Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Ararat: A Novel
Skip to main content
.us
Hello Select your address
All
EN
Hello, sign in
Account & Lists
Returns & Orders
Cart
All
Disability Customer Support Clinic Best Sellers Customer Service Amazon Basics New Releases Prime Today's Deals Music Books Registry Fashion Amazon Home Pharmacy Gift Cards One Medical Toys & Games Sell Coupons Luxury Stores Automotive Find a Gift Beauty & Personal Care Computers Home Improvement Video Games Health & Household Products Pet Supplies Smart Home Audible
Shop Father's Day gifts

  • Ararat: A Novel
  • ›
  • Customer reviews

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
1,533 global ratings
5 star
35%
4 star
33%
3 star
22%
2 star
8%
1 star
3%
Ararat: A Novel

Ararat: A Novel

byChristopher Golden
Write a review
How customer reviews and ratings work

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we donโ€™t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon
See All Buying Options

Top positive review

All positive reviews›
Tracy Gardner
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent read!
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on April 21, 2023
โ€œNo.ย I'm, I'm simply saying that life, uhโ€ฆย finds a way.โ€ I just had to quote Malcom! Very much enjoyed!
Read more

Top critical review

All critical reviews›
Books Of Brian
2.0 out of 5 stars... since it won the 2018 Bram Stoker Award for best novel. Sadly
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on April 8, 2018
I donโ€™t read much from the Horror category but decided to try this since it won the 2018 Bram Stoker Award for best novel. Sadly, I won't have too many good things to say about this one. To cut right to the chase, it wasnโ€™t what Iโ€™d hoped for โ€“ I wound up reading through it pretty quickly and superficially and found that it just didnโ€™t have much of an impact.

When I do decide to pick up something in this genre, I want it to really mess with me and creep me out. I want it to stay with me for a good long while โ€“ the way โ€œThe Exorcistโ€ by William Peter Blatty or โ€œCarrion Comfortโ€ by Dan Simmons did. Books like those are unforgettable and they donโ€™t fade over time. They scar โ€“ not just scare but scar โ€“ you just a little bit and you wind up thinking back to them at all the wrong times โ€“ sending a nasty little chill up and down your spine.

Really good horror movies have the same effect. I made the mistake of watching โ€œNight Of The Living Deadโ€ on television and then going to see โ€œDawn Of The Deadโ€ in the theater when I was younger. Those are two decisions that I wish I could get a mulligan on. To this day โ€“ I DO NOT like zombies and I will have nothing to do with them โ€“ either in print or on the screen. I have not watched a single episode of โ€œThe Walking Deadโ€ and I NEVER will. For the longest time, I found myself having those occasional dreams where I was being chased by zombies. Iโ€™m smart enough to know that the zombies are stand-ins for things Iโ€™m stressing about in real life but those two movies had enough of an impact that zombies became my unconscious symbol for seriously threatening elements in real life. The only literary and cinematic exception to this rule that Iโ€™ve ever made was โ€œWorld War Zโ€ โ€“ both the book and the movie โ€“ and while Iโ€™m glad I did โ€“ I enjoyed both โ€“ I donโ€™t think the decision helped to mitigate my feelings about the whole zombie thing.

Thatโ€™s what I was hoping for when I downloaded the book and started in. About a third of the way through, I realized that the only horrific aspect of the story was a creeping sense of boredom. Anyone who reads the blurb here on Amazon is going to find the book all too predictable. Start with a biblical teaser, lock a group of disparate and diverse individuals into a room, throw in some religious animosities, sexual transgressions and political tensions and a nasty outcome comes as no surprise to anyone. You hardly need the demonic presence to drive the story. The Author throws in some mildly engaging questions along the way related to whether the charactersโ€™ early transgressions are driven by possession or arise from their own flaws and life pain but โ€“ for me โ€“ that was about as interesting as it ever got.

