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Ibis Prophecy #1
The 100th Generation
Ancient curses, modern day villains, and a most intriguing woman who keeps appearing when least expected and then disappearing.
Archeologist Valerie Foret has spent a year searching for a tomb in the Egyptian desert―a labor broken only by high risk trysts with a powerful man's wife. When she finally makes the discovery of a lifetime, she is set upon by jealous rivals and religious fanatics. Worse, she is drawn into the depths of the desert by forces that offer knowledge of vast mysteries and at the same time threaten to destroy everything she knows. For what she's found is a glimpse into the hereafter, and it's nothing like it's supposed to be.
Brilliant scientist that she is, she has loved most unwisely and learned what she does not want to know. Follow her adventures through modern and ancient Egypt, through this world and the next, with Book One of the Ibis Prophecy.
Archeologist Valerie Foret has spent a year searching for a tomb in the Egyptian desert―a labor broken only by high risk trysts with a powerful man's wife. When she finally makes the discovery of a lifetime, she is set upon by jealous rivals and religious fanatics. Worse, she is drawn into the depths of the desert by forces that offer knowledge of vast mysteries and at the same time threaten to destroy everything she knows. For what she's found is a glimpse into the hereafter, and it's nothing like it's supposed to be.
Brilliant scientist that she is, she has loved most unwisely and learned what she does not want to know. Follow her adventures through modern and ancient Egypt, through this world and the next, with Book One of the Ibis Prophecy.
288 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2006
7 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Justine Saracen
14 books34 followersFrom the author's website: How a mild-mannered academic went astray and began writing lesbian fiction:
A recovered academic, Justine Saracen started out producing dreary theses, dissertations and articles for esoteric literary journals. Writing fiction, it turned out, was way more fun. With seven historical thrillers now under her literary belt, she has moved from Ancient Egyptian theology (The 100th Generation) to the Crusades (2007 Lammy-nominated Vulture’s Kiss) to the Roman Renaissance.
Sistine Heresy, which conjures up a thoroughly blasphemic backstory to Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescoes, won a 2009 Independent Publisher’s Award (IPPY) and was a finalist in the ForeWord Book of the Year Award.
A few centuries farther along, WWII thriller Mephisto Aria, was a finalist in the EPIC award competition, won Rainbow awards for Best Historical Novel and Best Writing Style, and took the 2011 Golden Crown first prize for best historical novel.
The Eddie Izzard inspired novel, Sarah, Son of God followed soon after. In the story within a story, a transgendered beauty takes us through Stonewall- rioting New York, Venice under the Inquisition, and Nero’s Rome. The novel won the Rainbow First Prize for Best Transgendered Novel.
Her second WWII thriller Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright, which follows the lives of four homosexuals during the Third Reich, won the 2012 Rainbow First Prize for Historical Novel. Having lived in Germany and taught courses on 20th Century German history, Justine is deeply engaged in the moral issues of the ‘urge to war’ and the ease with which it infects.
Beloved Gomorrah, appearing March 2013, marks a return to her critique of Bible myths – in this case an LGBT version of Sodom and Gomorrah -- though it also involves a lot of Red Sea diving and the dangerous allure of a certain Hollywood actress.
Saracen lives on a “charming little winding street in Brussels.” Being an adopted European has brought her close to the memories of WWII and engendered a sort of obsession with the war years. Waiting for the Violins, her work in progress, tells of an English nurse, nearly killed while fleeing Dunkirk, who returns as a British spy and joins forces with the Belgian resistance. In a year of constant terror, she discovers both betrayal and heroism and learns how very costly love can be.
When dwelling in reality, Justine’s favorite pursuits are scuba diving and listening to opera.
A recovered academic, Justine Saracen started out producing dreary theses, dissertations and articles for esoteric literary journals. Writing fiction, it turned out, was way more fun. With seven historical thrillers now under her literary belt, she has moved from Ancient Egyptian theology (The 100th Generation) to the Crusades (2007 Lammy-nominated Vulture’s Kiss) to the Roman Renaissance.
Sistine Heresy, which conjures up a thoroughly blasphemic backstory to Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescoes, won a 2009 Independent Publisher’s Award (IPPY) and was a finalist in the ForeWord Book of the Year Award.
A few centuries farther along, WWII thriller Mephisto Aria, was a finalist in the EPIC award competition, won Rainbow awards for Best Historical Novel and Best Writing Style, and took the 2011 Golden Crown first prize for best historical novel.
The Eddie Izzard inspired novel, Sarah, Son of God followed soon after. In the story within a story, a transgendered beauty takes us through Stonewall- rioting New York, Venice under the Inquisition, and Nero’s Rome. The novel won the Rainbow First Prize for Best Transgendered Novel.
Her second WWII thriller Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright, which follows the lives of four homosexuals during the Third Reich, won the 2012 Rainbow First Prize for Historical Novel. Having lived in Germany and taught courses on 20th Century German history, Justine is deeply engaged in the moral issues of the ‘urge to war’ and the ease with which it infects.
Beloved Gomorrah, appearing March 2013, marks a return to her critique of Bible myths – in this case an LGBT version of Sodom and Gomorrah -- though it also involves a lot of Red Sea diving and the dangerous allure of a certain Hollywood actress.
Saracen lives on a “charming little winding street in Brussels.” Being an adopted European has brought her close to the memories of WWII and engendered a sort of obsession with the war years. Waiting for the Violins, her work in progress, tells of an English nurse, nearly killed while fleeing Dunkirk, who returns as a British spy and joins forces with the Belgian resistance. In a year of constant terror, she discovers both betrayal and heroism and learns how very costly love can be.
When dwelling in reality, Justine’s favorite pursuits are scuba diving and listening to opera.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 19, 2015
Ah - well, this book certainly is many things. I can see why a couple of reviewers noted they picked it up only to find it wasn't really what they wanted. Hopefully between us all we can give over a good sense of what the author was about, yes?
Valerie Foret is a hard-loving, hard-living archaeologist in the hotseat of her profession; she's running a dig in Egypt, looking to find an unopened tomb to open in triumph. This would both make her career, and justify her continuing employment to the male powers-that-be that rule Brussels University. Unhappily, a gut feeling has led to her recklessly altering the dig location, giving the most distasteful of those males the chance to steal her hard work and "show her a female's place" (etc). This is where the plot gets sticky. Stay with me okay? I promise this is still the introduction. Valerie (who is gay like toughened steel) has a black American friend - an opera singer (who achieves gay like a glorious rainbow). Derek also achieves fertility. His begetting of a child with an Egyptian woman throws the plot into motion. His child was Foretold, and all the Old Gods of Egypt are now moving for their own purposes. Through this madness, Valerie must lead her troop into the desert - must steal the vital mythical pieces needed to quest in this environment properly, must dodge the Egyptian office of Antiquities, and must prevent the truly appalling Belgium senior professor from ruining them/leaking his threatened masculinity all over everything.
Phew. Complicated enough for you?
Things to know about this book that one might like to know before choosing to read it; "The 100th Generation" is very much a fantasy novel. Very much - even if that isn't immediately apparent through the early chapters. The book is also set back a ways in time - it's got that 1950s Indiana Jones feel - but has no set decade. The sexism is therefore overt and pressing. No dramas however - the novel doesn't feel like it has created a past which is a foreign, incomprehensible country. Other things to note about the book: it will knock you out and drag you through your Egyptian mythology, and you will like it, so help you God. (Slight digression; it does fall into the trap of assuming the Egyptian pantheon was both unified, and that the myths formed a single cohesive set; instead everything was fluid, with essentially the whole kit-and-caboodle differing in fundamental ways by region or even by village. Fair enough though; it would be hard to write epic fiction without assuming that.)
