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Ethan Gage #1
Napoleon's Pyramids
A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author William Dietrich introduces readers to the globe-trotting American adventurer Ethan Gage in Napoleon’s Pyramids—an ingenious, swashbuckling yarn whose action-packed pages nearly turn themselves. The first book in Dietrich’s fabulously fun New York Times bestselling series, Napoleon’s Pyramids follows the irrepressible Gage—a brother in spirit to George MacDonald Fraser’s Flashman—as he travels with Napoleon’s expedition across the burning Egyptian desert in an attempt to solve a 6,000 year old riddle with the help of a mysterious medallion. Here is superior adventure fiction in the spirit of Jack London, Robert Lewis Stevenson, and H. Rider Haggard, and fans of their acclaimed successors—James Rollins, David Liss, Steve Berry, Kate Mosse—will certainly want to get to know Ethan Gage.
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
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About the author
William Dietrich
25 books396 followersWilliam Dietrich is a NY Times bestelling author of the Ethan Gage series of eight books which have sold into 28 languages. He is also the author of six other adventure novels, several nonfiction works on the environmental history of the Pacific Northwest, and a contributor to several books.
Bill was a career journalist, sharing a Pulitzer for national reporting at the Seattle Times for coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He taught environmental journalism at Huxley College, a division of Western Washington University, and was adviser to Planet Magazine there. He was Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, and received several National Science Foundation fellowships for reporting on science. His travels have taken him from the South Pole to the Arctic, and from the Dead Sea to the base camp of Mount Everest. The traveling informs his books.
He lives in Anacortes, WA, in the San Juan islands, and is a fan of books, movies, history, science, and the outdoors.
Bill was a career journalist, sharing a Pulitzer for national reporting at the Seattle Times for coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He taught environmental journalism at Huxley College, a division of Western Washington University, and was adviser to Planet Magazine there. He was Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, and received several National Science Foundation fellowships for reporting on science. His travels have taken him from the South Pole to the Arctic, and from the Dead Sea to the base camp of Mount Everest. The traveling informs his books.
He lives in Anacortes, WA, in the San Juan islands, and is a fan of books, movies, history, science, and the outdoors.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 507 reviews
August 19, 2025
“You are the fool who must find the fool”
Ethan Gage, former assistant to Benjamin Franklin - a good deal nicer than nasty but a good deal nastier than savory, perhaps picaresque is the word – has an unbeatable run at a game of cards in Napoleonic post-revolutionary Paris and finds himself the less than fortunate new owner of a mysterious medallion which, it would seem, an extended collection of mean-spirited characters are hunting for. Gage discovers to his dismay that they are quite willing to do whatever it takes to get their hands on it. The game is afoot and the chase is on, a chase that will lead from the meanest streets of Paris to Alexandria, into a pitched naval battle against the overwhelming English fleet commanded by Horatio Nelson, and up the Nile to Cairo and the pyramids with Napoleon’s dreams of world conquest!
There are those who would criticize NAPOLEON’S PYRAMIDS as a dead ringer derivative from INDIANA JONES and THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. To them I say, “Boy! Right on! It could hardly be closer!” You’d be very hard pressed to fit a piece of onion-skin flimsy between the two in terms of narrative style and general plot outlines – the wise-cracking hero and the aloof but slowly warming romantic love interest, the collection of mean dudes chasing after the hidden artifact (not to mention the charms and affections of the afore-mentioned female), the historical underpinnings behind the meaning and the value of the elusive prize, the overlaid widespread conflict, the outrageously booby-trapped hiding place, and, of course, layer after layer of ingenious puzzles safeguarding the actual location of the ultimate sought for prize! But I’d also suggest that it doesn’t make NAPOLEON’S PYRAMIDS any less gripping or enjoyable.
If William Dietrich didn’t do a particularly effective job at evoking the temporal atmosphere of 18th century Paris or Egypt (and he didn’t), he did an extraordinary job at bringing Egypt, the location, and the events in the life of a 19th century military campaign to life. Take a peek at this excerpt from a paragraph describing lush, biblical landscape outside of Alexandria:
“Brilliantly green fields of rice, wheat, corn, sugar, and cotton formed rectangles between ranks of stately date palms, as straight as pillars and heavy with their orange and scarlet fruit. Banana and sycamore groves rustled in the wind. Water buffalo pulled plows or lifted their horns from the river where they bathed, grunting at the fringe of papyrus beds. The frequency of chocolate-colored mud-brick villages increased, often topped by the needle of a minaret.”
And Dietrich’s extraordinary, graphic description of the minutiae of the close quarters naval battle under sail in Alexandria harbor was nothing less than astonishing. In hindsight, I’ll admit that I would gladly have paid the price of the book for those few pages alone.
Last but not least, Dietrich’s skill at adding interesting, educational, mini info-dumps on a bewildering variety of subjects without interrupting the flow of the story must be complimented – the Fibonacci sequence; Pascal’s Triangle; the historical development of long arms from breech loading muskets to long-barreled rifles; the geometry of the Egyptian pyramids and theories around their meaning; the history of Freemasonry; the movement of stars in the sky over the course of millennia; the mythology of the Book of Thoth; and much, much more.
Derivative? Yep, but despite my expectation that NAPOLEON’S PYRAMIDS was probably going to be a bust, this reader closed the last page of the book as a happy convert looking forward to THE ROSETTA KEY, the obvious sequel that Dietrich foreshadowed in the closing paragraphs. Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
Ethan Gage, former assistant to Benjamin Franklin - a good deal nicer than nasty but a good deal nastier than savory, perhaps picaresque is the word – has an unbeatable run at a game of cards in Napoleonic post-revolutionary Paris and finds himself the less than fortunate new owner of a mysterious medallion which, it would seem, an extended collection of mean-spirited characters are hunting for. Gage discovers to his dismay that they are quite willing to do whatever it takes to get their hands on it. The game is afoot and the chase is on, a chase that will lead from the meanest streets of Paris to Alexandria, into a pitched naval battle against the overwhelming English fleet commanded by Horatio Nelson, and up the Nile to Cairo and the pyramids with Napoleon’s dreams of world conquest!
