Books: The Hidden

Latest Tobias Hill novel plunges archeologists into terror in Greece ** 2 Stars

By Gabrielle Pantera

The Hidden, archeological terror

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 1/20/2010 – “The Hidden is a story about fear or terror, what terror does to those who use it as a tool, as well as what it does to those it’s used against,” says The Hidden author Tobias Hill. “In English we say that truth is stranger than fiction, which suggests the two things are different. I don’t think they are. A good novel is true in a way that facts are often not. I think good fiction gets at the truth regardless of the facts.”

A key figure in The Hidden is a young archaeologist, an Oxford colleague of the protagonist, called Eberhard Sauer. “In early drafts this character was called Alfred, but it became apparent to me that his family background was Germanic, so I wanted a Germanic Christian name, Eberhard,” says Hill. Where did the name come from? “I met a woman who loved the book, but had been surprised to find a friend of hers fictionalized in it, one Eberhard Sauer, an archaeologist, currently working at a prestigious British university. Turns out my imagination isn’t quite as original as I’d hoped. I must have come across Professor Sauer’s name during my research.”

Ben Mercer leaves Oxford and his failed marriage. Mercer is a student who follows archaeology professor Eberhard Saurer to a dig in Sparta. Can Ben complete his thesis or will the group be torn apart petty drama that can happen when people work together?

“The writing was sparked by historical events, both ancient and modern,” says Hill. “I gave myself plenty of time in Greece, as well as in archives around Britain.” Hill found the locations more fun than the research he did for his first novel, Underground, which is set in abandoned stations of the London Underground.

Hill’s agent in London is Victoria Hobbs at AM Heath. In the United State, Hill’s represented by Zoe Pagnamenta at the Zoe Pagnamenta Agency. “I began publishing poetry before I published fiction, and the poetry did help when it came to finding an agent,” says Hill. “Victoria was my first agent. We started out together. I was her first author. Nowadays she has some of the most highly regarded and best-selling authors in the world…Hilary Mantel, Conn Iggulden. I’m lucky to have her.”

“I thought he was one of the most talented and interesting writers I had ever encountered,” says agent Victoria Hobbs. “I still think this now, perhaps more so, some thirteen years later. When I met him in person for the first time I thought he had charisma and presence way beyond his years. He was in his early twenties at the time. Tobias was the first author I took on, and I feel we have done a lot of growing up together. I think we’ve reached an extremely productive and satisfying stage where we have been through both good and bad times and know how to handle both. We have a good straightforward mode of communication, which serves us well.”

Julian Loose, at Faber in England, is Hill’s primary editor. In the U.S., his editor is Claire Wachtel at Harper. “Although we’ve never met, we’ve spoken on the phone and via email,” says editor Claire Wachtel. “I’ve been a fan for a long while and have read all of his previous books. When the opportunity arose to publish The Hidden we were all thrilled. His reviews have been wonderful, and I hope to continue to publish this talented writer.”

With The Hidden, readers will love the fact that it has archaeology as the career for the characters. There’s a lot to enjoy where the historical events mix into the novel. You may wish it had more historical facts and seemed less hysterical. This book is supposed to be a thriller. Not really. It’s more about human nature and how people harm each other. There are a few formatting issues that may throw readers. There are no quote marks, just a dash before the dialog. And, there’s no proper grammar of he said or she said. That a few chapters are very long doesn’t help move the story along. Readers who like reading anything that has historical details will enjoy reading The Hidden.

Hill’s previous novels, Underground, The Love of Stones and The Cryptographer, have all been optioned to be made into films. Hill was born in London and currently lives there.

The Hidden by Tobias Hill

• Trade Paperback, 368 pages, Publisher: Harper Perennial; Original edition (October 13, 2009)
• Language: English ISBN: 9780061768255 $14.99

January 20th, 2010 · No Comments