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The Tombs of Terror #1
Tombs Of Terror
When Jonathon Bradford gets lost in an ancient cavern while sightseeing in Peru, he discovers the secret behind the legendary disappearance of the ancient Inca people. In Tombs of Terror, the gripping debut from T. Lynn Adams, Jonathon is catapulted into an epic struggle between greed and honor. Now he must prove his loyalty and bravery as he battles lethal traps, starvation, kidnapping, and his own fear, all while holding the precarious fate of an entire civilization in his hands.
195 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
March 22, 2010
The most fascinating part of this book is that it is based on fact!
An American teenager finds himself lost in the secret tunnels of the Incas.
He battles starvation and lethal tomb traps as he tries to find his way out. He also discovers the lost Inca gold and their sacred mummies. But when he lands in the hands of The Shining Path terrorist group he realizes he must face his fears and go back inside the tunnels to escape.
This book blends three cultures and shows that loyalty, bravery and family are important in every culture and every predicament.
As for the facts: the tunnels actually exist; The Shining Path does, too; and cooking oil in an Inca Kola bottle does really work.
An American teenager finds himself lost in the secret tunnels of the Incas.
He battles starvation and lethal tomb traps as he tries to find his way out. He also discovers the lost Inca gold and their sacred mummies. But when he lands in the hands of The Shining Path terrorist group he realizes he must face his fears and go back inside the tunnels to escape.
This book blends three cultures and shows that loyalty, bravery and family are important in every culture and every predicament.
As for the facts: the tunnels actually exist; The Shining Path does, too; and cooking oil in an Inca Kola bottle does really work.
July 2, 2010
When I first picked up this book, I thought I was in for a South American version of “The Mummy”, minus Brendan Fraser. I met with surprise when all of the mummies in this story stay dead and in fact there are no supernatural events of any kind. In fact, it has more elements of historical fiction and elements drawn from Incan mythology. I found this refreshing and intriguing. The “terror” in the title refers less to the undead and more to terrorists.
I especially enjoy books that have something about the real world I can take away. I had heard a bit about Incas vs. Spaniards, but this book really illuminated new aspects of that struggle that I had never considered and then built a story on those elements. It has great elements of suspense as the protagonist must travel through booby trapped secret tunnels in order to escape those who want to harm him.
I found the book was also a quick read, with good pacing and interesting characters. The ending felt a little abrupt for my taste, but in all I found it a satisfying read. I hope the author has more on the horizon.
I especially enjoy books that have something about the real world I can take away. I had heard a bit about Incas vs. Spaniards, but this book really illuminated new aspects of that struggle that I had never considered and then built a story on those elements. It has great elements of suspense as the protagonist must travel through booby trapped secret tunnels in order to escape those who want to harm him.
I found the book was also a quick read, with good pacing and interesting characters. The ending felt a little abrupt for my taste, but in all I found it a satisfying read. I hope the author has more on the horizon.
November 15, 2019
I went into this book expecting a horror novel. It's more of a terror novel. It wasnt what I expected, but this was excellent all the same!
A teenage boy on vacation with his father gets separated and lost. He ends up in ancient man made underground tunnels that span for miles.
Lost in the darkness, in tunnels that also have death traps, this boy has to focus on strategy and find his courage. The author does an amazing job of depicting the suspense terror fear and claustrophobia this poor character goes through. Throughout this novel he does a lot of growing up and comes to realize what is truly important in his life.
The descriptions were wonderful and realistic but what really impressed me most was the location and the rich cultural details of the Inca people. Spanning the past to the present this is a unique and incredible story!
A teenage boy on vacation with his father gets separated and lost. He ends up in ancient man made underground tunnels that span for miles.
Lost in the darkness, in tunnels that also have death traps, this boy has to focus on strategy and find his courage. The author does an amazing job of depicting the suspense terror fear and claustrophobia this poor character goes through. Throughout this novel he does a lot of growing up and comes to realize what is truly important in his life.
The descriptions were wonderful and realistic but what really impressed me most was the location and the rich cultural details of the Inca people. Spanning the past to the present this is a unique and incredible story!
December 6, 2025
It was historically educational and accurate. The plot moved at lightning speeds! It had my heart pounding the whole time. I also found the main character to be quite admirable due to his intelligence, integrity, and resourcefulness.
May 25, 2024
Very good
January 13, 2015
Vanished. Missing. An entire civilization gone. Overnight. Gold gone and sacred mummies hidden. Buried alive in the Andes Mountains was never what he planned but then again was any of it? T. Lynn Adams grabs your attention and pulls you in with the first book in the Tombs of Terror series Tombs of Terror. All Jonathon ever wanted to have was a little bit of fun but when his dad won’t let him go up to Huayna Picchu, an ancient Inca village, Jonathon decided he has had enough. Mad at his father Jonathon takes matters into his own hands traveling down an old Inca trail. Lost in Peru. He then finds himself in the tunnels and there discovers that family is priceless and hope can get you through anything. Magnificent and heart stopping Tombs of Terror is a MUST read.
To begin the book I really hated Jonathon the whiny butt just needed to grow up, but I soon began to connect with him and realize that me and Jonathon were actually very much alike. Being the son of a geologist can’t be easy when all you want to do is live life and have some fun. Under his dads reign and his moms demand to go with his dad stuck in Peru he does what most teenage boys would do. “Postured on the hotel bed like he often was at home, Jonathon’s eyes followed action on a game screen while his thumbs worked the buttons.” He truly acted his age. He was relatable in not only his actions but also his thoughts. “The deeper he reached inside, the more convinced he became that he would have to enter the crevice--and he really didn’t want to go in there. There might be spiders in there, the dark voice hissed, or dead people.” We all have that tendency to freak ourselves out over nothing for example when it is dark in your room and you are trying to sleep and you face your room there is nothing there but as soon as you turn and face the wall there are two axe murderers and a demon. Basically Jonathon did this to himself along with other small and simple things like that and those made him so believable and relatable.five-stars120205.jpg
Romance is absolutely positively 100% not my style. No I don’t hate it but when the main thing in half of the books you've ever read is all about that garbly gook you just get tired of reading about it. So when my sister recommended this book to me all I could think was oh great another lovey dovey book for me. But when I actually started reading it I was hooked. No lovey dovey gushy stuff and No cursing. Can it get any better than that? I don’t think so.
Lastly the author had some interesting techniques. I think I learned more spanish reading this book than I have in over half a year of spanish class plus it was more interesting. (Don’t tell my spanish teacher I just said that) So the novel takes place on a trip in Peru and T. Lynn Adams does not let this Idea go to waste using one of her many talents she uses her spanish and background in Inca history to bring this idea to life. ““ Que hacemos ahora? What do we do now?” one asked.” Adding little bits of spanish here and there but adding what it means in a clear enough way that there is almost no question as to what any of it means. Thats not the only way she keeps the story alive and so real though. She adds in so much information about the history of the Incas and everything adds up. Not one thing she added made the story any less realistic because she had backed it up sort of before hand. For example “Jonathon howled. More and more spider, some the size of his fist, showered down on top of him, their ceiling home destroyed… Narrowing his eye, Jonathon intensified his study. They were spiders but they seemed paralyzed, frozen. Then he noticed there retracted legs, folded over their abdomens in death.He had been drenched in a shower of dead spiders.” Okay so century old poisonous spiders better be dead otherwise that just wouldn’t make sense plus that would be super creepy.( I had to shake myself off after just reading it. EWWWW!!!!!!!!) This is one of those moments where she was obviously paying attention to what she was writing so that it all added up in the end.
This book was marvelous, magnificent, eccentric, but amazing! EVERYBODY needs to read this book during some point in their lifetime. Out of Five stars I would give this book 6. Yes I said six. It is one of the BEST books I have ever read. Interesting, educational, and not to lovey dovey or full out war. There are a lot of things I took away from this book but the biggest few were that family is priceless so hold onto them all you can, there is light even in the darkest of situations and Hope can get you through anything as long as you have it. Most importantly I learned Ama Qellam Ama Suwa,Ama Llulla, Ama Hap’a. If you haven’t read this book yet then STOP… Drop whatever you are doing … Pick up your act … and read it. You are missing out on SO much.