There are those who would criticize NAPOLEON’S PYRAMIDS as a dead ringer derivative from INDIANA JONES and THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. To them I say, “Boy! Right on! It could hardly be closer!” You’d be very hard pressed to fit a piece of onion-skin flimsy between the two in terms of narrative style and general plot outlines – the wise-cracking hero and the aloof but slowly warming romantic love interest, the collection of mean dudes chasing after the hidden artifact (not to mention the charms and affections of the afore-mentioned female), the historical underpinnings behind the meaning and the value of the elusive prize, the overlaid widespread conflict, the outrageously booby-trapped hiding place, and, of course, layer after layer of ingenious puzzles safeguarding the actual location of the ultimate sought for prize! But I’d also suggest that it doesn’t make NAPOLEON’S PYRAMIDS any less gripping or enjoyable.
If William Dietrich didn’t do a particularly effective job at evoking the temporal atmosphere of 18th century Paris or Egypt (and he didn’t), he did an extraordinary job at bringing Egypt, the location, and the events in the life of a 19th century military campaign to life. Take a peek at this excerpt from a paragraph describing lush, biblical landscape outside of Alexandria:
“Brilliantly green fields of rice, wheat, corn, sugar, and cotton formed rectangles between ranks of stately date palms, as straight as pillars and heavy with their orange and scarlet fruit. Banana and sycamore groves rustled in the wind. Water buffalo pulled plows or lifted their horns from the river where they bathed, grunting at the fringe of papyrus beds. The frequency of chocolate-colored mud-brick villages increased, often topped by the needle of a minaret.”
And Dietrich’s extraordinary, graphic description of the minutiae of the close quarters naval battle under sail in Alexandria harbor was nothing less than astonishing. In hindsight, I’ll admit that I would gladly have paid the price of the book for those few pages alone.
Last but not least, Dietrich’s skill at adding interesting, educational, mini info-dumps on a bewildering variety of subjects without interrupting the flow of the story must be complimented – the Fibonacci sequence; Pascal’s Triangle; the historical development of long arms from breech loading muskets to long-barreled rifles; the geometry of the Egyptian pyramids and theories around their meaning; the history of Freemasonry; the movement of stars in the sky over the course of millennia; the mythology of the Book of Thoth; and much, much more.
Derivative? Yep, but despite my expectation that NAPOLEON’S PYRAMIDS was probably going to be a bust, this reader closed the last page of the book as a happy convert looking forward to THE ROSETTA KEY, the obvious sequel that Dietrich foreshadowed in the closing paragraphs. Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
November 26, 2015
This is a fast-paced, fun-and-danger romp through Europe and Egypt in the time, and in the company of, Napoleon. Great fun, would make a wonderful film. Ethan Gage is a free spirit, a gambler, an American, formerly an aide to Benjamin Franklin, possessor of one of those newfangled American long rifles. After winning an intriguing medallion in a card game, his life becomes a little too interesting, as he must flee for his life, avoiding newfound enemies and acquiring friends (one in particular of the female persuasion) in a mission to find out exactly what secrets the medallion holds. He winds up joining an expedition led by Napoleon, an invasion of Egypt. Yes, Napoleon really did invade Egypt. Much of the history told and characters who appear in this novel are based in fact.
William Dietrich- from Writing Historical Novels
Payload is provided in some of the details about life in France in the time of the revolution, in notions about the FreeMasons, which society figures prominently in the story, with information about mathematical concepts like Fibonacci Numbers, and with a primer on ancient Egyptian religion. I was happy to learn on finishing this that there are at least two more sequels. Literature it ain’t, but great fun it is.
=============================EXTRA STUFF
The author's personal and FB pages
A nice PBS item (text, not video) on Napoleon's Egyptan campaign
A nice, short piece by the author on writing Ethan Gage on writing Ethan Gage
William Dietrich- from Writing Historical Novels
Payload is provided in some of the details about life in France in the time of the revolution, in notions about the FreeMasons, which society figures prominently in the story, with information about mathematical concepts like Fibonacci Numbers, and with a primer on ancient Egyptian religion. I was happy to learn on finishing this that there are at least two more sequels. Literature it ain’t, but great fun it is.
=============================EXTRA STUFF
The author's personal and FB pages
A nice PBS item (text, not video) on Napoleon's Egyptan campaign
A nice, short piece by the author on writing Ethan Gage on writing Ethan Gage
February 15, 2024
I enjoyed this first book of the Ethan Gage historical fiction series. It introduces us to Gage, who is an American living in Paris in the late 1790's and he has a host of travails that seems to follow him no matter where he goes. He ends up going to Egypt with Napoleon as one of the 150+ Savants he takes on the journey to try and unravel the mystery of the Pyramids. Filled with fascinating historical figures and details Gage and his servant manage to make their way into the Great Pyramid to find the answers, but never are able solve the mystery that revolves around the Egyptian Book of Thoth. But never fear, Gage avoids death and will leave Egypt with the British fleet and travel to Israel for the next book in this well-conceived series.
January 2, 2011
I see this book has not been rated very highly, so I thought I would throw in my opinion. I read for pleasure pure and simple. At the risk of sounding shallow, I'm not looking for meaning, although it's nice when I find it. I just like a great story which allows me to escape from life for a while. I must admit I am sucker for a great adventure story. As a fan of outsider protagonists I find Ethan Gage refreshingly new, while familiar at the same time. The historical setting also lends a familiarity, along with an exciting element. After all I live in the present, so going back to a bygone age is a great escape. The problem is most historical fiction is too....pastoral for me. I seems that William Dietrich feels the same way.
