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Egypt: The Uprising
A debut novel like no other-- touches on the apocalyptic flavors of the times and tells of a history that transcends the past.
Why is the Arab world in turmoil? What instigated the Spring of Freedom?
There is more to the story than meets the eye...
The very fabric of the world is at stake.
And , believe it or not, your fate lies in the hands of one book-loving Egyptian teen with an extraordinary heritage .
Aya is an Egyptian teenage girl trying to mind her own business and take care of her brother. As their country is swept by the tides of a revolution against a tyrant nicknamed the vile pharaoh, Aya tries to stay adrift. But her blood has something different in store for her.
Learning what the Ancients have always known, She joins a battle for truth and freedom-- a battle for Ma'at.
It is not just a story, however, it is a world-within-world, and a fresh tantalizing outlook on the events in our modern events.
This elegant novella is an introduction to a multi-volume series... The Battle for Maat.
Why is the Arab world in turmoil? What instigated the Spring of Freedom?
There is more to the story than meets the eye...
The very fabric of the world is at stake.
And , believe it or not, your fate lies in the hands of one book-loving Egyptian teen with an extraordinary heritage .
Aya is an Egyptian teenage girl trying to mind her own business and take care of her brother. As their country is swept by the tides of a revolution against a tyrant nicknamed the vile pharaoh, Aya tries to stay adrift. But her blood has something different in store for her.
Learning what the Ancients have always known, She joins a battle for truth and freedom-- a battle for Ma'at.
It is not just a story, however, it is a world-within-world, and a fresh tantalizing outlook on the events in our modern events.
This elegant novella is an introduction to a multi-volume series... The Battle for Maat.
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First published May 31, 2011
80 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 21, 2011
This is a very interesting book. It deals in depth with the relationship of Egyptian mythology and the unrest in Egypt. Amira Aly has cleverly crafted a plot line that combines the bloodshed of the revolutionists and the ancient sacrifice of humans.
Overall I really have to say how impressed I am with her book. The three rating is due to my ignorance. I am not as familiar with Eyptian mythology as I would like to be and sometimes I had a hard time keeping up with the dieties and their role in ancient society. There is a ton of information packed into this relatively short book.
It is intriguing. I may have to do a little research on my own and re-read the book then. There is absolutely no reason not to recommend this book. If for nothing else, the strong female lead character and to learn more about Egypt and the recent uprising.
The slaughter of victims of the Government crackdown is hard to read. I admire those who gave of themselves to try to better their government.
Overall I really have to say how impressed I am with her book. The three rating is due to my ignorance. I am not as familiar with Eyptian mythology as I would like to be and sometimes I had a hard time keeping up with the dieties and their role in ancient society. There is a ton of information packed into this relatively short book.
It is intriguing. I may have to do a little research on my own and re-read the book then. There is absolutely no reason not to recommend this book. If for nothing else, the strong female lead character and to learn more about Egypt and the recent uprising.
The slaughter of victims of the Government crackdown is hard to read. I admire those who gave of themselves to try to better their government.
June 6, 2011
This is a great work of writing following the uprising in Egypt this past January by the Egyptian people. During the uprising, when I saw on the news that the museum was looted, I thought, "This would make a great story line". Amira Aly has not disappointed.
A fast paced read riddled with adventures and trials and problem solving. A teen aged human discovers she truly is true blooded and that fate has a future in store for her that she could not have fathomed. Anyone interested in Egyptology and history will love this first of a series. Reminiscent of "National treasure", this young adult book has a little of everything for reader - sibling rivalry and love, family dynamics, young crushes, loyalty, magic,fabled creatures and beings, strange worlds and journeys.
Amira has made this story believable and true for today's discriminating reading audience by using language and facts steeped in Egypt's history and civilization.
I can't wait for the next in this series.
A fast paced read riddled with adventures and trials and problem solving. A teen aged human discovers she truly is true blooded and that fate has a future in store for her that she could not have fathomed. Anyone interested in Egyptology and history will love this first of a series. Reminiscent of "National treasure", this young adult book has a little of everything for reader - sibling rivalry and love, family dynamics, young crushes, loyalty, magic,fabled creatures and beings, strange worlds and journeys.
Amira has made this story believable and true for today's discriminating reading audience by using language and facts steeped in Egypt's history and civilization.
I can't wait for the next in this series.
July 4, 2011
The author does a fantastic job with world-building and character notes, and has a solid sense of storytelling fundamentals. My copy had a number (I counted roughly a dozen, which isn't awful for a novel-length work) of typos and misplaced words and overall could have used a good fine-line editing. That being said, I'm still very interested in where Ms. Aly is going to go in the next book.
December 1, 2011
Rating: 4/10
This novella started out with the uprising in Egypt like we saw in the beginning of the year. I thought this was very interesting, as the Author took these events and gave them mythological meaning. The Egyptian mythology used in this novella was very intriguing and I can see that the author did extensive research. Having done my degree in Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Culture (Egypt) a lot of the topics discussed were fascinating.
Here and there I found I disagreed with an interpretation of a myth, but nothing too serious. But by saying this I have to mention that sometimes the “fantasy” of this novella went too far. At quite a lot of times I thought the novella was jumping the metaphorical shark. Some things were just too out there and I couldn’t wrap my head around these things actually happening.
One other complaint I had was that it felt like the Author recently received a thesaurus and was using it on every single word that was too mundane (I can do it too). Sure there was lots of science and intricate mythology involved, but it was too high brow (once again).
Also the novel was too short and felt rushed. So much information is thrown at the reader, and I’m sure that someone that doesn’t know about Egypt and its culture would feel lost.
At some point the main character goes under the Sphinx into a “chamber” of sorts. I think this was fascinating! But I fear here is where the novella went off track.
The character clearly likes a young man she meets under the Sphinx, but she doesn’t understand why he doesn’t like her, when she is mean, bossy and thinks she is better than him. I thought she hated him, until it suddenly became clear that she liked him, it was all very confusing.
I think Amira Aly has talent and clearly has a great vocabulary and I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.
This novella started out with the uprising in Egypt like we saw in the beginning of the year. I thought this was very interesting, as the Author took these events and gave them mythological meaning. The Egyptian mythology used in this novella was very intriguing and I can see that the author did extensive research. Having done my degree in Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Culture (Egypt) a lot of the topics discussed were fascinating.
Here and there I found I disagreed with an interpretation of a myth, but nothing too serious. But by saying this I have to mention that sometimes the “fantasy” of this novella went too far. At quite a lot of times I thought the novella was jumping the metaphorical shark. Some things were just too out there and I couldn’t wrap my head around these things actually happening.
One other complaint I had was that it felt like the Author recently received a thesaurus and was using it on every single word that was too mundane (I can do it too). Sure there was lots of science and intricate mythology involved, but it was too high brow (once again).
Also the novel was too short and felt rushed. So much information is thrown at the reader, and I’m sure that someone that doesn’t know about Egypt and its culture would feel lost.
At some point the main character goes under the Sphinx into a “chamber” of sorts. I think this was fascinating! But I fear here is where the novella went off track.
The character clearly likes a young man she meets under the Sphinx, but she doesn’t understand why he doesn’t like her, when she is mean, bossy and thinks she is better than him. I thought she hated him, until it suddenly became clear that she liked him, it was all very confusing.
I think Amira Aly has talent and clearly has a great vocabulary and I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.
July 17, 2011
Egypt is in the midst of political unrest resulting in a bloody uprising against the pharaoh (based upon real events in Egypt in January, 2011). 16 year-old Aya tries to shield and protect her twin brother, Shedy, from the blood-shed and violence. When he is kidnapped, Aya becomes entangled in the magic and the myths of the ancient Egyption dieties, setting her on a quest to save not only her brother but the world from a mis-guided plot to end the world.
On the whole, the premise is good, and I looked forward to reading this story wrapped in Egyptian mythology. There seemed to be a good amount of science in the author's research, which I admit, much of was lost on me, but that is not the fault of the story or the author. The story intertwines ancient mythology with current events, bringing the reader to historic landmarks such as the Sphynx.
I would have liked the author to spend more time introducing us to the characters, and the story moved quite quickly into the action so that I didn't have time to bond with Aya and didn't get to know her brother at all, who was pivotal in Aya's decisions. Setting is important in a story such as this, but the sights and sounds of Egypt were meager, and didn't quite immerse the reader into the story. For me, the mythology and science were introduced at break-neck speed, which at times was hard for me to digest. I would have preferred the story develop a little more slowly and evenly, taking a little more time so that I could taste, feel, see, and hear one of the most ancient places on Earth.
The author has a solid platform, and riveting historic and mythological wells to draw from, which I hope she brings into the sequel.
On the whole, the premise is good, and I looked forward to reading this story wrapped in Egyptian mythology. There seemed to be a good amount of science in the author's research, which I admit, much of was lost on me, but that is not the fault of the story or the author. The story intertwines ancient mythology with current events, bringing the reader to historic landmarks such as the Sphynx.
I would have liked the author to spend more time introducing us to the characters, and the story moved quite quickly into the action so that I didn't have time to bond with Aya and didn't get to know her brother at all, who was pivotal in Aya's decisions. Setting is important in a story such as this, but the sights and sounds of Egypt were meager, and didn't quite immerse the reader into the story. For me, the mythology and science were introduced at break-neck speed, which at times was hard for me to digest. I would have preferred the story develop a little more slowly and evenly, taking a little more time so that I could taste, feel, see, and hear one of the most ancient places on Earth.
The author has a solid platform, and riveting historic and mythological wells to draw from, which I hope she brings into the sequel.
January 5, 2013
The book *Egypt the Uprising: The Battle for Ma’at Volume 1* isn’t terribly long…or very engaging. I attempted to read this book. It was only 125 pages long but I got through around 60% of it. I was still waiting for answers. It has an interesting premise. The main character seems to be related to Egyptian mythology gods but the story is set during Egypt’s revolution from early 2011. It is interesting to see a book set in this time period. If you are interested in Ancient Egypt and history, then this book might be for you. There is an excessive amount of time (for such a short book) spent on background information.
As I said earlier, I still had a lot of questions waiting to be answered when I stopped reading. I was confused and frustrated. Since this is “volume 1” I assume there will be a cliffhanger of sorts at the end of the novel, but I have no motivation to continue reading this. Do not let my review turn you off from the book completely, check goodreads for more reviews on this book, plenty of people seemed to enjoy it, I was just not one of them. I prefer to get answers in a book in a relatively timely manner. Frankly, the first 60% of the book seemed to be exposition, no
real action occurred after the first 20 pages or so in my mind.
I would give this book 2 out of 5 stars since I was not overly engaged by the book.
As I said earlier, I still had a lot of questions waiting to be answered when I stopped reading. I was confused and frustrated. Since this is “volume 1” I assume there will be a cliffhanger of sorts at the end of the novel, but I have no motivation to continue reading this. Do not let my review turn you off from the book completely, check goodreads for more reviews on this book, plenty of people seemed to enjoy it, I was just not one of them. I prefer to get answers in a book in a relatively timely manner. Frankly, the first 60% of the book seemed to be exposition, no
real action occurred after the first 20 pages or so in my mind.
I would give this book 2 out of 5 stars since I was not overly engaged by the book.
December 17, 2011
The present and the past collide in this book.
The Uprising takes place in Egypt during the January 25th revolution. Aya's brother had disappeared. Now its Aya's role to get him back. Aya goes through series of adventure through the past.
This was my first time reading a book that is full of Egyptian mythology. I mean, I studied Greek mythology but seriously, Amira opened my eyes to the Egyptian mythology. And of course, because of Amira's beautiful writing, I had to like it so much.
The writing style of Amira was amazing. I felt like each word was placed perfectly and with great meaning within each sentence. I think the writing was my 2nd favorite.
My 1st favorite though was the brilliance of attaching what's happening currently in Egypt with the past and the Egyptian mythology.
I was also taken on a trip to the nowadays atmosphere in Egypt and also to the pyramids and sphinx area. How epic is that?
Instead of travelling all the way to Egypt, you just have to simply read this book. Because it delivers vivid scenes which help feel like 1) in Egypt 2) part of history that is being written.
The Uprising takes place in Egypt during the January 25th revolution. Aya's brother had disappeared. Now its Aya's role to get him back. Aya goes through series of adventure through the past.
This was my first time reading a book that is full of Egyptian mythology. I mean, I studied Greek mythology but seriously, Amira opened my eyes to the Egyptian mythology. And of course, because of Amira's beautiful writing, I had to like it so much.
The writing style of Amira was amazing. I felt like each word was placed perfectly and with great meaning within each sentence. I think the writing was my 2nd favorite.
My 1st favorite though was the brilliance of attaching what's happening currently in Egypt with the past and the Egyptian mythology.
I was also taken on a trip to the nowadays atmosphere in Egypt and also to the pyramids and sphinx area. How epic is that?
Instead of travelling all the way to Egypt, you just have to simply read this book. Because it delivers vivid scenes which help feel like 1) in Egypt 2) part of history that is being written.
September 2, 2011
Aya is a 16 YO twin living in Egypt when her life changes during civil unrest in the region. She tries to keep her brother sheltered from the violence, but he disappears. In her desperate search, she finds herself swept up into an ancient battle that has spanned centuries.
The author has combined science and Egyptian mythology into a fast paced adventure. I liked the story idea, but the book was a little heavy on history and science for me. I felt like that slowed the book down in a few places. Once I waded through that, I began to enjoy the story. I was pulling for the kids to succeed in their quest. This is the first in a series that promises to take the reader on an exciting ride. Ms. Aly has a bright future and I look forward to seeing what she comes out with next. I think any YA fans of Rick Riordan's series will enjoy this one.
The author has combined science and Egyptian mythology into a fast paced adventure. I liked the story idea, but the book was a little heavy on history and science for me. I felt like that slowed the book down in a few places. Once I waded through that, I began to enjoy the story. I was pulling for the kids to succeed in their quest. This is the first in a series that promises to take the reader on an exciting ride. Ms. Aly has a bright future and I look forward to seeing what she comes out with next. I think any YA fans of Rick Riordan's series will enjoy this one.
December 9, 2011
It was a good story but kind of short. It seems it might have been written in haste, maybe to make a deadline or something. I look forward to a second book, but I do hope it is longer.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews