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La Reine Liberté #2
The War of the Crowns
Second volume in the magnificent Queen Of Freedom trilogy; 17th century B.C. The barbaric Hyksos have taken possession of the whole of Egypt, imposing their harsh rule with unimaginable cruelty. Only Queen Ahotep has yet to succumb. Not far from Thebes, the only city which retains its independence, she has established a secret military base to train the soliders who will one day set her country free. And even when, during an initial skirmish, her husband is killed, the Queen refuses to give in, turning instead to her eldest son, Kames, who must learn to take his father's place and become pharaoh in his turn. Heading an increasingly powerful army, Ahotep steals victory after victory, despite the treacherous behaviour of a handful of 'collaborators'. From south to north, the Egyptians begin to re-group, becoming stronger by the day - and the occupying forces no longer seem quite so invincible. Unless Queen Ahotep and her followers are being lured into the most elaborate of traps...
Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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About the author
Christian Jacq
181 books942 followersAlso writes under the names Célestin Valois, J.B. Livingstone, and Christopher Carter.
Christian Jacq is a French author and Egyptologist. He has written several novels about ancient Egypt, notably a five book suite about pharaoh Ramses II, a character whom Jacq admires greatly.
Jacq's interest in Egyptology began when he was thirteen, and read History of Ancient Egyptian Civilization by Jacques Pirenne. This inspired him to write his first novel. He first visited Egypt when he was seventeen, went on to study Egyptology and archaeology at the Sorbonne, and is now one of the world's leading Egyptologists.
By the time he was eighteen, he had written eight books. His first commercially successful book was Champollion the Egyptian, published in 1987. As of 2004 he has written over fifty books, including several non-fiction books on the subject of Egyptology.
He and his wife later founded the Ramses Institute, which is dedicated to creating a photographic description of Egypt for the preservation of endangered archaeological sites.
Between 1995-1997, he published his best selling five book suite Ramsès, which is today published in over twenty-five countries. Each volume encompasses one aspect of Ramesses' known historical life, woven into a fictional tapestry of the ancient world for an epic tale of love, life and deceit.
Jacq's series describes a vision of the life of the pharaoh: he has two vile power-hungry siblings, Shanaar, his decadent older brother, and Dolora, his corrupted older sister who married his teacher. In his marital life, he first has Isetnofret (Iset) as a mistress (second Great Wife), meets his true love Nefertari (first Great Wife) and after their death, gets married to Maetnefrure in his old age. Jacq gives Ramesses only three biological children: Kha'emweset, Meritamen (she being the only child of Nefertari, the two others being from Iset) and Merneptah. The other "children" are only young officials trained for government and who are nicknamed "sons of the pharaoh".
Christian Jacq is a French author and Egyptologist. He has written several novels about ancient Egypt, notably a five book suite about pharaoh Ramses II, a character whom Jacq admires greatly.
Jacq's interest in Egyptology began when he was thirteen, and read History of Ancient Egyptian Civilization by Jacques Pirenne. This inspired him to write his first novel. He first visited Egypt when he was seventeen, went on to study Egyptology and archaeology at the Sorbonne, and is now one of the world's leading Egyptologists.
By the time he was eighteen, he had written eight books. His first commercially successful book was Champollion the Egyptian, published in 1987. As of 2004 he has written over fifty books, including several non-fiction books on the subject of Egyptology.
He and his wife later founded the Ramses Institute, which is dedicated to creating a photographic description of Egypt for the preservation of endangered archaeological sites.
Between 1995-1997, he published his best selling five book suite Ramsès, which is today published in over twenty-five countries. Each volume encompasses one aspect of Ramesses' known historical life, woven into a fictional tapestry of the ancient world for an epic tale of love, life and deceit.
Jacq's series describes a vision of the life of the pharaoh: he has two vile power-hungry siblings, Shanaar, his decadent older brother, and Dolora, his corrupted older sister who married his teacher. In his marital life, he first has Isetnofret (Iset) as a mistress (second Great Wife), meets his true love Nefertari (first Great Wife) and after their death, gets married to Maetnefrure in his old age. Jacq gives Ramesses only three biological children: Kha'emweset, Meritamen (she being the only child of Nefertari, the two others being from Iset) and Merneptah. The other "children" are only young officials trained for government and who are nicknamed "sons of the pharaoh".
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 2, 2020
I read in the original French so the remarks I have about style are due to the original writing and not translation issues.