Ethan Gage is a rouge, who gambles, fights, womanizes, and used to be an assistant to Benjamin Franklin. In a sense this feels like a chase, but most chase books are too action dependant and don’t delve into character nearly enough to hold my interest.
Gage’s adventure takes him from a bar in Paris, to Napoleon’s army invading Egypt.
It’s a great story I recommend it to fans of adventure, and suspense, with a flair for history.
Ethan Gage is a rouge, who gambles, fights, womanizes, and used to be an assistant to Benjamin Franklin. In a sense this feels like a chase, but most chase books are too action dependant and don’t delve into character nearly enough to hold my interest.
Gage’s adventure takes him from a bar in Paris, to Napoleon’s army invading Egypt.
It’s a great story I recommend it to fans of adventure, and suspense, with a flair for history.
August 8, 2021
Muy buena novela de aventuras, que utiliza la invasión militar de Egipto por Napoleón Bonaparte como telón de fondo para desarrollar una historia llena de intrigas asociadas a las pirámides de Guiza. El primer tercio del libro se hace un poco pesado, mientras va presentando todos los componentes que tendrán incidencia en la trama, pero después adquiere un ritmo vertiginoso, tanto en las batallas, que son descritas con un realismo sobrecogedor, como en la seguidilla de contratiempos que debe superar nuestro carismático protagonista para desentrañar el misterio asociado a un medallón que, supuestamente, develará secretos ocultos durante milenios.
Me gustó mucho como el autor mezcla sucesos y personajes históricos con los de ficción propios de la novela. Lo mismo ocurre en el desenlace, en que se explica el "descubrimiento" asociándolo con diferentes hechos relatados en textos religiosos. Muy interesante. Además, el final da pie a una continuación que sin duda leeré.
Me gustó mucho como el autor mezcla sucesos y personajes históricos con los de ficción propios de la novela. Lo mismo ocurre en el desenlace, en que se explica el "descubrimiento" asociándolo con diferentes hechos relatados en textos religiosos. Muy interesante. Además, el final da pie a una continuación que sin duda leeré.
January 9, 2012
Through most of Napoleon's Pyramids I wavered between irritated and fascinated. Though I ended on the intrigued side, there was enough wrong with this story that I'll probably not read more of the series.
By now the Freemasons must be amused or bemused by all the free "publicity" they're received from Dan Brown, "National Treasures", and books like this. In some ways Dietrich did a fine job of weaving half-remembered history and total fabrication into a conspiracy theorists dream of ancient secrets and treasures. His writing wasn't quite up to his vision however as the style was clunky, fact-laden, speech-laden and confused.
Our "hero" was neither as sharp nor as irritating as he could have been. It was a great idea: a protegee of Ben Franklin escaping the injustice (aimed at him) of revolutionary France by signing on with the company of "savants" to accompany Napoleon's expedition to Egypt.
Not a bad read, just not as good as it should have been.
By now the Freemasons must be amused or bemused by all the free "publicity" they're received from Dan Brown, "National Treasures", and books like this. In some ways Dietrich did a fine job of weaving half-remembered history and total fabrication into a conspiracy theorists dream of ancient secrets and treasures. His writing wasn't quite up to his vision however as the style was clunky, fact-laden, speech-laden and confused.
Our "hero" was neither as sharp nor as irritating as he could have been. It was a great idea: a protegee of Ben Franklin escaping the injustice (aimed at him) of revolutionary France by signing on with the company of "savants" to accompany Napoleon's expedition to Egypt.
Not a bad read, just not as good as it should have been.
April 3, 2024
‘Napoleon’s Pyramids’ by William Dietrich is the first novel in the Ethan Gage series of adventure/historical novels. He is introduced to readers as someone who is more rogue than a serious person, an American who likes to travel. It is 1798 and he does not have any real goals beyond gambling, drinking and women. But his vices mean he is running into other men a lot who have decided he needs to be punished or killed. He is a lucky guy, though, continuously meeting both important people of the historical era as well as sympathetic admirers who end up helping him.
I have copied the book blurb:
”An American ex-pat attempts to solve a 6,000-year-old riddle with a mysterious medallion won in a card game in this swashbuckling historical thriller.
What mystical secrets lie beneath the Great Pyramids?The world changes for Ethan Gage—one-time assistant to the renowned Ben Franklin—on a night in post-revolutionary Paris, when he wins a mysterious medallion in a card game. Framed soon after for the murder of a prostitute and facing the grim prospect of either prison or death, the young expatriate American barely escapes France with his life—choosing instead to accompany the new emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, on his glorious mission to conquer Egypt.
With Lord Nelson’s fleet following close behind, Gage sets out on the adventure of a lifetime. And in a land of ancient wonder and mystery, with the help of a beautiful Macedonian slave, he will come to realize that the unusual prize he won at the gaming table may be the key to solving one of history’s greatest and most perilous who built the Great Pyramids . . . and why?
Praise for Napoleon’s Pyramids“[A] superb historical thriller. . . . Riveting battle scenes, scantily clad women, mathematical puzzles, mysteries of the pharaohs, reckless heroism, hairsbreadth escapes and undaunted courage add up to unbeatable adventure rivaling the exploits of George Macdonald Fraser’s Harry Flashman. Readers will cheer.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“It has a plot as satisfying as an Indiana Jones film and offers enough historical knowledge to render the reader a fascinating raconteur on the topics of ancient Egypt and Napoleon Bonaparte.” —USA Today
“Rich in period detail and ancient mythology. . . . The novel is a big, exciting romp that will keep high-concept thriller fans on the edge of their seats.” —Booklist”
The above descriptions are true, but the book is dragged down a bit from being too much of a historical fiction with well-researched true facts about Napoleon Bonaparte and his invasion of Egypt in 1798 than being a full-throated adventure novel. The writing does have the monotone somewhat of the actual adventure novels written in the 19th century that I’ve read. Dietrich is as careful as Jules Verne was in setting the stage for his writing, except Verne worked very hard to get the science right first, and Dietrich concentrates on getting the history right more than the science. But Dietrich also throws in what are now classic early 20th-century elements of the low-rent adventure/spy novel - exotic locales, constant close calls and near-death escapes, bizarrely obsessive and stereotypical bad guys, a stunningly beautiful woman who tries to kill our roguish narrator before falling for him. To me, the book was a mashup of stories by Jules Verne and the movie versions of Ian Fleming’s James Bond, with a touch of the Star Wars creator George Lucas. I wish Ethan Gage had been more like one of H. G. Wells’ eccentric but kinda brilliant characters instead of somebody who was a Hans Solo type of adventurer the way Solo was before he met Princess Leia, though. Oh well. This is, so far, a good enough beach read series, judging by one book. There are seven more books in the series, so maybe the character evolves, and maybe Dietrich might do so too as a writer, getting better at developing a story with more absurd fun I am wanting from this character and setting? Or more of an intelligent Ethan, given his currently not entirely heroic personality?
I have copied the book blurb:
”An American ex-pat attempts to solve a 6,000-year-old riddle with a mysterious medallion won in a card game in this swashbuckling historical thriller.
What mystical secrets lie beneath the Great Pyramids?The world changes for Ethan Gage—one-time assistant to the renowned Ben Franklin—on a night in post-revolutionary Paris, when he wins a mysterious medallion in a card game. Framed soon after for the murder of a prostitute and facing the grim prospect of either prison or death, the young expatriate American barely escapes France with his life—choosing instead to accompany the new emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, on his glorious mission to conquer Egypt.
With Lord Nelson’s fleet following close behind, Gage sets out on the adventure of a lifetime. And in a land of ancient wonder and mystery, with the help of a beautiful Macedonian slave, he will come to realize that the unusual prize he won at the gaming table may be the key to solving one of history’s greatest and most perilous who built the Great Pyramids . . . and why?
Praise for Napoleon’s Pyramids“[A] superb historical thriller. . . . Riveting battle scenes, scantily clad women, mathematical puzzles, mysteries of the pharaohs, reckless heroism, hairsbreadth escapes and undaunted courage add up to unbeatable adventure rivaling the exploits of George Macdonald Fraser’s Harry Flashman. Readers will cheer.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“It has a plot as satisfying as an Indiana Jones film and offers enough historical knowledge to render the reader a fascinating raconteur on the topics of ancient Egypt and Napoleon Bonaparte.” —USA Today
“Rich in period detail and ancient mythology. . . . The novel is a big, exciting romp that will keep high-concept thriller fans on the edge of their seats.” —Booklist”
The above descriptions are true, but the book is dragged down a bit from being too much of a historical fiction with well-researched true facts about Napoleon Bonaparte and his invasion of Egypt in 1798 than being a full-throated adventure novel. The writing does have the monotone somewhat of the actual adventure novels written in the 19th century that I’ve read. Dietrich is as careful as Jules Verne was in setting the stage for his writing, except Verne worked very hard to get the science right first, and Dietrich concentrates on getting the history right more than the science. But Dietrich also throws in what are now classic early 20th-century elements of the low-rent adventure/spy novel - exotic locales, constant close calls and near-death escapes, bizarrely obsessive and stereotypical bad guys, a stunningly beautiful woman who tries to kill our roguish narrator before falling for him. To me, the book was a mashup of stories by Jules Verne and the movie versions of Ian Fleming’s James Bond, with a touch of the Star Wars creator George Lucas. I wish Ethan Gage had been more like one of H. G. Wells’ eccentric but kinda brilliant characters instead of somebody who was a Hans Solo type of adventurer the way Solo was before he met Princess Leia, though. Oh well. This is, so far, a good enough beach read series, judging by one book. There are seven more books in the series, so maybe the character evolves, and maybe Dietrich might do so too as a writer, getting better at developing a story with more absurd fun I am wanting from this character and setting? Or more of an intelligent Ethan, given his currently not entirely heroic personality?
May 22, 2010
While all of the ingredients were there for this book to an exciting and captivating story, it fell well short. I had a hard time maintaining interest, at times forcing myself to continue in the hopes that something with such an interesting premise would gel and become compelling. Unfortunately, it never gelled for me.
Napoleon’s Pyramids is a historical adventure/mystery that roams from post-revolutionary France to Egypt. Sprinkle in references to Ben Franklin and Napoleon and it sounds great. Unfortunately, the book suffered from a kitchen-sink plot, meaning that the author threw in everything related to ancient mysteries - the Golden Mean, pi, astrology and horoscopes, freemasonry, Egyptian Rite, the Fibonacci sequence, Eqyptian mythology, gypsies, the Holy Grail. Even Moses and the Ark of the Covenant were tossed in for good measure.
The main character, Ethan Gage, is a playboy with wanderlust and a thirst for easy living. After winning a mysterious medallion in a poker game, he is hunted, literally to the corners of the world, by unknown assailants who want it back. Based on his association with Franklin, Gage signs on as a savant with Napoleon’s voyage to Egypt in order to escape. Somehow, the bad guys manage to track him down in Egypt. Coincidences pile up, requiring Gage and his associates to comment frequently about things being fated by the gods in order to explain the outlandish coincidences.
Many of the descriptions were soft and didn’t provide a real sense of certain characters, settings, or events. Characters are introduced en masse and all of the savants blended together. The drawn-out efforts to solve the mystery of the medallion became tiresome. I found myself skimming a lot.
And the ending! To have suffered through the entire book and then have such a self-serving ending frankly made me a little cranky. The author may as well have plastered a pre-order form for the sequel that he obviously already had planned. I don’t think I’ll be adding that to my “to-read” list.
Napoleon’s Pyramids is a historical adventure/mystery that roams from post-revolutionary France to Egypt. Sprinkle in references to Ben Franklin and Napoleon and it sounds great. Unfortunately, the book suffered from a kitchen-sink plot, meaning that the author threw in everything related to ancient mysteries - the Golden Mean, pi, astrology and horoscopes, freemasonry, Egyptian Rite, the Fibonacci sequence, Eqyptian mythology, gypsies, the Holy Grail. Even Moses and the Ark of the Covenant were tossed in for good measure.
The main character, Ethan Gage, is a playboy with wanderlust and a thirst for easy living. After winning a mysterious medallion in a poker game, he is hunted, literally to the corners of the world, by unknown assailants who want it back. Based on his association with Franklin, Gage signs on as a savant with Napoleon’s voyage to Egypt in order to escape. Somehow, the bad guys manage to track him down in Egypt. Coincidences pile up, requiring Gage and his associates to comment frequently about things being fated by the gods in order to explain the outlandish coincidences.
Many of the descriptions were soft and didn’t provide a real sense of certain characters, settings, or events. Characters are introduced en masse and all of the savants blended together. The drawn-out efforts to solve the mystery of the medallion became tiresome. I found myself skimming a lot.
And the ending! To have suffered through the entire book and then have such a self-serving ending frankly made me a little cranky. The author may as well have plastered a pre-order form for the sequel that he obviously already had planned. I don’t think I’ll be adding that to my “to-read” list.
February 5, 2012
I picked up Napoleon's Pyramids as a Friday freebie on the Nook a few weeks ago. It's not the sort of thing I would normally pick up in the bookstore, but it turned out to be quite entertaining.
Napoleon's Pyramids is historical fiction set during the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt, which is probably evident from the title. Napoleon took a number of "savants", or scientists and philosophers, along with him on the journey; their job was to investigate the Great Pyramid and the other various bits of Egyptian arcana. This expedition is the one on which the Rosetta Stone was discovered; in fact, nearly the entire European (and American) fascination with Egyptology began as a result of this expedition. The main character and narrator, Ethan Gage, is an American who gets attached to the expedition as one of Napoleon's savants; he quickly finds himself entwined in a web of mystery.
Dietrich took a handful of liberties with the history, as he discusses in his afterword, but honestly, I didn't notice any of them. The book has the ring of historical truth in general and includes a number of "genius bonus" moments for people who know their history (i.e., not me!).
I really liked the flavor of nostalgia; in many ways, the story reminds me of classic adventure novels from the turn of the previous century. For example, early in the book, the author uses some ridiculously hamfisted foreshadowing, which was very common in that sort of adventure novel. He also generally gets the language right (though there is one place where the narrator, an American, uses the phrase "more power to [someone]"; that was such a blatant late-twentieth-century-ism that it was quite jarring).
I recommend the story for people who enjoy adventure novels, particularly those well-grounded in history.
Napoleon's Pyramids is historical fiction set during the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt, which is probably evident from the title. Napoleon took a number of "savants", or scientists and philosophers, along with him on the journey; their job was to investigate the Great Pyramid and the other various bits of Egyptian arcana. This expedition is the one on which the Rosetta Stone was discovered; in fact, nearly the entire European (and American) fascination with Egyptology began as a result of this expedition. The main character and narrator, Ethan Gage, is an American who gets attached to the expedition as one of Napoleon's savants; he quickly finds himself entwined in a web of mystery.
Dietrich took a handful of liberties with the history, as he discusses in his afterword, but honestly, I didn't notice any of them. The book has the ring of historical truth in general and includes a number of "genius bonus" moments for people who know their history (i.e., not me!).
I really liked the flavor of nostalgia; in many ways, the story reminds me of classic adventure novels from the turn of the previous century. For example, early in the book, the author uses some ridiculously hamfisted foreshadowing, which was very common in that sort of adventure novel. He also generally gets the language right (though there is one place where the narrator, an American, uses the phrase "more power to [someone]"; that was such a blatant late-twentieth-century-ism that it was quite jarring).
I recommend the story for people who enjoy adventure novels, particularly those well-grounded in history.
December 15, 2023
Prvi dio knjige mi je bio prilično konfuzan i spor, i mislio sam da neće dobiti više od tri zvjezdice, n u drugom dijelu sve se ubrzalo, radnja je postala jasnija i počela me intrigirati, tako da želim znati što se s Ethanom Gageom dogodilo u idućim knjigama. pa podižem ocjenu na 4.
May 3, 2019
It was a struggle to get through the first half of this book, but my interest in the storyline and setting kept me going. This story comprises a long history of Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt, and an extensive math lesson regarding the riddles of the pyramids and their meaning. The writing was overly detailed but was well researched.
October 3, 2024
Ethan Gage joins up with Napoleon's invasion of Egypt. They thought the pyramids held the secrets of life. The battle descriptions when the British caught up with Napoleon's fleet were very exciting. The description of the interior of the pyramids was nicely done. Overall, it was a very fun read.
March 4, 2012
I've got to admit that while reading "Napoleon's Pyramids," I enjoyed the adventure. It wasn't until I had a chance to think about the book that I realized it was a mess, a pastiche of ethnic stereotypes, Indiana Jones scenes (right down to step-on-the-right-blocks-or-calamity-will-follow), a muddle of mathematics and Egyptology, and even - wait for it - a call to search for the Ark of the Covenant. OK, the book reads along at a fast clip, with sex, murder, spies, gypsies, sinister Masons, noble Masons, Napoleon, Nelson, sea battles, artillery battles, Mameluke charges, French lines and squares, boat chases up the Nile, a sultry Egyptian priestess, noble Arabs, sinister Arabs, noble Frenchmen, sinister Frenchmen, hot-air balloons, hidden tunnels within the Great Pyramid, treasure, curses, etc. And, of course, an American hero. Dietrich keeps it going. And, he writes beautiful descriptions of geography and geology. So, while it's an enjoyable read, on reflection it's a guilty pleasure. Save this one for the beach, where you can identify with the desert for a while.
January 15, 2015
This is the first in the continuing adventures of Ethan Gage, and American who serves under Franklin and is just sort of wandering around Europe in search of his purpose. He finds it when he wins and Egyptian medallion of great antiquity, and ends up accompanying Napoleon to Egypt as one of his savants to figure out the ancient mysteries, and adventures ensue.
I checked this out due to comparsions on Amazon to the Flashman Papers, but it's a pale shadow at best. Mr. Gage is far less defined as a character, and, frankly, is far less interesting. The writers clearly loves history and mathematics, and those parts are very well done, but as an adventure story... meh. The first 1/2 was very slow, and when things picked up, a crazy series of last minute miracles were the main drive of the action.
It's not a terrible story, but I wouldn't exactly recommend it, either.
I checked this out due to comparsions on Amazon to the Flashman Papers, but it's a pale shadow at best. Mr. Gage is far less defined as a character, and, frankly, is far less interesting. The writers clearly loves history and mathematics, and those parts are very well done, but as an adventure story... meh. The first 1/2 was very slow, and when things picked up, a crazy series of last minute miracles were the main drive of the action.
It's not a terrible story, but I wouldn't exactly recommend it, either.
October 10, 2012
Premise of the book seemed fascinating, but I was greatly disappointed. I abandoned it after 60 some pp. Think an 18th century Indiana Jones with every stereotype in the book. Also, the author hopped on the current fascination with Freemasonry -- sterotypes there, too. Potboiler. Boring bit of dreck.
January 5, 2018
William Dietrich has been a very good author to read. Although I didn't enjoy this book as well as Hadrian's Wall, a bit too technical in spots, he has me wanting to read another by him.
June 19, 2020
I hated the writing style because it felt like a tween was attempting to recreate old English from the early 1800s. I was so bothered that I couldn't really focus on the plot. From the cover it looked interesting, but given the writing style and quality, in my personal opinion it wouldn't have been done well with that mix. Oh well.
May 30, 2018
Ethan Gage, a rapscallion American ex-mentee of Benjamin Franklin now resident in immediate post-Terror Paris, wins an unusual medallion in a card game and soon after finds himself hotly pursued by rogues for the medallion and by the authorities for the murder (which he did not commit) of a prostitute. A journalist friend secures him a position as one of the savants attached to Napoleon's expedition to Egypt -- surely Ethan's foes would not follow him as far as that ancient land?
Oh, yes, they would.
After a raft of adventures and narrow escapes -- the usual -- Ethan joins Napoleon's crew, and in due course, with the help of a wildly independent Macedonian with whom he falls in love and a Mameluke warrior who becomes his great friend, is able to ascribe meaning to the medallion and unlock the mystery of the pyramids . . .
The plot is one of those that a writer like Arturo Pérez-Reverte or Carlos Ruiz Zafon could have had a ball with -- and I might have had a ball reading their rendition of it -- but I have to confess I found Napoleon's Pyramids rather heavy-going. That was until the final fifty or sixty pages, when the author seemed to remember the existence of screen rights and the success of the Indiana Jones movies. This later section is far more readable, yet I found it difficult to accept as anything beyond pseudohistorical/pseudotheological twaddle . . . and not in a good way.
For a Pulitzer-winning journalist, Dietrich seems to have a somewhat cavalier approach to basic research. For example:
(a) We're told numerous times that our planet's pole star some thousands of years ago was Draco, in the constellation Draconis; in fact it was Thuban, which lies in the constellation Draco (there's no star called Draco) and is formally known as Alpha (or α) Draconis ("Draconis" is the possessive of "Draco").
(b) Several times (and perhaps throughout; I wasn't reading all that carefully) the well known pharaonic dynasty is rendered as "the Ptolomies."
(c) And then there's Pascal's Triangle. Anyone with even a smattering of schoolday math -- okay, perhaps a heavyish smattering -- is likely to recognize on sight one of the groups of markings on Ethan's medallion as a representation of Pascal's Triangle. Not so for our assembled savants, some of the finest French scientists of the day (even after the ranks had been thinned a bit by Madame Guillotine, French science was in pretty good shape): for them those markings are inscrutable and arcane. Come back, Dan Brown: all is forgiven.
I also found it irritating that the text couldn't decide if it was working in metric or US Customary units. At one stage our characters are inside the Great Pyramid and it seems that, just about every time they turn a corner, they stop thinking in meters and start thinking in feet, or vice versa.
Dietrich's portrayal of Napoleon is pretty unflattering -- although it may, for all that, be perfectly accurate; I'm no expert. My own image of the little corporal is derived from my reading, many years ago, of Vincent Cronin's massive biography Napoleon (1971) and, soon after, a biography of his years in exile whose details I now can't remember. The Napoleon whom Dietrich gives us here is a far less impressive individual -- pettily ruthless, often anti-intellectual even though full of curiosity and his own intellectual pretensions, given to transient lusts. I found this "different Napoleon" quite refreshing.
There are now, I think, eight novels in Dietrich's Ethan Gage series, so these books obviously have plenty of fans. But, to judge on the basis of this one, they're not for me.
Oh, yes, they would.
After a raft of adventures and narrow escapes -- the usual -- Ethan joins Napoleon's crew, and in due course, with the help of a wildly independent Macedonian with whom he falls in love and a Mameluke warrior who becomes his great friend, is able to ascribe meaning to the medallion and unlock the mystery of the pyramids . . .
The plot is one of those that a writer like Arturo Pérez-Reverte or Carlos Ruiz Zafon could have had a ball with -- and I might have had a ball reading their rendition of it -- but I have to confess I found Napoleon's Pyramids rather heavy-going. That was until the final fifty or sixty pages, when the author seemed to remember the existence of screen rights and the success of the Indiana Jones movies. This later section is far more readable, yet I found it difficult to accept as anything beyond pseudohistorical/pseudotheological twaddle . . . and not in a good way.
For a Pulitzer-winning journalist, Dietrich seems to have a somewhat cavalier approach to basic research. For example:
(a) We're told numerous times that our planet's pole star some thousands of years ago was Draco, in the constellation Draconis; in fact it was Thuban, which lies in the constellation Draco (there's no star called Draco) and is formally known as Alpha (or α) Draconis ("Draconis" is the possessive of "Draco").
(b) Several times (and perhaps throughout; I wasn't reading all that carefully) the well known pharaonic dynasty is rendered as "the Ptolomies."
(c) And then there's Pascal's Triangle. Anyone with even a smattering of schoolday math -- okay, perhaps a heavyish smattering -- is likely to recognize on sight one of the groups of markings on Ethan's medallion as a representation of Pascal's Triangle. Not so for our assembled savants, some of the finest French scientists of the day (even after the ranks had been thinned a bit by Madame Guillotine, French science was in pretty good shape): for them those markings are inscrutable and arcane. Come back, Dan Brown: all is forgiven.
I also found it irritating that the text couldn't decide if it was working in metric or US Customary units. At one stage our characters are inside the Great Pyramid and it seems that, just about every time they turn a corner, they stop thinking in meters and start thinking in feet, or vice versa.
Dietrich's portrayal of Napoleon is pretty unflattering -- although it may, for all that, be perfectly accurate; I'm no expert. My own image of the little corporal is derived from my reading, many years ago, of Vincent Cronin's massive biography Napoleon (1971) and, soon after, a biography of his years in exile whose details I now can't remember. The Napoleon whom Dietrich gives us here is a far less impressive individual -- pettily ruthless, often anti-intellectual even though full of curiosity and his own intellectual pretensions, given to transient lusts. I found this "different Napoleon" quite refreshing.
There are now, I think, eight novels in Dietrich's Ethan Gage series, so these books obviously have plenty of fans. But, to judge on the basis of this one, they're not for me.
November 29, 2012
“Indiana Jones Meets the Three Musketeers” is how I’d pitch this novel to a movie studio. Ethan Gage isn’t a trained archaeologist and more of a rogue than Professor Jones—and he encounters plenty of muskets but no Musketeers—but otherwise that high concept pretty much sums up Dietrich’s yarn. The thing is, I like the Indiana Jones movies (all except Temple of Doom) have long been a sucker for Dumas. So I guess it was pretty inevitable that I found myself enjoying this book too.
Gage, an American who gains a minor amount of notoriety Paris by virtue of his connections with Ben Franklin, is going nowhere fast. He has skills and courage, but little conviction about his life’s direction. Winning an odd pendant, supposedly once worn by Cleopatra, in a poker game, however, sets off a chain of events that leads him to join Napoleon’s army in its conquest of Egypt. The pendant is wanted by the mysterious (but clearly unscrupulous) Count Silano, supposedly an ally of Tallyrand. Gage, put off by Silano’s unsubtle attempts to get the pendant, decides to decipher it himself.
It’s a rousing tale of adventure: naval battles, the French army on the march, Egyptian mystics and militants, the pyramids, a hidden treasure, and the obligatory girl (gorgeous and sometimes scantily clad, of course!). Dietrich has a nice way with history; his Napoleon is great and flawed in equal measures, but very well drawn. After a while, the plot’s coincidences and close calls wear a bit thin, but overall this is fun and fast story.
Gage, an American who gains a minor amount of notoriety Paris by virtue of his connections with Ben Franklin, is going nowhere fast. He has skills and courage, but little conviction about his life’s direction. Winning an odd pendant, supposedly once worn by Cleopatra, in a poker game, however, sets off a chain of events that leads him to join Napoleon’s army in its conquest of Egypt. The pendant is wanted by the mysterious (but clearly unscrupulous) Count Silano, supposedly an ally of Tallyrand. Gage, put off by Silano’s unsubtle attempts to get the pendant, decides to decipher it himself.
It’s a rousing tale of adventure: naval battles, the French army on the march, Egyptian mystics and militants, the pyramids, a hidden treasure, and the obligatory girl (gorgeous and sometimes scantily clad, of course!). Dietrich has a nice way with history; his Napoleon is great and flawed in equal measures, but very well drawn. After a while, the plot’s coincidences and close calls wear a bit thin, but overall this is fun and fast story.
February 20, 2015
This is the first of the Nathan Gage adventure novels and a very enjoyable swashbuckling adventure it is. Ethan Gage is a fictional assistant to Benjamin Franklin and finds himself winning a strange amulet while gambling. This leads to all sorts of adventures as he tries to solve its riddle, including becoming a part of Napoleon's expedition to Egypt as one of his infamous savants.
The author does an excellent job of weaving together military and political history, Masonic lore, biblical scholarship, mystic speculation, and information about ancient Egypt. And he does it in a very readable style with engaging characters that you can't help but root for. Comparisons to an Indiana Jones of the 19th century are right on target.
Very enjoyable and I'm glad to know there are several more books in the series awaiting me, and still more to be written.
The author does an excellent job of weaving together military and political history, Masonic lore, biblical scholarship, mystic speculation, and information about ancient Egypt. And he does it in a very readable style with engaging characters that you can't help but root for. Comparisons to an Indiana Jones of the 19th century are right on target.
Very enjoyable and I'm glad to know there are several more books in the series awaiting me, and still more to be written.
September 30, 2010
Book #1 in the Ethan Gage Trilogy. Fictional tale of a young American (Ethan Gage). Former aide to Ben Franklin and now in Paris, France (circa 1799). He's wrongly accused of murder and flees to Napoleon Bonaparte's fleet (which is preparing to sail on a voyage of empire-building in Egypt and the Middle East). He soon learns he is being followed by shady characters who want an artifact that he won in a game of cards in Paris. Unbelievable stories surround the artifact and he begins seeking answers in Egypt. Along the way he makes friends (not for long), finds love (twice), and nearly dies (several times). A fun read but not the greatest novel ever written. Flows well into the next book in the series.
December 15, 2011
There's nothing heavy here. If you're a fan of Indiana Jones with a dash of pop-sci conspiracy theories, you'll probably like this. I found the exposition wondering about the Fibonacci series and Pi a bit along the lines of "as you know, Bob" discussions between some of the characters, and Dietrich definitely takes liberties with with history, but overall this is a fun, entertaining read. I immediately liked Ethan's slightly self-deprecating humor and his uncomplicated world view. Some of his escapes or dips into trouble are sometimes a little on the convenient side, but they nevertheless kept me turning the pages. I'm looking forward to reading more of his stories.
April 14, 2008
Bought at an airport while delayed. It's a quick read. Action packed and fun. It's filled with historical references and a few fun facts about the time period.
It's very non stop - Battle, chase, battle, flee, treasure, but too quirky to be believable.
If you liked the DaVinci Code Novels or the National Treasure movies, this will be like pornography for you.
It's very non stop - Battle, chase, battle, flee, treasure, but too quirky to be believable.
If you liked the DaVinci Code Novels or the National Treasure movies, this will be like pornography for you.
June 9, 2012
2.5 stars. Started out great, bored the munchauser out of me throughout most of the rest and then had a good ending.
February 26, 2019
Enjoyable. Minus points on the historical fiction side, but makes up for it in the entertainment/comedy side. I would say this is very comparable to an Indiana Jones story in that the action is done with hints of comedy/luck (ex: falling out a window and landing safely in a cart full of donkey poo.) Actually, one of the scenes towards the end is pretty much verbatim a classic scene from Indiana Jones, so not sure what is going on there.... Either way, it was definitely worth the effort as I was struggling to find something to read (thanks for the recommendation Folds), and I think I will press on into #2 whilst adding wayyy to many books to my "To Read" Goodreads list.
Side note, can anyone give me a good historical fiction/treasure hunt book where they DO find the ancient/secret/relic/etc? I'm guessing the main character will most likely lose it before the end, but I want them to do some cool supernatural s*it before that happens.
Side note, can anyone give me a good historical fiction/treasure hunt book where they DO find the ancient/secret/relic/etc? I'm guessing the main character will most likely lose it before the end, but I want them to do some cool supernatural s*it before that happens.
March 18, 2019
Overall 3.5/5 stars. At points in this book I would give a 4/5 for the clever quirkiness of Ethan Gage and the mysteries of the medallion but 2/5 for war plot that dragged on for pages.
Ethan Gage, an American working for Benjamin Franklin, is in France when his gambling at cards lands him a mysterious medallion. Could this medallion lead to the pyramids in Egypt where Napoleon makes his way in his campaign for victory?
What does the medallion mean?
Ethan Gage is a funny, lucky and intriguing character but is described well as a bit of a fool. I found I was off/on engaged in this book - engaged for the action scenes and uncanny escapes as well as learning about his artifact but disinterested and glazing past parts about the war, French politics and Napoleon. Some characters don’t get much of a chance to be described and sometimes the story was a bit haphazard in the telling but I did like it and finished it.
Due to lack of interest I likely won’t read the rest of the series at the moment but perhaps I will revisit in the future.
Ethan Gage, an American working for Benjamin Franklin, is in France when his gambling at cards lands him a mysterious medallion. Could this medallion lead to the pyramids in Egypt where Napoleon makes his way in his campaign for victory?
What does the medallion mean?
Ethan Gage is a funny, lucky and intriguing character but is described well as a bit of a fool. I found I was off/on engaged in this book - engaged for the action scenes and uncanny escapes as well as learning about his artifact but disinterested and glazing past parts about the war, French politics and Napoleon. Some characters don’t get much of a chance to be described and sometimes the story was a bit haphazard in the telling but I did like it and finished it.
Due to lack of interest I likely won’t read the rest of the series at the moment but perhaps I will revisit in the future.
June 18, 2024
Animada novela de aventuras, con personajes históricos en roles protagónicos y la invasión francesa a Egipto de fondo. Un protagonista con mala suerte para meterse en problemas constantemente y mucha buena suerte para salir de ellos, saltando entre dos bandos, huyendo por el desierto o dentro de las pirámides del título. El interés se mantiene pese a lo largo de algunos capítulos y a pesar de que el ritmo a veces puede verse lastrado por las descripciones de monumentos o cavernas. No sabía que era una saga, pero ese final abierto claramente da pie a una secuela.
May 25, 2018
I kept waiting for this to get there, but it never did. Interesting historical context, Napoleon invading Egypt & mysteries of the pyramids; but the fictional story line was flat and far fetched. It was like the author was constantly stretching to insert the story and connect the characters.
December 12, 2023
“People are always afraid to think. And alas, Ethan, integrity is always a prisoner of vanity, and common sense is easily eclipsed by greed.”
April 2, 2020
The best part of this book is the pleasant anticipation of waiting for the arrogant tit of a main character to die in some dreadful and extremely deserved way
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