I have several thoughts about this one.

Let me first give the broad strokes of the plot. Several Europeans, some bound by familial ties, go to visit the Kinnitty Pyramid, a reconstruction of an Egyptian pyramid that actually exists in Ireland. While exploring the pyramid, they release what may be malevolent spirits, who take possession of some of their crew. The problems pile up from there.

There’s a lot I liked here. The writing is superb, really of literary quality. The characterization is all nicely done; the world building is adept.

It’s written in epistolary form, so you get the first-person voices of each of the characters, which results in a lot of great Irish vernacular. I captured this paragraph as an example:

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Now, our family’s been in this house since practically the Stone Age, and let me tell you, we’ve hoarded some right bits and bobs over the years.

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There was also a surprising amount of humor, especially when certain characters get possessed by entities from the past, and those entities express confusion at the technology and behavior of modern life.

My main complaint is that there weren’t a lot of surprises to the story; the plot unfurled about as you would expect if you’re familiar with these kinds of tales.

It’s also a pretty verbose book, which is not my usual bag. In a roundabout way, it reminded me a bit of Robert E. Howard, who penned the Conan novels, with its detailed description of the lore of various supernatural characters.

That said, I know some people love a good thick read, and if so, this book should be right up your alley.

4/5 stars.