Ramses: The Son of Light - Volume I Review

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(More customer reviews)This book kept me entertained, which is usually all I ask from a book. In the historical fiction genre, however, I usually assume that the basic plot elements are either provable fact or at least in some way believable to historians. While I read the book, I was shocked to find out that much of what I thought about this period was wrong; when I finished and did research on the subject, I was disappointed to find out that I had been misled by someone who knew better.
I know that many will defend this work on the grounds that it is fiction, but I believe that someone with Jacq's credentials has a responsibility to his readers. Many people will read this book and 'learn' that Ramses II was contemporary with Helen of Troy, and that Homer was contemporary with them both - which is only the greatest of the wild inaccuracies in this book. One misguided reviewer on this site states, "The fact that the author, Christian Jacq, has a doctorate degree in Egyptian studies made me presume that the contents should not be too far from the truth". In actuality, the contents bear little resemblance to any defensible version of history. It's not just that conversations and minor characters are created, which is expected. It's not just that unexplained events are explained away in a controversial manner, which is reasonable. The problem is that established facts in history are actually contravened here. If you read this book and take for granted that anything you read is true, you are taking a great risk.
I am not telling you to avoid this book. It is very entertaining, and it may interest you in Egyptology. Certainly it propelled me to research the Trojan War, among other subjects. Just make sure that you understand; this is not historical fiction along the lines of George, Penman, and Shaara. This is closer to the alternate history novels of Harry Turtledove. Read and enjoy, but do not take it to heart.

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Ancient Egypt comes alive in this eagerly anticipated new series that's breaking sales records in Europe! "Ramses, Vol. I: The Son of Light" recounts the thrilling story of Ramses, the legendary king who ruled Egypt for more than 60 years. Chosen by the pharaoh Seti, the 14-year-year-old Ramses sets into motion a tapestry of royal intrigue, treacherous plots, and romantic adventures that will keep readers spellbound and hungry for more.

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The Tutankhamun Affair Review

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(More customer reviews)Tutankhamun referred to as the kinglet in the early 1900s was described by some archaeologists as an unimportant pharaoh while others passed him off as mere myth. The pharaoh who slept in darkness and obscurity for 3000 years was still hidden under the sand in the Valley of the Kings. Englishmen Howard Carter along with the financial support of George Herbert, Lord Carnarvon would make Tutankhamun a household name and famous around the world.

It was Professor Percy Newberry who introduced eighteen year old Howard Carter to Egypt in 1894. Carter accompanied Newberry as a painter to sketch artifacts, but Carter found is purpose for living. Without university training he learned the skills of an archaeologist. He also learned to read and write hieroglyphics and the histories of the pharaohs. One pharaoh in particular called to him and that was the undiscovered Tutankhamun.

Lord Carnarvon an adventurer himself and never one to back down from a challenge suffered terrible injuries in an automobile accident. Later, he was advised to spend his winters in Egypt where the climate was more suited to his condition. It was there that he developed a taste for excavation and sought Howard Carter.

For several years Carter searched the sands only to discover trinkets. It was believed that the wealthy amateur excavator Theodore Davis had previously exhausted all the treasures to be found. Davis even claimed to have found a cache of Tutankhamun without actually finding the pharaoh. Although frustrated, Carter pursued what was in his heart and soul. On 4 November 1922, Carter's team came across a staircase leading down into the sand. On 24 November, Carter reached a door with a cartouche reading Tutankhamun. But the discovery would be a joy and a curse.

Carter's discovery produced international interest and excitement beyond measure. Government officials, journalists and visitors from around the globe demanded access to the tomb. The battle ensued. Together Carter and Lord Carnarvon would face the climate of World War I, Egypt's National Party, the Antiquities Service, illicit antiquities dealers, the Abd el Rassul clan, Prime Minister Saad Zaghlul, the Egyptian press, envious Egyptologists, a host of self-important nobles, and thieves. The discovery of the century that should have produced scientific and artistic enthusiasm instead produced pettiness, lies, betrayal, corruption and jealousy.

This incredible true story is brought to life by Christian Jacq.



