These Millions of Years caught my interest because of the lovely cover and that out was set in Egypt. I loved the possibility of hunting for Egyptian tombs and mythology but the storyline and the characters surpassed my expectations.

The author takes you to Egypt in such a fantastic way that I could feel the best of the Sun, smell the food cooking, see the and below my feet, gaze into the dark, doe eyes of the Egyptian people. Mr. McAlpine didn't glamorize Egypt, he described it realistically, showing both the beauty and the not so beautiful.

The three main characters were an excellent combination of complexity and likability. Each of them were on a journey of self discovery and yet linked with each other, echoing the Egyptian myths. The relationships and friendships between the three of them really felt natural and I felt invested in what happened to each.

This book was well written, flowed well and had wonderfully detailed characters. The plot itself was excellent, the enjoyable sort that takes you right up till the very last page to understand how it ends.

I enjoyed the way that Egyptian mythology is lightly used as a theme. It added more interest to the book and a bit of magical realism. I really enjoyed this read. Excellent.

Just read it. This book was a beautifully written tapestry. Good pace and plot development. I read 3/4 of the NetGallery and then bought the book to reread.

This was a brilliant book. With plenty of mystery and action. It was a fantastic edge of your seat read packed full of atmosphere and tension. It was fantastic that you just couldn't trust most of the characters. Which made it all the more gripping to read. The story line was fantastic and I could tell from the start that I was going to love this book. It was set around finding a lost tomb. So many out there are trying to stop them finding it. What lengths will they go to, to stop it being found. Wow this book is a real roller coaster ride. I have to mention the ending Wow your definitely going to love that one it sure does pack a punch, such a thrilling story. I definitely recommend this book to all that love Egyptian mysteries. Also those who love plenty of unexpected twists and turns. I will definitely be looking out for more books by this author. 

So much praise goes out to the author and publishers for creating this fantastic story that you won't be able to put down. 
The above review has just been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, amazon UK where found and my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/these-millions-of-years-by-bruce-mcalpine-matador-4-stars either under ladyreading365 or lady Reading365

I never received this ARC, so unfortunately and sadly I cannot post a review. I’m sorry.

Meenaz.

These Millions of Years by Bruce McAlpine is a thoroughly researched story about ancient Egypt and Egypt in the late 20th century, at the height of its popularity amongst dealers in antiquities. There are plenty of characters but the main one are Finn Conners, a dealer in huge financial trouble; Lara Rostick, a woman in search of a second chance, fleeing her husband; and Edward Cavanagh, psychoanalyst, hiding from his own emotions. There is also a David Mountjoy, an astrologer and fascinated with Egypt. Mountjoy leads tours to Egypt, spiritual tours, on which Finn has embarked as part of his disguise to smuggle artifacts out of Egypt with a partner. Is Mountjoy for real? One of the many questions to be answered. Wherever he holds a particular ceremony, a huge find is uncovered within days or weeks. Related?

It took a while to get through this book. Some serious editing is in order. The information related is second to none. The story is not bad. Too many words. Amazing that I say this, but, too much description. The characters are interesting, with all their various flaws and distinct personalities. Loyalty and friendship is foremost in as society not known for those qualities. Mountjoy brought together a trio of people who separated themselves from the group to experience something unique and yes, spiritual. It was in interesting read, if too long and wordy.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of These Millions of Years by Matador, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #matador #brucemcalpine #thesemillionsofyears

I really enjoyed this book - great descriptions of Egypt, makes me want to go back! Great story also

Overall I enjoyed this book. I’m a big fan of Egyptology and the mystery surrounding hidden tombs so this part of the book resonated strongly. I felt that the book was a little rushed in parts, and jumped between scenarios with little explanation. However, like I said, overall I enjoyed it and I’m glad I’ve read it!

These Millions of Years takes the reader on a journey through the mysterious world that is Egypt, modern and ancient at once. A combination of strange and obscure circumstances – are they coincidental or planned? – bring an unlikely group of characters together for a journey of astrological rituals let by the mystifying David Mountjoy. Antiquities dealer Finn Connors, Edward the psychoanalyst, a professor and a doctor of Egyptology, the broken-hearted Lara and others get mixed up in an adventure that brings them close to the underworld, both literally and spiritually, and shatter the boundaries of their previous beliefs. Secrets and treasures lie buried, waiting to be uncovered, but a web of political intrigue renders all kinds of archaeological work a dangerous business.

The setting of Bruce McAlpine’s debut novel seemed promising to me: the chance to travel to a different continent and learn about another culture, mixed with adventure and mysteries is what I like to read for a weekend of escapism. And that is exactly what These Millions of Years offers, however, the novel lacks in the execution. The prose was often too, well, prosaic for my taste. I wanted more of that mystery kept alive, a little less revealed, more riddle-solving left open and prefer it, if an author leaves some of the work for me. Also, I found some of the plot developments quite predictable, the characters verging on the stereotypic, and a few strains of the narrative were left unresolved. Yet, I wanted to know how the story continues and kept on reading for all of the 450 pages. While occasionally descriptions dragged on for a bit too long, and apart from a few more cosmetic flaws, the storyline was engaging and mostly well-developed. In my opinion it could have with some stricter editing and a good dose of kill your darlings to make the narrative more coherent. Overall, a solid 3-star debut and a good read for everyone looking for a mystery, sprinkled with a little love triangle and easily read over a couple of days.

Oh, wow, yes, yes, yes. Loved it. I learnt so much about Egypt and I've done my best to remember everything in case it comes up on a family quiz night. Engagingly written, with a question mark at the end that I don't mind at all. The research is excellent and one could feel the menace that hangs over the visitors. Recommended.

I wasn't sure about this book but it turned out to be a wonderful book. I devoured this in no time. Everyone must read this.

I had high hopes for this novel. Buried treasure, smuggled art, political intrigue, all set in Egypt. What wasn't to love? Unfortunately, while this had all the makings of a great read, it fell far below the mark. I was unable to finish the book largely because after 8 chapters of new characters and paragraph after paragraph of description, I was bored. Every chapter started with a new character and several pages of description. Pages and pages of description. If you like prose of narrative, mundane observations, this book may be for you, but for me, it wasn't it.

Loved this! Such a cool story all though not my typical read, I love learning more about Egypt and it’s hidden treasures

Absolutely terrible. Writing is awful, characters are one dimensional, the men are chauvinistic, with all the female characters being sexually harassed constantly, one being sexually assaulted (but the author hasn’t seemed to realise that) “if only she hadn’t worn such a low-cut dress” and clearly only there for the author’s gratification “beautiful” “incredibly long legs”, “she’s something to look at isn’t she”, blah blah blah.

Plot is utter drivel as well.

Just absolutely awful.

My thanks to Netgalley and Matador however for the opportunity to read this in advance in exchange for an honest review.

These Millions of Years initially piqued my interest purely due to it being set in Egypt, with the allusion to tomb hunting and mysticism - but it was so much more than I could have hoped.

McAlpine transports you to the heart of Egypt - I could feel that wall of heat, hear the sounds of traffic in Cairo, smell the spices in the bazaar, see the splendours. But Egypt was not romanticised - it was realistic in both its beauty and its grittiness.

The characters, particularly the main three, were complex and likeable - each going on a journey of self discovery yet intrinsically linked with the other two. The relationship and friendship between them felt completely real and I was invested in each of them. Finn may have been my favourite, reminding me somewhat of a modern-day Indiana Jones.

This book was an easy read, with fluid prose and some beautifully poetic elements. The plot itself was intricate, a jigsaw puzzle of sorts that takes you right till the very last page to fully understand the bigger picture.

Egyptian mythology is touched on - but in a subtle manner with the reader arguably being able to make their own judgements.

A solid 5/5 for me.

The idea and concept of this story is everything I love, ancient Egypt and love interests that are interesting.

However the writing style is hard to get Into, it took me about 50 pages to feel really I to the book and connected to the characters.


I will definitely be looking at more of this author in the future