The Third Gate

A Novel

By: Lincoln Child

Narrated by: Johnathan McClain

Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Under the direction of famed explorer Porter Stone, an archaeological team is secretly attempting to locate the tomb of an ancient pharaoh who was unlike any other in history. Stone believes he has found the burial chamber of King Narmer, the near mythical god-king who united upper and lower Egypt in 3200 B.C., and the archaeologist has reason to believe that the greatest prize of all - Narmer's crown - might be buried with him. No crown of an Egyptian king has ever been discovered, and Narmer's is the elusive crown of the two Egypts, supposedly possessed of awesome powers.

The dig itself is located in one of the most forbidding places on Earth - the Sudd, a nearly impassable swamp in northern Sudan. Amid the nightmarish, disorienting tangle of mud and dead vegetation, a series of harrowing and inexplicable occurrences are causing people on the expedition to fear a centuries - old curse. With a monumental discovery in reach, Professor Jeremy Logan is brought onto the project to investigate. What he finds will raise new questions... and alarm.

In the hands of master storyteller Lincoln Child, The Third Gate breaks new ground and introduces a fascinating new protagonist to the thriller world.

©2012 Lincoln Child (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Lincoln Child's novels are thrilling and tantalizing." (Vince Flynn)

"Bestseller Child ( Terminal Freeze) more than succeeds in making a mummy's curse terrifying in this superb supernatural thriller.... Child evokes fear through understatement...Readers will hope to see more of [lead character] Logan in a sequel." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Ample gadgetry, New Age soul-shifting, and pyrotechnics sufficient to employ a stable of stuntmen when brought to film: Child's newest is the sort of thing to delight all those who got wrapped up in The Mummy. Think, a Dan Brown-ian adventure amongst Pharaohs ready with a pocket full of curses." ( Kirkus)

I Loved it!

Twist and turns, exquisitely written by the author and the narrator makes you feel as though you are part of the story.

Took awhile to get started

If you could sum up The Third Gate in three words, what would they be?

Slow, interesting, educational.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Logan watches and listens, but he's not a strong character.

What three words best describe Johnathan McClain’s performance?

He does well with the story.

Any additional comments?

It took awhile to get into the character development and human interactions. The setup of the dig was arduous, and I was beginning to think this was more of a lesson in archeology with minimal story line. I did get hooked and am glad I heard the entire book, as it turns out to be an interesting story, and quite an education. I love the Pendergast series and was expecting stronger characters.

Great for Driving

I am a fan of both Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston. Recently their work has been less than what they are capable of but this book did not disappoint. Here Lincoln steps up with a solid solo offering. The story and characters are all somewhat familiar with references to many other works of adventure. Miles rolled by effortlessly as the story, narrated very competently, did not hang-up and continually unfolded with interest and enough intrigue. No, it was not mind-bending but rather a comfortable exotic adventure tale mixed with science, supernatural, mystery and an interesting (but familiar) group of characters. I would recommend this book if you like these authors or if you care for an easy and engaging tale that is a friendly, quality distraction.

Just okay

The story was interesting mostly for the info on Egyptian history. My biggest problem was the narrator. He just didn't seem to care about the story at all. No emotion, no attempt to make the characters distinct. Not one of the author's best stories,made worse by the narration.

Predictable if you're familiar with the author

I was disappointed in this book, but as I have read/listened to quite a few of Lincoln Child's work (alone and with others), I think it may be time for me to set aside this author for a while, as I found this one predictable and so similar to others as to be a bit formulaic. If I were not familiar with his work, I would probably be giving it a much higher rating. However, I must say this is the first time I have found him wonting a bit in his research (on NDE's.) The entire plot was a little trite. As with his other books, I find myself curious about the location of this story, and about the history he describes, so if you are interested in ancient Egypt and the early pharohs, you might find this to be a great choice. The narrator does a fine job. I will watch for his name elsewhere, and Mr Child's descriptions are engaging and very effective. He has a superb talent for descriptions and action. For all of that, if you are familiar with Mr. Child's work, you may find this one a bit of a letdown, as did I. Not saying it is a bad book, just that, for me, it was just too much like his others to stir me.

Easy listening

Once started couldn't put it down Very good writer I'll be doing more of his books

Great read...

Interesting characters and story theme...kept my attention through out the book...will definitely check out book 2

The reading was fantastic

Great reader! He read the characters so well I utterly forgot that it was one person.

The story was good too. More a 4 star rather than 5 but good. I am a fan of this author and his often co-author Preston. When they write together it's pure magic

Loved the performance, story was ok

While I thought the story was just ok, I thoroughly enjoyed the storytelling by Mr. Johnathan McClain. The characters in this story were a bit thin, and I was disappointed that as the reader, I was able to solve the mysteries within the action long before the characters did. Each of the characters is considered the expert in their field and I was expecting that would deepen the mysteries and creative solutions within the story. While I appreciated the overall tale, my favorite aspect was the performance by Johnathan McClain. He voice is easy on the ears, and I was impressed with his ability to distinguish the characters without putting on "character voices" that often distract from listening experience. He did a superb job in narrating the story and bringing to life the setting and character's within. I will certainly listen to more Lincoln Child's books, or any author’s books wherein Mr. McClain is handling the narration.

For the aspiring archaeologist in you

Great archaeological story, weaving fact with fiction into a colorful story of Egypt's first Pharo.