Ancient Echoes

Ancient Secrets #1

by Joanne Pence

Over two hundred years ago, a covert expedition shadowing Lewis and Clark disappeared into the wilderness of Central Idaho. Now, seven anthropology students and their professor vanish in the same area. The key to finding them lies in an ancient secret, one involving alchemy, gold, and immortality...a secret that men throughout history have sought to unveil.

Michael Rempart is a brilliant archaeologist whose colorful and controversial career has earned him admiring fans and implacable foes, but he is plagued by a troubling sense of the supernatural and a mysterious spiritual intuitiveness. Joining Rempart in this adventure are a CIA consultant on paranormal phenomena, a washed-up local sheriff, and a former scholar of Egyptology. All must overcome their personal demons as they attempt to save the students and, ultimately, the world.

From the Journal of Francis Masterson, 1806--

All hope is gone. Evil is victorious.

In the time I have remaining I will, herewith, impart a tale so filled with Dread and Terror that my heart overflows with immeasurable Sorrow to tell it. It began with the highest of Good Will and Promise and, on my part, great Excitement. I can only trust to Providence that one day this small account which I leave in a land of unimaginable desolation and Wildness, may be discovered, and that it will serve to warn others of the wickedness that may ensnare Good men.

Ours was to be a Secret Expedition...

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Paranormal, Adventure

638 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 2, 2013

About the author

Joanne Pence is a USA Today best-selling and award winning author of two mystery series, contemporary and historical romance, fantasy and thrillers. She is the author of the Angie Amalfi culinary mystery series, which is still in print after twenty years, and now has 15 books (the latest, COOKING SPIRITS was an April 2013 release), and a novella (Cook's Christmas Capers, Dec. 2013). She has just begun a new series, the Rebecca Mayfield mysteries. ONE O'CLOCK HUSTLE is the first full-length novel, and THE THIRTEENTH SANTA is a novella which shows how the two main characters met.

Joanne's books have won many awards and honors, including RWA's Golden Heart and Rita Award nominations, the Independent Book Seller's Golden Quill, the Daphne du Maurier award, the Willa Cather Literary Award in Historical Fiction (for DANCE WITH A GUNFIGHTER), and the Idaho Top Fiction Award for ANCIENT ECHOES.

Joanne was born and raised in San Francisco and now makes her home in the foothills of Boise. She has been president of the Boise chapter of Sisters in Crime, a founder and board member of the Popular Fiction Association of Idaho, and founding member and current board member of the Idaho Writers Guild. A graduate of U.C. Berkeley with a master's degree in journalism, Joanne has written for magazines, worked for the federal government, and taught school in Japan.

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out good but then lost me. Not bad, probably just not for me.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

What an incredible slog! Unsophisticated writing made this overly long story painful to read. By the end of the book I didn't care who lived, who died or how the hell they'd escape their predicament. There were several good ideas but most were poorly developed and executed. What I found most surprising was that occasionally there would be a fairly well written passage. It was almost as if more than one person authored the book. Most frustrating was the amateurish writing of the action sequences. In more adept hands this story could have been a lot more interesting. Ugh, what a disappointment. I'm striking this author from my to-read list permanently.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing but with Confusion!

Small backstory:

A small group of anthropology students along with their professor want to retrace the steps of an expedition that had happened around the time of Lewis and Clark in Idaho as they are on the hunt for some mystical pillars that might or might not exist, but to get there the group will need to brave the wilderness of what Idaho has to offer which ends up with something happening and all contact is lost with them. In steps the brother of the professor who gathers together a small band of people to help him on a rescue mission to find his brother and the students.

That is about all I can give on a backstory without giving away spoilers.

Thoughts:

This story started out good as it was a mix of fantasy and science fiction with dabbles of mystery sprinkled into the storyline. As many of you know though I am not a big fan of time jumps nor am I big fan of global travel jumping from one place to another which that is what happened in this book.