I truly want to love this series but Jacq's writing and manichean depiction of characters somewhat got in the way of my enjoyment of this second book. The succession of events, although still entertaining and compelling enough for me to keep reading, seems to be getting very repetitive.
This is a re-read but I last read this book about 15 years ago and still never get surprised.
Overall I do want to keep going with the series and read the last one, but it truly is only plot-based now since the way sentences are written no longer satisfies my craving for good literature.
I truly want to love this series but Jacq's writing and manichean depiction of characters somewhat got in the way of my enjoyment of this second book. The succession of events, although still entertaining and compelling enough for me to keep reading, seems to be getting very repetitive.
This is a re-read but I last read this book about 15 years ago and still never get surprised.
Overall I do want to keep going with the series and read the last one, but it truly is only plot-based now since the way sentences are written no longer satisfies my craving for good literature.
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April 22, 2017I think this fell flat mostly because Jacq's writing isn't strong. Actually, it's really weak. I feel like the story itself, although I doubt its actual historical teachings, is an epic but why make this a trilogy? It would work much better as only one book, even if it ended up being 800 pages or something, than in these little snippets where the action seems repetitive and pointless. The premise is good but the execution is kinda shit.
August 24, 2008
2nd volume in the Triolgy, still pretty silly but I wanted something stupid and mindless
May 10, 2020
It is too soon for me to have formed an opinion.
I bought this book because it is about Ancient Egypt and I could have been an Egyptologist since I am so interested and intrigued by it.
Christian Jacq is a brilliant writer. Not easy to write the way he does about Ancient Egypt except I'm not taken by the story or the characters at all. Too fictitious. How am I supposed to know that Filou is a pigeon while Rieur the Young is a dog?
Ahotep the queen is almost godlike and invicible.
Apophis which was the name of chaos in Gods of Egypt is the emperor of the Hyksos and he is very predictable as a villain.
The story is that Ahotep wants to avenge her beloved Segen who was tortured and murdered by Apophis and she wants to repossess every bit of Egypt that was stolen from her by Apophis.
She is said to be beautiful, have godlike powers. The example of that is a royal cobra not attacking her at Gizeh's pyramids but instead flattening itself and turning into a cane. She has renounced love and remarriage and calls her Wife to the God.
Christian Jacq did do something wonderful in that story: all his women are strong if not beautiful. Apophis' wife is ugly, his treasurer's wife is beautiful, Apophis' sister is beautiful. One lady of the court is a lesbian who enjoys torturing and killing people.
I'm at the point where Ahotep has been warned that the prince of the Nubians, an obese devious ruler, has prepared a lethal trap for her and her army and she has decided to avoid his land for the moment.
OK! I didn't like this book though I usually like anything about Ancient Egypt. My only favorite chapter was the last one with the symbolic signs of magic helping Queen Ahotep get answers.
Kames, her 20-yr old son dies too soon poisoned but how did it happen. It was right after his love Anat sacrificed herself so he wouldn't die from the spear of a Hyksos. Now we know at the end of this book that her youngest son Amose will be the next pharaoh.
I'm wondering since Christian Jacq based himself on actual historical facts to write this novel if Amose is not Ramses the 2. He is supposed to have been the pharaoh who vanquished the Hyksos also called Hittites.
There were interesting characters like the Afghan, Le Moustachu, Admiral Jannas (he's an Hyksos), the lady Abeda a very sadistic woman and Feline, a beautiful Nubian woman who falls in love with Le Moustachu.
But I prefer novels like Sphinx who will both dwell into the past story of Egypt and the modern one. Yes, it is fascinating to read that the gods do show up to help Ahotep along the way in animal form from the royal cobra turning into a stick to an antilope and even a hippotamus but this is too much fiction in a novel that is supposed to be based on an actual story.
I bought this book because it is about Ancient Egypt and I could have been an Egyptologist since I am so interested and intrigued by it.
Christian Jacq is a brilliant writer. Not easy to write the way he does about Ancient Egypt except I'm not taken by the story or the characters at all. Too fictitious. How am I supposed to know that Filou is a pigeon while Rieur the Young is a dog?
Ahotep the queen is almost godlike and invicible.
Apophis which was the name of chaos in Gods of Egypt is the emperor of the Hyksos and he is very predictable as a villain.
The story is that Ahotep wants to avenge her beloved Segen who was tortured and murdered by Apophis and she wants to repossess every bit of Egypt that was stolen from her by Apophis.
She is said to be beautiful, have godlike powers. The example of that is a royal cobra not attacking her at Gizeh's pyramids but instead flattening itself and turning into a cane. She has renounced love and remarriage and calls her Wife to the God.
Christian Jacq did do something wonderful in that story: all his women are strong if not beautiful. Apophis' wife is ugly, his treasurer's wife is beautiful, Apophis' sister is beautiful. One lady of the court is a lesbian who enjoys torturing and killing people.
I'm at the point where Ahotep has been warned that the prince of the Nubians, an obese devious ruler, has prepared a lethal trap for her and her army and she has decided to avoid his land for the moment.
OK! I didn't like this book though I usually like anything about Ancient Egypt. My only favorite chapter was the last one with the symbolic signs of magic helping Queen Ahotep get answers.
Kames, her 20-yr old son dies too soon poisoned but how did it happen. It was right after his love Anat sacrificed herself so he wouldn't die from the spear of a Hyksos. Now we know at the end of this book that her youngest son Amose will be the next pharaoh.
I'm wondering since Christian Jacq based himself on actual historical facts to write this novel if Amose is not Ramses the 2. He is supposed to have been the pharaoh who vanquished the Hyksos also called Hittites.
There were interesting characters like the Afghan, Le Moustachu, Admiral Jannas (he's an Hyksos), the lady Abeda a very sadistic woman and Feline, a beautiful Nubian woman who falls in love with Le Moustachu.
But I prefer novels like Sphinx who will both dwell into the past story of Egypt and the modern one. Yes, it is fascinating to read that the gods do show up to help Ahotep along the way in animal form from the royal cobra turning into a stick to an antilope and even a hippotamus but this is too much fiction in a novel that is supposed to be based on an actual story.
March 9, 2024
Tebas, la única ciudad que ha conservado la independencia ante los bárbaros hiscos, comienza a ganar territorios perdidos desde el sur hacia el norte
A la cabeza la princesa Ahotep y su hijo Kamosis convertido ya en faraón lideran un ejército que comienza a ser imponente, ganando batalla tras batalla a pesar de las intrigas y traiciones
A pesar de la alegría del avance y la reconquista, la princesa se verá herida de nuevo en lo más profundo de su corazón, solo los deseos de libertad la harán sobre ponerse una vez más
Sigo avanzando en esta historia que aunque no es lo que esperaba en un principio me está gustando. A grandes rasgos nos va adentrando en como las dos tierras separadas por el Nilo se van haciendo un solo imperio, el bajo y alto Egipto unificado bajo el mando de una mujer tenaz, constante, que luchó por sus sueños de libertad
A la cabeza la princesa Ahotep y su hijo Kamosis convertido ya en faraón lideran un ejército que comienza a ser imponente, ganando batalla tras batalla a pesar de las intrigas y traiciones
A pesar de la alegría del avance y la reconquista, la princesa se verá herida de nuevo en lo más profundo de su corazón, solo los deseos de libertad la harán sobre ponerse una vez más
Sigo avanzando en esta historia que aunque no es lo que esperaba en un principio me está gustando. A grandes rasgos nos va adentrando en como las dos tierras separadas por el Nilo se van haciendo un solo imperio, el bajo y alto Egipto unificado bajo el mando de una mujer tenaz, constante, que luchó por sus sueños de libertad
August 2, 2019
I thoroughly enjoy this series despite being more fiction than historical truth. As always, Ahhotep appears to accomplish her goals without much difficulty in an unrealistic way. I do not know why I enjoy this series so much, but enjoy it I do! If you like fantasy with a little historical truth, give this series a try. It is not always easy to find Egyptian historical fiction and this author has other series as well.
October 21, 2020
Lost in translation? This book is not worth reading. I thought the era it was set and the history was interesting however this can’t make up for bad writing. He’s French and the book is translated into English so maybe that is the problem. I’d give it zero stars but you can’t do that.
November 4, 2021
Mejora con respecto al primer libro de la saga, la acción ocurre de manera más dinámica. Aunque las escenas de magia puedan parecer fantasía te introducen en las creencias de la época, donde había magia en prácticamente todo.
May 20, 2025
C'est parce que ça se passe en Égypte antique que j'ai réussi à le lire. Malheureusement, tout est trop manichéen : les méchants sont très méchants, et les gentils sont aidés des dieux (?). L'écriture ne permet pas d'apporter de la nuance aux personnages. Je ne lirai pas le dernier tome.
January 4, 2021
Written poorly with little development of either characters or events.
September 29, 2022
Never heard anything about this struggle of Egypt over an invading enemy and nothing about this woman pharoh. Seems to give a real feeling for how their included their gods in everyday life
February 24, 2011
This second book in the series suffers from the same problems as the first; major historical inaccuracy combined with shatteringly bad writing. One thing I will say is that, if at all possible, Jacq has managed to ham up the evil Hyksos stereotype even more than in the first book, in the form of the unbelievable concentration camp. Ahhotep is still as annoying as ever as the "heroine who can do no wrong". Teti and Ahhotep's friends and allies are still blandly uninteresting. Apophis, Khamudi, and the Hyksos are still the typical "supervillains". You might as well have had Apophis sitting in his throne room twirling his moustache and stroking a white Persian cat. The dialogue is stilted and truly terrible, many conversations stick to a format which is repeated over and over again - usually, someone telling Ahhotep that what she wants to do is impossible, and Ahhotep being the only person who believes it can be done. The series is less historical fiction and much more historical fantasy. Normally my reviews are much longer than this, but I couldn't find a single good thing to say about this book. I wouldn't normally say this but because other reviewers have actively urged people to read this book, I feel like I've got to say - don't. I AM an Egyptologist and extremely interested in this period of ancient Egyptian history, and I would not recommend this book at all to people interested in ancient Egypt. If there was the option to give a book zero stars, I'd be using it now.
January 13, 2025
i thought this was a step down from the first book. ahhotep seems to win battles without any difficulty (even when they’re being “held up” in the north, it doesn’t cause them to lose any ground). like girl, you can’t win a war through morale alone. your weapons are barely a step up from sticks and stones and you conquer two of the most powerful kingdoms around you.
the conquest of nubia segment is completely ridiculous because the whole country basically just accepts their invasion and goes along with her. the love story between kamose and that one governor’s wife (enet i think) didn’t really appeal to me. i felt very little remorse when kamose died and even less when enet did. teti gets sick numerous times but somehow lives on. i’m not exactly sure where the series can go from here as they’re already basically won the war, but this book doesn’t encourage me to buy the 3rd book.
the ONLY thing i liked about this book was the settings, but even then there’s far too much.
the conquest of nubia segment is completely ridiculous because the whole country basically just accepts their invasion and goes along with her. the love story between kamose and that one governor’s wife (enet i think) didn’t really appeal to me. i felt very little remorse when kamose died and even less when enet did. teti gets sick numerous times but somehow lives on. i’m not exactly sure where the series can go from here as they’re already basically won the war, but this book doesn’t encourage me to buy the 3rd book.
the ONLY thing i liked about this book was the settings, but even then there’s far too much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2009
#2 in the Queen of Freedom Trilogy! Whenever people think of ancient Egypt they think of King Tut and maybe Ramses the Great. But there were powerful women in Egypt's past and Queen Ahhotep was a warrior, queen, pharaoh, freedom-fighter and mother of two sons (all at the same time!).
The tale of the domination of Egypt by the barbaric Hyksos and how a valiant queen pulled together a rag-tag army and drove them out of her country!
The tale of the domination of Egypt by the barbaric Hyksos and how a valiant queen pulled together a rag-tag army and drove them out of her country!
November 21, 2010
As in the case of all the books I've read by this author, a very easy and quick read. Entertaining and a great image of what life might have been like in ancient Egypt....but this series for me is a bit too biased in his view of Egyptian civilization and his interpretations of the mysteries in history.
December 8, 2012
I enjoyed these first two books of the Queen of Freedom books. I admit that the characters are very black and white with the Egyptians being unquestionably good and the Hyksos being unspeakably evil! Still, the combination of Egyptian mythology and ancient military battles is entertaining and I genuinely enjoy reading Christian Jacq's books. I am starting the third now!
April 20, 2013
Muerto Segen, su hijo Kamés continuará la lucha. Primero dirigirá sus esfuerzos hacia el Sur, liberando Eléphantine (Assuan) de los Nubios y luego hacia el Norte alcanzando el delta tras liberar Memphis. Su empuje le llevará a las puertas de Avaris, la capital del dominio de los Hyksos.
March 11, 2017
I have read books, of this genre, which I have considered to be much better than this yarn. It is one of those books which is okay but nothing to rave about and barely deserves a three star rating.
February 27, 2016
It was a good continuation.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews