Nefer the Silent (The Stone of Light Series)
Nefer the Silent
In a mysterious village deep in the mountainous desert of Upper Egypt a handful of men jealously guards some of the most precious secrets of the Pharaohs. And the most fabulous of these is the Stone of Light - a stone that can turn barley into gold and matter into light.
Review
The first book in the Stone of Light series. Egyptologist Christian Jacq has created in The Stone of Light, a series based on archaeological discoveries made on the western bank of Thebes at Deir el-Medina - the remains of a village named the Place of Truth.
The marvellous works of art of Egypt were created and guarded by small secret brotherhoods who lived in communities like that called the Place of Truth. Jacq brings the village (and its fictional inhabitants) to life in this series and transports us back in time to Ancient Egypt of c. 1550 BC to 1070 BC.
A great story, well-written, keeps you reading and is set against a well-researched historical backdrop of this secret artisans brotherhood of Ancient Egypt. Four books in the series: Nefer the Silent, The Wise Woman, Paneb the Ardent, and The Place of Truth.
External References
The Wise Woman (The Stone of Light Series)
The Wise Woman
Since the death of Ramses the Great, the villagers of the Place of Truth must produce their best work to honour Egypt's greatest Pharaoh. And as the new master of work, Nefer the Silent bears the ultimate responsibility for all he oversees. But he is in mortal danger; Mehy, Chief Treasurer of Thebes and leader of the armed forces, continues to plot Nefer's downfall and to try to steal the Stone of Light.
For Ubekhet, Nefer's wife, newly endowed with knowledge of the supernatural, the time has come to prove that she is worthy of the title she has been given -- Wise Woman -- and to protect her beloved husband from the evil that is haunting the Place of Truth.
Thefts, murders, floods sorcery and evil: Nefer and Ubekhet must take on all this and more as they prepare for the grandest funeral Egypt has ever known.
External References
Paneb the Ardent (The Stone of Light Series)
Paneb the Ardent
The story so far - in a mysterious village in the desert on the West Bank of the Thebes, lives a small group of craftsmen whose task is to excavate and decorate the splendid tombs of the pharaohs. Its name is The Place of Truth. Meanwhile, at Pi-Ramses, the capital, one ruler follows another in quick succession - After Ramses the Great came Merenptah; and now his successor Seti II is in open conflict with his own son Amenmes, who craves power.
Despite this political unrest, the Place of Truth, under the leadership and protection of Nefer and his wife Ubekhet - the 'Wise Woman' - should remain a place of peace and harmony. But panic has gripped the inhabitants and the situation is going from bad to worse in the face of mounting catastrophe.
Drinking water is poisoned, food is contaminated, and there have been several attempts by evildoers to scale the walls of the Place of Truth, which have been thwarted thanks to the courage of Paneb the Ardent. With every day bringing a new danger, the very existence of the Place of Truth seems threatened.
And as the first rumblings of rebellion echo throughout Egypt, there seems to be no reason why Mehy, Chief Finance Minister of Thebes and newly appointed commander-in-chief of the armed forces, should not finally seize the Stone of Light and, with the assistance of a traitor whom no one has been able to identify, obtain the power which he has craved for so long...
External References
The Place of Truth (The Stone of Light Series)
The Place of Truth
The final novel in Christian Jacq's epic four part series about the mysterious Egyptian village, The Place of Truth Nefer the Silent and Paneb the Ardent have worked hard to make The Place of Truth a safe and happy place, where the ancient traditions of the artisans are nurtured, and the secrets of the Pharaohs are guarded.
Together with Ubekhet, Nefer's wife, they have succeeded in guiding the people through some of Egypt's most unsettled times. At last, they feel they can relax and carry out the work they were born to do, create masterpieces for the eternal glorification of the Pharaohs. But Mehy has not got over his obsession with the fabulous Stone of Light.
His craving for power has not abated, and nor has his vindictiveness against Nefer and everything to do with The Place of Truth...
