The Flaming Sword (Queen of Freedom Trilogy)
The Flaming Sword
Egypt, 17th century B.C. 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 killed in combat and her elder son, Kames, mysteriously poisoned.
Ahhotep refuses to be crowned pharaoh and prepares instead her second son, young Amose, to take power. But it's thanks to her that the Egyptians are now ready for the final battle. They lay siege to Avaris, the Hyksos capital - and once the city is taken, nothing further can stop them.
After 100 years of occupation and thousands of violent deaths, it looks as though at last the Egyptian empire will rise again from the ashes - all thanks to the courage and determination of a woman.
External Resources
Manhunt (Vengeance of the Gods Series)
Manhunt
Egypt, 518 BC. Kel, a young scribe recently hired by the prestigious guild of interpreters, thinks his future is secure. But following a party to which he should not have been invited, he arrives at work one day to find his boss and colleagues murdered.
Are their deaths linked to a mysterious encrypted papyrus that the specialists were meant to decipher? Believing his life to be in danger, Kel absconds with the precious document, thus becoming prime suspect at the centre of an intrigue of State. Hunted by the authorities, Kel enrols the help of his friend Bebon and the beautiful Nitis, priestess of the goddess Neith. Egypt meanwhile faces an uncertain future.
Will the Greek mercenaries hired by the pharaoh Amasis be able to defend the country against the greed of the fearsome Persians? Who is plotting against Kel, and why? When human beings choose to follow a path paved with violence and injustice, they cannot avoid the vengeance of the gods ...
External References
The Divine Worshipper (Vengeance of the Gods Series)
The Divine Worshipper
528 BC. In a tormented Egypt, threatened both by the Greeks' over-mighty influence and the Persians' desire for conquest, the struggle for power has taken the form of a deadly conspiracy - and young scribe Kel finds himself unjustly accused of murder, the helpless scapegoat at the centre of a sinister intrigue of State.
As he strives to prove his innocence, the only person Kel can rely on is Nitis, the beautiful priestess with whom he is deeply in love. But then Nitis vanishes, and Kel throws himself into a desperate quest to find her, his destiny and that of Egypt inexorably bound together.
Will he survive long enough to uncover the truth, expose the conspirators and restore his good name? Nothing is certain. For when human beings choose to follow a path paved with violence and death, they cannot avoid the vengeance of the gods.
External References
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...
External References
Beneath the Pyramid (The Judge of Egypt Trilogy)
The first in a new trilogy by Christian Jacq, BENEATH THE PYRAMID is a gripping novel of suspense which takes place during the reign of Ramses the Great. A young, intelligent, incorruptible novice judge, Pazair, is called to Memphis to investigate the mysterious deaths of five guards standing watch over the sphinx at Giza.
His inquiries unearth a plot to overthrow Ramses, and with the help of Souti, a former scribe, and the beautiful Nefertet, a young doctor, he sets out to discover the truth.
External References
Secrets of the Desert (The Judge of Egypt Trilogy)
Having discovered a monstrous conspiracy to overthrow the pharaoh, Ramses the Great, Judge Pazair has been deported for a crime he did not commit and sentenced to die in a prison camp. But the conspirators have reckoned without the love of Neferet, the young woman doctor Pazair has just married, and the courage of Suti, his friend with the hot head and the generous heart.
Together, Neferet and Suti attempt to rescue Pazair so that he can resume his investigation.
For there are many questions yet to be answered. Who murdered the veteran guards of the Great Sphinx? Who violated the Great Pyramid and stole the Testament of the Gods, which guarantees Pharaoh's legitimacy? Who killed Pazair's spiritual master?
External References
Shadow of the Sphinx (The Judge of Egypt Trilogy)
The time has come for the final confrontation. Appointed supreme magistrate and first minister of Egypt, Pazair and his wife Neferet must join forces against the Finance Minister, Pazair's sworn enemy, now openly presenting himself as spokesman for the conspirators who plan to overthrow Ramses the Great in order to seize supreme power.
The situation appears desperate. By undermining the economy, the conspirators threaten to destroy the values which presided over the birth of Egyptian civilisation. And allies are few and far between. Where is Pazair's blood brother Suti, who has escaped from his Nubian prison?
After several fruitless attempts, will the mysterious "shadow-eater" succeed in eliminating Pazair? Who is the real leader of the conspirators, the one hiding in the shadows? And who will emerge victorious from this fierce battle, on which the survival of Egypt depends?
External References
- Buy Shadow of the Sphinx from Amazon
- Buy The Judge of Egypt Trilogy from Amazon
- Shadow of the Sphinx on Librarything.com
Review
As usual Christian Jacq has kept the suspense going until the very end of the book. I have read all of the books by this author and this trilogy, I think, is the best yet. The story kept you hooked until the very end and I know that I will be reading this again and again.
