The Third Gate

Plot

Shortly after the events of Terminal Freeze, Dr. Jeremy Logan is contacted by an old colleague named Dr. Ethan Rush, who invites him on an expedition into the Sudd in southern Egypt. The expedition, led by famed archaeologist Dr. Porter Stone, seeks to finally locate and excavate the long-lost tomb of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Narmer, located at the bottom of the swamp. Other members of the expedition include the head of security Frank Valentino, technician Cory Landau, archaeologist Tina Romero, and mechanic Frank Kowinsky. Also accompanying the expedition is Rush's wife Jennifer, who has been maintaining a special connection to "the other side" after a near-death experience where she technically died in a car crash, but was revived by her husband. Rush uses his special method of hypnosis to put Jennifer into a lucid state through which they can communicate with the spirits within the tomb below them, which they believe to be that of Narmer himself. The base of operations is a massive group of canvas-covered outposts floating in the middle of the Sudd, simply referred to as "The Station."

Once they finally manage to create a passageway down to the tomb entrance—nicknamed the Umbilical Cord—they slowly begin excavation through the first two chambers, known as the Gates, with the Third Gate containing the tomb of Narmer himself, while the first two Gates contain rooms full of treasure. However, when Romero studies the mummified remains within the Third Gate, she realizes that the remains are of a female body. Logan similarly draws a conclusion based on the mannerisms Jennifer displayed whenever possessed by the spirit, and deduces that it has to be a female spirit inhabiting her during the sessions, not that of a man. Thus, they realize that Narmer's queen, Niethotep, must have killed Narmer by poisoning him and taking his place in the tomb.

Shortly after this discovery, Jennifer is fully possessed by the spirit of Niethotep once more, which then sabotages the ventilation system on the base and starts a fire in the engine room. She then takes two cylinders of nitroglycerin and uses one to damage the Umbilical Cord, killing Kowinsky, while holding the second one in her hand to keep everyone at bay. Valentino orders an evacuation of the Station, with most personnel taking as much treasure with them as possible, and escapes in one of the rafts along with Stone, Romero, and Landau. Logan and Rush stay behind to try to bring back Jennifer Rush and cast out the evil spirit of Niethotep, but they are unsuccessful in doing so; Niethotep throws the final canister of nitroglycerin down between her and Rush, creating an explosion that kills both of them while narrowly sparing Logan. Logan grabs a handful of treasure and escapes on one of the final rafts before the base explodes and sinks into the Sudd.

Reception

The introductory chapter is phenomenally written; it is one the best beginnings that I have ever encountered in mainstream fiction. It is poignant and emotionally gripping, which immediately invests the reader in the characters and subsequently the plot. However, the rest of the novel falls short until at glimmer presents itself at the very end. This is terribly disappointing considering the stellar introduction. Most the interesting plot points are divulged to Logan as he is being recruited to work on site for the famed archaeologist, Porter Stone, but once he arrives at their base of operations (deep within the Sudd) the narrative begins to lag. A bulk of the novel is spent following Logan as he aimlessly wanders about asking questions to anyone who will care to listen. Most of his questions go unanswered and it is not till the end of the book that it begins to pick up the pace once again. Sadly, many of the characters are flat and shallow, and the few that are more rounded are not fleshed out properly leaving more loose ends then necessary.

—Review by Examiner.com