Tagged: opium addiction

Seer of Egypt by Pauline Gedge

(Cover picture courtesy of EBooks Vault.)

Huy has risen from lowly origins to become the Seer to the King.  Yet Amunhotep’s patronage proves both a blessing and a curse to Huy, who feels imprisoned by his psychic gift and the life he must live to keep it.  Though rewarded by wealth and influence, he longs for the pleasures enjoyed by those around him, especially love, which seems forever lost to him.

When the King demands Huy’s presence at court, he obeys.  But he soon realizes that he is being asked to approve a lie aimed at supplanting the god Amun.  Afraid of losing the King’s favour, Huy jeopardizes Egypt’s future by concealing the truth.  The gods, however, agree to give him a chance to redeem himself.  Although the privileged life Huy knew is coming to an end, his contribution to Egyptian history is only just beginning.

If you’re a lover of fast-paced plots filled with excitement and romance, this is not a good book for you.  But if you love good characters, authentic historical details and vivid imagery, Seer of Egypt is a book that you must read.

Although its plot is not fast-paced by any stretch of the mind, its plot is quicker than that of the first book, The Twice Born.  Since Huy is an adult now and becoming more used to his ‘gift’, things really pick up, especially when Pharaoh Amunhotep II summons him to court.  Huy is forced to make a choice between lying and upsetting the balance of Ma’at or likely being executed, so he makes the choice 99.9% of readers would make.  But in doing so, he sets the stage for Egypt’s decay by helping the sun god achieve prominence over Amun.  Of course, Anubis is not pleased (to put it mildly) and Huy pays dearly for not trusting in the protection of the gods, but is given a second chance.

Huy is an amazingly brave, yet flawed character that most people can sympathize with.  His life is certainly not easy, what with his forced virginity and his opium addiction that gets worse as the novel progresses, but he sticks with what he knows is his duty.  He also finds himself alone when his best friend Thothmes marries his oldest friend, Ishat.  Yet he finds comfort in bringing up the future Pharaoh Amunhotep III, which certainly keeps readers interested and on their toes.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

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