orkney Scroll by Lyn HamiltonOctober 1, 2006
The Mask of Atreus by A.J. HartleySeptember 1, 2006
Thunderhead by Douglas Preston, Lincoln ChildAugust 1, 2006
The Dead Sea Codex by Sarah WissemanJuly 1, 2006
The Last Cato by Matilde AsensiJune 1, 2006
More Bitter Than Death by Dana CameronMay 1, 2006
Tomb Seven by Gene SnyderApril 1, 2006
The Bog by Michael TalbotMarch 1, 2006
Stolen Souls by Jeffrey SackettFebruary 1, 2006
Frozen by Jay BonansingaJanuary 1, 2006
Bound for Eternity by Sarah WissemanDecember 1, 2005
Cross Bones by Kathy ReichsNovember 1, 2005
The Serpent on the Crown by Elizabeth PetersOctober 1, 2005
The Moai Murders by Lyn HamiltonSeptember 1, 2005
Relics by Mary Anna EvansAugust 1, 2005
The Codex by Douglas PrestonJuly 1, 2005
Youth Archaeology Book Reviews by Bill GresensJune 1, 2005
Clay Dancers: A Mystery by Cecil DawkinsJune 1, 2005
The Seventh Sanctuary by Daniel EastermanMay 1, 2005
Dead Men’s Hearts by Aaron ElkinsApril 1, 2005
Archaeology in Fiction; the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly by Bill GresensMarch 1, 2005
The Shape-Shifter by Roy LewisFebruary 1, 2005
Lake of Sorrows by Erin HartJanuary 1, 2005
The Lost Army of Cambyses by Paul SussmanDecember 1, 2004
Field of Stones by Marilyn DunganNovember 1, 2004
The Stone Circle by Gary GoshgarianOctober 1, 2004
The Plague Maiden by Kate EllisSeptember 1, 2004
Monday Mourning by Kathy ReichsAugust 1, 2004
The Magyar Venus by Lyn HamiltonJune 1, 2004
Guardian of the Horizon by Elizabeth PetersMay 1, 2004
Amelia Peabody’s Egypt: A Compendium by Elizabeth Peters, Kristen WhitbreadApril 1, 2004
Good Blood by Aaron ElkinsMarch 1, 2004
One Grave Too Many by Beverly ConnorFebruary 1, 2004
Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth PetersJanuary 1, 2004
Artifacts by Mary Anna EvansDecember 1, 2003
The Merchant’s House by Kate EllisNovember 1, 2003
The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned by Anne RiceOctober 1, 2003
Past Malice by Dana CameronSeptember 1, 2003
Haunted Ground by Erin HartAugust 1, 2003
Cities of the Dead by Michael PaineJuly 1, 2003
The Sleeper in the Sands by Tom HollandJune 1, 2003
A Fly Has a Hundred Eyes by Aileen G. BaronMay 1, 2003
The Cambridge Murders by Dilwyn ReesApril 1, 2003
Indiana Jones and the Peril at Delphi by Rob MacGregorMarch 1, 2003
The Menorah Men by Lionel DavidsonFebruary 1, 2003
Grave Consequences by Dana CameronJanuary 1, 2003
The Return by Bentley LittleDecember 1, 2002
Beachcombing for a Shipwrecked God by Joe CoomerNovember 1, 2002
Burial Ground by Malcolm ShumanOctober 1, 2002
Grave Secrets by Kathy ReichsSeptember 1, 2002
Nine Lords of the Night by E.C. GibsonAugust 1, 2002
Zadok’s Treasure by Margot ArnoldJuly 1, 2002
The Lost Testament by Alan GoldJune 1, 2002
The Shadowy Horses by Susanna KearsleyMay 1, 2002
Exit Actors, Dying by Margot ArnoldApril 1, 2002
Site Unseen: An Emma Fielding Mystery by Dana CameronMarch 1, 2002
The Cross Bearer by Roy LewisFebruary 1, 2002
Dead Secret by Roy LewisJanuary 1, 2002
Skeleton Dance by Aaron ElkinsDecember 1, 2001
The Last Mayan by Malcolm ShumanNovember 1, 2001
The Eye of Horus by Carol ThurstonOctober 1, 2001
Fatal Voyage by Kathy ReichsSeptember 1, 2001
The Celtic Riddle by Lyn HamiltonJuly 1, 2001
A Wall in the Darkness by Jon LandJune 1, 2001
Beat Not the Bones by Charlotte JayMay 1, 2001
Temple by Matt ReillyApril 1, 2001
The African Quest: An Archaeology Mystery by Lyn HamiltonMarch 1, 2001