Alright, all that's said and done, but what do I think about the book itself? Well... er. It frustrated the hell out of me. Not because it wasn't well written, because it was. Not because it kept taking pot-shots at monotheistic religions (although that was a thing) because most lesbian authors assume their audience is more liberal than a troop of Bonobos, so that's par for the course. No - it was because I wanted Val to move to take control of their bloody problems. The team purely reacted to other people's plans - they were the stalk being blown around in the wind. By the forth chapter I was desperate for Valerie - who was clearly already badass - to just be badass and fix some of this bullshit already. Take the initiative. Punch that professor in the face. Something. Anything! Honestly, some of the decisions she actually made while being randomly pushed around were a bit dubious as well. Wait, wait, no - let me rephrase; replace "some" of her decisions with "most", then the phrase "were a bit dubious" with the words "were fucking terrible". Perfect.
Other problems... well, the romance was frankly half-hash no matter who was doing it. It's like - cool! There's a mysterious, sexy woman with the forbidden knowledge that we need to claw out of this information void! Oh, we only see her three times, each for a paragraph (just long enough to give cryptic instructions), and then she's ignored until next time? The gay guy gets a lady pregnant? The poorly educated Muslim truck-driver has a hard-on for the sexy preggers lady, and will commit crimes for her even though he thinks she's socially unacceptable? Well, err, that's... is that... what is that. Adorable? Is that the right reaction? I am not sure what the author really wanted here.
So all up, it gets three stars from me. Interesting? Hell yes. Fast-paced, intelligent, well-written. But frustrating for a variety of reasons.
I am ambivalent about recommending this book.
Valerie Foret is a hard-loving, hard-living archaeologist in the hotseat of her profession; she's running a dig in Egypt, looking to find an unopened tomb to open in triumph. This would both make her career, and justify her continuing employment to the male powers-that-be that rule Brussels University. Unhappily, a gut feeling has led to her recklessly altering the dig location, giving the most distasteful of those males the chance to steal her hard work and "show her a female's place" (etc). This is where the plot gets sticky. Stay with me okay? I promise this is still the introduction. Valerie (who is gay like toughened steel) has a black American friend - an opera singer (who achieves gay like a glorious rainbow). Derek also achieves fertility. His begetting of a child with an Egyptian woman throws the plot into motion. His child was Foretold, and all the Old Gods of Egypt are now moving for their own purposes. Through this madness, Valerie must lead her troop into the desert - must steal the vital mythical pieces needed to quest in this environment properly, must dodge the Egyptian office of Antiquities, and must prevent the truly appalling Belgium senior professor from ruining them/leaking his threatened masculinity all over everything.
Phew. Complicated enough for you?
Things to know about this book that one might like to know before choosing to read it; "The 100th Generation" is very much a fantasy novel. Very much - even if that isn't immediately apparent through the early chapters. The book is also set back a ways in time - it's got that 1950s Indiana Jones feel - but has no set decade. The sexism is therefore overt and pressing. No dramas however - the novel doesn't feel like it has created a past which is a foreign, incomprehensible country. Other things to note about the book: it will knock you out and drag you through your Egyptian mythology, and you will like it, so help you God. (Slight digression; it does fall into the trap of assuming the Egyptian pantheon was both unified, and that the myths formed a single cohesive set; instead everything was fluid, with essentially the whole kit-and-caboodle differing in fundamental ways by region or even by village. Fair enough though; it would be hard to write epic fiction without assuming that.)
Alright, all that's said and done, but what do I think about the book itself? Well... er. It frustrated the hell out of me. Not because it wasn't well written, because it was. Not because it kept taking pot-shots at monotheistic religions (although that was a thing) because most lesbian authors assume their audience is more liberal than a troop of Bonobos, so that's par for the course. No - it was because I wanted Val to move to take control of their bloody problems. The team purely reacted to other people's plans - they were the stalk being blown around in the wind. By the forth chapter I was desperate for Valerie - who was clearly already badass - to just be badass and fix some of this bullshit already. Take the initiative. Punch that professor in the face. Something. Anything! Honestly, some of the decisions she actually made while being randomly pushed around were a bit dubious as well. Wait, wait, no - let me rephrase; replace "some" of her decisions with "most", then the phrase "were a bit dubious" with the words "were fucking terrible". Perfect.
Other problems... well, the romance was frankly half-hash no matter who was doing it. It's like - cool! There's a mysterious, sexy woman with the forbidden knowledge that we need to claw out of this information void! Oh, we only see her three times, each for a paragraph (just long enough to give cryptic instructions), and then she's ignored until next time? The gay guy gets a lady pregnant? The poorly educated Muslim truck-driver has a hard-on for the sexy preggers lady, and will commit crimes for her even though he thinks she's socially unacceptable? Well, err, that's... is that... what is that. Adorable? Is that the right reaction? I am not sure what the author really wanted here.
So all up, it gets three stars from me. Interesting? Hell yes. Fast-paced, intelligent, well-written. But frustrating for a variety of reasons.
I am ambivalent about recommending this book.
May 7, 2013
How do you combine historical fiction with fantasy, spiritualism, supernatural elements, and lesbian romance, and turn out a very entertaining novel that makes you feel like you've brushed up on your ancient egyptian and early christian history as well. Only Justine Saracen can do that. And with lots of humor, pathos and intrigue as well. (It helps that her partner is an egyptologist). I highly recommend this intelligent series, and everything else written by Ms Saracen.
December 1, 2017
Drat, I forgot to write a review for this book. mmphs. Right, let's do a quick recap for when I glance at the book later and wonder what the fuck the book is about.
Archaeologist Valerie Foret is working on a dig site in Egypt. Close enough to the giant pyramids to occasionally wander by, far enough away that she has to ride a long distance on camel. Which is where the book opens –Valerie on camel riding in out of the desert to get supplies, watch an opera, and fuck the local archaeologist council’s wife (you know, just to throw a bit of cheating in there right away). Valerie has just recently found what appears to be the entrance to a tomb, but hasn’t dig too much yet – doesn’t know if it really is anything yet (though big expectations that she’s found what she was looking for). While fucking the wife of that important dude whose name I forget, Valerie learns that a despised rival is in Egypt and Valerie realizes she needs to flee back into the desert again before they bump into each other (see, the cheating helped! . . . or something).
Before fleeing into the desert, Valerie watches an opera being performed by a very good friend of hers, a very gay man who constantly bordered on stereotypical gay attitudes and comments. Again, still before she flees, she and that gay opera dude wander around the city. Eventually bumping into three specifically important to the story people: a woman who gives Valerie some kind of super important … um . . box thing, scroll . . . scholar . . thingie box; another woman who is half Islamic (through father . ., I think), and half Jewish (through mother, again I think I have the parents correct) turns up as opera dude’s friend (see, this is what happens when I forget to write reviews, I barely recall anyone’s names, and there’s no way I’d have gotten most correct anyway) . . . and very pregnant – apparently by the very flaming homosexual opera singer (as in, he, apparently, impregnated her, and no, he isn’t bisexual, apparently though both got drunk one night (without drinking any alcohol) and stuff happened); and the third person they run into is a man like person – that despised evil misogynistic asshole person – who happens to also be Valerie’s boss. Valerie and bossman settle on both heading to the dug very shortly – Valerie’s going to be displaced and bossman is going to take over (bossman is in many ways: 1) super evil with no redeeming qualities; 2) super misogynistic; 3) super . . . dimwitted; and, inexplicably, and never explained, 4) slowly turning into a woman with breasts and womanly hips and all the rest – never ever explained – what the fuck was up with that anyway? – it was later explained that an ancient Egyptian who he kind of resembles also looked like that, but both were also still men . . . really confusing).
Right, sorry. So. Valerie, not wanting to give up the find, decides to flee into the desert before bossman can get on a camel, gay opera dude follows along with Valerie . . . well still wearing inappropriate clothing (like dress shoes, gay men don’t know how to dress to go on an archaeological dig? I mean, he knew that was what he was going to be doing so . . . . what the fuck?).
