Tagged: ancient egypt
The King’s Man by Pauline Gedge
(Cover picture courtesy of The Globe and Mail.)
Twelve-year-old Amunhotep III has ascended the throne to become king of the richest empire on earth. The boy’s mother is regent, and she has brought to court the renowned seer Huy, son of a humble farmer, to act as scribe and counsel to her royal son. It’s a position of power and responsibility, one that is fraught with intrigue and the lure of corruption. For it is Huy who controls the treasury, the military, and all construction and taxation—and perhaps most important, it is Huy who chooses the young Pharaoh’s queen. His actions and premonitions, as well as his legendary past, make him very few friends and a great many enemies…
In The King’s Man, Huy’s rise to power and fame—as chronicled first in The Twice Born and then in Seer of Egypt—reaches its resounding climax.
With her meticulous research and compelling prose, Pauline Gedge transports readers into the ancient and fascinating culture that was Egypt.
I will still like the first book of the King’s Man trilogy the best, but the concluding volume, the aptly named The King’s Man, is still a decent book. The ending lets readers use their imaginations, but it also gave me a sense of satisfaction because it took the trilogy full circle. Huy is a confident, powerful old man in this book and that in itself is satisfying because of the drastic change from when he was younger.
The King’s Man is slightly faster paced than the two previous novels, but it is by no means a thriller novel. If you love long, winding narratives filled with tiny details and political intrigue, you will love this book. If you will read a book because it has three dimensional characters like I do, you will absolutely love Pauline Gedge’s latest novel. The characters of Huy, Mutemwia and Amunhotep develop at natural paces that also make sense when you look at what they actually did as historical figures. The best historical fiction authors are able to assign realistic motivations to historical figures and Pauline Gedge is indeed one of the best.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
The Hippopotamus Marsh by Pauline Gedge
(Cover picture courtesy of Tower.)
Hundreds of years under the oppressive foreign rule of the Setiu have stripped Egypt of its majesty. Seqenenra Tao, Prince of Weset, the true heir of the double crown, is pained to see his estate deteriorate and longs to restore the royal bloodline to its former glory. King Apepa’s merciless taunting and humiliating requests are a poor disguise for his contempt of the prideful Tao family and their independence. Cornered, the Prince of Weset must choose between complete submission to a foreign king or a daring uprising that is doomed to fail. Seqenenra Tao’s shocking decision puts in motion a series of events that will either destroy his cherished home or resurrect a dynasty and an entire way of life for all of Egypt.
Thus begins the riveting first volume of Pauline Gedge’s Lords of the Two Lands trilogy, in which the history of one of Ancient Egypt’s greatest families comes alive in a remarkably vivid and wonderfully crafted epic.
I discovered Pauline Gedge’s writing on a bitterly cold Christmas Day a few years ago, but the first book I read was her latest work at the time, The Twice Born. Now that I’ve read almost all of her work, I definitely prefer her earlier works. They’re much faster paced and the characters are far more interesting. Her earlier works definitely have less of a literary novel feel and more of an epic historical fiction feel.
The Hippopotamus Marsh is the first book in the Lords of the Two Lands trilogy and it follows the patriarch of the Tao family, Seqenenra. Seqenenra is a very proud character, yet there is despair lurking beneath the surface because half of his beloved Egypt is under the yoke of the Setiu king Apepa. But when Apepa takes his ridiculous demands too far, he finally snaps and the rebellion that gave him the epithet ‘the Brave’ began. If any of you history buffs want to look up Seqenenra (he was, of course, a real historical figure), I recommend that you search with caution—his mummy is not one of the prettier ones.
In addition to fascinating characters like the regal Tetisherti, the brave Seqenenra and the tragically flawed Si-Amun, the plot moves along at a nice pace. It’s not nearly as fast as that of most mainstream fiction, but it is much faster than Pauline Gedge’s later books. The Hippopotamus Marsh is a must-read for anyone who loves the mysterious civilization that was ancient Egypt.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran
(Cover picture courtesy of Fyrefly’s Book Blog.)
The marriage of Marc Antony and Cleopatra is one of the greatest love stories of all time. Feared and hunted by the powers in Rome, the lovers choose to die by their own hands as the triumphant armies of Anthony’s rival, Octavian, sweep into Egypt. When their orphaned children are taken in chains to Rome, only two—the ten-year-old twins Selene and Alexander—survive the journey. As they come of age, they are buffeted by the personal ambitions of Octavian’s family and court, by the ever-present threat of a slave rebellion, and by the longings deep within their own hearts.
Based on meticulous research, Cleopatra’s Daughter is a fascinating portrait of imperial Rome and of the people and events of this most tumultuous period in human history. Emerging from the shadow of the past, Selene must confront the same forces that destroyed her mother and struggle to meet a different fate. A young woman of irresistible charm and preternatural intelligence, Selene will capture your heart.
So much is made of Antony and Cleopatra’s relationship that it’s almost sickening. But very few novels follow the story of Cleopatra Selene and Alexander Helios, the son and daughter of this famous couple. Michelle Moran has finally shed light on these obscure people and really brings ancient Egypt and ancient Rome to life. She has obviously done her research and unlike Conn Iggulden’s Emperor series, I did not find one single historical inaccuracy. In fact, I actually learned quite a bit, which is the point of historical fiction.
The book is told from the point of view of Selene, who is a wonderful narrator. The young daughter of a powerful queen, she behaves more like an adult than a child, despite being only ten years old at the beginning of the story. This makes the book much more appealing for older teens as well as the younger ones because she is a very interesting character. The plot is not exactly fast-paced, but it’s rare to find such plots in historical fiction. Overall, it was a very enjoyable read.
I recommend this book to any teenage girl, even if they are not interested in history. Once Michelle Moran’s amazing writing sucks them into the world of Selene, they won’t even notice they’re learning about history. As a bonus, this novel may spark an interest in history that could last a lifetime—it started my little sister’s interest in history. Just days before she read it, she proclaimed, “I hate history! It’s so boring!” Now I dare you to try to take away her precious historical fiction novels.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
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.
Child of the Morning by Pauline Gedge
(Cover picture courtesy of Passages to the Past.)
Thirty-five centuries ago the sun had a daughter: Hatshepsut. Youngest daughter of the Pharaoh, she was a lithe and magical child. But when her older sister died, it became her duty to purify the dynasty’s bloodline. She was to wed Thothmes, her father’s illegitimate son, who was heir to the throne. But fearing his son’s incompetence, Hatshepsut’s father came to her with startling news. She was to be Pharaoh, ruler of the greatest empire the world had ever known–provided, of course, that the unprecedented ascension by a woman did not inspire the priests to treason or instill in her half-brother and future consort sufficient hatred to have her put to death.
This is the premise for Child of the Morning, based closely on the historical facts. Hatshepsut assumed the throne at the age of fifteen and ruled brilliantly for more than two decades. Her achievements were immortalized on the walls of her magnificent temple at Deir el-Bahri, built by her architect and lover, Senmut.
Sensuous and evocative, Child of the Morning is the story of one of history’s most remarkable women.
(This summary is from Amazon because my edition does not have a blurb at the back.)
When I first read Child of the Morning, I was enchanted by it. Hatshepsut the tragic, pious she-pharaoh who wanted nothing more than to please Amun spoke to me. Pauline Gedge brought her to life for me and made ancient Egypt so much more accessible. Yet something about her portrayal of Hatshepsut didn’t feel right to me at all. Upon further study of her life, Pauline Gedge’s Hatshepsut does not sit well with me.
Pharaoh Hatshepsut reigned for 20-22 years after the death of her brother-husband Thutmose II. With the help of some great advisors (most notably the enigmatic Senmut), she ruled Egypt justly and kept peace for the better part of two decades, which was no easy feat. Personally, I don’t think Pauline Gedge’s dreamer could have achieved half of what the real Hatshepsut did. But maybe this is just my personal preference mixed with my prejudiced views of history. I do prefer an Iron Lady to an Aida, I must admit.
Other than my disapproval of Hatshepsut’s portrayal, Child of the Morning is excellent light historical fiction. The plot does not speed along, but it is nice and steady. Pauline Gedge has a talent for spellbinding writing and she inserts many authentic details from Egyptian life into her novel.
So what do you think of Hatshepsut? Was she an Iron Lady or a dreamer, as Pauline Gedge portrays her?
I give this book 4/5 stars.