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Pharaoh's Gold
A band of mercenaries fight deadly enemies and solve ancient riddles to plunder the tomb of Egypt’s robber pharaoh in this break-neck historical adventure-thriller.
In this fresh twist on the historical adventure genre, a band of misfit mercenaries trek across sandy desert to the Valley of the Kings in search for the gold owed to them by Egypt’s long-dead pharaohs.
In the year 701 BC, Assyria casts its eyes on the last stronghold of the upstart Hebrews: the Kingdom of Judah. The Desert Mice, a band of Kushite mercenaries led by the famous warrior Pisaqar, turn away the foreboding Assyrian army from the gates of Jerusalem in an audacious raid. But the Desert Mice are betrayed: the Egyptian general Taharqa denies them of their pay and disrespects his old tutor. Incensed, the mercenaries plot to recoup the debt owed to them by robbing a long-lost tomb of a forgotten pharaoh.
Pisaqar and his Kushites set out on a daring journey down the Nile―toward the Valley of the Kings and the undiscovered resting place of the fabled Robber Pharaoh. But in crossing the long-dead tyrant, the misfit mercenaries unwittingly bring upon themselves an ancient curse―one that places them squarely in the middle of a dynastic power struggle, and under the wrathful gaze of an ambitious king. Pursued by scheming nobles and a malevolent torturer, the Desert Mice will discover that there are people and places far more perilous than the anarchy of battle.
In this fresh twist on the historical adventure genre, a band of misfit mercenaries trek across sandy desert to the Valley of the Kings in search for the gold owed to them by Egypt’s long-dead pharaohs.
In the year 701 BC, Assyria casts its eyes on the last stronghold of the upstart Hebrews: the Kingdom of Judah. The Desert Mice, a band of Kushite mercenaries led by the famous warrior Pisaqar, turn away the foreboding Assyrian army from the gates of Jerusalem in an audacious raid. But the Desert Mice are betrayed: the Egyptian general Taharqa denies them of their pay and disrespects his old tutor. Incensed, the mercenaries plot to recoup the debt owed to them by robbing a long-lost tomb of a forgotten pharaoh.
Pisaqar and his Kushites set out on a daring journey down the Nile―toward the Valley of the Kings and the undiscovered resting place of the fabled Robber Pharaoh. But in crossing the long-dead tyrant, the misfit mercenaries unwittingly bring upon themselves an ancient curse―one that places them squarely in the middle of a dynastic power struggle, and under the wrathful gaze of an ambitious king. Pursued by scheming nobles and a malevolent torturer, the Desert Mice will discover that there are people and places far more perilous than the anarchy of battle.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
320 pages, Paperback
Published March 26, 2024
10 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 21, 2024
3.0 Stars
I am obsessed with anything involving historical Egypt so the setting of this one immediately grabbed my attention. Admittedly I love the Mummy movie so I was hopeful this one might scratch the same itch. Unfortunately it didn't.
I found this one to be standard action thriller. Despite the Egyptian setting, the story failed to create a distinct sense of place and time. It fell quite flat for me which was disappointing because I thought I'd be easy to please from a premise like this.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher
I am obsessed with anything involving historical Egypt so the setting of this one immediately grabbed my attention. Admittedly I love the Mummy movie so I was hopeful this one might scratch the same itch. Unfortunately it didn't.
I found this one to be standard action thriller. Despite the Egyptian setting, the story failed to create a distinct sense of place and time. It fell quite flat for me which was disappointing because I thought I'd be easy to please from a premise like this.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher
March 26, 2024
People say that you tend to have a dinosaur phase, Ancient Greek phase or Ancient Egypt phase. I had all three but my love of Ancient Egypt was cemented when 9 year old me saw The Mummy (1999). Why is this relevant? Well since then I’ve always looked for good fiction containing those elements. Normally I might find a pulpy adventure set in between the 20s and 50s but I’ve not found one that scratches my itch for adventure and puzzles until Paraoh’s Gold. I went in with high expectations and let me say they were met every time.
Krug transports us, from what I know from Egyptologist at least, back to Ancient Egypt and the surrounding area with accuracy and most of all an enjoyable plot. A perfect blend of historical and fantastical to create a wonderful tale that often has you on the edge of your seat. The writing is impeccable and not only brings the past but the characters to life. I loved the Desert Mice, a band of thieves for the most part, and how they all worked together and played off each other. I loved the elements of historical accuracy with the different peoples and factions.
Now I never do spoilers but I can say it tells of an authors talent if you can end up feeling sad for losing a character who you haven’t known for long. Krug captures the humanity of each characters, perhaps not so much the ‘bad’ guys but they are still very human. On top of this we have perfect adventure, action and puzzles. The perfect read for any Ancient Egypt fan.
Krug transports us, from what I know from Egyptologist at least, back to Ancient Egypt and the surrounding area with accuracy and most of all an enjoyable plot. A perfect blend of historical and fantastical to create a wonderful tale that often has you on the edge of your seat. The writing is impeccable and not only brings the past but the characters to life. I loved the Desert Mice, a band of thieves for the most part, and how they all worked together and played off each other. I loved the elements of historical accuracy with the different peoples and factions.
Now I never do spoilers but I can say it tells of an authors talent if you can end up feeling sad for losing a character who you haven’t known for long. Krug captures the humanity of each characters, perhaps not so much the ‘bad’ guys but they are still very human. On top of this we have perfect adventure, action and puzzles. The perfect read for any Ancient Egypt fan.
June 19, 2024
Action, adventure, a band of misfits looking for a treasure in a tomb, political intrigues.
You're never bored and it's an original novel set in Egypt but quite far from the standard featuring pharahos, mummies and all the classic parafernalia.
Had a lot of fun and it would gread to read other stories featuring these characters
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
You're never bored and it's an original novel set in Egypt but quite far from the standard featuring pharahos, mummies and all the classic parafernalia.
Had a lot of fun and it would gread to read other stories featuring these characters
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
May 30, 2025
Too many characters!!! That was my biggest gripe with this book. For a book that’s barely 301 pages, there were too many characters and differing point of views, the author should’ve just kept to three differing point of views, maximum.
The actual robbery and heist was far too short and they quickly found the tomb, the author should’ve spent more time with characters looking for the treasure instead of flicking back to characters we didn’t need to see the points of view of.
The actual robbery and heist was far too short and they quickly found the tomb, the author should’ve spent more time with characters looking for the treasure instead of flicking back to characters we didn’t need to see the points of view of.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews