So you've always wanted to be an archaeologist, have you? Ode to Odin takes us far beyond the glamour of King Tut's tomb or the relative comfort of excavating on a Grecian island to the very frontier of the archaeologist's quest. In the searing deserts of Uzbekistan, the narrator takes us on a journey that sometimes careers to the brink of madness. Here in a vodka swirl of post-Soviet dysfunction, the dig searches for the origins of our monotheistic religions; all the time battling shortages of every necessity in an environment as rugged as people who live there. Above it all looms the aura of Odin, the dig director; a man of unflinching selfishness and of unparalleled intellect. As the narrator picks his way between the ego of Odin, the local workers and his fellow team mates, a frank picture of life on the dig emerges. While sometimes harrowing, it is, nevertheless, a window into the world of archaeology on the fringes; a world that requires a certain madness just to survive. Just as the archaeologists' spades uncover the Zoroastrian Fire Temple, this book, Ode to Odin, provides a reader to with a personal insight into Uzbek archaeology, the cheap vodka, the garrulous governor, and the unstinting mania of Odin.

Mr. McLaren's prose is natural, authentic and beautiful. A nice mix of archaeology, philosophy, travel and history. Struggles between the young protagonist and the older antagonist lend a nice tension. Something new to learn for almost anyone. Highly recommended.

Informative, entertaining, told in a unique voice. Dan Brown meets Indiana Jones, longer sentences, and facts. Give it a read.

Let me give a rather comprehensive review of this book and what I found excellent and what I didn't. Without spoiling the plot the short summary is that this literary fiction book is about a British post-grad archaeologist who teams up with a eccentric renaissance man named Odin who take a archaeological excavation trip to Karakalpakstan In Uzbekistan to unearth the mysteries of a ancient Zoroastrian fire temple. With the background now in place let me start listing what I liked and what I found a little lackluster. 1. The idea of the book is new and refreshing. Karakalpakstan as a setting for a book? That's original and sure to be delightful. The hunt for archaic Zoroastrian secrets is a plot goal I can get behind as well. Eccentric archaeologists? Classic. 2. Feels authentic. The author actually has a academic background in archaeology and in Central Asia which make the book feel almost like a first hand account of a real expedition. His experiences makes this story more realistic and accurate. 3. As someone who is well-versed towards Central Asian history and culture, the bits describing natives and customs seem to be based on genuine knowledge. Chapter 11 is informative in my opinion because it gives a concise history of Karakalpakstan. Feels out of place and stops the story at its tracks but I personally enjoyed it for scholarly reasons. 4. The book is a odd but successful mix of archaeological reporting, adventure, travel, and tension at times. 5. Brings to life Central Asia and its peoples with clear and pleasant prose. Gives a compelling story while readers learn a thing or two. Works like this can be enjoyed by anyone no matter their knowledge of the region. This would not be a honest review if I didn't include what I found to be lacking of this book. So here I go. 1. Sometimes the book gets a little too off topic at random times. Chapter 11 is oddly placed like mentioned above because it suddenly covers the history of Karkpalstan and leaves the story high and dry. Random times within chapters this also happens. 2. The protagonists aren't really likeable nor connectable. Odin is a mix and match of played out tropes and stereotypes. He's Mr. Perfect, intellectual genius, Guy with a haunted past, rascal, womanizer and drunk raconteur all at once and in sudden succession. Odin is supposed to come across as a lovable rascal who says the darndest things but instead he comes across as a selfish, insensitive, unhinged and kind of bigoted jerk. The protagonist who we see from his perspective is basically a watered down version of Odin. He feels intense disdain towards his peers, professors, and others which goes overboard. He thinks of women in the story in mainly physical or romantic terms. It's hard to believe this sleazy dude has knowledge in anything. Two negatives do not make a positive in this case. 3. The story is interesting but most of the book is about the protagonist and Odin being drunkard jesters. Everyone is drunk almost always. People stumbling and being drunk gets old fast. Nerim and Yuri are the best characters by far but it's a shame how little attention they get. 4. The female characters are written bad. Most have the same bland and uninspired personalities. Hannah and Avery are two young female archaeologist who also join the excavation but other than appearance the two are indistinguishable. Except that Avery is more temperamental. It doesn't make it better that the dialogue of the women is unrealistic and feels slightly off. So this the the stuff I found good and bad. I love the authentic feel of the setting and the knowledge the book radiates in regards to Central Asian history, culture, archaeology and customs. The obscurity and terminology of Central Asia and it's history are made simplistic and clear through the author's prose which means even a reader with no background knowledge can appreciate it. However, the main flaw at least in my opinion is the badly written characters. No one stands out and comes across as competent or likable except Nerim and Yuri who are amazing. But with that said, I would still recommend this book to anyone even remotely interested in archaeology, history, Central Asia, or fiction in general.

The story of Odin and his friendship was thought provoking and funny as well as sad. There are swatches of archeology, history, sociology and basic human nature that break up the sections focusing on Odin’s antics. It was engrossing to learn so much whilst reading a piece of fiction. And Odin was a pretty overwhelming character so a break was welcome. I still would love to have been in this world to meet so many of its people. Even if you don’t care for the “ology” parts this novel is worth the effort. I don’t think there is another book with such clarity of world building and characterisations. A wonderful journey.

I hardly venture into books of this genre, so I wasn't expecting it to be part literary fiction, and part social science research report. Truth be told, there were some sections I found "lecture-like" and way too long and could have been written in at least two separate books. Nevertheless, the story is great, and the prose, astounding. This book is also quite an eye-opener for readers who are not familiar with Central Asia and for those who haven't paid much attention to the field of archaeology. I think if I were to go back to college and take a course in the social sciences, I would be happy to have this for a textbook. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.