Customer Reviews

Tractrix (Seeds of Civilization)

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Aerospace engineer Frank Morton's world is on a collision course with the universe and little does he know what turn of events are going to shape the rest of his life. A recent widower, Frank unexpectedly wins an 86 million dollar lottery jackpot. Almost simultaneously an old Viet Nam buddy shows up with a mysterious black sphere inscribed with hieroglyphics that seem very Mayan in origin. More than intrigued, Frank convinces his buddy and two other friends, an anthropologist and a newspaper researcher, to help him investigate this mysterious Mayan sphere. Purpose and exact origin are the two things Frank wants to pinpoint, because once the sphere comes into his possession his world is suddenly turned upside down and inside out.

Frank and his friends' investigation takes them on a journey from Seattle to a secret military installation in Nevada with the trail leading to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. But their travels are not as secretive as they hope; government agents are watching and waiting. They also draw the attention of Mexican Federales and an ancient Maya priest. Black spheres and dead bodies start popping up. Frank and his team have stumbled across a three thousand year old secret that suggests links between shamans of Mesoamerica and a race of alien explorers.

R. J. Archer has crafted a fine first novel with Tractrix. If you like Clive Cussler's writing you will certainly love R. J. Archer's mesh of historical facts and culture with theories and speculations that have intrigued man for several decades. This is only the first book in the installment to THE SEEDS OF CIVILIZATION series. This is a great first effort. Keep watch for the next book, it's sure to be a page turner as well.

When I picked up this book, I thought the story line sounded interesting. I never dreamed I'd be glued to the book until I finished it. The mystery drove me through page after page as I tried to figure it all out. The action... the angst... the ending! All I can say is, "Where's the sequel, Mr. Archer?"

Tractrix sends readers on an engaging joyride through a labyrinth of riddles involving the ancient Maya, a secret U.S. military installation in the Nevada desert, and space aliens from centuries past. When Frank Morton hits an $86-million Powerball jackpot, he sets out to solve some of the world's most
perplexing mysteries and soon finds himself confronted with far more questions than answers. What is the origin--and purpose--of 20 baffling black spheres inscribed with glyphs? Can the U.S. government agents be trusted? Is there a connection between the human race and entities from another space and time? Tractrix
is a fast-paced yarn, based on intriguing historical perspective, and it's sure to keep you guessing and wondering right up until its surprising conclusion.

In the tradition Indiana Jones and the X-files, Archer takes us on a grand adventure exploring Mayan ruins and "Area 51." My only complaint would be that the characters seem a little one dimensional at first but they do evolve as the book continues. Overall this is a great first novel. This book is a fun, quick read and suitable for most ages.

In Tractrix, the first novel in the Seeds of Civilization series, R.J. Archer develops a story set in modern times, with the added premise that highly developed civilizations were on Earth many thousands of years ago (ala Graham Hancock et al). His story develops as a scientific mystery, with the just-forming NWIDI team (like yet unlike Clive Cussler's NUMA team) racing and researching to solve the mystery of black spheres with Mayan (or older) writings on them, an adventure which takes them through Mayan/Olmec ruins and Area51 (or is it?). Modern Mayans are dying as they bring these spheres from their homeland to Nevada, and the NWIDI team tries to discover what motivates them to bring them, how they are getting them there and what is killing them, while keeping various government agencies close (but not too close).

The Clive Cussler parallels continue with Frank Morton, the main hero of the book, who is more educated that Dirk Pitt but also has a military background. Frank recruits ancient scholars, researchers and his former military buddy to help him chase down this mystery.

Mr. Archer's writing is meticulously detailed, reminding me with his descriptions of engineers I know, how they work and the actions they take. His characterizations are well done.

I look forward to reading Tsubute, the 2nd novel in the series. Highly recommended for Clive Cussler fans, those interested in ancient civilizations or anyone looking for an entertaining read with likeable characters.

It hooks you right from the start and all the characters are well thought out. All the places mentioned in the story were well researched.

Tractrix is the first book in R.J. Archer's Seeds of Civilization series, and it falls into the category of stories that I like the most -- ancient astronauts. Being my favorite category, it is also the category of which I am most critical. This book did not disappoint.

Tractrix has a bit of everything: mystery, action, and even a little romance. The story pulled me in right away with the introduction of Frank and his lottery winnings. Each chapter did a fantastic job at introducing new elements while providing the satisfaction of resolving some small outstanding mystery. I did not want to put the book down.

The character development is well paced. The story starts focused solely on the main character, Frank. Other characters are slowly introduced one by one as the story progresses. Each character is a mystery in his/herself that reveals the perfect amounts of intrigue at just the right time.

My only real major criticism is the writing at the beginning of the book is a little choppy in parts. Archer introduces a location and then describes the specifics of that location in such great detail that it pulled me out of the story. I felt like Archer was giving me a guided tour of his home town instead of immersing me in the character's environment. By the 5th or 6th chapter, however, Archer tones his descriptions down and gets a good immersive pace going.

Overall the story captured my attention from the beginning to the end and I definitely want to see where the characters go next in the second book of the series.

Review by: Kevin of Sift Book Reviews
Sift Book Reviews received a free copy for review from the author. This has, in no way, affected the reviewer's opinion.