Title: Reliquary of the Dead
Author: David A. Falk, PhD
Hardcover: 978-1-0692160-0-7 (SRP $30.00)
Softcover: 978-1-0692160-1-4 (SRP $18.00)
Ebook: 978-1-0692160-2-1 (SRP $5.50)
Pierre Gulet, an eccentric and uniquely intuitive French archaeologist, is living in 25th century Egypt but is fixated on the past. After centuries, Egypt is still Egypt-the pyramids, the donkey carts, the unfinished high rises, the rancid stench of garbage, the systemic corruption. Pierre was excavating the find of a lifetime, a pre-dynastic temple beneath an Old Kingdom fortress, until he was called into the office of the Director of Antiquities who takes away his life’s work, blacklists him, and drives him into exile onto a distant world, a small colony struggling for survival on the edge of outer space.
Pierre must now solve a mystery that has baffled traditional scientists for decades, an agricultural blight that has decimated the food supply of a colony on Gliese 832 c. Driven by a desire to make a discovery no one can take away from him, he must use his unique skills to save the future of a planet that is on the precipice of disaster. But as he seeks to uncover the truth, he is opposed by intransigent colonists, jealous predecessors, and an ancient power lurking deep in the earth. The more he discovers, the more he is vilified, and the more determined he becomes to discover what is at the heart of the blight. Should he fail, everyone in the colony dies.
RELIQUARY OF THE DEAD is the first book in the WAR OF THE GODS series, inspired by Dune, Sherlock Holmes, Indiana Jones, and the cosmic mythos of the ancient Near East.
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Reviews for Reliquary of the Dead
Tale Told
September 6, 2025
Finished reading “Reliquary of the Dead” last night by @DrDavidAFalk
Recommend if you like #sciencefiction and, surprisingly, #MYSTERY as this was probably one of the best mystery stories I read this year (I’ve been going through the original Ellery Queen novels and this far outstrips them). Of course, Dr. Falk being an Egyptologist, you’ll get a good infusion of the mystique of ancient worlds and an unknown (alien?) mythos, the poetic effect of which is well worth the reading.
There were some cons. I personally felt that the opening was too slow, and that the time on earth could have been streamlined. Also, the antagonists began to feel too similar toward the end as all their motivation started to boil down to, “Screw this guy in particular.” Dr. Falk makes that make sense in the context, but I still walked away with the feeling that the villains were unbelievably evil.
My biggest complaint can be reconstrued as a compliment, though, as I wish there were another five pages or so, some sort of epilogue, that is I wanted more of the story, but as an artistic statement, the abrupt ending—
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Brandon
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2025
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Fantastic book, a Masterclass in Storytelling.
I’m not someone who normally reads fiction. Too often authors are not knowledgeable in the subjects their characters are supposed to work in, their characters aren’t compelling or behave in contradictory ways, their stories are poorlu paced, or their stories add a needless romantic (often sexual) subplot. This book suffers from none of these things. Dr. Falk clearly shows he has the breadth of knowledge to write a book like this, his characters, even the minor ones, are interesting and well-written. This book is a page-turner with a great mix of mystery and science fiction. Lastly, no needless romantic subplot (it’s there, developing, but it is subtle and used sensibly, and it is unclear how it will pan out in books 2 or 3). As a warning, there is a massive cliff hanger at the end, so just go ahead and buy book 2 right away. Book 2 is presently in my cart and will be ordered soon.
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Dr. Agonson
4.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2025
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A Fun Read
A fun sci-fi romp with a slow build up, a great mystery, but an abrupt end. Hopefully the sequel will answer some questions.
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Dustin meeks
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2025
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Solid book
It’s a really solid book personally I don’t read novels in general but I do like the setting and in general the characters are good too so I certainly recommend this book
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2025
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Fun and thoughtful
Enjoyable slow burn.
The plot moves at deliberate pace, but I didn’t want to put it down. There’s a bit some action, intrigue and an ancient mystery with looming stakes to be unraveled. I think it’s an indie novel and it’s a win.
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Greg
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2025
from Digging in Egypt to digging in space
Do you like Indiana jones, Stargate, CS Lewis’s Space trilogy, and the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters? Well this book is like that. a futuristic world where humanity has left the bounds of earth to make new homes on other goldilocks planets. but on one such planet there is trouble brewing. something strange is showed up in the desert of Gliese 832, and there is only one man who has the training to unlock the secrets and save the colony.
Dr. Faulk uses his own training as an Egyptologist to explore how the tools we have to unlock the languages of lost civilizations could be used when discovering a lost civilization out there, as well as wondering what if all the stars are angels, and the ancients of the past were doing more then just making up stories around a campfire.
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Juanita
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2025
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why did the last page come so quickly
This was a great read, couldn’t put it down, finished in a day. Already looking forward to the second installment.
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Winter’s Emperor
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2025
The first of an exciting series!
Set hundreds of years in the future, an Egyptologist must travel to a new colony on a distant planet to help them discover the cure to a blight that has left the small population on the brink of starvation. In doing so, he will uncover a dark and ancient secret that threatens to re-emerge and bring devastation and ruin to the entire galaxy.
Dr. Falk has crafted an immersive and captivating story. His experience as a teacher shines through as he describes complex topics related to history, archeology, and various sciences in a believable way that widens the imagination. The story is left on a well-placed cliffhanger that will leave you eager to pick up the next book!
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2025
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10/10 would read again
Really great book!
10/10, couldn’t put the book down once I started it and read the whole thing in a day.
I really had no idea what was going to happen next at all during the book and that’s one of the big things that stopped me from being able to put the book down.
The end of the book felt like an Indiana Jones adventure in a way and it left me really wanting to read more so I immediately started the second book
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Jeremiah Bang
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2025
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Great Archaeological Thriller
Very interesting and engaging book. As an archaeology/history buff, it was cool to see an exciting sci-fi story with real archaeology as a background. In this book, Dr. Falk is able to take academic jargon and concepts and distill them down into a readable, fast paced novel. I’m excited to see where this series goes.
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Craziness
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2025
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I want a scatterbug.
This book is really good.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Out of all of the books I have read so far, Reliquary of The Dead was one of the few that kept me reading well past my allotted reading time for the day. I might be alone in this, but I found that this book was really comfortable to read. I’m sick and tired of books that have text the size of what you’d see in the fine print of a legal document. No eye pain!
Also, I wish I could get my hands on a WORKING Scatterbug. The grass outside is dying and could use some maintenance. I would do it myself, but it’s, like, hard.
All in all, David Falk has managed to write a captivating story, with characters as deep and intriguing as the Mariana Trench. Five out of five! Can’t wait for the next book.
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Gary Shawver
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2025
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Excellent and thought-provoking
Human treachery and betrayal worthy of the Game of Thrones series coupled with a genocidal, demonic artificial intelligence set in the far future combine to make this a gripping and entertaining story. This is quite readable and well constructed, not to mention innovative. I highly recommend this book.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2025
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A New Era in Fiction
RotD is a fantastic book! If you like sci-fi mystery thrillers, this is not a book to pass on. It is such a page turner and honestly addicting. The plot is so original and engrossing, it’s such a breath of fresh air in the current market where everything feels so samey. I’m not a sci-fi mystery thriller person (more so action adventure), which shows just how awesome this book is. RotD is also very well written. The author blends sci-fi with history and archaeology so well, you feel like you’re learning along with the protagonist. I don’t want to spoil anything, because I want you to experience the same roller coaster of fun and mystique that I did reading this book the first and now the second time. I even bought two extra copies, just so my coworkers could get in on the awesome. A must read!
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W. C. Collier @WCCollier1· May 4
Reviews of novels you (as a Christian) can enjoy and give to your youngin’s
I read Reliquary of the Dead by @DrDavidAFalk. Overall a delightful novel, and also one that gives me an excuse to talk about two potential pitfalls in fiction writing.
The first is that specialists in any field other than fiction writing tend not to make very good fiction writers. They tend to be didactic regarding their field of interest, and not very convincing in terms of character and plot. They also tend to be narrowly educated in their field, with little experience or knowledge to inform the other elements of their story, resulting in glaring plot holes and technical mistakes. Dr. Falk delightfully averts this trope, demonstrating passable knowledge in a wide range of subjects needed for his story—which is a space exploration adventure! With aliens!
Color me surprised. An outer space ancient aliens romp from an actual Egyptologist, and it’s actually good! And fun! And not bogged down in attempts to teach us all how much everyone else gets wrong about Ancient Egypt. In fact, there’s almost no Ancient Egypt in it! This is a good thing, on Dr. Falk’s part, especially for a debut novel. It frees him to do what all fiction writers do: write as non-PhDs, based on research, but with a focus on character, plot, and fun.
Which leads me to the other phenomenon that tends to plague fiction writers: their sense of human psychology tends to be autobiographical. The famous example of this is Lord of the Flies, depicting the breakdown into savagery and tribalism of young boys stranded on a (resource-rich) island. Billed as an insightful indictment of human nature, it really ends up being an insightful window into the author’s nature, and meanwhile a group of actual school boys gets stranded on an island for months and has prayer every night and takes care of its members until drama-free rescue. The human condition is widely varied, and authors write what they know. They write as if all people are the kind of people with whom they are familiar.
Apparently, the kind of people Dr. Falk knows are a-holes. Our protagonist and every character he encounters, are socially inept, backstabbing children in adult bodies. Is academia of Ancient Egypt really so backbiting? We must presume so. And wonder if Dr. Falk needs a hug. That said, while the entire cast are steadfastly unlikable, we yet manage to come to like the protagonist and his loyal assistant/gunhand and root for them. The level of character dev here is on par for commercial fiction, but entertainingly idiosyncratic.
Dr. Falk proposes that, to resolve a politically sensitive and technically demanding crisis in a space colony on the verge of collapse, you need a man with a particular set of skills, and those are… the skills of a socially inept Egyptologist. And yet, he just about pulls it off, at least well enough to keep us entertained, and intrigued by his particular twist on the ancient alien concept.
Lastly, given the abrupt ending, expect a series.
Entertaining, thought provoking, educational, minimal bad language and no lascivious content. Fit for Christian audiences. Enjoy.
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J. Penar
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2025.
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Highly Re-Readable Collision of Worlds
SUMMARY: It gripped my mind and expanded my imagination each of the 3 times I’ve read it. The first time, I stayed up past 3 AM to finish it because not knowing what would happen next was unacceptable. The second, I read closely, savoring it while looking for any hints, breadcrumbs or foreshadowing I missed. For my 3rd, I was fortunate to be re-reading it having already read book 2, “All The Stars As Angels” (as an unpaid beta reader), and my enjoyment was only elevated by knowing what is coming. It is clear that Falk has expansive plans for his characters and the future worlds they live on, and I don’t regret buying the hardback edition one bit.
In-Depth:
The plot lives up to the promises of sci-fi, fantasy, mystery and adventure with a side of cosmic horror.
As to themes, that over-emphasizing “getting along” at the cost of truth leads to apathy, and apathy to utter destruction. It examines the unnecessary battle between hard sciences and humanities (“Why not both?”, as Tony Stark would say). How “mathematical models are only as good as our knowledge of the variables.” And how humanity’s perception of their status and place in the universe is precariously one discovery by a fed-up Frenchman on a distant exoplanet away from being irrevocably toppled… and transformed.
Characters: So realistic they will likely remind you of people you know, for better or for worse!
Protagonist Pierre Gulet is both sympathetic AND annoying. You cheer for him, AND he makes you facepalm. What I like about that, though, is that it is not easy to predict what he will do. And when he does rise to challenges successfully, it is so satisfying. No Gary Stu, here.
The side characters are each interesting in their own way, with diverse nationalities, occupations, personalities and physical descriptions, and they realistically range from kids to octogenarians. Some people had to win me over; others I loved the whole way through.
I don’t want to say too much about antagonists, though there is one in particular that inspired visceral hatred. Think Delores Umbridge levels. I’ll let you figure out who that is.
Pacing: Brisk to FAST. Once we are introduced to Gulet and his predicament, the story quickly gets going and then never lets up, not even on the final page!
Content advisory, IMO: PG-13 for language and cosmic-horror, but nothing gratuitous.
Verdict: 10/10, would recommend, have already gifted it to someone as well, with more in mind. Will pre-order book two as soon as it’s available, because this series is going on the shelf, not the tablet!
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The Badger
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2025.
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A brilliant concept beautifully executed
Reliquary of the Dead is a wonderful blend of Science Fiction and Ancient Egyptian that immediately grabs the reader’s attention. Set hundreds of years in the future, the story follows Pierre Gulet, an Egyptologist who is forced to leave his life’s work and begin anew on a distant planet called Gliese 832 c. He’s quickly confronted with the colony’s imminent devastation and must use his unique expertise to its utmost to try to save the colony—and himself.
Pierre is immediately likeable and relatable as he faces challenges on every side while struggling to help those whose prestige has clouded their ability to see reason. Met with resistance at every turn, he must be clever, decisive, shrewd, and take risks that no one else is willing to take.
The story is fast-paced and will keep you on the edge of your seat as Pierre unravels mystery after mystery that will pull you through the dark history of, not only Gliese, but of the entire universe. The author introduces us to everything from brilliant future technologies to the ancient cultures of the Near East and does so in a way that captivates and excites.
Reliquary of the Dead is a must-read for anyone who loves science fiction, Bronze Age Egyptology, and storytelling in general. But this is only the beginning and the author will leave you eager to pick up the next book and continue the epic adventure and discoveries of Pierre Gulet.
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Rachel Schoenberger
242 reviews 13 followers April 19, 2025
Reliquary of the Dead is a captivating start to a new science fiction series set in the 25th century. The protagonist is an Egyptologist named Pierre Gulet who winds up going to Gliese, an exoplanet where a colony of people from Earth has been established. There, he learns that things on the exoplanet are not going well and discovers some incredibly bizarre and interesting things. I found the book highly entertaining and especially enjoyed the ancient Egypt references throughout. It ends on a cliffhanger, so I am very much looking forward to reading the second book in a few months!
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6.22
5.0 out of 5 stars. Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2025.
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Reliquary is a perfect mix of Grounded Sci-Fi, Mystery and Archeology!
Wow! That’s what I really have to say after just finishing the book.
Reliquary is a perfect mix of Grounded(ish) Sci-Fi, Mystery and Archeology!
It also does a fantastic job of not being predictable or falling into tropes, I was actually surprised by the twist!
The characters, (Even the not likeable ones!) are well written and act realistically.
I won’t spoil much, but how many pieces of fiction can give you the vibes of Indy, Dune, Ancient Egypt & system shock (sci-fi) all at once? None before reliquary! And to have a realistic dig site in fiction? What a treat!
I would say reliquary stands out amongst other fiction books in general, not just sci fi.
Print quality was also great, this is no quick print off on demand. And the hardcover having a dust jacket with different artwork on the hardcover itself was a great addition.
I will happily be pre-ordering part 2 when available.
5/5 A must read.