Short to long โ€“ if anyone ever offers me the opportunity to hike Mount Ararat โ€“ my decision not to do so is going to have absolutely nothing to do with this book.
Read more
7 people found this helpful

Sign in to filter reviews
1,533 total ratings, 306 with reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From the United States

Tracy Gardner
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read!
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on April 21, 2023
Verified Purchase
โ€œNo.ย I'm, I'm simply saying that life, uhโ€ฆย finds a way.โ€ I just had to quote Malcom! Very much enjoyed!
Helpful
Report
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Andrea Restifo
4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on December 22, 2022
Verified Purchase
I read this book without having read any reviews before digging in...glad I did! It was a super interesting concept with some haunting moments that have stayed with me. Really enjoyed it!!
One person found this helpful
Helpful
Report
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Books Of Brian
2.0 out of 5 stars ... since it won the 2018 Bram Stoker Award for best novel. Sadly
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on April 8, 2018
Verified Purchase
I donโ€™t read much from the Horror category but decided to try this since it won the 2018 Bram Stoker Award for best novel. Sadly, I won't have too many good things to say about this one. To cut right to the chase, it wasnโ€™t what Iโ€™d hoped for โ€“ I wound up reading through it pretty quickly and superficially and found that it just didnโ€™t have much of an impact.

When I do decide to pick up something in this genre, I want it to really mess with me and creep me out. I want it to stay with me for a good long while โ€“ the way โ€œThe Exorcistโ€ by William Peter Blatty or โ€œCarrion Comfortโ€ by Dan Simmons did. Books like those are unforgettable and they donโ€™t fade over time. They scar โ€“ not just scare but scar โ€“ you just a little bit and you wind up thinking back to them at all the wrong times โ€“ sending a nasty little chill up and down your spine.

Really good horror movies have the same effect. I made the mistake of watching โ€œNight Of The Living Deadโ€ on television and then going to see โ€œDawn Of The Deadโ€ in the theater when I was younger. Those are two decisions that I wish I could get a mulligan on. To this day โ€“ I DO NOT like zombies and I will have nothing to do with them โ€“ either in print or on the screen. I have not watched a single episode of โ€œThe Walking Deadโ€ and I NEVER will. For the longest time, I found myself having those occasional dreams where I was being chased by zombies. Iโ€™m smart enough to know that the zombies are stand-ins for things Iโ€™m stressing about in real life but those two movies had enough of an impact that zombies became my unconscious symbol for seriously threatening elements in real life. The only literary and cinematic exception to this rule that Iโ€™ve ever made was โ€œWorld War Zโ€ โ€“ both the book and the movie โ€“ and while Iโ€™m glad I did โ€“ I enjoyed both โ€“ I donโ€™t think the decision helped to mitigate my feelings about the whole zombie thing.

Thatโ€™s what I was hoping for when I downloaded the book and started in. About a third of the way through, I realized that the only horrific aspect of the story was a creeping sense of boredom. Anyone who reads the blurb here on Amazon is going to find the book all too predictable. Start with a biblical teaser, lock a group of disparate and diverse individuals into a room, throw in some religious animosities, sexual transgressions and political tensions and a nasty outcome comes as no surprise to anyone. You hardly need the demonic presence to drive the story. The Author throws in some mildly engaging questions along the way related to whether the charactersโ€™ early transgressions are driven by possession or arise from their own flaws and life pain but โ€“ for me โ€“ that was about as interesting as it ever got.

Short to long โ€“ if anyone ever offers me the opportunity to hike Mount Ararat โ€“ my decision not to do so is going to have absolutely nothing to do with this book.
7 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Phillip Tomasso III
5.0 out of 5 stars Ancient disease? Ancient curse? Stranded miles above the earth in the side of a mountain with something ... evil!
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on January 12, 2018
Verified Purchase
Thrilled to have stumbled upon Christopher Golden. After reading SNOWBLIND, I dove right into ARARAT. Once again, I devoured the book. Great characters, and constant-moving-forward plot, and the tension and suspense builds and builds.

I love Golden's crisp writing. He adds just enough details to paint a picture for readers with his words, but does not overdo it. (As I find too much kills the story tempo, and turns a book into a boring snooze-fest). No fear of that with Golden,

After an earthquake a face of the Ararat Mountain crashes away during an avalanche. A cave is exposed. Teams from all over the world race to be first to explore the cave. A husband and wife team that writes books, and shoots documentaries about their adventurous waste no time getting to Turkey and securing the best guides for their journey up the mountain.

Adding to the mix government and U.N. representatives, professors, archaeologists, paleontologists, a priest (while muslims are most popular in the area), and Ben Walker from the "National Science Foundation," you've got yourself an explosive mix of Type A personalities. With a storm moving in the time for exploring the discovery is limited.

But the entire world is watching.

Because it is not a cave that has been unearthed. It is a ship --and potentially The Noah's Ark. The Biblical ark. The find could change the world. Forever.

The problem isn't the boat --or the natural questions about how it would up at the top of a mountain in the first place. The issue comes from a coffin found inside the ark, and the remains discovered inside the sealed sarcophagus. Is exposing what is within, a something not human-like with horns to the world be the best choice? Could something so old carry unknown diseases?

Ancient writings, wards, and spells . . . Noah?

Imagine being miles above the earth in the side of a mountain with a storm brewing and a demon among the cast and crew?!?!?

ARARAT is like part The Thing, and part The Exorcist. An exciting and absolute fast, tense read!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of Absolute Zero
and Damn the Dead
29 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Matt Dooley
4.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on August 16, 2022
Verified Purchase
Comparing it to The Thing is apt. Claustrophobic, intense, withering, and relentless. If you want a book that secretly digs in, finds a little nook at the back of your mind so it can slip forward every now and then for a good smile, this is it.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
Report
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Cheryl Stout
4.0 out of 5 stars Is it Noah's Ark?
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on April 25, 2019
Verified Purchase
After an avalanche/landslide occurs down the side of Mt. Ararat in Turkey, a huge cavern appears in the side of the mountain.

Archaeologists, biblical scholars, Arkologists, guides, ancient language experts, government agents, and documentary crews all want to be the first to lay claim to the sit - because it seems an ancient ship has been discovered inside the cavern.

Meryam and Adam, her fiance, have a small documentary crew and experts and they want to be the first to step foot on site. They've filmed their adventures before plus written books and this could be a huge story with far-reaching impacts.

This is quite an adventure tale that bogs down a bit because of repetition but still is fast-paced and asks some difficult questions. What is found on this ancient craft is the stuff nightmares are made of and plenty of thrills and chills.

I've enjoyed this author previously and am now off to read book number two THE PANDORA ROOM featuring Ben Walker, ostensibly a U.S. representative for the National Science Foundation but actually an agent for DARPA.
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Jeffrey T. Munson
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrifying
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on May 26, 2017
Verified Purchase
Christoper Golden offers a new perspective on Mt. Ararat and Noah's ark in this terrifying thriller.

Adventure seekers Meryam and Adam travel to Mt. Ararat after an avalanche has opened a previously hidden cave. Now once inside, the two adventurers and their assembled team begin to search. The cave is actually a buried ship that the team quickly comes to believe is Noah's ark. But there is more to the ark than just animal pens and crew quarters.

Inside the ark, a mysterious coffin is discovered, with the misshapen remnants of a cadaver inside. But this is not an ordinary human cadaver; this one has horns pointing out of it's head. As time passes, some of the group begin mysteriously disappearing. To make matters even worse, a terrible snowstorm is blowing in. As time passes, the group realizes the terror that is contained in the coffin. But that is only the beginning, for the evil has now invaded the group itself.

I've read Christopher Golden's previous books "Snowblind" and "Dead Ringers", and "Ararat" continues Golden's fine tradition of writing good, psychological horror stories. The characters in this book are very well-developed, especially those of Meryam, Adam, Walker, and Kim. The others lend their own experiences to the story. The story itself is definitely a different take on Ararat and Noah's ark, but nonetheless, it is loaded with twists. The book is a little slow at the beginning, but the second half of the book is definitely worth waiting for. Highly recommended.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Kent D. Reed
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read for book clubs
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on January 29, 2023
Verified Purchase
I found an interesting That The book circles around Noah's Ark, but Let's look at twist. If you're interested in a wild story and this is a great book to get in to.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
Report
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Chris Fow Cohen
4.0 out of 5 stars Gripping, compelling
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on May 6, 2022
Verified Purchase
If you want high brow horror, you won't find it here. This is the stuff of B movies, late-night terror that will keep you reading long past your bedtime. Go for it. Then try to sleep. Goid luck there, pal, and have your comfort book ready. You'll need it.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


Ray J. Palen Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars ARARAT is suspenseful horror at its finest and one heck of a fun read!
Reviewed in the United States ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ on March 10, 2018
Verified Purchase
The thing that interested me most in reading the most recent novel by Christopher Golden is the simple fact that it was written by Christopher Golden! Quite frankly, whether writing solo or with another author, this man can do no wrong.

Couple this with the fact that ARARAT just won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Horror Novel of 2017 there was no way I can lose. ARARAT is a quick read because it is so creepily suspenseful you cannot put it down. A team of explorers finds what seems to be Noah's Ark buried within Mount Ararat. Normally, that would be enough to build an interesting story around. But this is a Christopher Golden story...

They find some human remains, animal remains and ancient writing which gives evidence that this was indeed Noah's Ark. However, that's not all they found. A coffin with the skeletal remains of a being that appears to be human --- except for the horns sticking out of its skull. It seems that Noah and company also took along a demon just for kicks --- and this expedition has awoken said demon and it's pissed.

Completely claustrophobic and echoing so many other horror themes --- most specifically John Carpenter's version of "The Thing" --- ARARAT is suspenseful horror at its finest and one heck of a fun read!
One person found this helpful
Helpful
Report
    Showing 0 comments

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.


  • โ†Previous page
  • Next pageโ†’

Need customer service? Click here
‹ See all details for Ararat: A Novel

Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations
›
View or edit your browsing history
After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Back to top
Get to Know Us
  • Careers
  • Amazon Newsletter
  • About Amazon
  • Accessibility
  • Sustainability
  • Press Center
  • Investor Relations
  • Amazon Devices
  • Amazon Science
Make Money with Us
  • Sell products on Amazon
  • Sell apps on Amazon
  • Supply to Amazon
  • Protect & Build Your Brand
  • Become an Affiliate
  • Become a Delivery Driver
  • Start a Package Delivery Business
  • Advertise Your Products
  • Self-Publish with Us
  • Host an Amazon Hub
  • โ€บSee More Ways to Make Money
Amazon Payment Products
  • Amazon Visa
  • Amazon Store Card
  • Amazon Secured Card
  • Amazon Business Card
  • Shop with Points
  • Credit Card Marketplace
  • Reload Your Balance
  • Amazon Currency Converter
Let Us Help You
  • Amazon and COVID-19
  • Your Account
  • Your Orders
  • Shipping Rates & Policies
  • Amazon Prime
  • Returns & Replacements
  • Manage Your Content and Devices
  • Your Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
  • Help
English
United States
Amazon Music
Stream millions
of songs
Amazon Advertising
Find, attract, and
engage customers
6pm
Score deals
on fashion brands
AbeBooks
Books, art
& collectibles
ACX
Audiobook Publishing
Made Easy
Sell on Amazon
Start a Selling Account
 
Amazon Business
Everything For
Your Business
Amazon Fresh
Groceries & More
Right To Your Door
AmazonGlobal
Ship Orders
Internationally
Home Services
Experienced Pros
Happiness Guarantee
Amazon Ignite
Sell your original
Digital Educational
Resources
Amazon Web Services
Scalable Cloud
Computing Services
 
Audible
Listen to Books & Original
Audio Performances
Book Depository
Books With Free
Delivery Worldwide
Box Office Mojo
Find Movie
Box Office Data
ComiXology
Thousands of
Digital Comics
DPReview
Digital
Photography
Fabric
Sewing, Quilting
& Knitting
 
Goodreads
Book reviews
& recommendations
IMDb
Movies, TV
& Celebrities
IMDbPro
Get Info Entertainment
Professionals Need
Kindle Direct Publishing
Indie Digital & Print Publishing
Made Easy
Amazon Photos
Unlimited Photo Storage
Free With Prime
Prime Video Direct
Video Distribution
Made Easy
 
Shopbop
Designer
Fashion Brands
Amazon Warehouse
Great Deals on
Quality Used Products
Whole Foods Market
Americaโ€™s Healthiest
Grocery Store
Woot!
Deals and
Shenanigans
Zappos
Shoes &
Clothing
Ring
Smart Home
Security Systems
 
eero WiFi
Stream 4K Video
in Every Room
Blink
Smart Security
for Every Home
Neighbors App
Real-Time Crime
& Safety Alerts
Amazon Subscription Boxes
Top subscription boxes โ€“ right to your door
PillPack
Pharmacy Simplified
Amazon Renewed
Like-new products
you can trust
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Notice
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
ยฉ 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates