Rating: 
Summary: NIce blend of adventure, treasure hunt and Middle East polit
Review: I read this book fairly rapidly as the story moves with a nice pace. The blend of Middle East politics provides a nice undercurrent without the typical stuff about how the protagonists are the main focus of the political scene, just caught up in it. Text would have been more thrilling with a nice map of the area to retrace the "new" Exodus, site of crossing the Red Sea etc. Oddly this is included in the Vogue write-up by Blum but omitted in the book. As a scientist, my first inclination would be to have the darkened piece of rock from Mt. Sinai analysed by a competent geochemist to determine nature of "scorching". I felt let down at the end, not so much at the lack of "treasure" but what seemed to me as if the author just ran out of words.
Rating: 
Summary: A Full Blown Hoax!
Review: Let me get this straight.. two guys in their 40's, one with "blown out knees" and a badly strained back, ascend and descend an 8000ft high mountain in the black of night, in SIX hours. Wow! That's after they pass through Saudi Arabian Customs with a metal detector, night-vision goggles and at least one large knife.. all because of knowledge gained from the proven con artist and so-called "Discoverer" of Noah's Ark.. Ron Wyatt. Wow! Mr. Blum fleshes out his 30 or so pages detailing the expedition with some fanciful insights into the Saudi defence system, all worthy of Tom Clancy, and entirely irrelevent to the main story. A few black and white pictures are inserted.. sure is interesting what a mountain top looks like at night.. one could almost swear the pix were taken well after dawn.. but then, that's impossible because the photographer had returned to camp. Wow! Run.. don't walk, away from this sorry tale.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting,informative, a good read.
Review: Howard Blum's account of events which occurred in the late eighties provides the backdrop of his new book, "The Gold of the Exodus." In parts, it reads like a thriller, better than most, actually. But in other parts it lags. That's pardonable, though, given its overall fast-paced delivery. The question, was it convincing? is where I had some problems. Yes, it did seem that his protagonists stumbled onto something historic, but did he make that case in the book? Inferentially, yes. Factually, I think not. And that's why this thoroughly enjoyable book gets an 8 from this reviewer.
Rating: 
Summary: The most exciting book I've read in years!
Review: I'm a MidEast fanatic,but The Gold of Exodus takes the cake.
Not only does it give a new outlook on the bible and its history, but also on the power struggle that has engulfed the Jews and Arabs of that region for so many years.
It's fascinating that such treasures could be concealed from the world for so long.
Espionage,geography,history, and adventure in one book, WHAT A COMBONATION!
Rating: 
Summary: A very Odd account
Review: I'm not sure what to say here. THis is a very odd book from someone who has written two other great books. Blum's account of the Jewish Brigade in WWI and hisa account of the Yom Kippur War(Eve of Destruction) are both marvelous and TRUE accounts of the events. Having done extensive research on te Yom Kippur war I can vouch for 'Eve of Destruction's' authenticity. Yet this book seems oddly out there. First of all the two men this book chronicles Larry Williams and Robert Cornuke have both written books on the subject detailing their adventure. Now the problem is that the books are in conflict. WIliams book details two trips while Cornukes book is ambivlent on whether he has found Mt. Sinai and he does not mention Israeli Mossad. So this deminishes the books credibility. The Saudi archeological service cannot be trusted. Many people claim that the book must be wrong because the Kingdom of Saudi has destributed some pictures of the painting described in this book and these painting look more european then biblical. Well who trusts the Saudi internal government, which is a dictatorship and has no reason to release evidence about this mountain, especially if such evidence will bring millions of non-Mulsims to the kingdom for pilgrimage. Saudi already has one holy cty, it doesnt want another. THis book is not racism as some claim nor is it 'offensive' it is merely an exploration of the Biblical site of Mt. Sinai. THose that accuse this book of being offfensive because these guys had to sneak into Saudi should instead accuse the Saudis of offense for not allowing international research teams to search their country for non-muslim archeology. The Kingdom of Saudi does have a lax intelligence service if your an ex-SWAT member and this is clear from the many terrorist attacks on U.S installations in the kingdom so those that say this cant be true because oft he vaunted Saudi intelligence service are also wrong. Saudi, as the book shows, is a fuedal state that lives in the modrn world. Those that say the discovery, if true, has ramifactions for the worlds religions are wrong. It has no ramification for any of the religions. Mt Sinai is where god gave the commandments and the laws to Moses. An interesting book
Rating:
Summary: Truth is Funner than Fiction
Review: This book reads like the best of the best spy novels. It flows. It has suspense. It has shady characters and heroes. Espionage,danger, intrigue, exotic locations. Biblical artifacts. And it is all true! Makes the adventure come alive and reads like a ride on a roller coaster. I have put down works of fiction half read and implausible. I raced through this book. I gave it all the free time I could spare. It was simply wonderful. And I keep seeing evidence that a movie is on the way. Step aside, Indiana. These guys are real! And they are messing around in your playground.
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking and entertaining
Review: This book delivers because it succesfully blends adventure with a timeless fascination with one of the most well-known Bible stories. Modern adventurers search for Mount Sinai and the lure of treasure that may lie buried at its base. I am not a Bible Fundamentalist, however the historical nature of the quest gives the story an added dimension that you will not find in most novels.
Rating:
Summary: Fast-Paced but Factually Deficient
Review: Action-packed and fast-paced, Howard Blum not only keeps you on the edge of your seat, but he makes this book a hard one to put down. I read it in two sittings, and I do not regret the hours of sleep I sacrificed on its behalf. However, this story is rather sensationalistic, and the scope of its narrative is perhaps a bit too grandiose for the central theme of the book - which is that Mt. Sinai exists, has been found, and measures up to the Biblical description. Too, considering that everyone from the CIA to the Mossad to the Chinese was darkly and mysteriously involved, some of the conclusions and resolutions are just a bit too pat. In essence, the Gold of Exodus traces the daring, and sometimes foolhardy, adventures of a colorful millionaire and his friend, burly ex-SWAT Bob Cornuke, as they embark on a secret quest to discover the gold that tradition holds the Children of Israel left at Mt. Sinai in penance for their sins. They eventually make it to the site as their unabashed treasure hunt for gold gradually becomes a spiritual quest for God. As far as geographic/Biblical lore is concerned, this is indeed a fascinating read. The sense of adventure also makes the time spent reading it worthwhile. However, although not impossible, the narrative is rather flimsy (due to the author's compression of certain facts to heighten readability), and an objective reading in search of hard, cold facts will leave you rather disappointed by its end. In my case, it made for a good one-time read, but it's not one I'll be picking up to re-read in the near future. - Benamin Gene Gardner
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining "Indiana Jones" style adventure...
Review: The story this book tells is incredible. What if they have really found the true Mt. Sinai? This is almost too incredible to believe. The text does dwell on a few conspiratorial theories that the Israelis and Arabic secret service is out to get the heroes of the book though. This detracts from the story of discovering the true mountain of God. Also the pictures in the book are interesting but it appears if they were taken at noon day. The ascent and following descent of the mountain took place during the night and early dawn. Maybe it gets light really quick in Saudi Arabia. Overall the book was easy to read and enjoyable and would recommend it to others. I just wish the author had documented the sources he used to a greater extent.
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