The Book of Skulls | Box of Paperbacks

Contemplate immortality because I’m reviewing Robert Silverberg’s The Books of Skulls.
This novel follows four college-age men as they travel from New England to Arizona where they believe they will find a monastic order that has discovered the secret to immortality. The ritual, as outlined in the titular Book of Skulls, requires four participants, but for two of them to have everlasting life, the other two must die.
Bookpilled has a concise review about The Book of Skulls that can be found here: • This Book Has Sold 8 M...
My written analysis and reviews can be found here: hubpages.com/@...
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© 2023 Seth Tomko

[@mildrumpus]

😎📚👍

[@ObscureBookAdventures]

Hmmm, yes, unlikeable characters. I often wondered about why I love some of them (like the Sopranos) and others not at all. Generally bad characters can be more interesting than the good guys. In Dynasty I found Alexis much more interesting than Christel (was that her name?) or Blake.

[@PeculiarNotions]

It's always a tricky thing to have unlikable main characters. As with your example, sometimes it really works out and can draw in the audience, especially depending on the type of genre. With The Book of Skulls, however, none of them really worked for me.

[@booksmitin]

This gives archaeology pop culture adjacent vibes. Surprised that this was more character-driven. I feel you on not liking the characters, which is a common personal feeling for immortality seekers in various works. Thanks for sharing this!

[@PeculiarNotions]

Not just pop culture archaeology but also psychology, sociology, and theology. I think this shallow attempt at using these fields--whether it's a function of the character or not--is part of what disappointed me with this book. There's not enough depth or weight to justify a lot of the philosophizing in the novel, so it comes across as self indulgent navel-gazing rather than as profound.

[@GrammaticusBooks]

I've seen this book many times sitting on the shelves but have always passed it by. I generally find Silverberg's books a bit disappointing. Sounds like passing this one by was the right choice! Great review PN!

[@PeculiarNotions]

Thank you, Grammaticus. I've enjoyed other books by Silverberg a lot more than this one.