October 26, 2011
Tombs of Terror by T. Lynn Adams: this book is about a Father dragging his son, Johnathon all the way to Maecho piccho for a business trip. Johnathon never wanted to go, but his mother said that he had to. One day he ventured off and found himself in these unknown tunnels of the ancient Inca people, so as he struggles to try and live through these dark, scary tunnels. He wakes up one day to find himself with some strange people. Who say they will not let him go until it is safe. Without listening to their warnings he leaves, But he gets captured by terrorists who are going to use him for randsome and them kill him. This is what this story is about, pretty action packed.
This book was given to me by my dad. He said that he has no idea what it is about, but all he knows is that i'm suppose to read a book by the end of this month. And that is what i did. Now this book was a little strange at first. Because it didn't really say out in the blue where he was. So you are pretty much clueless when you start reading it, but eventually it does start to bacome more clesr.
What really bugged me about this book is how it was written. It was written in third person. Now most of the books are writtem in 3rd person, But it was how the narrator always described Johnathon. He hardly ever said...Johnathon or he or him. He always said youth, and that just really annoyed me. Because he wasn't really a youth. He was like 17 years old. That's one year away from being an adult.
What I liked about the story is the story line. I really got into it. It was so action packed and full of suspencial thrillers. Like while he's in the tunnels, he has to survive all these traps that are hidden in the tunnel, and that's not even the best part. He had to do all of this in complete dark! That really got me interested. Also she had spanish words in the book, and i really liked that. Because even though i had no idea what they were saying, she always had the character in their mind answer the question back in english. That was a lot of fun for me.
This book turned out to be a totally different then what it looks like it would be about. It has so many twists that it's almost had to keep up. I definetly suggest this book to people who love to get scared in a book. It definetly kept me reading in the late hours of the night.
This book was given to me by my dad. He said that he has no idea what it is about, but all he knows is that i'm suppose to read a book by the end of this month. And that is what i did. Now this book was a little strange at first. Because it didn't really say out in the blue where he was. So you are pretty much clueless when you start reading it, but eventually it does start to bacome more clesr.
What really bugged me about this book is how it was written. It was written in third person. Now most of the books are writtem in 3rd person, But it was how the narrator always described Johnathon. He hardly ever said...Johnathon or he or him. He always said youth, and that just really annoyed me. Because he wasn't really a youth. He was like 17 years old. That's one year away from being an adult.
What I liked about the story is the story line. I really got into it. It was so action packed and full of suspencial thrillers. Like while he's in the tunnels, he has to survive all these traps that are hidden in the tunnel, and that's not even the best part. He had to do all of this in complete dark! That really got me interested. Also she had spanish words in the book, and i really liked that. Because even though i had no idea what they were saying, she always had the character in their mind answer the question back in english. That was a lot of fun for me.
This book turned out to be a totally different then what it looks like it would be about. It has so many twists that it's almost had to keep up. I definetly suggest this book to people who love to get scared in a book. It definetly kept me reading in the late hours of the night.
July 14, 2012
5 STARS
I had read the Lost Curse and I loved it so much I went and bought Tombs of Terror.
I was excited to recived it in the mail yesterday.
I have always wanted to see Machu Picchu ruins. The jungle not so much.
Jonathon Bradford is spending a couple of weeks in Peru with his dad, while his dad works. He is not happy to spend so much time in musuems. It was his mothers idea that they spend this time to bond.
While he is wondering around the musuem with headphones on a man comes up to him and talks to Jonathon. first Jonathon ignores him then he fakes being able to speak spanish. The guy just keeps talking and following him around the room. Jonathon keeps going back to the mummy. The guy starts finally to speak good english and knows Jonathon speaks spanish. Juan is an old friend of his father who was at university with him.
Juan tells Jonathon about the mummies would be kept in the houses with the people. He also explains about the Incas and how they disappeared with thier mummies,gold and left no trail for the Spanish to follow. Juan also tells him how the nataive boys would bet the tourists they would race the bus down the mountain. It would only take the boys 20 minutes where the buses from Machu Picchu took a half hour if things are working right.