Right, so, apparently while Valerie was away her workers had been continuing on the dig. Found doors. Once Valerie arrives, they break in. Wander, an untouched tomb! A very weird looking bird is flying around! A ghost is talking to them!
Right, so, fairly quickly this moves from a vaguely incompetent archaeologist digging in Egypt (incompetent – she moved the dig site from where they were supposed to be digging ‘on a hunch’, but told none of her superiors – and, in fact, one of the reasons why despised evil man is even in Egypt is because incompetent Valerie failed to make the minimum required reports, what the fuck is about that either?) to a bizarre magical realm of weirdness that includes ghosts, birds with human faces, various gods/goddesses/giant vultures/and prophesized stuff.
Enjoyable in its way. Interesting. Completely wacky and insane, but interesting none-the-less.
And I forgot to put this on a rating shelf, bah. Now I’ll have to play spin around and dart toss to see which rating shelf to put this on. *spins*
Right, so, certain amount of sex occurred – cheating sex; certain amount of sexual assault occurred (it’s there, maybe I wouldn’t see it exactly in that light if I’d read it in any other current real world environment ).
Rating: 4.25
December 1 2017
Archaeologist Valerie Foret is working on a dig site in Egypt. Close enough to the giant pyramids to occasionally wander by, far enough away that she has to ride a long distance on camel. Which is where the book opens –Valerie on camel riding in out of the desert to get supplies, watch an opera, and fuck the local archaeologist council’s wife (you know, just to throw a bit of cheating in there right away). Valerie has just recently found what appears to be the entrance to a tomb, but hasn’t dig too much yet – doesn’t know if it really is anything yet (though big expectations that she’s found what she was looking for). While fucking the wife of that important dude whose name I forget, Valerie learns that a despised rival is in Egypt and Valerie realizes she needs to flee back into the desert again before they bump into each other (see, the cheating helped! . . . or something).
Before fleeing into the desert, Valerie watches an opera being performed by a very good friend of hers, a very gay man who constantly bordered on stereotypical gay attitudes and comments. Again, still before she flees, she and that gay opera dude wander around the city. Eventually bumping into three specifically important to the story people: a woman who gives Valerie some kind of super important … um . . box thing, scroll . . . scholar . . thingie box; another woman who is half Islamic (through father . ., I think), and half Jewish (through mother, again I think I have the parents correct) turns up as opera dude’s friend (see, this is what happens when I forget to write reviews, I barely recall anyone’s names, and there’s no way I’d have gotten most correct anyway) . . . and very pregnant – apparently by the very flaming homosexual opera singer (as in, he, apparently, impregnated her, and no, he isn’t bisexual, apparently though both got drunk one night (without drinking any alcohol) and stuff happened); and the third person they run into is a man like person – that despised evil misogynistic asshole person – who happens to also be Valerie’s boss. Valerie and bossman settle on both heading to the dug very shortly – Valerie’s going to be displaced and bossman is going to take over (bossman is in many ways: 1) super evil with no redeeming qualities; 2) super misogynistic; 3) super . . . dimwitted; and, inexplicably, and never explained, 4) slowly turning into a woman with breasts and womanly hips and all the rest – never ever explained – what the fuck was up with that anyway? – it was later explained that an ancient Egyptian who he kind of resembles also looked like that, but both were also still men . . . really confusing).
Right, sorry. So. Valerie, not wanting to give up the find, decides to flee into the desert before bossman can get on a camel, gay opera dude follows along with Valerie . . . well still wearing inappropriate clothing (like dress shoes, gay men don’t know how to dress to go on an archaeological dig? I mean, he knew that was what he was going to be doing so . . . . what the fuck?).
Right, so, apparently while Valerie was away her workers had been continuing on the dig. Found doors. Once Valerie arrives, they break in. Wander, an untouched tomb! A very weird looking bird is flying around! A ghost is talking to them!
Right, so, fairly quickly this moves from a vaguely incompetent archaeologist digging in Egypt (incompetent – she moved the dig site from where they were supposed to be digging ‘on a hunch’, but told none of her superiors – and, in fact, one of the reasons why despised evil man is even in Egypt is because incompetent Valerie failed to make the minimum required reports, what the fuck is about that either?) to a bizarre magical realm of weirdness that includes ghosts, birds with human faces, various gods/goddesses/giant vultures/and prophesized stuff.
Enjoyable in its way. Interesting. Completely wacky and insane, but interesting none-the-less.
And I forgot to put this on a rating shelf, bah. Now I’ll have to play spin around and dart toss to see which rating shelf to put this on. *spins*
Right, so, certain amount of sex occurred – cheating sex; certain amount of sexual assault occurred (it’s there, maybe I wouldn’t see it exactly in that light if I’d read it in any other current real world environment ).
Rating: 4.25
December 1 2017
June 14, 2013
holy crap this book is NOT what i was looking for. i was hoping for some lesbian romance where two women are like yes i want it, no i can't, yes, no yes no. some forbidden love or romance story that revolves around the two women and where there is some sort of sexual tension by the 1/4 mark. instead i am so bored by this archeologist's story and there is a very gay man taking up a large part of the story. don't get me wrong, i got nothing against gay men, but when i buy a book from the LESBIAN ROMANCE SECTION i want lesbian romance.
June 2, 2019
This book reads like a treatise on spirituality and religion, wrapped up in a lesbian Indiana Jones film (with babies). The action is cinematic and the setting is meticulously researched. Read if you are curious about Egyptian deities, have never been to a souk and/or enjoy magical-realism. Avoid if you are looking for an f-f romance (you will get crumbs), warm fuzzy feelings and/or a straightforward plot (it's complicated).
Note that Book 2 Vulture's Kiss is definitely the stronger in the series - so worth picking up if you enjoyed this one.
Note that Book 2 Vulture's Kiss is definitely the stronger in the series - so worth picking up if you enjoyed this one.
February 11, 2010
The 100th Generation takes us into the desert with Egyptologist Valerie Foret. Valerie's a scientist, a lesbian with thriving appetites, and an atheist - not your first guess for who the nature gods would choose to help them make their big comeback on the religious stage, where the various monotheisms have been, frankly, bombing for the last few thousand years. But Valerie is exactly who the gods select.
That's it. That's all you're getting of the details. I don't enjoy synoptic reviews, and I know you don't either.
That's it. That's all you're getting of the details. I don't enjoy synoptic reviews, and I know you don't either.
June 19, 2011
Darn! I was all excited when I started this book because it seemed like a straight-forward supsense thriller. Toward the end it diverged into the fanatastic, and while that was disappointing, it didn't take away from Saracen's marvelous story-telling. Her descriptive ability made me feel like I was in the desert with her, heat, thirst, flies, and all, and her characters were strong with a deft touch of humor. All in all, well done.
Read
November 12, 2016DNF @ 90 Pages
The story and writing in this book was about 3 stars, as far as I got into it. However, there were some weird, slightly racist word choices in places, and I just... had some bad feelings regarding this book? I might be overly sensitive, but I think if you are a white woman writing about Egypt, in a book with a Black man as a central character to the story, you should already tread lightly? Idk. I don't feel good about reading this book so. :/
The story and writing in this book was about 3 stars, as far as I got into it. However, there were some weird, slightly racist word choices in places, and I just... had some bad feelings regarding this book? I might be overly sensitive, but I think if you are a white woman writing about Egypt, in a book with a Black man as a central character to the story, you should already tread lightly? Idk. I don't feel good about reading this book so. :/
Read
January 21, 2017In really not sure what to make of this book. Part Indiana Jones style archaeological adventure, part Egyptian mythology, and part tale of friendship, it seems to defy conventional categories.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews