Monsters in the Sand
ISBN: 978073325205
Publisher: ABC Books, 2009
There are legends about monsters buried under the sands of the Middle East in the ancient city of Nineveh. And Austen Layard dreams of unearthing the deadly truth.
He rides into a war, stumbles barefoot across the searing desert and fights to protect his monsters from nomads who, at any moment, will be moving in for the kill.
And suddenly Austen’s dream is a nightmare.
A gripping new novel in the tradition of ‘Indiana Jones’,
Monsters in the Sand will change the way you look at history.
Awards
- Arts SA, literature grant
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Reviews
... While
Monsters in the Sand should be read as fiction, there are plenty of historical references for budding archaeologists. Nineteenth-century excavation methods - referred to by the author as 'dig, grab and run' - cheerfully employed by Austen and his workers and are accurate, if cringe-worthy. There's a dizzying array of characters for a well-spaced chapter book ... the dust of the desert and the excitement of the hunt make
Monsters in the Sand an enjoyable book for those who like their adventures exotic and their adventurers forthright and single-minded.
RH, Viewpoint
Monsters in the Sand is a reality based fiction ... telling the story of Austen Layard and his determination to find the lost city of Nineveh near the Tigris River. Although based on reality it is perhaps easier to think of this tale as Indiana Jones in text form minus the whip but with the action and excitement ... Stylistically Harris has adopted an almost cinematic approach, with a mixture of focussed chapters filled with drama ... This is very much a book in the 'boys own adventure' tradition - adventure, action and exotic locations with a hero on whose strength of character you could bend metal.
Magpies, 2009
Teacher notes
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