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At the beginning of the 20th century, a young unknown pharoah remained, beneath his golden mask, in the darkness of a tomb deep in the Valley of the Kings. His name was Tutankhamun. He had lain undisturbed for a thousand years until two men, Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon, discovered the tomb and wrested him from obscurity in an attempt to solve his riddle. Christian Jacq tells the incredible true story of the strange curse of Tutankhamen which was to cause havoc among its unfortunate victims for the next half-century.

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The Flaming Sword: A Novel of Ancient Egypt (Queen of Freedom Trilogy) Review

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(More customer reviews)Jacq's final volume in the Queen of Freedom trilogy creates a sense of injustice through its sheer anticlimax to so many plot lines. By the end of the final page, I put this down feeling somewhat cheated, having followed the lives of so many Egyptians who had fought to regain the Two Lands and suffered enormously for it. The reason is simply because of Jacq's dealing with the major characters who have brought so much death and destruction. Following on from the theme of the previous two we find the utterly depraved Khamudi and the unequivocally evil Apophis continuing to murder and torture their way through thousands of people. In fact Jacq spends a lot of time describing these acts of cruelty and a general disregard for human life on a scale that is pure genocide. All of which serves to ensure the reader wants a fitting end to these people who have committed such atrocity.
And it doesn't happen.
Their deaths are almost footnote in nature and whilst it is not necessary for them to die in a manner similar to the deaths they have caused, there is no sense of justice whatsoever. Take the emperor Apophis for example, as the ultimate cause of all the suffering. Jacq has him get up one day, get into a litter and casually gets stabbed by Khamudi and his corpse burnt. In the space of ten or so lines. An utter anti-climax. You'd expect a climatic scene of some kind where he meets the Egyptians or somesuch, but nothing. The same for Khamudi. In a scene reminiscent of the death of Pompey the Great, Ahhotep turns up to find the final Hyskos emperor was been killed in a village for being rude to someone! Again, utterly anti-climatic. In fact the only death that has a sense of justice about it is Aberia's death by Big Feet in the prison camp at Sharuhen.
In the final volume, Pharaoh Ahmose finally liberates Memphis and then Avaris (though the latter is done with the aid of a major earthquake). Jannas is murdered, Windswept flees to Minos, thus ensuring the Minoans and Egyptians join forces against the Hyskos. The Hittite Empire arrives in time to destroy the Hyskos reinforcements and we eventually uncover the spy (who's fairly obvious as it can only be one of two people given the lack of suspects throughout the trilogy) which means the Ahhotep can retire to the temple for the rest of her natural life as promised in the opener and Ahmose can now rule the Two Lands peacefully again with his wife Nefertari.
So, as a trilogy, not as good at Ramses. Jacq's style (or perhaps the translator's) is overly punchy, moving from scene to scene almost paragraph by paragraph. The body count continues to be high, too much time given over to the murdering and torturing but it does build the sense of expectancy of a fitting climax - which is never delivered, disappointingly so. The entire trilogy is an easy read on a long train or plane journey but there needs to be improvement to reach the heights of Ramses again.

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In the north, the barbaric Hyksos still rule with unimaginable brutality. Queen Ahhotep, meanwhile, has recaptured much of the south -- but at a terrible price: her husband has been killed in combat and her elder son, Kames, was mysteriously poisoned. Ahhotep refuses to be crowned pharaoh and prepares her second son, young Amose, to take power instead. Thanks to her, the Egyptians are now ready for the final battle. They lay siege to Avaris, the Hyksos capital -- and once the city is taken, nothing can stop them. After 100 years of occupation and thousands of violent deaths, it looks as though the Egyptian empire may at last rise from the ashes.

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Magic and Mystery in Ancient Egypt Review

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(More customer reviews)Dr. Christian Jacq is a noted Egyptologist who draws upon his researches emanating from a meeting with a family of snake charmers to explore the world of ancient Egyptians, a people permeated with magic controlling every aspect of their life -- an influence which has survived down to the present day. In Magic And Mystery In Ancient Egypt, Jacq draws on both folklore and hieroglyphic texts to reveal the potency and all-pervading influence of this ancient lore. Entertainingly written, Jacq takes the reader on a journey into the ultimate mysteries as he describes a world in which ever living thing, every rock and stream, and every action of mankind was governed by ritual. This truly "reader friendly" work shares with modern readers a very ancient legacy for metaphysical studies and students of Egyptology an very accessible and informative treatise.

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