I was very excited to read The Anomaly after I got the publisher's invitation. There was promise of conspiracy, ancient secrets, danger and fright – anything ranging from Indiana Jones to Uncharted and all that. Exciting! I was kind of sad when at 40% of the book, nothing much had really happened, and when at 70% it just lost me. I guess it's safe to say that the book was not quite for me, but I can also vouch for the fact that the wider public will love it. And let me tell you why.

It's about:

Nolan Moore is a Youtube conspiracy theorist, an Indiana Jones wannabe (sort of...) and is on track to finally be picked up by a cable TV as a program. But before he can, he must... finally find something to show. And he thinks he's on track.

And he actually is. The Smithsonian is sitting on a big secret of a cavern in the Grand Canyon, insisting it doesn't exist, although facts point otherwise. So Nolan and the team set out to find this cavern and uncover the truth about the world's origins – and although they don't really know what the secret is, they believe it will be world shattering.

It turns out, Nolan is onto something. But does he know what is really going on? And what will be the consequences of his little excursion, both for himself and his little team, and the world at large? Nolan doesn't expect to find anything else than an archaeological site, but what he finds is much, much more dangerous.

So What's Good About The Anomaly?

I have to agree that I was completely hooked on the promise of fight and adventure! I still believe that this story could have been delivered so much better, and not just in terms of how it was told, but the story and its details itself. Tell anyone this premise and they'll tell you "this should be a movie, NOW". That's no coincidence – the author happens to be a screenwriter, and I actually wondered if he was before I read the acknowledgements, where it's confirmed that he was. Unfortunately for The Anomaly, the fact that the author is a screenwriter didn't make the book more cinematic – it somehow made it miss certain very integral parts of story telling on paper. I can't point out exactly what it was – but I know that certain things would have worked perfectly on screen, but didn't work so well on the page. I still maintain that the idea for the story is amazing. I just wish it was delivered better.

Continuing this theme, I must admit that the themes were great. Ancient civilizations, stone computers, mysterious creatures, crafted from relevant elements. Big organizations, trying to achieve dubious goals. And even your typical urban fantasy male lead who is struggling with a broken marriage and a cracked image of self, when he really isn't that bad. All these things were great. And this is exactly why I think The Anomaly will still appeal to most occasional readers – which is actually something I'm already seeing, judging by all those great reviews on Goodreads. If you're less picky, if you don't read a lot, if you prefer movies to books – chances are you will find this very engaging, although maybe a little slow to develop.

So What Disappointed Me So Much?

Well, first of all, there was promise of fright. There are several blurbs for this book, and all of them talk about 'a nightmare', 'a scare', and the reviews rave on about how people were afraid to turn of the lights. Me while reading this book?

I truly and honestly did not get WHAT the promised scary part was. There was NOTHING scary about this book, legitimately. There was arguably only one scene that had the potential of being scary, but honestly – we've seen it all (we've seen it in 1980...) That's not what scary is. [spoiler]In case you're wondering, it was a creature that broke out of someone's stomach. Yawn. It wasn't even a part of the main storyline.[/spoiler] Sure, they were trapped in a mysterious cave with dangerous artifacts and no way out, but... that's just sad, that's not scary. There was no dark presence. There was nothing evil at work. I have read kids books that are scarier than The Anomaly.

Another thing was the pace. Like I mentioned before, three quarters of the book in, and still nothing much was moving! I can see a lot of less patient readers just dropping it altogether. When things happened, they stopped happening several pages after they started, and never picked up. The book is largerly about people wandering dark cave corridors. And that's it.

That would also be okay if there was a big secret and mythologies involved. But there barely is. Another thing that upset me about the story was the lack of smart, viable explanation. Things just happen and are a little too easy to explain, and very conveniently. Explanations are simplified: "for some reason it's doing that." At first an inexplicable catastrophe starts, and then it reverses itself just as inexplicably. I am gullible, but not this much. I understand that the characters don't know squat about what's going on, but please, have you watched Stargate or Doctor Who, or even the said Indiana Jones? For people to buy sciencey or magical mumbo jumbo, you need a lot of detail, and if the characters don't know anything about it – they must at least try guessing and surmising. There have to be clues found. They can't just go "well this happened. For some reason." That does not make a complelling story. The Anomaly fell very short in this regard, as there were barely any explanations or theories on the whole 'big thing' that is happening.

And yet, despite all these shortcomings, the book was interesting to read and I didn't want to drop it. That's why I'm giving it three stars. It's an interesting evening read, as long as you're not looking for it to be 'gripping and terrifying', despite it claiming to be so.

I thank Bonnier Zaffre for giving me a free copy of the book in exchange to my honest opinion. Receiving the book for free does not affect my opinion.

This book is so much fun that I read it in only a couple of days. It is fast-paced and full of suspense, with great characters. Kind of an Indiana Jones meets The Descent meets Evolution story. I loved it and would really like to read more adventures from the same team of players.

Wow what a ride. Kept me hooked from start to finish. Fast paced action and fantastic characterisation meant i didn’t want to put this down.

Creepy, fast-paced, and completely original. The Anomaly is unlike anything I've read. It mixes adventure, horror, and science fiction into something similar to Indiana Jones meets X-Files. It sounds far-fetched, but the execution is outstanding. Readers will be on the edge of their seats unable to put the book down. I found myself creeped out beyond belief. If you're looking for something different in the thriller genre, look no more because you've found your next addiction. Be sure to check it out today!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for a copy of this book.

It starts a bit slow for me but once you get everyone trapped in the cave at the Grand Canyon...............well it picks up a little.

The ending was too quick for me and could have been expanded on more but all in all I enjoyed it.

Would read more by this author as once the action starts it's non-stop.

I wasn't sure what I was going to think of this but I was very pleasantly surprised! It manages to be funny without being cringy (harder than it sounds) as is a really well written tale. My only tiny quibble is that it takes a little too long to really get going, but I can live with that!

This book for me was a mixture of elements. .. I loved the story and the pace that kept me hooked, ;however I wasn't to keen on the main character who I found somewhat self serving, I found his constant procrastination boring, but understand this was authentic when water and food deprived.
The storyline kept me totally hooked and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next, which meant I read this in record time.
This Indians Jones like book is well worth a read.

On the cover of the book depicting the inside of a cave complex it states "for fans of Dan Brown". I'm not sure whether this will perhaps put the more discerning reader off but it gives the reader a good idea of what they can expect inside. The author Micheal Rutger is a screenwriter and the book certainly resembles a film script with its page turning set action sequences. The premise of the book concerns a cable channel TV crew who have been sponsored by a mysterious corporation to investigate the possible existence of a mysterious cavern situated in the Grand Canyon which was apparently discovered by an explorer back in 1909. The tale of what they find there is narrated in the first person by Nolan More a maverick archaeologist who has migrated from you tube to making conspiracy theory tv documentaries on a niche cable channel.

If you are looking for a literary read or a book with characters that are not one dimensional and out of central casting than this is probably not for you but alternatively if you are prepared to suspend your critical faculties and just go with the flow then this becomes a rather entertaining read. The tension certainly builds up nicely and there are a few twists and turns along the way. What the intrepid team eventually discover will put a question mark against our previously assumed beliefs regarding the development of mankind and the evolution of our fellow inhabitants on this planet.

Overall and despite one or two reservations I would say that for lovers of the paranormal type adventure genre who just want to be thrilled and entertained then this I think will be something for you.

A fun, suspenseful page-turner. The characters and situation were very quickly engageable, and it was interesting to see how they responded to the events that unfold in this book.
The story follows Nolan Moore, presenter of a Youtube based show and amateur archaeologist, and his team, as they follow in the footsteps of explorers in the Grand Canyon 100 years prior. The group become resigned to yet again finding nothing, and going home empty handed, when their luck changes and by chance they find the cave they have been searching for. Inside there are things they couldn't even imagine, however their excitement at finally finding something that will put them on the map quickly turns to fear when events take a more sinister turn, and they find themselves trapped and cornered from unexpected directions.
This was a good, solid 4 star read. I could have happily read it through in one sitting if time allowed and always found myself reaching for it whenever I had a minute spare to read another few pages. This was my first book by this author, and the moment I finished it I went searching for others, always a delight to discover a new author to read!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Zaffre for my copy in return for an honest review,

Indy meets Alien. A refreshing take with the laconic characters of Nolan and Ken combining to give the reader a tongue in cheek story that makes you keep reading with a slight bite to the bottom lip. What if ? Are we a bye product of an earlier visitation? It broke the mould of my usual reading and whatever you may think of the story they were characters you could picture, believe in and ultimately follow with a what's next? Sign of a good book in my opinion

The Anomaly is an action packed story part Indiana Jones, part Alien and a good part originality.
Nolan an archaeologist of sorts and his 'film' crew (for film read internet following!) seek to find a mysterious cavern hidden deep within the Grand Canyon, following the footsteps of an explorer from 1906. Once the cavern is discovered the action, adventure and sheer terror start with a bang, or in this case a 'roll'
A cracking entertaining story with some great humorous dialogue, some really creepy scenes and a cast of characters that you want to cheer on.
Sure to be a bestseller, I can see studios queuing up to buy the film rights.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for opportunity to review this book honestly.

I found this a good rapidly moving adventure story. It is very Indiana Jones, complete with rolling ball chasing members of the exploring party.. The narrator is depicted as an able but self deprecating minor celebrity who seems to be very likeable which always seems to provide reader enjoyment. It will appeal to adventure fans but is also a fantasy which may be a negative factor for others. I enjoyed it and feel that it would be a good holiday read.

Review

The book for a debut feels like a pretty accomplished piece of writing, that said it feels like a movie script right from the start. which has its good and its bad.  The story is led from the POV of our main character Nolan a You tube channel presenter of an Xfiles style channel a show looking for the fantastic, the strange, the different, the bizarre. On a shoe string budget their latest show is looking to find an old cave system that may prove the existence of a civilization much older than we know in North America.

If i'm honest the book has a bit of an overly long build up to actually getting to the cave, but once we get to the cave things start to get very real, very dark and very odd. Nolan as a character is really quite fun and like-able, but its his British boss that i loved, im a sucker for a line where a yank gets called a wanker... its always funny. The group dynamic in the book is well worked, with a great dialogue and mix of ability and inability. if your a fan of Rollins and Matthew Reilly then you will appreciate the fantastical of just how out there and X-files this story gets.

Ultimately i really enjoyed the book, i think it will make a much better movie or TV series than book, but as a book its a great escape from the norm and well worth reading.

(Parm)

What a belter of a book. Chillingly entertaining and a thundering good read.

Allow me to offer five reasons why this plucky amateurs’ quest into the unknown kept me glued to my seat:

• Its sheer originality.
• Re-invents why you should be afraid of the dark.
• Genius conversational volleys.
• Commendable application of ominous and unpredictable circumstances
• A sterling cast that’s impressively relatable, especially when there’s cause for concern – which is something they experience A LOT.

"The Anomaly" harnessed all this and more. It takes full advantage of all five of your senses by creating thoroughly nightmarish scenarios to put a whole new spin on fictional fear.

For me to expand further would derail your own reading experience and I’m so not going to do that. Trust me. It’s 100% better for you discover this one without the slightest indication of what you’re letting yourself in for, just like the characters in pursuit of the inexplicable…

“In search for the truth, it matters not whether we find. It matters only that we continue to seek.”