Rakitaki

A Jonas Quartermain Adventure

By: Lee Alexander

Narrated by: Christian J. Gilliland

Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

The year is 1981. Eighteen-year-old Jonas Quartermain falls in love with archeology thanks to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Three years into his four-year degree, he is given the opportunity of a lifetime: work as a real archeologist on a dig in Egypt. He travels out of Ohio for the first time in his life and is shocked by the cultural differences in Cairo. He begins work and is quickly bored out of his mind.

Lucky, or perhaps unlucky for him, old bones and ancient jewelry are not the only things waiting for him in the African nights. An ancient mind awakens and begins haunting his dreams and his waking life. An enchanting woman at a club in Egypt tries desperately to drink his blood. At home in Akron, Ohio, he fights for his life against an old school bully seemingly driven mad by drugs. Jonas sets out to find answers; to understand how and why everything seems connected to his archeological dig in Egypt.

©2021 Lee Alexander (P)2022 Lee Alexander

Slow but steady. Not unbearably boring.

It doesn't exactly become interesting until around chapter six. the bulk of those chapters are character introductions, world building... everything and everyone but it's all surface. Everyone is pretty shallow and if you met them in person you'd probably never remember them. Jonas is a typical college boy. however he some how decides to become an archaeologist based on a particularly popular movie. I had the same aspirations myself but I was a history fanatic at a very young age. i spent the bulk of my tender years buried in books in the dark recesses of libraries. Jonas spends most of his time drunk or high or having pointless conversations with pointless people.
I would have found the story more interesting if much of it had been pruned heavily. (my mother is a writer and she also gets wrapped up in world building details and way too many characters that ultimately serve no purpose.)
I decided to write this review at chapter 17.... my head is swimming knowing this book contains 56 chapters. 17 chapters in and it finally reached a slight development. (this is me trying not to be too critical btw)

I don't dislike the book. In fact, when the writer gets to the point I quite enjoy it.. It might have been more enjoyable with a different narrator. this guy does an ok job with Jonas and some of the female characters and some of the foreign characters. but ultimately he swings hard between annoying and grating. the only good thing about this is you definitely won't confuse who is who. he absolutely puts effort into making these many unnecessary characters stand out. otherwise there would be too many to keep up with, most of them are unlikeable. i don't know if this is on purpose, i can only say that at this stage the story would greatly improve and become more exciting if half the cast fell into a man eating mummy infested pit it. Jonas may or may not be included... i'm still waiting for him to develop a personality.

If this book makes any sudden changes for the better I will gladly come back and edit my review. Again I have to emphasize I don't dislike it. This would be a fantastic road trip book, or something to read while you painted the house or washed every dish in the house.... all in the same day. Don't worry about zoning out and missing any pertinent details. you'll know when things get "exciting"....