While his dad is taking pictures of walls and measurements that his school sent him to do he wants to hike up to the other ruin above it. Is dad says no and he means no. So Jonathon decides to ride the bus down to the train but the driver says no ticket no enter. Then Jonathon remembers about the old Inca road the boys would race and he sees it. After walking awhile he realizes that he is lost that he doesn't know if he should go up or down. He decides down and ends up falling guite aways then he falls into a whole and blacks out.
David Bradford and Juan meet up and realize that Jonathon is missing at the bus they found out he did not go down on any of the buses. David rides the bus down and Juan looks around for a bit and will wait till he hears from David then he will walk down the old trail and look thier. No one can find him.
Jonathon is hurt and in the dark and everytime things look up for him more trouble finds him.
It keeps your attention. I have liked both books that I have read of Lynns and look forward to more in the future.
2010 PUB Cedar Fort 195 pages
I had read the Lost Curse and I loved it so much I went and bought Tombs of Terror.
I was excited to recived it in the mail yesterday.
I have always wanted to see Machu Picchu ruins. The jungle not so much.
Jonathon Bradford is spending a couple of weeks in Peru with his dad, while his dad works. He is not happy to spend so much time in musuems. It was his mothers idea that they spend this time to bond.
While he is wondering around the musuem with headphones on a man comes up to him and talks to Jonathon. first Jonathon ignores him then he fakes being able to speak spanish. The guy just keeps talking and following him around the room. Jonathon keeps going back to the mummy. The guy starts finally to speak good english and knows Jonathon speaks spanish. Juan is an old friend of his father who was at university with him.
Juan tells Jonathon about the mummies would be kept in the houses with the people. He also explains about the Incas and how they disappeared with thier mummies,gold and left no trail for the Spanish to follow. Juan also tells him how the nataive boys would bet the tourists they would race the bus down the mountain. It would only take the boys 20 minutes where the buses from Machu Picchu took a half hour if things are working right.
While his dad is taking pictures of walls and measurements that his school sent him to do he wants to hike up to the other ruin above it. Is dad says no and he means no. So Jonathon decides to ride the bus down to the train but the driver says no ticket no enter. Then Jonathon remembers about the old Inca road the boys would race and he sees it. After walking awhile he realizes that he is lost that he doesn't know if he should go up or down. He decides down and ends up falling guite aways then he falls into a whole and blacks out.
David Bradford and Juan meet up and realize that Jonathon is missing at the bus they found out he did not go down on any of the buses. David rides the bus down and Juan looks around for a bit and will wait till he hears from David then he will walk down the old trail and look thier. No one can find him.
Jonathon is hurt and in the dark and everytime things look up for him more trouble finds him.
It keeps your attention. I have liked both books that I have read of Lynns and look forward to more in the future.
2010 PUB Cedar Fort 195 pages
June 25, 2010
Mummies, spiders, and terrorists! Oh my!
Tombs of Terror totally lived up to its name for me. It was definitely creepy and gave me goosebumps at every turn of the page! But it was also a fun, adventureous, and surprisingly educational read that kept me up long after I should have been asleep (true, I read it while in bed, but with the covers over my head!)
The best part of this book for me was the vivid and descriptive imagery. I literally felt at times that I was right there next to the character (yes, I even had to shake out my blankets to make sure there were no spiders waiting to pounce! (Ewww! Even now, I'm getting shivers!!)) The colorful and rich descriptions of the setting combined with the eerily creepy elements made for a suspenseful and chilling read.
Another aspect of the book that was especially interesting to me was the cultural elements woven into the storyline. I loved learning about the history and customs of the Incan people and found the story of the tunnels particularly fascinating. I always appreciate reading a novel that teaches me about history and culture (makes me feel less guilty for ignoring my children while I'm glued to a book!)
Tombs of Terror is an adventureous, fun, and chill-inducing debut, reminiscent of The Mummy but based more on history than supernatural elements. It will appeal to readers of all ages and definitely get your spine tingling!
Tombs of Terror totally lived up to its name for me. It was definitely creepy and gave me goosebumps at every turn of the page! But it was also a fun, adventureous, and surprisingly educational read that kept me up long after I should have been asleep (true, I read it while in bed, but with the covers over my head!)