Not really time jumping but lots of global jumping from things happening to the characters in the different parts of the world. Also there were tons of characters to keep track of being spread out all over the place. There was quite a bit of an adventurous background to things happening within the storyline but trying to keep up with the characters in different parts of the world kept me confused some as I never knew by turning the page where I would end up next.

The characters didn't mean much to me either. I could never connect with any of them but the author doesn't let the reader connect too much with the characters as you are not with them all long enough to know who they really are as you are catapulted from one part of the world to the other.

First time reading this author but this being a series I am debating whether to read the rest of the books. Something I will have to decide later on down the road. Giving this book three "Confused Adventure" stars!

[Jlither · Rating 3 out of 5]

I stayed 'til the end... but the book was uneven, the characters were uneven, and I will probably not read another of her novels.

[Deborah Whipp · Rating 1 out of 5]

Painfully bad. A woman who has never ridden a horse before rides for hours in the hills, then camps and hikes no problem. I don't ride horses either, but I think she might be a bit stiff or sore. Students who know nothing about camping are making fish hooks, braiding fishing line, weaving fishing nets, and starting fires.... all after their rafts have overturned in the rapids and their supplies were lost. At 80% into the book, I didn't care if any of the characters lived or died. I don't mind the 99 cents I wasted on this, but I would love the few hours I wasted on it back.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read, but didn’t capture my imagination enough to make me want to read more in the series

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.

This is a new-to-me author and narrator. But when I was asked if I was interested in reviewing this book, I thought it looked interesting enough to give it a shot. I’m really glad that I did. This is an interesting book that I don’t know that I would’ve picked up if it was not put in front of me.

This story follows several different characters in several different parts of the world. At the beginning of the story, you don’t know how it will all tie together, but you will by the end.

Charlotte Reed is a widow and works for the Department of Homeland Security dealing with forgeries and smuggling. But when she is contacted about something her deceased husband was interested in and she starts to investigate as it could be part of the reason he was blown up by terrorist.

Then there’s Michael Rempart in Mongolia. He’s one of the world’s top archaeologist. He uncovers a mummy that is amazingly preserved. He’s there with this his assistant Li Jianjun, who is what I would call, a major secondary character.

There’s also Lionel Rempart, the estranged brother of Michael. He’s taking a group of college anthropology students to find a location in Idaho. He has a map and a guide, but people are known for going into this area and never returning.

This is a story about alchemy. There is a big search for a alchemical book. There’s a search for missing people and people dying. Things get really interesting in the last third or quarter of the book. I don’t want to go into details, so as not to have spoilers.

I will say that I liked the characters. There’s a great mix of scholars, mercenaries, thieves, cops, and just regular people to keep the story very interesting. There is suspense to keep you on your toes.

This was a great first book of a series. It’s not a fast paced story, but I was very invested in the characters and what they were going through. I’m very interested in listening to more books in this series.

Narration
This is my first time listening to Tim Page. He did a great job. Both the women and men’s voices we were done. There are a lot of names that were not widely used in the US. They were difficult for many American to pronounce them, but he said them as if he’s been saying them for years. I thought the accents were well done too. I would look forward to listening to more books with him as the narrator.

**I like to thank the author for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[Minegirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not very good. Lots of people getting killed off. Poor storyline. By the end I didn't care one way or another. I won't be listening to the rest of the series.

[Kamery Solomon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting story that was poorly executed, which surprises me, given that it's an award-winning novel.

The story itself is quite interesting. If it weren't, I probably would have DNF'd it. The writing style is not one I connected with. I felt it was all telling instead of showing. The characters didn't ever make sense, randomly revealing things and doing things that didn't fit in with what the story was trying to do. There were too many viewpoints for my taste as well, though it did help give a more rounded view of the story. My main complaint is that everything just seemed to happen. Nothing the characters did really led to the conclusion, and there was a whole angle where a bunch of people who had never shown feelings for each other before (or even MET) were suddenly in love with one another.

The story is a great adventure, though. It absolutely reminds me of blockbuster movies and great tales that excite people. While I struggled to understand it a lot of the time, I enjoyed the premise of it and the different angles it took. My desire to know how it all turned out trumped my dislike for everything else. Take that how you will, haha!

[Aurora · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's really a 3.5, it was an enjoyable enough read. I liked how the author tried to link so many countries together. I always enjoy when the links between different places are explored.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action-Packed!

I found this story intriguing and didn't want to stop reading it! It's definitely a thriller that didn't stop thrilling! LOL

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty decent story for the most part. I had difficulties with parts of the plotline. There was a lot of bouncing around the globe and I got lost more than once with who I was following and where they were. It was interesting, but it felt disjointed at times for me. The narration was good. I am on the fence whether I will continue with the rest of the series or not. I really did love the idea of this book more than the execution

This story was given to me for free at my request for my voluntary and unbiased review.

[Jefrois · Rating 1 out of 5]

.
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“… Derek Hammill gave the order as he double-checked the safety on his 10 mm Smith and Wesson 1076, glad to have it near. He was a country boy, grew up in Alabama, and he sensed a strangeness about this area….”

Joanne: you keep harping on this.

FIRST, the 1076 does NOT have a safety.

SECOND, no real operator would ever go into an operation with the safety “On.”

Also, WTF?? you seem to be trying to romanticize “Jake.” I am getting Wilford Brimley for “Jake,” as you have made him. Hardly a romantic figure.

Oh…and, personally speaking, I HATE (LOATHE) the way you jump around to different people in different settings (scenes.) I mean I HATE IT!!!! HATE!!! LOATHE IT!!! LOATHE!!

(I keep skipping around, closing out to look at my laptop to see my email and read articles—ANYTHING but this “book.”)

OMG! I AM ONLY AT 47% WHAT TORTURE! I may quit.

I AM NOW AT 70%, PAGE 260 AND HAVE DECIDED TO QUIT.

There is no suspense; no mystery; no tension; no ticking clock; and, no super villain; NONE of these characters is interesting or believable; there’s NO ONE to root for; there is not a single character I like.

I hate all these characters; they are all wooden and empty.

I wish I could give this Negative Stars. I hate this book. I quit reading, and am going to return it and find something else to waste my time on.

I give this book NEGATIVE 1000 stars.
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[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall it just seemed a little disjointed. Too many things that didn’t add to the book. Too many circles and wanderings

[Eugenea Pollock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I occasionally can get involved in books grounded in the paranormal, and I thought that, because of its archeological aspect, this might be one of those. But I was wrong. I'm abandoning it, having read 50%. I was no longer able to sustain enough interest in the storyline, though apparently many other readers have done so easily. It involves two brothers linked by their careers in archaeology: a famous Indiana Jones clone on a dig in Mongolia and an overshadowed academic who makes the worst decisions imaginable when he leads a group of students on a field trip into a "Bermuda Triangle" area in the Utah wilderness. Suffice it to say that there is a Stargate-type portal into an alternate reality, man-eating monsters, an ancient alchemical text arguably providing the secret to immortality, a pharmaceutical executive seeking a cure for her daughter's progeria, yadda, yadda, yadda. I think it was just an instance of too much "weirdity" for my taste.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was good, but it did drag in places and seemed a little long. It's a well researched novel set in Idaho and dealing with alchemy. The entire lead to gold theory is discussed and we also have alternate dimensions and monsters! The first half of the novel did drag, but then it picked up and never really slowed back down. I supposed you could say it was uneven, although really it could have just been a little shorter and that would have solved the issue.

I was impressed with the research as the writer seemed to know the subjects she was writing about, and there was enough action to keep things interesting if you can make it that far.

This is the first in a series, but it also works as a stand alone. Once you read it, you get a complete story and can decide for yourself whether to continue or not.

Overall not bad and worth a read if you like historical adventure novels with some sci fi thrown in as well.

[M. Sprouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the first 2oo+ pages I was enthralled by this book. It fit my reading interest almost exactly. A thriller, fast-paced, some paranormal, exotic locations, a couple of expeditions and it was all crafted together nicely. The last 100 pages were good, but just not as precise as early in the book. A little too much running around the terrain and getting captured time after time. I can see how in a novel of this type how hard it was to engineer a good and believable ending. Again, the ending was fine, just not as captivating as the rest of the book. I will read the next book in what I hope is a series.

[Phyllis Runyan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little different than I usually read. It's part thriller ?sci-fi, mystery and I can't describe what else.

[Thomas Rielly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring book

Weird story. Round in circles and not leading any place in particular until it had to end someplace. Not my type of book I guess

[Kat Lebo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ancient Echoes by Joanne Pence

Minor spoilers included:

Interesting storyline, reminiscent of the "Lost Horizon" fable. I was a little conflicted on my rating. I enjoyed the story, but yet part of me wasn't that fond of it. I finally decided to give the extra star based on what I did like about it.

And that, what I liked, would include interesting characters, great research into the subject of alchemy, good pacing and flow, multiple story lines that Pence combines nicely into a single thread as the story progresses, good editing and proofing, enough backstory to understand main character motivation, and an interesting surprise twist at the end that had enough clues to suspect, but not quite enough to ruin the surprise. Certainly the author wasn't afraid to 'kill her darlings,' as the old writers' saw goes. And, on a personal note for me, there was the name of one of the characters, Melisse. I'd never run across that name before, but have an ancestor who was named May Lissie. I'm not sure if the the author meant the name to be pronounced more like Melissa, but my brain automatically pronounced it like my ancestor's every time it appeared, so I was especially invested in that character's arc.

I'm not even sure of what I didn't like about it. I did notice 3 definite proofing errors, and maybe a 4th, although it could be read multiple ways, so maybe it wasn't an error and just my reading of it. But compared to other novels I've read over the recent past, the proofing was good. I found some of the romantic interactions a bit stiff and trite, but, again, not nearly as stiff and trite, or eye-rollingly off-putting as many other romantic interludes I've soldiered through recently, so that wasn't it, either. I really don't know. I loved "Lost Horizon," so I doubt it was the idea of a doorway into another dimension that wouldn't be spotted by Google Earth. I just know I felt a bit unsatisfied when I finished the novel. Unsatisfied enough that I'm not tempted to shell out the cost of the next book in the series (or at least that features one of the main characters from this novel).

So, lots of good for the book. You may not feel the same as I did.

[Lidia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my review of the audio version as posted on Audible:

'Ancient Echoes' is a gripping book that combines thriller, mystery and paranormal together - with a great result. The beginning is intriguing, with the parallel narration of the two main characters' adventures in two different parts of the world; what happens to Michael is mystical, what Charlotte goes through is a classic thriller involving world plots and spies. When they finally meet and are joined by Jake, a true paranormal adventure starts. And it's a rollercoaster ride, with quite a few scenes that involve real cruelty and sheer violence... There is so much happening in the book that I think you could make three out of this one.To be honest, there's a point when you think, Ok I've had enough, no more tension please - and you're only half way through at that point:) But then there's another turn in the plot and you just can't stop listening...

As far as characters go, they are very well written down. I like Michael and Charlotte, they are scholars who try to hide great sorrow buried deep in their souls and who come out reborn from their adventure, finally finding a kind of peace. Jake is a down-to-earth ex-cop who feels responsible for the whole world. And the evil bunch are truly evil: heartless, cruel, vicious...
I also like the way nature is described - it almost becomes a character itself, wild, unpredictable, ominous...

Narration by Mr Paige is really good. It's quite slow (I sped it up to 1,25 without loosing anything) but engaging. He doesn't do voices much, but differentiates the manner of speaking of particular characters so there's no doubt as to who is talking to whom. He also conveys the emotions and the tension present in the book in a very convincing way. Definitely a narrator worth listening to.


DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Bernadette Curry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars for a premise that missed the mark.

The idea was grand, maybe too grand as the execution of the plot was sketchy and plodding. The characters were okay, but I didn’t identify closely with any of them and found that toward the end I just figured they would all die and didn’t care.

The students seemed to be included in the story just to be killed off in a manner which was designed to emphasize the strangeness of the setting and the one student that disappeared but wasn’t killed outright did predictably show up at the end - heroically with guns and ammo to save the day. And into the arms of one of the female students although by then I couldn’t remember if she was the one that only went along because she wanted to be with him or was it the other one? And why? Devlin just suddenly thought wow it would be really nice to see Rachael again and she, who didn’t seem any more upset over his disappearance than anyone else, just as suddenly jumps into his arms?

The ending rushed into being by means of monologues from the cast of characters and some (Quade) by morphing into throwaway characters mentioned in the tiresome, albeit needed, research sections the book was filled with and others (the villagers) by having their looks and clothing changed/transformed (how? I supposed because they had given up their philosopher’s stones) and monologues. Even the attraction between two main characters was unsatisfying and so low key as to be boring and one key character was apparently kept alive for future books.

To sum up, this book didn’t land on my DNF shelf but I don’t plan on recommending it to my friends.

[Bikram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer.
I had requested and received audible version of this book for free from the narrator author, in exchange for an unbiased review.

What I liked about the book -
This is probably the best book I read last month. The story is so well written and intriguing that it has "turn into a movie" written all over it. (i.e. I would also love to see it on big screen.) It's an absolute page turner. Once I had started listening to it, it was almost impossible to press pause.

The past and the present threads of the story are presented in a unique way that converge to give you a bombastic experience. You never feel lost about what's happening. Every chapter is full of thrill and suspense. There are twist and unexpected turns that keep you guessing about what will happen next.

Can't wait to read next book in this series.

What I disliked about the book -
Nothing specific that I can think of.

Narration -
Narration by Tim Paige was a perfect. Every character had a distinct and easily identifiable voice. Every emotion is conveyed perfectly. It was a totally immersive experience.

[David Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action-packed Thriller!!

I recently saw an ad on Facebook for Joanne Pence’s Ancient Secrets series. This genre always piques my interest and the description in the ad really sounded like stories I would enjoy. Imagine my surprise when I clicked for more information and discovered I’ve owned Ancient Echoes for over two years. So, I decided to find out if I was going to enjoy the book and characters. Ms. Pence has crafted a story filled with a bit of archeology, anthropology, arcane topics, and history into a book that is near impossible to put down.

The characters in this story were well developed, very believable, and filled with human failings yet the ability to rise above their shortcomings. Of course, there are also characters who are easy to distrust or outright detest.

This is a series I fully intend on reading all the books to see what adventures Michael Rempart gets involved in as the series progresses. If you enjoy action-packed stories that have enough history to make you wonder where the fact ends and the fiction starts, give Ancient Echoes a try, I’m betting you won’t be sorry.

[Kayla Krantz · Rating 4 out of 5]

My very first thought when listening to this was how impressed I was with the attention to detail about the historical facts and the way that the author was able to seamlessly blend this information with her work to create a sound book. Even though historical fiction isn’t a real favorite of mine, I was immersed in this book when the elements of Alchemy came up.

Joanne definitely knows how to build a world and how to run the people inside it. There was hardly any “tell” because the way that the characters were written told everything we needed to know. Even when it wasn’t quite clear, as a reader, I could draw my own conclusions and that was pretty neat too.

Though the buildup of suspense is a little slow in the beginning, it starts to pick up rapidly about a fourth of the way through. The narration kept in pace with this, having a strong cadence and voice that was able to swing through the highs and lows of the story with ease.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

[Jodi Pomerleau · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started out well but then devolved into something that every time I picked up the book I wondered why I was still reading it. The characters were not well fleshed out, the action sequences laughable, and the whole predicament just hard to believe. If your raft overturned with all your supplies, there is no way you'd be able to hike for miles upon miles...no food, no water, no shelter, no way to make a fire...especially for people unaccustomed to roughing it. They survive a flash flood, yet the villagers are still able to find them, and they keep finding them after every escape. I've been in a small park and not been able to find people who weren't even trying not to be found. Ridiculous. Put in the supernatural aspects of it, and the story becomes even more convoluted. I feel like the author just threw in a whole bunch of "stuff" to make a story. Cut back about half of it and there might be a good book, but all put together it fails. I will not be picking up another of this author's works.

[David Pyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an intriguing mix of historical fiction and fantasy fiction. Having no real knowledge of Idaho (other than that the supply a lot of potatoes to the nation and that the state has an odd shape, akin to that of this reviewer’s home state of Texas) the vivid descriptions of the setting were intriguing. The further details of the Lewis and Clark expedition were bonus material.
Charlotte, the protagonist, is an interesting mix of vulnerability and toughness. Romance tries to develop, threatening to become a major player in the story.
Alchemical and other-worldly actions intervene to move this tale into the realm of the spooky and surreal. The historical and fictional tale of The Book of Abraham added to the mystery.
This is not a tale for the squeamish; death and mayhem abound, and the creatures created with the Philosopher’s Stone are the stuff of nightmares. All that being said, it is an enjoyable and well-told tale, worthy of the reader’s time. A purchase of the sequel is being strongly considered by this reviewer.

[Tom Copeland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although there are more than one interesting lines to the plot, I am now in Chapter 57 and they are not even beginning to relate to one another. As there are too many plots, so there are way too many characters. Only one or two of them can be easily identified by name alone after their introduction. Idioms are also occasionally bent. Just now I lost track of the story line when I had to puzzle out how something could be "between this OR that." (It can't be between just one thing.) The author does not distinguish between "may" (present) and "might" (past), and she writes, "snuck" for "sneaked." The reader of my audible copy, Tim Paige, invents pronunciations for any words he doesn't know. I recently heard him pronounce "damask" to rhyme with "the mosque," and he likes to use "z" or "zh" in words requiring "s" or "sh" like "lucid" or "fissure." "Formidable" is always "for MID able," "susPECT" (the verb) is pronounced "SUSpect" (the noun), and "tenet" becomes "tenant." Such distractions weary me.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free. I am voluntarily leaving this review and all opinions expressed herein are mine.

There is a lot going on in this story - alchemy, Lewis & Clark expedition, pharmaceuticals, archeology, ancient artifacts, travelogue, a time portal, etc. - and a lot of characters to try to keep straight. Parts of the book I really liked -the history was interesting, the archeolgy and the weird "Bermuda Triangle." I loved the idea of this book more than the execution. There was a lot of traveling around the globe and at times, I got lost with who was going where and why. Some of the characters professed to have no skills in certain areas but then suddenly they did. For example, college students lost all their supplies and knew nothing about outdoor life were suddenly weaving nets and fishing, etc.

I listened to this book - the narrator did a good job.

[Saundra Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mistakenly thought I was getting an archeological thriller in this book. Instead, I ended up with epic fantasy that brushes against archeology and anthropology. Fortunately for me I also love fantasy!

Two brothers, one a famous archeologist, the elder a staid anthropology professor. The two couldn’t be more different. When the elder brother, more comfortable behind a desk, goes missing in the rugged wilderness of Idaho along with a group of students, the other brother Michael will do anything it takes to find his brother.

Throw in political intrigue, the killing of a CIA agent, and years later threat to the life of his wife when she investigates, and all plot points are covered. A quick reading thriller with a human touch and a bit of magic!