Originally posted Dec. 14, 2008
Reviewed for HarperCollins First Look group
Think Indiana Jones in the Napoleonic Wars!
I loved this book. Great adventure woven from history, think Indiana Jones in the Napoleonic Wars! This latest book takes place almost entirely in Egypt in the year 1799 and Napoleon is in the midst of his invasion of Israel. Ethan Gage is our hero and is in and out of trouble so fast and often it is hard to keep up with his sometimes hilarious and always stunning escapes. Here we have a classical treasure hunt in the deserts of Egypt.
William Dietrich's book is historically very accurate, and the treasure may indeed exist as has been rumored for centuries. Our protagonist finds himself “switching sides” through no fault of his own and with no political intention, constantly. The only political agenda of his is to find the object of his search and protect it or destroy it to keep it from the “wrong” hands while trying to find out what happened to his lost love Astiza. Other than the fact he is always avoiding execution, Evan is forever finding the girl, losing the girl, and finding the girl again.
Since Evan is also a gambler, perhaps the saying is true, ‘lucky at cards, unlucky at love’! I enjoy a book that is not only a great adventure and/or mystery but gives me extras, such as the historical bits and pieces I learned. “The Rosetta Key” follows a previous book, Napolean’s Pyramids, which I unfortunately had not read (but will definitely read it now), which sets the background for this book and involves the same search. I would not hesitate recommending this book to anyone. It would be of interest to readers of several genres. It has everything in it and I am so happy I was able to read it and review it. An absolute winner! 5 stars.
Showing posts with label egypt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label egypt. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Laughter of the Dead Kings by Elizabeth Peters
Original posted Sept. 29/08
Enjoyable romp of a mystery
Another enjoyable romp in the life of Vicky Bliss, assistant curator of Munich’s National Museum, art historian, antiquities expert and amateur sleuth. Elizabeth Peters has a long history of writing wonderfully strong, humorous and intelligent female characters, and in all her series her characters endear themselves to her faithful readers. The Vicky Bliss series takes place in current times rather than the Victorian era of Amelia Peabody and the early Egyptian tomb discoveries in the pyramids, her longest running series. The Laughter of Dead Kings is the sixth book in the series.
That said, this book is a joy to read, mostly conversational as plans are hatched and theories discussed. It is humorous, mysterious, and just good lighthearted reading. The perfect foil to a siege of heavy reading. The characters are so intensely drawn, funny and intelligent, including John, a once notorious thief of antiquities turned antiquities dealer and Vicky’s lover (Is he honest? Maybe, maybe not!). Their escapades, though dangerous, are thoroughly entertaining. Vicky’s boss, known mostly as Schmidt, who fancies himself as a Sherlock Holmes, always manages to find them wherever a “case” is happening and in this book his appearance is very fortuitous and surprising. The character of Schmidt is charming, funny, generous; he pictures himself as Vicky’s protector. I am reminded of an old (black & white) film actor, S.Z. (Cuddles) Sakall.
This time out a body has gone missing; not an ordinary body but one that has been dead for thousands of years, and the race is on. Not only must they find the body in extremely limited time, but they must prove that John is innocent of masterminding the theft. The question is, how could it be done and where would such a thing be hidden? Theories abound and are eliminated, delicate political and archaeological balance is threatened. The suspect list is large and complicated. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to enjoy the action and humour, a light but interesting read. I always learn something new in Elizabeth Peters’ books and this book did not disappoint.
Enjoyable romp of a mystery
Another enjoyable romp in the life of Vicky Bliss, assistant curator of Munich’s National Museum, art historian, antiquities expert and amateur sleuth. Elizabeth Peters has a long history of writing wonderfully strong, humorous and intelligent female characters, and in all her series her characters endear themselves to her faithful readers. The Vicky Bliss series takes place in current times rather than the Victorian era of Amelia Peabody and the early Egyptian tomb discoveries in the pyramids, her longest running series. The Laughter of Dead Kings is the sixth book in the series.
That said, this book is a joy to read, mostly conversational as plans are hatched and theories discussed. It is humorous, mysterious, and just good lighthearted reading. The perfect foil to a siege of heavy reading. The characters are so intensely drawn, funny and intelligent, including John, a once notorious thief of antiquities turned antiquities dealer and Vicky’s lover (Is he honest? Maybe, maybe not!). Their escapades, though dangerous, are thoroughly entertaining. Vicky’s boss, known mostly as Schmidt, who fancies himself as a Sherlock Holmes, always manages to find them wherever a “case” is happening and in this book his appearance is very fortuitous and surprising. The character of Schmidt is charming, funny, generous; he pictures himself as Vicky’s protector. I am reminded of an old (black & white) film actor, S.Z. (Cuddles) Sakall.
This time out a body has gone missing; not an ordinary body but one that has been dead for thousands of years, and the race is on. Not only must they find the body in extremely limited time, but they must prove that John is innocent of masterminding the theft. The question is, how could it be done and where would such a thing be hidden? Theories abound and are eliminated, delicate political and archaeological balance is threatened. The suspect list is large and complicated. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to enjoy the action and humour, a light but interesting read. I always learn something new in Elizabeth Peters’ books and this book did not disappoint.
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