The best part of this book for me was the vivid and descriptive imagery. I literally felt at times that I was right there next to the character (yes, I even had to shake out my blankets to make sure there were no spiders waiting to pounce! (Ewww! Even now, I'm getting shivers!!)) The colorful and rich descriptions of the setting combined with the eerily creepy elements made for a suspenseful and chilling read.
Another aspect of the book that was especially interesting to me was the cultural elements woven into the storyline. I loved learning about the history and customs of the Incan people and found the story of the tunnels particularly fascinating. I always appreciate reading a novel that teaches me about history and culture (makes me feel less guilty for ignoring my children while I'm glued to a book!)
Tombs of Terror is an adventureous, fun, and chill-inducing debut, reminiscent of The Mummy but based more on history than supernatural elements. It will appeal to readers of all ages and definitely get your spine tingling!
April 2, 2010
Perhaps 3.5 stars would be more like it, but a strong first book. I found the settings of the book fascinating, maybe more so than others would since I was lucky to visit the interesting country of Peru. Also,the plot moved along at an enjoyable pace. I did find the main character annoying most of the time and wish the author would have lightened him up just a bit, and, while she was at it she could have been just a little less preachy about the importance of family. I think young readers would still get it even if it was a bit more subtile. On the other hand, I loved the comparison about three-fourths of the way through the book comapring the choices in the tunnels to the choices we make in life, and the quote "History is what you flaunt, heritage is what you guard..." is certainly a keeper. In the front cover "mormons" is listed as one of the subjects, although the religion is never mentioned in the book. Mormons will recognize certain themes, but these themes, family, trust, service, etc., are certainly not exclusive to that religion so I'm not sure why that was added. In any case, it was a good read and I'm excited to learn more about the Incas and the underground Inca highway.
March 30, 2010
T. Lynn Adams debut novel is Tombs of Terror. It is an exciting fast paced adventure. Jonathan, a 16 year old, has gone to Peru with his father to reconnect. Instead, he finds himself lost in the Peruvian jungle facing one challenge after another. He stumbles upon a network of caves and tunnels built centuries before. Through the darkness he finds his way to a room where mummies are kept along with gold coins. Soon he is found unconscious by a local teenager and his sister and taken to their home to recover.
Jonathan realizes he does not know who he can trust and wants only to find his father. A terrorist group called the Shining Path cross Jonathan's path and want him dead because he has seen their faces. Soon a race through the underground tunnels is on as Jonathan and a network of "runners" who know the ancient tunnels very well try to escape the Shining Path terrorists.
T. Lynn Adams weaves Peruvian history and culture into this adventure. There is humor interlaced in the drama. She keeps the reader turning page after page until the final scene is reached. I highly recommend this novel.
Reviewed by Charlie Moore (aka novelist Joshua Berry)
Jonathan realizes he does not know who he can trust and wants only to find his father. A terrorist group called the Shining Path cross Jonathan's path and want him dead because he has seen their faces. Soon a race through the underground tunnels is on as Jonathan and a network of "runners" who know the ancient tunnels very well try to escape the Shining Path terrorists.
T. Lynn Adams weaves Peruvian history and culture into this adventure. There is humor interlaced in the drama. She keeps the reader turning page after page until the final scene is reached. I highly recommend this novel.
Reviewed by Charlie Moore (aka novelist Joshua Berry)
February 5, 2015
The book started out a bit slow and I was really annoyed at Jonathon. As the book went on, I grew to be okay with his character. However, I was always looking forward to the parts that had Severino in it. I sort of wish that the book would have been done more in Severino's perspective but it was still an overall good book. I'm still a little confused about the mummies coming to life once when Jonathon went into their tunnel and the homeless man being killed by a mummy in the beginning and then it's never mentioned again. I wish that would have been elaborated on more. Why is it that Jonathon doesn't push more and say something along the lines of: "THE MUMMIES WERE ALIVE AND THEY GAVE ME A SCAR ON MY FACE!!"? It makes me wonder if it had all been in Jonathon's head. Was he delirious from wandering the tunnels alone for so long that he imagined the mummies coming to life? And was the homeless man actually killed by the terrorists? ...I'm looking forward to reading the next one! :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2010
I won this book on a goodreads giveaway and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the book. I was not expecting as much depth to the story. It was a lot of fun reading about Peru and T. Lynn Adams does a good job bringing the reader into the scene.
I really thought this would be a cheesy but cute little book about a boy getting lost in a maze, but I'm happy to report so much more. There's good guys and bad guys, and you can't always tell which side the well developed characters fall on. A fast paced book, one little spot that dragged a bit for me but honestly that could have been because of my mood at the time.
I'm glad I won this book.
I really thought this would be a cheesy but cute little book about a boy getting lost in a maze, but I'm happy to report so much more. There's good guys and bad guys, and you can't always tell which side the well developed characters fall on. A fast paced book, one little spot that dragged a bit for me but honestly that could have been because of my mood at the time.
I'm glad I won this book.
August 24, 2010
As a brief object lesson in a Primary manual this would have been great. As is it comes off as an LDS novel that doesn't want to feel like an LDS novel, and the split identity doesn't do it any favors. Preachy - obnoxiously so since it tries to hide its roots - and dull. I never once cared about what happened to the main character, worried that he might not survive, and the terror of the title never appeared. Every "adventure" and "exciting imaginary history" cliche in the book leaves the story formulaic and completely predictable, and saps every potential interesting aspect out of the plot. LDS fiction hasn't gotten good yet . . . *sigh* . . .
October 25, 2011
Yesterday evening I decided to finish some of the books I started; finally. I could have finished it at 2am, but decided to sleep at 1am. (If I would have not taken that very long break in the middle of the book I would have finished it on Oct 27th instead of early this morning. Oh well. :] )
This book is really, really good! The imagery was so vivid. I especially liked how well the ending of the book was presented. XD
[Extremely happy for some reason]?
This book is really, really good! The imagery was so vivid. I especially liked how well the ending of the book was presented. XD
[Extremely happy for some reason]?
June 24, 2010
I like the premise this book presents that the Inca people escaped Pizarro by going into a tunnel system that runs underground throughout Peru.
The book is written about a teen that gets lost in the tunnels. It is written to the teen reading level. The author could have developed the story a bit more but it is a fairly good read as it stands.
The book is written about a teen that gets lost in the tunnels. It is written to the teen reading level. The author could have developed the story a bit more but it is a fairly good read as it stands.
August 6, 2013
This book blew me away! You can tell the author put so much thought and research into it and I'm telling you it payed off! I loved the humor in it, but also the lessons that it taught. I deem this one to be a VERY well written book. Thank you T. Lynn Adams!!!!!!!! It's been so long since I've last found a good book find.
May 25, 2010
I enjoyed the story and the lesson, but had a hard time with the main character argue with himself in his head. That didn't really work for me - a little too much, almost like a second personality or something. Still pretty good.
October 12, 2012
A little too much description of the struggle. Needs more character development.
I was hoping for more of an adventure and Inca history..
I am going to read the second in series, The Lost Curse. I'm banking on it being much better. I'm not giving up on Adams yet!
I was hoping for more of an adventure and Inca history..
I am going to read the second in series, The Lost Curse. I'm banking on it being much better. I'm not giving up on Adams yet!
April 21, 2010
Peruvian tunnels-fascinating! I did not like the teenager of the book, but the story was beautifully descriptive.
Want to Read
May 29, 2010galley from BEA
July 23, 2010
good book, good story line.
November 21, 2010
First book read in 2011!
Took a bit for me to get into this, but I did enjoy it when the story picked up. The ending, I thought, came too quick. Didn't feel resolved enough.
Took a bit for me to get into this, but I did enjoy it when the story picked up. The ending, I thought, came too quick. Didn't feel resolved enough.
March 2, 2011
Good plot idea, but the writing, for me, was underdeveloped and the book seemed like it could have used more editing.
January 14, 2012
This was an interesting book. My daughter and I both like it.
July 13, 2013
Good adventure about Incan mummies, tunnels, and teenagers.
February 10, 2014
A new favorite author!!! Loved all 3 books in this series!!!
Read
March 18, 2016Just okay....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2012
Didn't read much. Not my writing style.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews